Honours system brought into disrepute

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Doesn’t the knighting of Trevor Mallard show what a joke the New Year Honours really are? He’s a thug, a bully and a ticket scalper, and New Zealand is rewarding him for being so. He even falsely accused a parliamentary staffer of being a rapist and the ensuing litigation cost you and me $300,000. Two years ago, he and the Prime Minister didn’t have the mettle to face up to the protesters at Parliament, so he turned the sprinklers on them and started blaring out Barry Manilow bangers. Way to “man up” Trev.

It’s an indictment on our society that we celebrate and honour mediocrity and yet Jacinda Ardern thought this bully boy was worthy of being Speaker of the House and then gave him the plum job of Irish ambassador. I won’t be referring to him as “Sir” any time soon.

Rolly Hay