Back when he was in Parliament, Wayne Mapp didn't exactly come across as the sharpest tool in the shed. He was a second-rate MP, and a second-rate Minister, notable only for taking on the "portfolio" of "political correctness eradication" for Don Brash.
So naturally, National has just appointed him to the Law Commission, a collection of our best legal brains tasked with the ongoing review and reform of New Zealand law.
This is cronyism, pure and simple. But it's not just a blatant case of "jobs for the boys", it also politicises the Commission, turning it from a reform body into a National-stacked stooge. Mapp will be able to influence the shape of New Zealand law for the next decade from this - and through him, national will be able to, whether they're in power or not.
