Luxon’s mishandling of the Uffindell report

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, September 21st, 2022 - 65 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, national, politicans, same old national, uncategorized - Tags:

The only word that I can think of is clusterfuck.

I cannot understand how badly Christopher Luxon has handled the Maria Dew report into what Sam Uffindell may have done when he was a younger person.

I said previously that I thought a finding about the allegations from the former Dunedin flatmate could be career ending.  Being a bully and a dick at the age of 15 is something that most of us could forgive.  Being a sexist arsehole and a bully while at University would cause many of us to think twice.

Let us review what was said about his behaviour at the time.  From Craig McCulloch at Radio New Zealand:

Uffindell’s former flatmate, who RNZ has agreed not to name, lived with the man and three other Otago University students for several months in Dunedin in 2003.

She told RNZ Uffindell engaged in a pattern of bullying during their second year at university, describing him as “verbally aggressive”.

Uffindell would trash the house after “excessive” use of alcohol and drugs, she said.

“This was intimidation. This was bullying. I didn’t feel safe,” she said.

The woman said she eventually moved out of the flat after having to lock herself in her bedroom to avoid a drunken outburst one night.

“He was smashing on my door and yelling obscenities and basically telling me to get out – ‘hit the road, fatty’.

“I ended up climbing out of my bedroom window and ran to a friend’s house to stay the night. I feared for my safety. I was scared.”

The woman said it was not an isolated incident: “it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Her father travelled to Dunedin the next day to help her move out, she said.

Speaking to RNZ, the woman’s father corroborated his part in the story and said his daughter had been “seriously upset”.

“The flat itself was completely trashed. There wasn’t a stick of furniture left. There was no crockery left. There were no handles left on anything. It had all been broken.”

He said he gave Uffindell and two of the other flatmates “a serious piece of [his] mind” at the time.

“It was clear… [Uffindell] had real issues, real problems… he was out of control.”

The woman said she was traumatised by the event and did her best to avoid Uffindell from then on: “my stomach would absolutely flip and drop if I saw him.”

Looking back, the woman said she should have spoken to someone or taken some sort of action, but she was too scared. Uffindell never apologised for his actions, she said.

She said people may try to excuse Uffindell’s actions because of his age, but the pattern of behaviour revealed his character.

Then fast forward to the announcement of Maria Dew’s report where Luxon talked about the report but released no part of it.

The presentation of the conclusion is interesting.  The report apparently conceded that the complainant suffered harm but in what appear to be very carefully crafted words Luxon said “there are differing accounts of what occurred and Ms Dew concluded the event was not as it was described in the media”.  Which part of the description was wrong?  All of it or just parts of it?

The only aspect of the description which has some detail is the allegation that Uffindell said “hit the road fatty”.  National’s statement said “Mr Uffindell has acknowledged that things were said that he now realises his flatmate overheard, which he regrets.”

If this is the only difference then the claim that he is a bully should have been upheld.

National’s is treading a very narrow line in its handling of the matter.  On one hand it is essentially accusing the complainant of not telling the truth, although this is why the terms of reference are so important.  The standard of proof to be applied is critical and we don’t know what standard of proof Maria Dew used in making her conclusion.

On the other hand National claims that the reason for the cautious release of information is to respect the rights of privacy of others including the complainant.

To imply that she is not telling the truth and then refuse to let us understand the context and how that conclusion was reached is appalling.

The complainant has just made the whole incident really messy for National by asking that a redacted copy of the report be released.

From Radio New Zealand:

National MP Sam Uffindell’s former flatmate and her father are happy for Maria Dew KC’s report to be publicly released, in redacted form.

Uffindell was returned to his party’s caucus this week after leader Christopher Luxon said the inquiry cleared him of bullying behaviour beyond his boarding school years.

The Tauranga MP was stood down after a former flatmate told RNZ he was an aggressive bully at Otago University; once pounding on her bedroom door, yelling, until she fled through her window.

Dew’s independent inquiry into the incident “did not substantiate any allegations of bullying outside of Sam’s time at King’s College”, party president Sylvia Wood said on Monday.

National says the report found Uffindell “did not engage” in the behaviour his former flatmate detailed on RNZ last month – which prompted the inquiry.

That included dismissing her claims he bashed on her door yelling obscenities and smashed up the flat through violent behaviour.

But the woman and her father stand firmly by her account of what happened at the flat, and are deeply unhappy Uffindell’s word was taken over hers.

She had originally said she fled to her friend’s house but later said she ran to the library where she called her father, who put her up in a motel for the night.

