If the Government's mounting number of unpopular proposals, controversial legislation, poor decisions, embarrassing blunders, backdowns, admissions and apologies of recent weeks and months continues, by year-end, 2012 may well be referred to as Prime Minister John Key's "annus horribilis".
Last week, the Government announced significant changes to the country's district courts.
Courts Minister Chester Borrows said four courts would close and nine, including Balclutha and Oamaru (which are currently closed as they are deemed earthquake risks), would only open for criminal, civil or family hearings.
Local lawyers and civic leaders fear it is only a matter of time before those two courts are closed permanently and say there is a lack of understanding about the vital roles court staff play in communities.
It was subsequently revealed the Ministry of Justice does not keep figures on local registry office use and Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton is also challenging the Government's estimate of $5 million to $6 million to fix the Oamaru courthouse, which Mr Borrows said last Thursday he too did not agree with.
Those admissions follow backtracking last Wednesday after district court staff nationwide were briefed on a restructuring proposal by the Ministry of Justice, which suggested at least 96 jobs could go. The ministry later admitted the figure was wrong - and 170 positions were at risk.
The courts saga was preceded by the embarrassing about-turn by Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson in her decision to grant a temporary visa to former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson for a one-man show in Auckland next month.
Ms Wilkinson initially granted the visa, despite Tyson's conviction and six-year jail term (of which he served three years) for a 1991 rape, overriding New Zealand immigration law which prohibits visas to anyone convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for five years or more. Ms Wilkinson's initial decision was based on a letter of support from children's charity, the Life Education Trust, which was subsequently revealed to be from a member with no authority and the trust had disassociated itself from the event in August.
Mr Key said the initial decision was a "line ball call" but Ms Wilkinson defended her actions saying she had "no reason to doubt" the letter's authenticity and she had thought "if he can turn around a young person's life, then that makes all the difference". While some - notably his event promoter - believe Tyson has turned his life around and is a good role model for youth, there are others who question that.
Given the issues, it would seem at the very least Ms Wilkinson should have checked the trust's reference - or made her own checks. And, given she was overriding the law, it would have seemed appropriate to consult Mr Key.
This would also seem important given the ongoing spotlight on the Prime Minister over the illegal surveillance of internet millionaire Kim Dotcom and recent questions about why Deputy Prime Minister Bill English did not inform Mr Key when he signed a suppression order regarding the Government Communications Security Bureau's surveillance of Mr Dotcom.
The Prime Minister is also in the hot seat regarding claims he knew nothing about the spying until recently, given revelations last week he received a briefing about the case in February. And the heat is still on regarding his support of Minister for Small Business John Banks over "anonymous" donations from Mr Dotcom and SkyCity and his refusal to read the police report on the issue.
As if the above weren't enough, also last week, Minister of Education Hekia Parata was forced to admit there were inaccuracies in some of the data collected to determine the fate of post-quakes Canterbury schools, in what is an already highly contentious issue.
Revelations last week nearly half of National Standards writing assessments were marked incorrectly are yet another stumbling block in the acceptance of the controversial measures.
She was called "arrogant and rude" by teachers after giving a speech at the Post-Primary Teachers' Association's annual conference last week. And all that comes in the wake of her embarrassing backdown on class sizes in June.
Mr Key has serious and immediate damage control work to do - both regarding his ministers and himself - if he wants the public to forgive - or forget - the blunders.
