Hobbs above tricks in sex shop visit

By KEVIN TAYLOR political reporter

As photo-ops go it had the makings of a classic.

Environment Minister and Wellington Central MP Marian Hobbs was visiting sex gear retailer and manufacturer D-Vice as part of a Government drive to improve communication with small business.

Small Business Minister John Tamihere said in launching the drive that the Government should "make love" to small business and celebrate it more.

With this in mind at least 10 journalists and camera operators accompanied Ms Hobbs to the factory, sensing some entertaining shots at a business which sells vibrators, dildos, lubricants and bondage gear.

But the minister known for the occasional booboo wasn't about to get caught making another.

The best the cameras could catch her doing was trying on a pair of "furcuffs" - fluffy bondage restraints.

During the tour, D-Vice co-owner Nick Mercer explained straight-faced to the slightly embarrassed minister that the large "Boss" dildos in a box near her were "just the bomb ... very comfortable and easy to use".

Asked if she was a customer, the minister laughed nervously and said she wasn't but then revealed she had been sent some samples.

Started by three women in 1997, D-Vice now employs 20 staff and exports to America, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. It has outlets in Wellington, Auckland and Melbourne.

But Ms Mercer said the company still had problems with compliance costs and cashflow.

Ms Hobbs told the media she was keen to hear her concerns in private and confessed to being worried by the amount of interest in the visit.

She tried to guide the angle - the "real and fabulous" story about D-Vice was that it was started by beneficiaries and now successfully employed 20 people.

Over the next fortnight 33 ministers and MPs will fan out across New Zealand to visit other small businesses so the Government can learn how to best help.

A "Small Business Day" is also planned in Wellington next month.

But National panned the drive in a pun-laden press release from small business spokesman Lindsay Tisch.

Mr Tisch labelled Ms Hobbs' visit a transparent public relations exercise and ironic given the Government had small businesses in "bondage" for so long.

Labour was "tying" them down with red tape, "suffocating" them with compliance costs and "flogging" them with 17 new taxes.

It was "whipping" through union friendly changes to the Employment Relations Act, and crushing them with extra costs for holidays.

However, Ms Hobbs denied the Government was on a charm offensive.

She had also seen the puns, but insisted the fact that the company made sex gear was irrelevant. The owners had issues with the Government and she wanted to learn more.