The woman gave a written statement during the inquiry but did not participate further, believing it to be a political snow job – bought and paid for by the National Party.

The last sentence is probably the reason why Maria Dew KC made the finding that she did.  It is really hard to determine what is true when comparing a written statement to a verbal statement. Especially if the burden of proof is beyond reasonable doubt.

National’s hope that it could bury this matter by releasing it on the day of the Queen’s funeral has not worked out.

And there is no justification for it to withhold at least a redacted copy of the report.

There are other interesting aspects to to this story.

Like the National Party Caucus did not see a copy of the report but decided to accept the recommendation that Sam be part of their happy family again.

Or an initial report that Sam did not receive a copy of the report.  The lawyer in me yelled what about natural justice?

But then it appears that Sam did receive a copy of the report.  The lawyer in me yelled can you make your freakin mind up.

Can I invite the media to reflect on where we are now.  There is a KC report that we have not seen, not even the executive summary.  We do not know what the terms of reference are.  We do not know who the KC interviewed, or what they said.

We are being asked to believe that the Complainant’s statement is not correct.  Yet there is an acknowledgement that she suffered harm and Uffindell has not denied saying something really gross about her but has come up with the defence that he did not intend her to hear what he said.

Luxon’s handling of this is a disaster.  Judith must be grinning from ear to ear.

65 comments on “Luxon’s mishandling of the Uffindell report ”

  1. dv 1

    GEEZ, just imagine the clusterfuck running country.

    YIKS

    • Finn McCool 1.1

      Talking of clusterfucks, how's the Sharma affair coming along? Well, let's hope voters have a short memory. Say what you want about Luxon's handling of the Uffindell affair, at least he had an independent inquiry that put space between the facts and allegations, and the National Party. Some voters will no doubt take that into account. My suggestion is if anyone on this blog has the ear of someone in Labour's hierarchy, they tell them to pull finger. It worries me how many posters are failing to comprehend the precarious position Labour is in with the voting public. Forget Luxon. Surely there are more pressing concerns?

      • Incognito 1.1.1

        This OP is about National, Luxon, and Uffindell. If you want to raise any other pet issues then use OM.

      • Powerman 1.1.2

        Independent inquiry"? With no terms of reference or findings, a secret cover-up comes to mind.

        • Finn McCool 1.1.2.1

          If you want to discuss it, come over to OM. Either it was an independent inquiry, or it wasn't.

  2. Blazer 2

    Terrible judgement on Luxon's part.

    Should have thrown Uffindell under the bus…and moved on.

    • Martin C 2.1

      Blazer, that would have meant taking responsibility, something these people are big on when it comes to others.

    • James Simpson 2.2

      I wish he had thrown him under a bus because that is what he deserved, but from a political perspective this appears to have been dealt with well by Luxon.

      He intentionally buried the release on the day of the Queen's funeral, and 48 hours later the story is running out of puff due to him controlling the story. The story already seems to have been superseded today by the Mahuta probe.

      Deeply cynical and typical of National, but far from being a clusterfuck, at this stage, it looks to have been very effective political management.

      Lets see what Tauranga voters do in 12 months.

      • observer 2.2.1

        Tauranga voters will re-elect Uffindell, in a safe National seat. But that is not the issue that matters at the general election.

        Luxon's management hasn't been "very effective" at all. It's noticeable how much of the (non-lefty) political commentary has criticised him in the last 48 hours. The real problem for Luxon is that this is very much in keeping with the narrative about his leadership … unforced errors, again and again.

        He really struggles with being upfront. He takes a minor matter (a vote on Matariki, a trip to Hawaii, ruling out Brian Tamaki) and then gets all evasive and makes it much worse.

        And he doesn't learn. It seems to be his default setting – it is who he is, and that's a much bigger problem for National.

        • James Simpson 2.2.1.1

          It's noticeable how much of the (non-lefty) political commentary has criticised him in the last 48 hours

          Really? I was hoping for this to be front page news, leading the news for a week, and the Nats being hounded for real answers by every journalist. In reality it has largely been a page 5 story. That was because of the intentional timing and something which he managed.

          The report, and its release, was never going to be a good news story for the Nats so mitigating the negative headlines was always going to be Luxo's sole objective. From my observation they have done pretty well in that objective.

        • mpledger 2.2.1.2

          The problem when a CEO becomes a politician is that when he's a politician he has to back-up decisions he would have got a free pass on as a CEO.

