New Year's Honours: a crony-lite farewell from Labour

This will be Labour's New Year's Honours list - I doubt the Nats had any time to get any of their own cronies a gong - that will be happening at the next Queen's birthday.

So, Margaret Wilson gets honoured - is she the Roger Douglas mirror on the left or what? - right down to the knighthood [equivalent?] on retirement! Phil Goff would have been on that same committee in 1990 most likely that gave Sir Roger his, and here he is giving his other mate from Auckland University an honour - only he's now the Premier of South Australia (Mike Rann), so it's under the guise of "Australia-New Zealand relations." It's all about cliques.

Dr Mark Prebble, Lower Hutt, for public services, lately as State Services Commissioner.
- He left early under somewhat of a cloud after he fumbled a few political line calls, but this is a bit of a silver-lining to that cloud. The Nats criticised him in Opposition, but I doubt they would or could have vetoed him, or anyone else on this list for that matter.

Steven Maharey, Palmerston North, for services as a member of Parliament.
- He exhibited Tourette's syndrome in Parliament one afternoon - the stress was too much - he then exited his ministerial portfolios to take up the Vice Chancellorship of his electorate's main institution. He looked like the natural successor to the PM up until that point.

Clement Rudolph Simich, Auckland, for services as a member of Parliament.
- And a good deputy Speaker and no-one seems to have a bad word to say about gentleman Clem.

Paul Desmond Swain, Upper Hutt, for services as a member of Parliament.
- And no one seems to have anything to say about Paul Swain.

The Rev Charles Tansey Waldegrave, Lower Hutt, for services to social policy.
- Why does that name ring a bell? My lefty radar says... OK:
co-leads the ‘New Zealand Poverty Measurement Project’ (NZPMP) which has provided the evidence base for considerable public policy debate and social and economic changes in New Zealand [...] addressing cultural, gender and socioeconomic contexts in therapy
A touchy-feely lefty as well. Why did Labour leave it this long!? (Was he a member of the Alliance or something?)

All right then, it's hardly the end of the world as far as politicisation goes. Jonathan Hunt at the top of the pou with an Order of NZ, or Muldoon and Palmer giving themselves knighthoods - that was far worse than this list.

The preferences between parties is not that pronounced except Labour very rarely honours anyone from business unless they contribute to Labour (eg. Owen Glenn) or have very high-profiles and/or come from a business dynasty. You can see the usual ranks as you descend the list:
The politicians,
the professors, esp. education, history and medical research,
High Court judges,
senior public servants,
millionaires/directors/businessmen,
doctors,
lawyers,
artists,
Olympic medalists,
Police, (eventually fire, corrections and customs),
lesser academics,
non-medalist athletes,
industry professionals,
trades,
local government/community,
and finally all the people who aren't white.

...and then the Military have their own divisions of orders etc., all the way down to some ribbons for Navy stores accountants.