Government dragging its feet on top appointments
Government is keeping its mouth shut over the appointment of a Director of Audit despite open talk of the three-person shortlist that’s gone to Cabinet.
The Minister of Finance Mark Brown had nothing to say on the matter last week when questioned by the media at his press briefing on the rapid depletion of Civil List travel money. The successful candidate for the post is now expected to come at the last minute – the end of the month, which is when the current term of the incumbent Director, Paul Allsworth, runs out.
Allsworth’s rival for the job is said to be former Audit officer Allen Parker, who has been working overseas for PASAI – the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions. The other short-listed candidate is also from the Audit Office.
Parker is currently working as a Capacity Building Advisor with the PASAI Secretariat in Auckland.
The dragging of feet on top government jobs has been painfully slow for several months. It all started with the failure to appoint a Financial Secretary in a timely fashion – finally coming to a conclusion after about 10 months.
The replacement of the outgoing Public Service Commissioner has also been dragging on for many months – since at least March this year, when Navy Epati was expected to step down. That dragged on for another few months and then another few months more. Epati is now said to be leaving the Commissioner’s job at the end of this month.
Another top level post facing uncertainty and dragging of feet on the part of the government is the appointment of the Commissioner of Police. Maara Tetava was re-warranted to the end of September and there is still no transparency on the process of finalizing this appointment.
Apart from these statutory Crown bodies, the government has been slow to appoint Secretaries to the departments of Infrastructure and Planning, as well as Justice.

Herald Issue 554 09 March
- Norm exposes Trio of Doom
- Briefs from PM’s media conference Tuesday
- Tourism Industry ponders $5 million draft strategy
- Norman George resigns from Cook Islands Party
- Letter of Resignation from CIP
- Norman selfish says Prime Minister