        • "Tauranga voters will re-elect Uffindell, in a safe National seat"

          If he is selected

  3. Incognito 3

    National always had major shortcomings with transparency and accountability, a gang of hollow men & women. They are not fit to run this country, not the previous lot, not this current lot, and not the next lot, in all likelihood. I look forward to a special opinion poll by Curia on the abysmal lack of professional conduct and sound judgement of the National Party and Luxon.

  4. Powerman 4

    Luxon has again acted as a CEO would act, with no regard for openness. His word is law and does not require explanation, the result is that Sam will never be exonerated and leaves National under a cloud. The National Caucus is happy to take Luxon's word and remain in the dark about the reports content.

  5. Tony Veitch 5

    Let's put to rest one part of your post Micky:

    Being a bully and a dick at the age of 15 is something that most of us could forgive.

    He wasn't a bully, he beat a sleeping 13 year old with a bed post – that makes him a thug!

    Just imagine, for a moment, if a brown 16 year old had done something similar!

  6. AB 6

    This is what "delivery" delivers – the missing direct object of the orphaned transitive verb. What gets delivered is a self-serving crock of sh*t dumped on your doorstep under cover of darkness. "Hey look, what I'm saying to you is that I delivered".

  7. Robert Guyton 7

    “The flat itself was completely trashed. There wasn’t a stick of furniture left. There was no crockery left. There were no handles left on anything. It had all been broken.”

    National Party HQ.

    • Mac1 7.1

      Very good, Robert. It's a reminder that we should all get involved in political parties to control and keep away from the levers of power such individuals.

      They can also trash a country…….

  8. Peter 8

    "She had originally said she fled to her friend’s house but later said she ran to the library where she called her father, who put her up in a motel for the night."

    So she's a liar, she's not to be trusted?

    To me that's like saying someone claiming to be a rape victim is not to be trusted when they say it happened on the sofa then saying it happened on the floor by the sofa.

  9. Anne 9

    The woman gave a written statement during the inquiry but did not participate further, believing it to be a political snow job – bought and paid for by the National Party.

    That young woman is telling the truth!

    Thirty years ago, I went through a similar experience. The difference: the bullying and intimidation occurred in the workplace but it did eventually go beyond. My Public Service bosses chose to believe the bully and not me. They effectively told me I was a liar and they placed me under a twelve month caveat. I was not allowed to talk to anyone during that time. It went further than that too.

    They got away with it for the same reason… fear of further intimidation and reprisals ensured I never took the matter further.

    Money buys white-washes and kicks the victims down the road – sans justice.

  10. higherstandard 10

    'There is a KC report that we have not seen, not even the executive summary. We do not know what the terms of reference are. We do not know who the KC interviewed, or what they said."

    Do National think they are the government ?

  11. National want a Finance Minister with cruel streak to carry out their darstedly policies IF they are elected.

    MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

  12. My reaction was Luxon "I'm wearing my forgiving friend hat, not my leader hat" imo.

    What a total crock.

    Oh, and comparing this to the Sharma affair, (Or Anna's incident) Finn McCool, is silly.

    No one hit Sharma with a bed leg, no one frightened him from his abode screaming and shouting while drunk. Sharma left after making unproven statements. No comparison imo. Just a bloody big "They did it too"

    As for Anna, she has owned her style of Leadership needs polishing… nothing like this, and for some in National to call both those situations similar to this is laughable.

    Luxon is framing the report as supportive of reinstatement. That surely is a stretch, as he is carefully not sharing it so we are not able to decide. How will Luxon handle other misbehaviour in the future?

    I think we know and we have been there before, with weak brushing off of awful behaviour. Nothing has changed has it? Awful people behaving poorly!! imo.

    • Finn McCool 12.1

      You miss the point. I wasn't comparing Sharma's case to Uffindells. I was comparing how Labour handled the former, and National the latter.

  13. Tricledrown 13

    The victim of his violent abuse is happy to have the report released but her name redacted and said it wasn't an isolated incident .The ODT has an statement from the woman who Uffindell was threatening with menace.Luxon's body language looked really bad as he lied his way through the press interview. Luxon and National are in big trouble over this.The victim of Uffindell's wideapread abuse wants the report published with her name redacted,She says the National Party are white washing Uffindell's violent bullying as an isolated incident when in fact Uffindell was behaving like this regularly and he had trashed the flat completely not a stick of furniture left unbroken.The woman's father had to pay for his daughter for a hotel room for the night .Then her father helped her move out ,the father gave Uffindell a good dressing down while helping move his daughter out.A complete story in the OtagoDailyTimes.Luxon and National are in big big trouble over this whitewash trying to save face and another byelection will cost National ,it would have been much better to sack Uffindell and say we are a Party of the highest standards.Now Luxon has painted himself into a corner and will have to weasel his way out defending the undefendable.Luxon's credibility especially with women is completely down the gurglar given New Zealand's very high domestic abuse rates this has set a horrific example of criminal accountability ,a Party who says we are tough on crime Uffindell's own campaign saying we should be much tougher on youth crime .Uffindell saying young criminals should have more serious consequences .But not for him he doesn't have to he has his enablers the National Party to hide behind.

