Imagine that you're hiring a builder to do some repairs to your home. Now imagine that they refuse the job unless you include a clause in the contract indemnifying them from any costs arising from flaws in their work and promising you won't sue them if they screw up or don't do the work at all. You'd tell them to get lost and find someone else, right?
Unfortunately for the residents of Christchurch, the National government and EQC signed exactly such a contract for earthquake repair work with Fletchers. Naturally, its turned into a complete disaster, with shoddy work needing further repairs, affecting both existing homeowners and innocent third-parties who bought supposedly repaired houses. The public aren't happy, but Gerry Brownlee effectively gave away the right to sue when he allowed his department to sign the contract.
(Meanwhile, just two days ago National's Stuart Smith was suggesting the government sue Fletchers. I guess Brownlee just didn't bother to tell him...)
And yet somehow, people still seem to think National are business geniuses. The only "genius" they have is for signing shitty deals which fork over piles of cash to cronies. As for the public, we get robbed and screwed over. Thanks, National!