Where to Start?

What a Mess

They say that politics is a blood sport.  Those who don't like that fact ought to retire to the croquet lawn.  

The Labour-led government is presently in disarray.  PM Jacinda Ardern is scrambling left, right, and centre.  The government is leaking like the proverbial sieve.  Ardern sacked a Labour-led Minister, Meka Whaitiri for common assault--in this case laying hands in anger upon one of her employees.  Now, the evidence was not beyond reasonable doubt, but the barrister conducting an investigation into the affair considered the evidence provided met the required "probably true" standard.

Ardern sacked Whaitiri--the right action--but enclosed the whole thing within a (laughable) cone-of-silence.  Then she left our glorious isles for overseas duties.  The laughable nature of the situation emerged the next day.  Details about the assault were leaked to opposition National MP, Amy Adams, who then addressed the House under the protection of parliamentary privilege.

The staff member at the centre of an incident involving former government minister Meka Whaitiri was left bruised in the encounter, the National Party has claimed in Parliament.  Speaking under the protection of parliamentary privilege, National MP Amy Adams said the allegations were at least of bullying and at worst assault.

Adams made the comments during a snap debate on Whaitiri in Parliament this afternoon.  "This involves allegations of at the very least bullying and at the worst violence and assault. If we are speaking about a minister laying hands on a staff member, that is incredibly serious," Adams said.  Adams said there had been no proper statement from the Prime Minister on what occurred, none from Whaitiri and no apology to the staff member.  [NZ Herald]

Ardern is "hugely disappointed" that the secret report was leaked, first to the National Party, and then to the media.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed an investigation is underway into how a report into the Meka Whaitiri incident was leaked to the Herald.  The leak was "hugely disappointing" and Internal Affairs had decided to investigate how it occurred, Ardern said from New York this morning.

"I'm hugely disappointed to see that it has been leaked. We were going through a process to make sure that that was being dealt with appropriately, that we were protecting the employee involved in the situation.  "I'm advised by the DIA, that they themselves will be undertaking an investigation as to how the report came to be leaked."(NZ Herald).   

On the balance of evidence it seems reasonable to conclude that the PM is "hugely disappointed".

The Labour-led government is leaking like the proverbial--and at the leaks show signs of being from within the government itself.  No wonder Ardern has ordered an investigation.  Not that one expects it will produce anything clear or definitive.

At the moment it seems to be "a scandal-a-day" stuff.

Postscript: amidst this imbroglio, there has been a Greek chorus of Labour Maori MP's standing up to support Whaitiri.  They claim it is the Maori thing to do.  Tikanga and all that. 

One astute Maori commentator, The Veteran had this to say in response:

Yesterday in Parliament the Speaker accepted a motion by the Opposition to hold an urgent debate on the firing of Labour Party (oooops, Sorry Winston) coalition government Minister Meka Whaitiri following allegations she assaulted her Press Secretary.

It was a sad day for Maoridom to see in that debate member after member of Labour's Maori caucus, led by the Deputy Labour Party Leader, Minister Kelvin Davis and Labour Minister Willie Jackson, pledge their undying support for Whaitiri ... nary a word about the victim, zip, zero, nothing; it was all about Whaitiri and her mana.

This is Tikanga gone bollicks but it may help to explain why violence appears to be tolerated in Maoridom ... clearly it is to be excused as a cultural imperative. 

NO, IT IS NOT RIGHT TO USE VIOLENCE AND LABOUR'S MAORI CAUCUS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEIR ATTEMPT TO CONDONE WHAT SHE DID.