    • weka 13.1

      please fix your email address so you don’t get caught in the new commenter filter. And please provide a link to the ODT article seeing as how you are referencing it a lot.

      • Tricledrown 13.1.1

        Sorry Weka The ODT article is a subscriber only article paywall I don't have a subscription hopefully some else has.

        • Sacha 13.1.1.1

          Yes, the ODT has just added a paywall. Please paste the link for each article quoted from here anyway.

          Edit: Sorry I just realised you are saying you do not have a subscription either – so where are you getting the information in your comment?

          • Nic the NZer 13.1.1.1.1

            Sometimes the paywall only hides the full text using javascript. Its an elabourate way of letting people who know how to use browser view source see the full article for free.

  14. Tricledrown 14

    The victim of his violent abuse is happy to have the report released but her name redacted and said it wasn't an isolated incident .The ODT has an statement from the woman who Uffindell was threatening with menace.Luxon's body language looked really bad as he lied his way through the press interview. Luxon and National are in big trouble over this.The victim of Uffindell's wideapread abuse wants the report published with her name redacted,She says the National Party are white washing Uffindell's violent bullying as an isolated incident when in fact Uffindell was behaving like this regularly and he had trashed the flat completely not a stick of furniture left unbroken.The woman's father had to pay for his daughter for a hotel room for the night .Then her father helped her move out ,the father gave Unfidell a good dressing down while helping move his daughter out.A complete story in the OtagoDailyTimes.Luxon and National are in big big trouble over this whitewash trying to save face and another byelection will cost National .It would have been much better to sack Uffindell and say we are a Party of the highest standards.Now Luxon has painted himself into a corner and will have to weasel his way out defending the undefendable.Luxon's credibility especially with women is completely down the gurglar given New Zealand's very high domestic abuse rates this has set a horrific example of criminal accountability from a Party who says we are tough on crime. Unffidell's own campaign saying we should be much tougher on youth crime .Uffindell saying young criminals should have to face more serious consequences .But not for him he doesn't have to he has his enablers the National Party to hide behind.

    • Anne 14.1

      So much for Luxon's Christianity and principles – and honesty… I only abide by them when it suits.

      • Tony Veitch 14.1.1

        Luxon's god (deliberately small g) works to a different set of rules to what we might consider original Christianity.

        Never ever trust a religious fundamentalist!

  15. Chris 15

    "Luxon said the terms of reference would not be released, but he outlined the “objectives” of the investigation.

    “One was to get clarity and conclusion around the events in Otago,” he said.

    “Secondarily to make sure that, subsequent to King's College, there was no ongoing pattern of bullying behaviour.”

    So does this mean Dew found isolated instances of bullying behaviour? The terms of reference are pretty important, all right.

  16. roy cartland 16

    I listened to Mark Sainsbury on that Panel bit… at first I thought, who cares what Sainsbury says he 'reckons' about her? How is that evidence, or even relevant?

    But then, that's what de Luxe is expecting of us re with his own words. 'I says so, the woman's a liar, trust me.'

    Bit of a bad smell about it.

  17. Mac1 17

    This whole saga points out why we have, and need, open courts, and indeed open democracy.

    Who can be held accountable when things are secret and cannot be critically examined?

    This Uffindell report is open to inaccuracy and suffers from that lack of scrutiny that enables accountability.

    There are these factors. 1. The terms of reference are not open. 2. The evidence is not open. 3. The evidence has not all been heard. 4. The court style proceedings are lacking where juries and judges can judge body language and spoken testimony, and both prosecution and defence are able to question and pursue lines of enquiry. 5. The weighting of opposite views as decided by the KC is not given to us to see, and judge.

    Trust in the process from the probity of the examiner to the enquiry's terms, to the completeness and accuracy of the evidence, to the accuracy of the actual publishing of the report-the trust is lessened by the fact of the secrecy.

