Tanczos Nandor: Appointments — OmbudsmanText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTanczos Nandor: Appointments — Ombudsman[Sitting date: 11 October 2007. Volume:642;Page:12312. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]NANDOR TANCZOS (Green): Like other parties the Green Party warmly supports this motion. I will begin our speech in support by talking about the importance of the Ombudsmen first of all. I thank Dr Cullen for his brief history lesson on the office of the Ombudsman in this country. The Ombudsman is an independent Officer of Parliament and has an absolutely crucial role in helping to ameliorate the imbalance of power between the State and citizens and to hold Government departments to account in their treatment of citizens. I do not think the importance of that role can be overemphasised—particularly in a world where the powers of the State are increasingly encroaching on the lives of citizens.Just very recently we have had an excellent demonstration of the importance of that role in relation to the inquiry into prisoner transportation following the killing of Liam Ashley in a prison van. We need only think about the range of difficulties that have been faced by the Department of Corrections—not just in recent times but over a long period of time—to see how important it was that that inquiry was conducted by an independent and credible agency and that it was done with a level of rigour and fearlessness. I have to say that the Office of the Ombudsmen did an excellent job. It produced a comprehensive and authoritative report. The crucial thing was that the Ombudsmen did not do the investigation only by reading the papers and looking at the policies; they actually got out into the real world and really saw what was going on—even to the extent of actually getting inside prison vans to see for themselves what those were like on the inside. So the role of the Ombudsman is enormously important and as a result is highly respected by most New Zealanders.In that context it is a pleasure to speak in support of the appointment of David McGee to that role and first of all to agree very strongly with the words of members who have spoken very warmly in relation to David McGee and his time here. Like most members I have had the opportunity to seek the advice of David McGee as Clerk of the House. I have found him to be authoritative in his pronouncements and to be impartial in the way he approached matters. I want to really thank him for that because that is enormously important particularly when one is a bit of a young fresh MP trying to find one’s way around the Standings Orders and things like that. So as a result of those qualities I think he makes an excellent candidate for Ombudsman and I welcome the motion.In particular I want not just to acknowledge his personal conduct which members have already spoken warmly about but also to touch upon the leadership he has given in his role of Clerk and on his importance I think in developing a culture within the Office of the Clerk—a culture of professionalism and impartiality. That is enormously important. I have sat on the Justice and Electoral Committee since 1999 and have seen the clerks who have come through and serviced that committee. The level of service that members get from clerks in the committees and in the House is very very high. Certainly the current committee staff in the Justice and Electoral Committee are extremely good and I do not think we can underestimate the importance of the culture of the Office of the Clerk in supporting and promoting that culture of professionalism of impartiality—in fact of excellence. We know that David McGee is internationally respected for his work as Clerk of the House in this Parliament and his advice has been sought by people from other Parliaments because of his internationally recognised expertise. I think the clerks of our select committees have demonstrated and developed the same qualities and that his leadership has been crucial in that.I think David McGee is well placed to bring the same level of authority professionalism fearlessness and impartiality to the role of Ombudsman and to help maintain and strengthen that culture in that office. I am not saying that that is necessary—I think that that culture is already there—but I think he is a good person to enhance it.It is obvious that David McGee is highly regarded by members in this House and that is a very good basis for his taking up the role of challenging the Government and holding it to account in this role. The respect we all have for him means that any of his findings will be difficult to belittle—as Governments under pressure from adverse findings are sometimes tempted to do—as will be his advice. Really all I can say in finishing is that I offer him our best wishes. Kia kaha; go hard bro!