A consensus for Bish
The Herald’s Thomas Coughlan on Politician of the Year:
That leaves, by a whisker, the winner: Chris Bishop (it’s a good year for Chrises from the Hutt).
Associate Finance Minister, Transport Minister, Housing Minister, RMA Reform Minister, Bishop has very obviously donned the mantle of “minister of everything”.
Bishop is perhaps the Government’s busiest reformer, with the transport, housing and RMA reform portfolios each being enough to burden most ordinary ministers. The staggered, tactical approach to RMA reform has been a success, and while Bishop is clearly standing on David Parker’s shoulders when it comes to the structure of some of the Government’s reforms, it’s impressive what he’s managed to accomplish in two years.
The Post politics team:
Chris Bishop is the main character of New Zealand politics. At press time he was not the leader of any major party (those are the other Christophers) but he often made more headlines than the rest of them put together. Bishop was the person most integral to all of the government’s most ambitious reforms, from the replacement of the RMA to rates capping to tolled roads of national significance.
Politician of the year goes to… Shihad-esque drum roll please… Minister for Everything, Chris Bishop. Congratulations.
Newsroom picks a few people also, but notes:
You’d have to recognise Chris Bishop for sheer workload
A clear victory for the MP for Hutt South!
The post A consensus for Bish first appeared on Kiwiblog.