By JAMES GARDINER
A Government blunder threatens to leave the newly independent Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority without a board of directors and legally unable to carry out its duties.
Advertisements seeking nominations for the board have just begun running. Nominations close on June 27, in less than a fortnight, for consideration by Energy Minister Pete Hodgson.
However, under the Energy Efficiency Act, passed last month, the new board must be in place by July 1, meaning that Mr Hodgson has only three days in which to consult other political parties, industry and interest groups, select between six and eight board members and get them approved by the cabinet's appointments committee.
The Green Party has a particular interest in the authority's work and, with the Alliance, is likely to have strong views on who should be on the board.
Officials admitted the time frame was "tight" but said they thought it could be achieved by July 1 or very close to it.
Mr Hodgson's press secretary, Graeme Speden, initially said there was no particular reason for thinking the deadline could not be achieved.
"It's amazing what you can get done in a hurry."
But then he said that on July 1 the five members of the existing board would "roll over" onto the new board and by October 1 three new members would be appointed, at which time the present chairman, Giff Davidson, would stand down and a new chairman be appointed out of the remaining seven.
But the act says the board will consist of between six and eight members from July 1, specifies that nominations will be invited and makes no provision for the existing board to continue.
Asked under what section of the legislation Mr Hodgson was relying on, Mr Speden said he did not know but would try to find out. Four days later, he said officials had given the advice and it was assumed they knew what they were talking about.
He agreed that one of the first tasks of the new board would be to appoint a new chief executive. As part of the restructuring, that job had been recently advertised and applications closed last week.
That may also prove to be a blunder because the appointment of the new Crown entity's head cannot be made by the present board, a "rolled-over" version of it - or the minister.
In fact the new board may even decide to re-advertise the position if it is not satisfied with the job description drawn up by its predecessor.
The act makes the new board responsible for completing a draft strategy to give effect to the Government's energy policy by April 1 next year - generally recognised as a mammoth task which will require considerable expertise on both the board and within the organisation.
The present chief executive, Godfrey Bridger, whose employment contract has another two years to run, said he had applied for the position.
Last week it was announced that the authority's budget was to be boosted by an extra $3 million, part of a Green Party package agreed to by the Government.
Blunder puts pressure on energy body
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