This is really weird, given all the focus on “enhanced” cv claims over recent years, but who does look at the CVs that MPs post about themselves? I was told by a former National Party supporter that my failed Nat opponent at the last election who squeaked in on the list had exaggerated his “brilliant career”. I didn’t pay any attention to this until yesterday when I heard that Aaron Gilmore had told one of my colleagues that I should essentially pull my head in because I have been advocating for my constituents over their need to know what’s happening with their future post the earthquake – apparently I have been expressing these views a little bit too publicly for his liking. I will not apologise to anyone for doing my job. I have constituents demanding answers and I am entitled to seek those answers on their behalf. I am not asking for anything for myself – it is for the people I have been elected to serve. I remember how viciously I was attacked on an earlier post for daring to suggest that frustration was growing while Christchurch East waited, despite my best efforts to get answers through official channels. The truth is that MPs were not given a dedicated 0800 number to call until 10 days after the earthquake. I will explain at a future time how it was the government that was playing politics with the earthquake – including enabling Aaron to leave a Ministerial briefing on the earthquake to join with the Deputy Prime Minister in my electorate as EQC started doing exactly what I had asked to be done three days before.
This was why I thought I would look at Aaron’s cv and play with the internet – just to see if the story I had been told was worth investigating further:
- Senior Associate, Australasian Financial Services Association – No such organisation that I could find
- Member, Chartered Financial Analyst Institute – Website does not show him as a current member
- Member, Associate Chartered Accounting College - No such organisation that I could find
These anomolies need to be addressed. The following two are not really examples of inaccuracies in his cv but they gild the lily so to speak. He says on his cv under qualifications: Postgraduate Diploma (Accounting), Massey University (75% complete) – I don’t know about you, but I don’t think you can include something under the definition of a qualification if it is not completed – but I suppose it proves he is an optimist – “75% done” sounds better than ”25% shy of the qualification”. And under Awards he has included Finalist, 2007 South Island NZIM Young Executive of the Year – there were 7 finalists that year – only one woman, and she was the one who won the award. But good on him for getting that far.
So my quick scan produced a little interest – personally I don’t want to waste too much time on this guy, who spends time criticising me for nothing more than advocating on behalf of my constituents and seeks to undermine me by making up stories about me – e.g. moving out of the electorate (untrue) or applying for jobs overseas (untrue) - sigh! But I am sure I can find someone who will do a more complete analysis on Aaron’s CV and his register of pecuniary interests, because my contact says there is much more. Although I will say one of those disclosures of pecuniary interests did catch my eye – Property Ventures Ltd. I already knew that name from when I was researching the interests behind the Council bailout of David Henderson’s properties - what a surprise! You would be gob-smacked to find out who Aaron is backing for Mayor; setting aside all personal interests of course.
I’m not surprised that Lianne is feeling the pressure. Not only are their calls for Labour to show some renewal (and being an MP for twenty years she’d be on the renewal list), with the government getting such huge support for its handling of the christchurch earthquake, and with david cunliffe putting your handling of your commerce to portfolio to the sword in preference for his own leadership ambition, it’s no wonder she’s feeling stressed.
Hopefully the next item in this guy’s cv will be:
For Alwyn’s benefit – who is apparently incapable of searching the answers herself:
Helen Clark majored in politics and graduated with an MA (Honours) in 1974. Her thesis focused on ‘rural political behaviour and representation’. In 1976 she went overseas on a post graduate course. When she was elected to parliament in 1981 she had to forego her studies towards a PhD.
As someone who knew her when she was still at university, I can confirm that the above is a true and accurate account of her tertiary qualifications.
Beats the qualies of the present incumbent of the Office of Prime Minister doesn’t it my dear.
Ask Kate Hazlett (nat board) about her little CV ‘error’…
Anne – er no it doesn’t.
@Anne
No, not really because Dear Leaders education (and career) was all theory while JK put his into practice and was very successful
Chris73 final warning. Clare
Thanks for all your comments. I agree with Paul that a crisis requires everyone to put aside their political differences and work together for the greater good. That’s why I publicly acknowledged Aaron and the good work that he was doing in the electorate at the first of the community meetings I hosted with the EQC. Remember Christchurch East has more damaged areas than any other electorate, so there is plenty of work to go around. But to find him doing the opposite to me in my electorate by deliberating undermining my efforts and then telling my Parliamentary colleagues that I need to pull my head in, surprised me. Hopefully I will see Aaron tomorrow at a meeting I am attending and I will clarify the names of the relevant organisations he is a member of, while I also clarify why he is using colleagues to pass on such messages to me.
