Bob Edlin: Constitutional change affects funding of Parliament....

Constitutional change affects funding of Parliament – and reminds us of the Ombudsman’s rebalancing

RNZ has drawn attention to a procedural motion in Parliament last week which “quietly marked one of the more significant constitutional changes of recent years”.

It dealt with the issue of how Parliament is funded.

The Notice of Motion from Leader of the House Louise Upston concerning the estimates (budgets) for the three officers of Parliament and the Parliamentary agencies lasted five minutes on Wednesday evening and flew under most people’s radars.

Bob Edlin: Chief Ombudsman has set about rebalancing his office....

Chief Ombudsman has set about rebalancing his office in a plan aimed at delivering fairness for all

Whispers have reached us of a restructuring in the Office of the Ombudsman.

We imagine the outcome will be huge efficiencies because the Chief Ombudsman, John Allen, will have learned a great deal from his previous restructuring experiences.

The whispers have been amplified by Allen, who has signalled his plans in the Ombudsman Quarterly Review.