Herald on Sunday editorial: Peters is no judge of Obama's value to Air NZ

Former U.S. President Barack Obama. Photo / Getty Images

Editorial

When we broke the news last Sunday that Air New Zealand intended to bring former US President Barrack Obama to New Zealand next month, we fondly supposed the visit would be warmly welcomed by just about everyone in this country and certainly everyone in government and politics.

How disappointing, therefore, that the prospect did not find favour with one of them, Winston Peters, our Foreign Minister no less.

It was worse than disappointing, it was alarming. Peters said he was speaking as the shareholding minister of Air New Zealand and he did not approve of the company paying Obama his usual speaking fee.

"I know what his going rate is. (About $400,000, we had reported) I know we can't afford it," he grumbled.

Peters is the Minister of State Owned Enterprises, a role that is not supposed to allow a minister to interfere in commercial decisions of the companies.

Quite the opposite. The State Owned Enterprises Act was designed to keep ministers at arms length from the companies' operational decisions. If they have are not satisfied with a company's overall performance they can sack its board.

But they are not supposed to interfere in decisions like this. If the airline pays the former President any money to come here or speak - and it has not even confirmed the invitation yet - it will do so from its own revenue on its own assessment of a commercial return.

There is speculation Air NZ is about to launch a service from a new city in the United States, probably Chicago, Obama's home town. If the former President can be enticed to make the flight it could be a promotional coup for Air NZ at both ends of the route.

The publicity could easily pay off in commercial terms. Certainly the company's assessment of that return is likely to be more careful and reliable than Winston Peters'.

Why he chose to put his pennyworth in is anyone's guess. Perhaps he did not like our reporter's speculation that while here, Obama might play another round of golf with Sir John Key, now on the board of Air NZ and possibly instrumental in securing this engagement, if it is still on.

What a pity if the company dropped the idea at the first whiff of opposition. It will not want its guest to be the subject of controversy here. Obama deserves an unequivocal Kiwi welcome.