Lianne you have a six thousand majority from when Labour had its lowest result in ages. Even with Labour under your present leader you’ve still got a safe seat. Why do you bother with aaron? Are you really so befuddled after two years in opposition and so far from the seat of government, and with no hope of getting back into government anytime soon, that you let him get under your nerves like this?
It says a lot about a really negative part of the Labour Party if you ask me. Maybe you should spend less time around Trevor Mallard. His nastiness seems to be infectious.
No it doesn’t. Waimakariri does.
And if Gilmore is a failure for receiving 12, 000 votes in Christchurch East. What does that make the following Labour MPs?
Moana Mackey
Sue Moroney
Darien Fenton with barely 6,000 votes
Phil Twyford
Shane Jones
Rick Barker
Jacinda Ardern
Maryan Street
David Parker
Kelvin Davis
Mita Ririnui
They’re all failed Labour MPs
And I suggest you get help because you should be ashamed of yourself.
@Mark Clare – thank you for pointing out the facts re. how much he has to pay for various professional memberships (sorry this is going off topic a little, but bear with me)
I looked at some info on the DHBNZ website (www.dhbnz.co.nz) about the spending patterns of DHB CEO’s – quite a few of them claiming various ‘memberships’ on their DHB credit cards on a regular basis. I wonder if the MP’s (as well as garnishing their CV’s) are claiming their professional memberships?
Yeah crush, your two cents worth of ill-judgement is meaningless.
A loss is a loss, isn’t it? In an election which swung hard against Labour, no less.
Chris 73 – Nine years as PM is nothing to scoff at!
Funny how some people think ‘work experience’ is qualifications ?
But note how JK resume is trying to gild the lily by claiming a one week course at Harvard as some sort of academic credential.
Mega bucks and a Bcom isnt enough it seems.
For the first year after Key became leader, Bill English used to sit in on his ‘one on one’ interviews so he didnt make a ‘total’ fool of himself. So I guess that work experience in currency trading didnt help much when it came to politics. And of course now he has a small army of people whispering in his ear.
In the US is very common for business people ( and politicians) to have doctorates, its a product of their strong university system. Even the Military have post grad systems in place for those aspiring to senior leaders – virtually unheard of in NZ, who seem to think a staff course is the same thing.
Well well Aaron has been exposed at last. Lianne was onto something
National list MP Aaron Gilmore has claimed a high-level finance industry qualification he does not have in a CV published on Parliament’s website.
The Chartered Financial Analyst Institute yesterday told the Herald Mr Gilmore was not a member, although he listed membership as part of his list of educational and professional qualifications on his parliamentary web page.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-national-party/news/article.cfm?o_id=266&objectid=10678939
And one of the other pieces of ‘bling’ he claims isnt quite what he says either:
Finsia spokesman said he could not confirm Mr Gilmore was a member unless the MP gave his consent, but a document available on the New Zealand institute’s website shows he was admitted to its associate chartered accounting college some time between May and the end of last year.
Aaron of course claims hes a ‘Senior Associate’, as though being wait listed for actual membership is a big deal.
smhead – don’t spin this as being about nastiness. If Gilmore has falsified his CV then that’s a serious matter – enough to get him fired as an employee. I wonder if Key will be ‘relaxed’ about it.
Lianne – thanks for keep pushing for answers for us all. I for one am still not happy with the almost timeline released by Gerry Brownlees last night on the news. As I understand it – the report is finished, and is going to be discussed today then given to the new mayors and then homeowners told… why the delay in telling us?
thanks and keep up the good work
Isn’t obtaining a position by claiming false credentials fraud?
@Peter Freedman
Not quiet, he just lying if he knows he giving out false info! (Mind you he probably want to believe its true!)
@All
Im not going to jump onto Aaron Gilmore side but I like to ask a question. How many of us have not sugar coated our CVs!
Exaggerate how skill/education etc… We all do it, push the truth to the edge.
