Ardens has the final word
WELLINGTON: There is little to be gained by forcing Radio New Zealand chairman Richard Griffin to hand over a voicemail from Clare Curran, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.
Asked about Mr Griffin’s decision not to comply with a request from a parliamentary committee to turn over the voicemail from the Broadcasting Minister, Ms Ardern said yesterday the matter had come to an end.
‘‘The minister has apologised, admitted her mistakes. Richard Griffin has made his position clear. I’m not sure there’s much more to be gained,’’ Ms Ardern said.
In a letter to the economic development, science and innovation select committee, Mr Griffin said the phone call from Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran was ‘‘inappropriate’’ and releasing her voicemail would further damage RNZ’s relationship with her and the Government.
The committee met yesterday morning to review the appearance last week of Mr Griffin and RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson but chairman Jonathan Young would not reveal what was discussed, including whether to pursue the matter further.
Ms Ardern said she understood that any decision to take further action would require the unanimous support of the committee. That did not occur.
Asked what she thought of Mr Griffin’s view Ms Curran’s call was inappropriate, she said: ‘‘I’ve even expressed that I thought under the circumstances it would have been better for someone else to have made that call’’.
Ms Curran said it was not appropriate for her to comment given the select committee had yet to report to Parliament but Opposition leader Simon Bridges said Mr Griffin should hand over the recording.
‘‘This is about ultimately a minister’s and the state broadcaster’s accountability to Parliament.
‘‘We’ve got so many unanswered questions here about what’s gone on. It would be right to get to the bottom of that.’’
In his letter to the committee, Mr Griffin outlined his reasons for declining the request to hand over the voicemail.
‘‘The minister’s inappropriate call to me and the content of the message on the phone, whatever she said or meant, is not any part of the matter requiring correction.’’
He was asked for the voicemail when he and Mr Thompson appeared last week to correct the record over comments he they made previously about the nature of a meeting between RNZ’s former head of content Carol Hirschfeld and Ms Curran.
The voicemail could determine whose account, Ms Curran’s or Mr Griffin’s, is correct. — NZME