Last week I happened to be near the Auckland High Court as news came out that the jury was returning in the Chris Kahui double murder trial. I managed to get into the court room about ten minutes before the verdict was delivered and sat in absolute awe as events unfolded.

Walking into the court room was possibly the most tense scene I have ever encountered. You could almost see the tension in the air as the family and supporters awaited the decision.

Once the not guilty verdict was delivered tears flowed and statements were issued about justice being served and how we mustn't forget the two babies whose lives were cut mercilessly short.

The aftermath has been nothing short of a sickening and damning indictment of the soft underbelly of our society in which a family of adult New Zealanders has completely abdicated responsibility and avoided any form of punishment for having two completely dependent human beings die on their watch.

Many aspects of our business lives mirror what happens in our everyday lives; we learn from each, and grow accordingly. Anyone who has responsibility for staff members knows that you will never get anywhere unless you make people responsible for their actions and allow them to claim ownership of certain aspects of the organisation. As they master this they keep growing and advance accordingly. This helps the business to grow and keeps a ready supply of new people coming through the ranks who, in turn, will claim their own piece of the action. As businesses grow, so too do the communities they serve with much of it being based on people taking responsibility for their actions. These same principals apply in family life. And so on it goes.

Handing out responsibility is a big responsibility in itself. It takes a level of maturity and trust and can never be taken lightly. The way to undermine its effectiveness is to place too much control and legislation around it as this only has the effect of creating unbalanced relationships and the perception of a lack of trust.

The press reports of the Kahui case have painted a grim, debaucherous, hard drinking, welfare dependent household not fit to have a pet dog, let alon helpless, premature babies. They made a detour to MacDonalds on the way to the hospital which pretty much sums up their capability to handle even a modicum of responsibility.

Meanwhile, post the budget announcement, more Kiwis than ever are considering a move to Australia. After nine years of massive budget surpluses we finally have some tax cuts to celebrate. Important, but ultimately minor increases in income against a backdrop of high interest rates, crippling fuel prices and increasing costs of groceries.

Do people want out because of financial reasons or are they just fed up with seeing their potential contribution to the country being hamstrung by a drip feed approach to financial reward and more and more control being exerted via such hair brained legislation as the Anti Smacking Bill? Where were the creators of that legislation when the Kahui twins needed them? Are we having our sense of responsibility being stripped away through tight fisted central control?

Last week I witnessed a group of people who never have, and never will grow, simply because they can't take responsibility for their actions. In 20 years time Macsyna King will still be singing drunken karaoke while any poor children she has brought into the world languish. And as the state most likely will continue to pay her way, no responsibility will ever be claimed by either party.

Meanwhile, businesses like my own who aim to stay here in the country we feel passionate about need to watch and learn. It's all about taking responsibility, passing it on and growing while those around you grow. Don't wait for anyone else to help you. It's all up to you.