Diplomat’s tenancy battle

A foreign diplomat has got away with skipping out on paying $20,000 to her former landlord after using diplomatic immunity. Eva Tvarozkova

– pictured – deputy chief of mission for the European

Union (EU) delegation to New

Zealand, found herself before the Wellington Tenancy Tribunal for $14,314 in unpaid rent and incidentals, plus $6000 bond for her former house at Karaka Bays. The Tenancy Tribunal originally ordered that the landlord, Matthew Ryan, was entitled to that money. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) did not know about the hearing until later when it advised the tribunal about the diplomatic immunity issue and asked for the rehearing. MFAT confirmed it had tried to get the EU to waive Tvarozkova’s immunity, but lawyer Peter Cullen, acting for Tvarozkova and the European delegation, confirmed it was not waived.