The leaders of New Zealand's two main political parties have had an interesting last couple of weeks.
Helen Clark has capped off a testing period by becoming the first international leader to meet and great new Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd when the two had an informal discussion on Sunday in Queensland.
Clark will be keen to keep the familiarity she had with John Howard going. One thing is for sure, Rudd will not display open antipathy towards New Zealand like his Labor predecessors Paul Keating and Bob Hawke.
Opposition leader John Key spent the recess a couple of weeks ago touring New Zealand on his 'heartland tour' distributing promotional DVDs that show him up close and personal, apparently. Columnists had a field day lampooning this DVD.
One highlight was when Key stood outside the (too-) often-mentioned state house he grew up in (you know, with his solo mum etc.) and, smiling at the camera, described how he pushed his sister through a glass door while she was doing cartwheels. Accidentally of course.
Trans Tasman MP Grading
As well as being the time of year to rush self-serving legislation through parliament, it 'tis the season for the annual release of Trans Tasman newsletter's MP grading. Clark tops the list with 8.5 out of 10 and Key sits pretty on 8.
Some of parliament's lesser-lights get an absolute pounding. Unsurprisingly David Benson-Pope and Taito Phillip Field are awarded zeros, while Labour's David Hereora had this written about his (non) performance: 'Presence as a list MP is a mystery to most people and probably himself'.
And of National's Chris Auchinvole: 'Complained his name wasn't being pronounced properly. That's all we can remember'. Ouch!
While most MPs were hit hard by Trans Tasman, last week in the house it was Labour on the back foot. With one week to go until the Christmas break, Labour looks like it will score a pyrrhic victory in pushing its Electoral Finance Bill through in time for its regulations to take place from January 1.
Yes this is the bill that recently had over 150 amendments and has provisions that justice minister Annette King said can be over-ruled using 'common sense'.
Mallard's Maladies
Last, but not least, it was not a good week for Trevor Mallard. Starting the week in the dock at Wellington's District Court set the tone for Trev.
A couple of days later, environment ministry CEO Hugh Logan said that advice given to the minister about the work of Erin Leigh, she who dared speak out against political appointments at the ministry, was ambiguous.
Logan was effectively saying that Mallard's attack on Leigh in the house, where he accused her of being 'sad' and 'incompetent', was the result of some Mallardic license.
Elton John sang about sorry being the hardest word and so it has proved for Mallard, who has created for himself and his beleaguered Labour Party another headache.
Trans Tasman said that without Helen Clark's leadership, Labour would be history. Even under her astute leadership the party's ability to seeming implode on itself every time its luck seems to turn could mean it returns to the opposition benches in a matter of months.
Did anyone mention the Capital and Coast District Health Board?
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