    I do not btw doubt the probity of the KC involved. She would not countenance a cover-up, I believe from trusted sources.

    Need this obscurity be such,? Could not a redacted and anonymised report be published?

    The only reason is that is not happening is that Uffindell would not survive that scrutiny.

    I don't believe he will unless he was to allow and be fairly found free of serious misbehaviour by an open report, held according to good practice.

    Is there any avenue for civil or criminal proceedings to be held in the open?

  18. observer 18

    It is a revealing insight into Luxon's self-regard. He talks about forgiving as if he were the one to forgive. The woman's right to forgive (or not) is of no consequence. After all, if he has decided it didn't happen, then there's nothing to forgive … in Luxon's mind.

    As for the political perception, it doesn't help Uffindell at all. If the report said "You were a dick, own it" and he said "Yes, I was a dick, I own it, I'm sorry" then perceptions of him might change. But now they are locked in.

    • Anne 18.1

      He talks about forgiving as if he were the one to forgive. The woman's right to forgive (or not) is of no consequence. After all, if he has decided it didn't happen, then there's nothing to forgive.

      Precisely! And that is how many people in powerful positions see it. If it is inconvenient, suppress the evidence in any way necessary. Never let the victim win. That is how they view proceedings – a battle between themselves and the victim. Justice doesn't even enter the picture.

    • AB 18.2

      …then there's nothing to forgive … in Luxon's mind.

      Yep – which means it's Luxon's mind that is unforgiveable.

  19. adam 19

    Is it just me, or is Luxon looking more and more like ScoMo?

  20. tsmithfield 20

    It is absolutely standard not to release this type of report due to privacy concerns. In fact, Labour has done similar for those reasons. I am not criticizing Labour in this. The way the handled it was entirely appropriate.

    But what it does demonstrate is issues of confidentiality for those who may have given evidence, and the fact that it can sometimes be difficult to release information without also providing enough detail for those people to be identified by people they would rather not know.

    From that article:

    Labour has released the recommendations in Austen's report and updated its internal policies to reflect them, which Szabó said "assures Labour members and the public that we are making the required improvements to our processes following this incident".

    The Herald understands, however, the reason the public won't see the full review is because it would require a "substantial edit" to redact any potentially identifying material.

    The other point is that a promise of complete confidentiality including a guarantee that no part of the report would be released publicly may have been given by the KC to encourage maximum willingness for complainants to come forward.

    • Sacha 20.1

      It is absolutely standard to release a summary, including the terms of reference and findings.

    • observer 20.2

      Yes, Luxon's original point was valid (protect complainants' confidentiality). But then he stepped off that solid ground and onto much flimsier pretexts, including:

      – inquiry terms of reference kept secret. No valid reason for that.

      – no National MPs allowed to read the report. Just Luxon saying "trust me". The MPs can't publicly criticise their leader, so they are left looking like fools, as they did on the news last night. "I haven't read it but I believe it" is a hopeless position to have to defend.

      – he was then scuppered by the woman and her father, saying today that they are fine with the report (or summary, redacted) being made public. So Luxon's justification is gone.

      As I say, the original decision (call in Drew, suspend Uffy) made Luxon look credible. But since Monday he's been anything but.

      • Sacha 20.2.1

        Summaries are anonymised, so privacy was always a red herring.

        • tsmithfield 20.2.1.1

          It may be difficult to fully anonymise a document so that it is impossible to identify, or hazard an educated guess about people who have contributed to the report on the basis of confidence.

          Names can be removed. But times, dates, locations, actions etc may enable some people to put two and two together. There may only be a few people able to connect the details. But they may be precisely the people that the contributors feel unsafe if they were to know.

          And if those details were removed entirely, the report may provide little more information than what already has been provided.

          According to the quote in my previous post, that was one of the reasons why that particular report was not released.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 20.3

      In fact, Labour has done similar for those reasons.

      "Similar", not the same. There's full transparency (release the lot), partial transparency (release a report's summary, as Lab did in the example you cited), and 'Trust National – nothing to see here – move along.' I'll trust the Gnats when their leader repudiates the political obscenity that was (and is) Dirty Politics. Trust National? Yeah Right!

      Dirty Politics: How attack politics is poisoning New Zealand’s political environment

      Uffindell assault revelation raises fresh questions over National selection ‘errors’ [8 Aug 2022]

      National MP Sam Uffindell 'asked to leave' prestigious King’s College after violent nighttime attack on younger boy [8 Aug 2022]

      Let's be clear – the Uffindell affair wasn't brought to light because of a political attack by Labour. It's National, true to form, doing it to themselves – Key's real legacy. If the Gnat's could sort themselves out, then this kind of attack might be more credible, imho.

