More cronyism?

The government has appointed former National Party MP Georgina te Heuheu to the board of the Māori Television Service, and she will replace the chair when his term expires at the end of the month. She's at least competent, but at the same time the appointment of yet another former National MP to a government board looks like cronyism (especially in the context of their political appointments to the NZ On Air board and their interference in media content). The usual OIA has been dispatched, and we'll get to find out whether Pita Sharples can run a credible appointments process, or whether he did the usual trick of pulling her name out of thin air and appointing her with no interviews, no shortlist, and no competition.