2001: Changing faces

In January, Gary Toomey, the new CEO of Air New Zealand, had high hopes. By the end of the year, after the collapse of Ansett, death threats and a Government rescue package for Air New Zealand, the Australian who wanted to help Kiwis to fly had bailed out.

"I thought it would be better for someone new to come in with a fresh scenario on the table," he later said of his decision.

Also bailing out was All Blacks coach Wayne Smith who, in a fit of uncertainty one day said he didn't want to keep his job but the next day changed his mind.

That was too late for the NZRFU selection panel, which opted to replace Smith with Chiefs coach John Mitchell. Mitchell expected to be held accountable in his new job. "I will give clear direction - the buck stops with me."

Fresh faces were called for in politics, with Auckland voters electing a new mayor, the National Party plumping for a new leader and tensions in the Alliance raising the spectre of a party without "Chairman Jim".

It was the war in Afghanistan which caused confusion about where the buck stopped in the junior coalition party. The relationship between leader Jim Anderton and president Matt McCarten reached breaking point when Mr McCarten backed party leftists challenging caucus support for the war.

Three days after the party's November conference, Mr Anderton tried to force Mr McCarten's resignation. Mr McCarten then withheld access to party records. A truce was reached in December after an Alliance Council meeting. "What we really need to do is ... show by our actions that we have confidence and trust in each other," said Mr Anderton.

Two people who clearly didn't trust each other were former Auckland Mayor Christine Fletcher and her successor John Banks.

The day before the local body elections Mrs Fletcher signed the first contract for the Britomart Transport Centre. Mr Banks wanted it to wait for the new council. Once elected, he started planning two new motorways and called in former National colleague and Finance Minister Bill Birch to advise on cost cutting.

Their old party's dismal performance had in October led its caucus to decide it, too, needed a change at the top. After saying in January he would not challenge Jenny Shipley for the leadership, deputy leader Bill English became the runaway choice of National MPs.

With the numbers a dead cert, Mrs Shipley resigned. But the change has had little effect on the polls and Mr English was being dubbed the Invisible Man.

2001 – The year in review