Appointments — Ombudsman—Beverley Wakem

I move, That, pursuant to section 3 of the Ombudsmen Act 1975, this House recommend Her Excellency the Governor-General to appoint Beverley Anne Wakem, of Wellington, as an Ombudsman for a term commencing on 1 March 2005.

I would like to speak briefly on behalf of National in support of this appointment and, in doing so, to acknowledge the contribution that Beverley Wakem has made to date in the New Zealand business community. She is the deputy chair of the Remuneration Authority and chair of the Insurance and Savings Ombudsman’s commission. She has been widely involved in a range of community activities, and I single out for special mention her position as chief executive of Radio New Zealand from 1984 until 1991. She has also been a commercial director for Wrightson Ltd, and she has had positions in the area of human resources and corporate affairs.

I would say, though, that we are confronting a quite unusual situation in the context of the appointment of Ombudsman, because we now have three Ombudsmen who do not have legal qualifications. I would argue that a critical part of the role involves legal analysis and, in particular, analysis of legal material. So there is John Belgrave, the Chief Ombudsman from 1 July 2003, who has a commerce background—sure, he has been Secretary for Justice, but law is not his mainstream activity—and there is also Mel Smith, who has a BA in political science.

There have been circumstances over the years where there have also been Ombudsmen without legal qualifications, but it has been relatively rare. Now we have all three Ombudsmen without legal training. I think that is a pity, and an issue that would be addressed by an incoming National Government.

I would also say this in reinforcement of the points that I have made today. We all know that Ombudsmen are independent Officers of Parliament appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of this House, which is what we are doing today. But they have only three functions, and those three functions are substantially legally loaded: first, of course, to form opinions on the merits of complaints from citizens about the administrative acts and decisions of Government agencies; second, to conduct reviews of decisions to decline release of official information, either under the Official Information Act or the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act; and, finally, to provide guidance and information to employees who have either made, or are considering making, protected disclosure pursuant to the Protected Disclosures Act. In that context of the purpose of Ombudsmen, it is not a wholly satisfactory circumstance that we are seeing no Ombudsmen in this current round who have legal qualifications.

I do not want to detract, though, from the qualities that Beverley Wakem undoubtedly has, and National will support the appointment.

Due to retirement we need a new Ombudsman, and Parliament has selected that person. The process was efficient, effective, democratic, and fair. The result is that we have appointed a lady with considerable ability, a very impressive track record, and one who will make a very competent Ombudsman. On behalf of New Zealand First, I say that we are pleased to see her appointed and I take the opportunity of wishing her every success.

For the ACT party, I want to add our congratulations on this appointment. I was in Radio New Zealand’s building last night, and looking along the walls I saw a photo of a very young-looking woman, who must have been—I will not say surprisingly—an extraordinarily youthful interruption to the normal line of chief executives of Radio New Zealand.

I came across Ms Wakem again when she had left the comforting arms of the State and had gone to Wrightson in, I think, a human resources role, but it ended up being a lot more than that, and I believe she did an extraordinary job there under trying circumstances. I certainly appreciated the wisdom that she offered and the balance that she was able to bring to a position that was quite tough at that time. The panel, I am sure, was delighted to have someone of her calibre as a candidate for this job.

I endorse the concern that when there is no one with legal training in a position such as this, there may be something lost from the Office of the Ombudsmen. I spent 2 years as an investigating officer in the Office of the Ombudsmen. I started under Sir George Laking, who I think may have had a law degree, but certainly had never practised as a lawyer. I believe that he performed in a way that built on the credit that the office had had from the time of Sir Guy Powles. So I am not overly concerned about the absence of a legal qualification, but endorse the noting of it for future reference.

We are very pleased to be able to add our voice to those welcoming this new parliamentary commissioner to our service.

On behalf of United Future I am also delighted to support the appointment of Beverley Wakem as an Ombudsman for our nation. Beverley has had a most distinguished career, and that fact, of course, says a lot about her as an individual. The career has flowed from the qualities of the individual, and I have no doubt at all that she will continue to serve our nation in this new capacity to a very high standard.

This is an Officer of Parliament position, and I was chairman of the Officers of Parliament Committee. I know Beverley Wakem personally, and I just want to say how pleased I am that this was a unanimous appointment. We are very pleased to welcome her as an Officer of Parliament if this motion is carried.

Motion agreed to.