1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: So what do you make of the Andrew Costa interview 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: on Q and A yesterday? First question is why did 3 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: he do it? Well, Obviously he felt he had been 4 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: thrown under the bus by Judith Collins, Mark Mitchell and 5 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: Richard Chambers at that recent press conference, so he was 6 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: prepared to throw them under the bus as well. So 7 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: he did the interview. And he does have a point 8 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: when the IPCA report did not mention corruption, but the 9 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: politicians and the new police commissioner inferred it, so he 10 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: had to protect his name, and the protection of his 11 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: name is the reason he negotiated with the Public Service 12 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: Commissioner in the delay in resigning from his latest job. 13 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: In frankly, I don't blame him. And what did the 14 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: Public Service commissioners say about him? He told Mike last 15 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: week that Andrew Costa always seemed genuine in all his 16 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: dealings with them. So the problem is with the throwing 17 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: under the bus is that Costa has no proof of 18 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 1: his claims, and so now we have a ridiculous he said, 19 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: he said situation, and nobody is able to provide concrete 20 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: proof of what they said or may not have said 21 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: at the time. Now Costa may have brief Mitchell and 22 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: Hipkins of the situation. But what does that mean? Which 23 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: situation was he talking about? How much detail did he do? 24 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: Was he telling them, Oh, yeah, Mick Sgibbons had an affair, 25 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:07,759 Speaker 1: it's gone a bit wrong. Or did he tell him, oh, 26 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: the police force has been covering up one of them own. 27 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: How much detail of anything did he give them in 28 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: these informal briefings. Who knows, because no one was keeping notes. 29 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: And here's the thing, The fascinating fact he mentioned in 30 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 1: that interview is that the police is a three billion 31 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: dollar business, which makes the job of police commissioner one 32 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: of the biggest CEO positions in our economy. And ask 33 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,559 Speaker 1: any CEO whether they take notes of any conversation about 34 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: their business, and they'll tell you it's imperative. Loose lips ships. 35 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: One would have thought that taking notes after a conversation 36 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: about this sort of stuff is imperative for a commissioner, 37 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: also for any minister of the crown as well. And 38 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: I'm looking at you, mister Hipkins and mister Mitchell. My 39 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: whole impression after the interview is that everyone was a 40 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: bit loose. It's a tawdry tale of bad judgment. At 41 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: the top of our public service, both the public servants 42 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: and of course the politicians. And remember the buck always 43 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: stops at the top, and the politicians are at the top. 44 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: It also reminded me that the political battles at the 45 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: top levels of our public service are actually very vicious 46 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 1: affairs and everyone plays a very hard game. And Richard 47 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: Chambers was in competition with a very competent police officer, 48 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: Ed mcskimming who had a hidden sex life and a 49 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: pre election for animals. But you have to wonder how 50 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 1: Richard ch Chambers in that competition didn't know anything on 51 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: what did he know? Who knows who was taking notes? Nobody, 52 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: So at the end of it all, one can only 53 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: hope that mister Costa and missus z find some new 54 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: normal and some peace and everyone learns to take their 55 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: jobs more seriously. For more from Earlily Edition with Ryan Bridge, 56 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: listen live to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays, 57 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.