But if he making stuff up… well, you would get sacked if your were working a normal job.
So it simply really…
Mr Aaron Gilmore, are all the things on your CV true and can you back those claims up?
I haven’t Red, I’m happy for people to think me mediocre or otherwise
!
Surprised that you didn’t know what the Associate Chartered Accountant College is. It’s a designation of NZICA that is enshrined in New Zealand legislation in the ‘Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand Act 1996′. And the member search on the website shows that he is a member. If he was claiming to be a Associate Chartered Accountant when he wasn’t, then that would’ve been an offence under the act.
Reviewing C.V.’s of public service employee’s and central and local govt.politicians is a conversation that is best left to the State Services Commission to investigate.
Appointments to the Supercity C.C.O.’s are of concern and need to be investigated to weed out pretenders and those with conflicts of interest.
Hey Lianne,
It was probably Michelle while she was at Momentum.
Well, I for one think it’s entirely relevant Lianne posts this kind of thing. Gilmour gets all excited about the credentials of others, attacks his colleagues (who supported his government’s draconian CERRA legislation) and expects his own credentials to be accepted on face value?
Whether or not Lianne’s CV is more impressive or not, ultimately Lianne has not embellished hers whereas that good National Party Member has not been so honourable in his it would seem. Yet again though, despite the extensiveness of one’s CV, it is interesting that those from the right get all snippy about just how extensive his is (or at least appears to be).
Parliament is a representative body. To my mind, some of the greatest of its Members have not been qualified to do anything but lead the country. The qualities of leadership are not born out in a CV with multipe 3 or 4 letter listings. Lianne is a bright, effective and dedicated MP and she is a lawyer, bonus or not? Anyway, this tested against some of Parliament’s most – allegedly – qualified MPs does beg the question – does the CV for an MP matter? Only I suppose if you are, like Gilmour or Gil-less I should say, going to raise it as a point of debate.
Lianne’s leadership has been shown, tested and she’ll admit to having made her mistakes. I wouldn’t even trust Gil-less with the Statistics portfolio. It’s more than just about showing up, you have to do something when you’re there. The CVs of MPs should be compared after their time in Parliament, not before.
But fair game I say.
Sir (in Ghana) Gipper
74% PhD
Member of the Royal College of Bloggerists
The NZ Herald article had a ‘pox on both your houses’ feel about it…
Come on now Spud!! Nerd is an offensive term, you’ll be put on leave if you’re not careful.
What’s on your CV?
Sorry Gipper
It’s great that you have brains and can use it to get moola and chicks
I can’t tell you what’s on my CV because I’m trying to be an anonymous web lurker !
@paul
Unsure why you would claim that a new high school in the Parklands area is a waste of taxpayer money, it is a genuine attempt to address the distance that the other schools are from the people of that area and therefore a worthy cause on that grounds alone. There is likely to be substantial residential development in that area in years to come further cementing the cause.
Most of this post seems to be traditional politicking. It is a fact that all parties have placed list MPs into electorates to increase the representation, this can only be seen as a good thing. I suspect a considerable amount of Labour MPs work was in supporting their associates standing in the local body elections.
Ahh swampy – seems like once again on issues of education you and I are sitting on different sides of the fence. I know the area well and understand issues in education – so suffice to say I disagree with you again. Show me the demographic data, show me the fiscal costs of running three schools (or should they close one of the other ones to justify a new one?) and give me a solid argument. You have used fiscal restraint as a valid reason for closing schools before swampy, so it seems odd you are all for spending our hard earned tax dollars on what seems a very expensive ‘want’ as opposed to a need. As for distance – tonnes of kids in this country travel far larger distances than the paltry distance you claim is too far, everyday to get to high school – that is, in my opinion, a wet and soggy paper argument.
Or is this really about giving the higher decile parents something so they dont have to send thier kids – because it would be terrible if they caught ‘poor’ – to a lower decile school?
What this issue with the high school does highlight (for those that think its unrelated to this post) is that the area is diverse and any politician working in that electorate must understand a diverse group of people, with diverse needs.
