Some of the most likeable people in New Zealand politics are the lobbyists. They’re often the most insightful: they know what’s going on and why, but they’re more detached than the politicians and less tangled up in the day-to-day churn than many journalists.
These qualities make them excellent political commentators, and many of the nation’s most prominent media pundits are lobbyists. But with all that charm and insight, it’s a little easy for everyone to forget that these people are deeply political actors: that instead of trying to win elections so they can influence government policy, their job is to quietly influence
