Education Minister Erica Stanford has again shot down criticism of a decision to appoint her former boss and ex-National Party minister Murray McCully as an independent reviewer into the state of school buildings.
The opposition has previously criticised the appointment of several former National Party ministers to Government roles, McCully being one, as being "jobs for the boys".
In March, the Education Minister announced the appointment of McCully to a Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education's School Property Function, after the Government said they inherited a school property system "bordering on crisis".
Stanford defended the appointment when asked on Q+A earlier today.
"He is my old boss. I couldn't think of a better person," she said.
"He's excellent. He knows the machinery of government. He's been working in Northland on major infrastructure projects that have been delivered on time and on budget.
"I couldn't think of a better person to lead this inquiry."
She rejected a suggestion that the appointment could affect whether people believed the review was independent.
McCully previously served as foreign affairs minister under John Key's government.
"Murray's doing an excellent job," the minister said.
"You know, a few weeks into the job, I had the ministry say: 'I'm very sorry, minister, but actually there's a whole pipeline of projects that we can't deliver on the issue.'
"It's huge, and so I need the best brains on this. Murray McCully and Mark Binns are the best brains in the country to put on this. Their report is going to be out early, and they're coming in under budget, what more could you ask for?"
Before entering politics, Stanford worked for McCully in his East Coast Bays electorate office for four years and has previously described him as her political mentor.
The Government says due process has been followed, but the opposition is critical. (Source: 1News)
For his work, McCully has been paid $2200 a day.
Previously, the minister’s office has said the role was part-time and the payment was in line with previous payments for similar work and with Cabinet recommendations.
It was one of several appointments of former ministers in the past several months.
Former deputy prime minister Paula Bennett was appointed to chair the Pharmac board last month. In March, Transport Minister Simeon Brown appointed former transport minister and National leader Simon Bridges to chairman of NZTA Waka Kotahi.
In February, State Owned Enterprises Minister Paul Goldsmith chose former minister Roger Sowry to help lead an investigation into the state of our Cook Strait ferries.
The Government will be spending over $50 million in the next four years to grow New Zealand's teaching workforce. (Source: 1News)
In December, Housing Minister Chris Bishop brought in former prime minister Sir Bill English to investigate Kāinga Ora. He also tapped former National minister Steven Joyce to help design the incoming National Infrastructure Agency.
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins criticised the appointments in March and used them to criticise the Government's public sector job cuts.
"It's jobs for the boys. It's clear what their priorities are — it's to keep their former colleagues in work at a time when they're laying off potentially thousands of Kiwis."
Labour also created positions or gave their former MPs roles when they were in power — like Louisa Wall's appointment as the Pacific Gender Equality Ambassador or controversial Speaker Trevor Mallard's appointment as the Ambassador to Ireland.
Asked whether Labour also created "jobs for the boys" during its time in power, Hipkins replied: "We don't go around laying off thousands of public servants."
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