Mr Fix-it runs a sharp operation

By AUDREY YOUNG political editor

Watching Wira Gardiner in action yesterday, there can be little doubt why the Government reached for him to try to sort out the Te Mangai Paho mess.

Mr Gardiner conducts his press conferences with the precision of a drill sergeant and the ease of an experienced managing director.

That may come as no surprise to those who knew him in the Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel at Defence headquarters in the early 1980s.

Or to those who worked with him as a top public servant overseeing the transition of the Ministry of Maori Affairs to its present incarnation as the Ministry of Maori Development, Te Puni Kokiri.

Although he was Maori vice-president of the National Party until recently, it took him "two seconds" to accept the job when Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia called him.

Mr Gardiner yesterday held his third media briefing since May 28, when he became interim chairman of the board at Te Mangai Paho, the Maori broadcasting funding agency.

Pity help anyone who arrives even a second late to a Gardiner press conference.

It begins either right on the dot or, to the annoyance of some, before the designated time.

Mr Gardiner was appointed following a report into kickbacks paid to former Te Mangai Paho employee Tame Te Rangi by a company he made funding decisions for.

Chief executive Trevor Moeke knew about the conflict of interest but failed to stop it.

The object of yesterday's press conference was to broaden Mr Gardiner's review into Mr Moeke's performance and send him on indefinite leave.

Mr Gardiner, who turns 60 in September, was never elected to Parliament when he stood under first-past-the-post.

This may explain why he speaks in relatively short, sharp sentences.

Question: What was Mr Moeke's attitude to you this morning?

"I think it is fair to characterise my style of operations as very direct.

"I have been direct with him from the outset and my discussion with him was in the same vein."

Question: What was his reaction to your discussion?

"At 10 o'clock this morning he proceeded on indefinite leave."

After the detail of the press conference was exhausted, someone asked Mr Gardiner why he had accepted the job.

"Because the Minister of Maori Affairs asked me.

"And because this whole business is about Maori development."

He said he had had a commitment for the past 20 years to Maori development "regardless of political party".

"The kaupapa or the issue is much more important to me - even if it necessarily gets me offside with my own party.

"I said 'yes' within about two seconds."

The job takes him away from the consultancy he and his wife, National's Wellington Central candidate Hekia Parata, run from their office on The Terrace.

It also takes him away from a budding honey business he is developing on the East Coast.

The couple also have a home in Ruatoria.

Mr Gardiner is affiliated to Ngati Awa of the Bay of Plenty.

He studied at Massey and Canterbury Universities, gaining a BA in history.

He then went on to get an MA in war studies from King's College, London. An avid book collector, he has a personal library of 6000 titles.