What's the bet that it will all come out in the wash and the outcome will be to maintain institutional respectability, given the CJ is involved too? Power wins out. There's the journo wife of the QC Curruthers doing great PR, using the "Herald", NZ's powerful organ, to manipulate our thinking as to the "honourable" judge.

The calibre, honesty, integrity and intelligence of our local and national politicians says heaps about us as a society We are so easily seduced by the easy way out, vain, empty and false that those who are more fit to govern just wouldn't stand a chance because they might just tell it like it is and some would need to make a helluva lot more effort to contribute instead of just grabbing as much as they can while they can.

For example, after topping the list for the most spent on travel, Winston Peters used "our" vehicle for months when out of power and not entitled, but was he ever called to account?

Kiri belted out nearly all pop songs at her Wellington farewell concert before studying in London. Her rather immature/patchy Carmen performance came a year or two later. She was then several years older than Hayley is now.

I read that her fellow students in London were a little envious that she could whip into little old NZ and earn quite good money because many of us were happy to be non-critical and encouraging. She also received a Maori Education Foundation grant towards her studies I think.

Hayley has a lot of time to develop her considerable talent further.