      Investigation Needed Into Mahuta Links [8 Sept 2022]
      National has written to the Public Service Commissioner requesting an investigation into the way that potential conflicts of interest have been managed in relation to contracts awarded to family members of Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta, National’s Public Service spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

  21. Robert Guyton 21

    "I, once beat a boy,

    or should I say, not me but we.

    We entered his room.

    Isn’t it good? Bedpost of wood.

    I went to Dunedin to flat,

    and just smashed everywhere.

    Harassing my flatmates regardless,

    I hadn’t a care, yeah.

    I, hung up her grunds, biding my time,

    Drank ginger wine.

    Passed out until two.

    Male flatmates said:

    Mate, you’re an egg.

    I told her I’d be an MP

    and she started to laugh.

    I tried masturbating then

    crawled off to sleep in the bath.

    And when I awoke

    I was alone.

    No student loan.

    So I lit a fire

    Burned now for good.

    Sylvia Wood."

    https://www.facebook.com/mark.cubey

    • Stuart Munro 21.1

      Terrible stuff that ginger wine – I'll be glad when I've had enough of it.

      Seems neither Sam nor Xris have much experience of saying sorry – good folk to keep tf away from the levers of power.

  22. JustMe 22

    Here are some thoughts about this 'report' that have now crossed my mind.

    If Luxon is so willing to hide away the report then why is he so reticent to make it public? Are there some aspects of the report that National don't want the voting public of NZ to know about?

    Is National so willing to show double standards when it comes to Trust?

    For example I vaguely recall Luxon saying he 'trusts' one thing or another but his "trust' seems to be only on what he deems as necessary and in HIS BEST INTERESTS.

    As he(Luxon)seems to have a problem with "Trust" then it indicates to me that we NZ voters needs to draw a line as to how much we can trust HIM???!!!

    Bullying no matter in what shape or form is unacceptable to me. I have experienced a considerable degree of workplace bullying over the past so many years. Even to this day I find myself feeling like a failure because I had to deal with workplace bullying and made to feel like an imbecile due to it.

    It's a weird combination of contradiction by the way in regards to National. One minute they are condemning the youth of today and yet they are so willing to excuse the Sam Uffendill's of the world for their "actions made whilst a young person"???!!!

    All I can figure out about Luxon etc is they are very selective as to who does what in their youth and what is forgiveable etc . It so reminds me of I think John Key explaining away the activities of the Roast Busters(of which Max Key had close links with)with "Boys will be Boys…".

    And the end thought(until something else crops up that is) is if Luxon is so happy to keep this report hidden then WHY? Is a portion of the report so bad and a bad reflection back upon National that Luxon doesn't want to let it see the light of day?

    Luxon once beat the mantra drum of having been CEO of an airline. I do now wonder as to what reports made about Air NZ whilst Luxon was CEO that he managed to get 'hidden' from public attention???!!!!!

    Is there something about Luxon and his past whilst CEO of Air NZ that also needs to be made public??!!!!

    Both Air NZ and the NZ National Party have depended upon NZ taxpayers money and quite honestly I feel we all need to have an idea of what has happened both in Air NZ and of course the Sam Uffindell report.

    Because if any reports involved NZ taxpayers money then we as VOTERS have the right to know.

    The behaviour of National however seems to be the habit of 'Nothing to see, hear or say… Move along please…"

    If National cannot be honest let alone trustworthy then that throws into doubt their credibility or worthiness of a vote in any future election.

  23. peter sim 23

    How many times has Tauranga NOT voted a national party stooge into parliamentary largesse? It is a cruisy electorate for national.

  24. nzsage 24

    This is not going away for National and that will only help the other parties including Labour and Act… oh and Nicola Willis.

  25. Robert Howie 25

    Are there any lawyers out there who are able to bring some kind of sanity and justice into this farce? There must be legal channels through which this absolute travesty can be addressed. If not, the outcome will be luxon and the national party will have been successful in “making it all go away” and get back to lying their way toward the next general election!

  26. " He wasn't a bully, he beat a sleeping 13 year old with a bed post – that makes him a thug!

    Savage does not know the difference obviously.

  27. barry 27

    Wasn't there supposed to be a report into National caucus bullying after the JLR affair? Did that ever get released?

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T16:04:17+00:00