DOWIE, MAYORS FEEL ANGER
Southland leaders say Hamish Walker’s decision to leave politics is the right call. Evan Harding and Damian Rowe report.
Hamish Walker’s decision to leave politics over his involvement in the leak of Covid-19 patient information to the media is the right call, Southland leaders say.
Walker, the one-term CluthaSouthland MP, will remain in Parliament until the September election, at which point he will stand down as a result of his decision to leak the private information.
His actions created an outcry and his party leader, Todd Muller, earlier said he wanted him gone.
Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie said Walker had made the right call to step down and it was the honourable thing to do.
‘‘When you look at reactions from the public and his colleagues, I think it would have become untenable for him to stay.’’
Southland District mayor Gary Tong also said Walker had made the right decision to leave.
It was disappointing that the last two young MPs in the CluthaSouthland electorate, Todd Barclay and Walker, both representing the National Party, had ‘‘not made the grade’’ following the long tenure of Sir Bill English in the seat, Tong said.
‘‘Let’s hope whoever gets selected next time is able to keep the credibility of the party.’’
Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks said he felt sorry for Walker, ‘‘but what he did [in leaking the patient details] was not the right thing’’.
Prior to Walker announcing his resignation yesterday, Dowie, Tong and Hicks all expressed disappointment in his actions.
Dowie said it was difficult to discuss a colleague’s actions. She agreed with Muller’s position that Walker should go.
‘‘Look, politicians stuff up, we are all human, but this is just unbelievable,’’ she said.
The reason MPs’ local offices were immune from Official Information Act requests was to give the public confidence that when they visited MPs the conversations would be confidential, Dowie said. ‘‘So to release confidential health information during a pandemic – I have no words.’’
Tong said that if he were in Walker’s shoes he would resign.
‘‘After the Mataura thing and now this – it’s all a bit disappointing, isn’t it.’’
In February, Walker apologised for a social media post in which he claimed to have door-knocked people in Mataura to get petition signatures. The post was removed after questions were raised and he confirmed the photograph was taken in advance of the meeting ‘‘to ensure the photograph wasn’t missed’’.
Tong and Hicks said they had not had much to do with Walker in his first term.
‘‘He has spent most of his time in other parts of the electorate, but when I have spoken to Hamish I have been quite confident and comfortable in dealing with him,’’ Tong said.
Hicks said his initial reaction to Walker’s actions was one of disappointment. As he had learnt more about the issue, and the involvement of Michelle Boag, the disappointment had deepened to one of frustration and anger.
Hicks would not say whether he believed Walker should stay or go, but he hoped the National Party would ‘‘do the right thing’’.
‘‘It’s becoming a bit of a trend . . . young MPs not lasting a long time in this part of the world.’’
Todd Barclay was the previous MP in the electorate, but decided not to stand after he was accused of recording his staff’s conversations without their consent.
‘‘We have gone from a longstanding, well-respected wellconnected MP [Bill English] who had been here a long time and in the space of two terms we have had two brand-new MPs,’’ Hicks said.
Walker was a young man who had his whole career before him, Hicks added. ‘‘It’s looking like it’s truncated prematurely. That’s a waste, in my mind.’’
‘‘It’s becoming a bit of a trend . . . young MPs not lasting a long time in this part of the world.’’ Tracy Hicks
Gore District mayor