Fuller explanation needed from Curran

DUNEDIN South MP Clare Curran has not made the best start to what should have been a productive and impressive term as a minister in the Labourled Government.

Ms Curran had nine years of Opposition in which to formulate her strategy in her muchbeloved broadcasting and communications roles. Her role in open government and transparency was expected to pave the way for easier access to official information.

However, this has not been the case.

Broadcaster Carol Hirschfeld was forced to resign after misleading her RNZ bosses over the nature of a coffee meeting with Ms Curran last December. The RNZ executive told her bosses it was an accidental meeting but texts show it was planned.

Ms Curran has survived in her job, despite at first not owning up to what was a planned, rather than casual, meeting.

Ms Curran says the discussion between her and Ms Hirschfeld at a Wellington cafe was high level and included a discussion about the state of the media.

But Ms Curran is expected to announce in Budget 2018 extra funding for RNZ, perhaps even signalling the start of a television station for the Governmentowned broadcaster.

Ms Hirschfeld arrived at RNZ soon after broadcaster John Campbell and the Campbell Live programme was cancelled. Ms Hirschfeld was his executive producer. Two experienced broadcasters with a television and news background will have been seen as an ideal mix for the minister.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern accepted Ms Curran’s explanation she was not seeking to undermine the RNZ chairman Richard Griffin, a National Party appointee, or chief executive Paul Thompson.

New Zealanders are still in the dark about exactly what Ms Curran was planning.

Section 3.81 of the Cabinet Manual is explicit. It says . . . ‘‘if an employee wishes to communicate privately with a Minister about a matter concerning the agency by which he or she is employed, the Minister should ensure that the employee has first raised the matter with the agency’s chief executive’’.

Ms Hirschfeld did not do that and Ms Curran apparently failed to ensure it happened.

Matters were further complicated when Ms Curran left a voice message for Mr Griffin, apparently, to suggest it would be better for him to write a letter rather than appear in person to correct the record.

Ms Curran has denied that, saying she left a phone message to pass on advice from the Office of the Leader of the House that a letter would be faster if he was unable to make it to the select committee in person.

Again, Ms Ardern has acknowledged errors by Ms Curran, this time saying it would have been wiser for Ms Curran not to have left that message.

Ms Curran is not in Parliament to answer Opposition questions, preferring to be on Australia’s Gold Coast for the start of the Commonwealth Games. TVNZ is the New Zealand broadcaster for the Games.

It behoves Ms Curran to set the full record straight. She seems to be hiding details, and a senior RNZ executive has resigned.

Ms Ardern has been tolerant and could well have made an example of Ms Curran. After all, there are precedents.

Ms Ardern is being badly let down by those around her. Apart from Ms Curran, New Zealand First ministers Shane Jones and Ron Mark have been called to account for their comments or actions. The Green Party Minister for Women, Julie Ann Genter called for old white men to make way in boardrooms. And the head of the Environmental Protection Agency Dr Alan Freeth was called before a select committee to talk about his interactions with Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage.

The Green Party has given their Parliament questions to the National Party.

Ms Ardern is seen as part of a new wave of political leaders but sadly, she is surrounded by people with aims different to her own.

Unless she takes some firm action before she takes maternity leave, the situation may become even worse when NZ First leader Winston Peters takes over as prime minister in her absence.