@ who ever it was that was comparing Key and his CV to Helen Clark and her CV (they went on about how he had ‘real world’ experience)
Key was a professional gambler; he played with other peoples cash on the currency markets – it’s legitimized gambling, same as the stock market; sometimes you win, sometimes you lose – Key played at a time when the casino was paying out big time – lucky him!!
Clark on the other hand STUDIED – she studied society, community, people, government’ she gained an insight into what works to help people, and more importantly, what doesn’t. This allowed her the opportunity to reduce child poverty. regrettably Mr. Key lacks this knowledge and the policies of his moronic cronies are undoing all that work.
@Ian
I’m going to assume JK got to his positions by studying and I do like the way the left like to denigrate his achievements by calling it “gambling”
And as far as I’m aware children in NZ are as worse off as they’ve ever been after the nine years of labour
I would like some transparency from you, if nothing else to show me that the same rules apply to you as to others.
1. What is your connection to the Peter Ellis/Christchurch Civic Creche case?
2. Are you convinced Ellis is guilty? If so, why?
3. What have you said to Phil Goff about the case?
4. What role, if any, did you have in Cabinet’s decision not to hold a Commission of Inquiry into the case while Goff was Justice Minister?
5. Which members of Cabinet know of your connection to the Ellis case?
6. What exactly have you told them?
7. Have you ever complained to TVNZ or the BSA about coverage of the Ellis case? If so, why?
8. Would you like to a see a Commission of Inquiry into the Ellis case? If not, why not?
9. Will you release all material that you have sent or received in relation to the case?
@ Ross – I would normally just deleted your comment as off thread and trolling but because it has been here for hours I think it is probably best that I respond as someone who was in Cabinet through the period in question.
1. Lianne has two sets on conflicts in this case. One each way and both important enough to declare.
2. Lianne declared her conflicts through the normal Cabinet Office process as soon as she was sworn in as a Minister.
3. Other Ministers were aware she had a conflict as were her staff and Cabinet office staff.
4. She received no papers on the issue. There are processes in place to ensure this happens, involving both Departmental and Cabinet papers. A number of Ministers did in relation to a variety of issues. I did on one.
5. She absented herself from Cabinet Committees, Cabinet and informal discussions of the case.
Lianne acted properly. Please don’t do the smear by innuendo thing on Red Alert again or you will be banned.
@chris… “I’m going to assume JK got to his positions by studying and I do like the way the left like to denigrate his achievements by calling it “gambling””
Studying? Have you read or watched the Hollow Men? If not, highly recommend it – may be enlightening for you. Don’t get me wrong, I applaud his ability to make stink loads of money – wish I had the skill – but lets not forget that people in those roles make stink loads of money by acting in a cut throat and ruthless world – you don’t get successful without those particular skills, or by smiling and waving.
I do not know him personally – so I suppose I can not really judge him on a personal level – but based on how he came to be the leader, his actions or lack of in a number of issues and the messages behind the carefully polished spin – I am uneasy about his agenda and general trustworthyness.
I have a similar feeling for Gilmore – whereas I trust what Lianne has done, I know if she makes a mistake she will front up, and I know she cares about the people in her electorate and indeed, in our country. Her responses to the select comm on early intervention (I think it was select comm) and that she wanted both parties to work together on it (and the nats turned it down) is all the evidence you need.
Ian
The nub of the comparison.
Apart from a few right mindless ranters about Helen, serious comment on who she has ripped off in life is absent amid the various pathetic attempts to discredit her.
Key and the pack he scavenged with brought the international capital system to its knees and we have all suffered. Taxpayers across the globe have been heavily penalised socialising the losses created by these greedy monsters.
Homes lost for millions of kids, escalation of crime and the US courts are bringing out more corruption and political interference by the gang of thugs he was one of.
Personal profit in excess of any morality.
I have never heard or read of critisism by him of the damaging capital games and corrupt manipulation we have witness as exposed through public investigation.
He has the money still. A man with morals?
Trevor,
I don’t know why you feel the need to reply on Lianne’s behalf. I would like to think that she answer the questions herself. You will notice, Trevor, that I didn’t refer to conflicts of interest, but asked what her Cabinet colleagues knew about the Peter Ellis case when they were in Cabinet.
The questions remain unanswered, which is disappointing considering that Lianne wants transparency and honesty from others. It appears she wants and expects higher standards from others than she is prepared to accept from herself.