Curran provides messages
Voicemail from RNZ chairman included
WELLINGTON: The office of Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran has released a raft of documents, text messages and other information, including a voicemail left on her phone by Radio New Zealand chairman Richard Griffin.
The documents, loaded on to the Parliament’s website late yesterday, are Ms Curran’s response to requests made under the Official Information Act in the wake of the resignation of RNZ’s former head of content, Carol Hirschfeld.
The large wad of documents contained many redactions and no smoking gun.
Ms Hirschfeld resigned after repeatedly lying to management about a meeting she had with Ms Curran at a Wellington cafe in December.
They both had said it was a chance meeting but it later emerged that it had been arranged earlier.
The documents released yesterday do not indicate that the pair had any further meetings alone.
Mr Griffin and RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson were forced to return to a parliamentary committee to correct answers they gave previously to questions about the nature of the meeting between Ms Curran and Ms Hirschfeld.
They had backed Ms Hirschfeld’s account of how the meeting had transpired.
It later emerged Ms Curran had diarised the meeting with ‘‘CH’’ at the Astoria cafe.
One text exchange, released yesterday but with identifying information redacted, said: ‘‘If it comes up again the answer will be that it was arranged at short notice. It’s clear from talking to her that it was not spur of the moment.’’
The response came back: ‘‘Can you send a copy of the staff announcement please.’’
At the centre of the issue are later exchanges between Mr Griffin and Ms Curran.
He said Ms Curran had left a message on his cellphone telling him to write a letter to the select committee rather than appearing in person to correct the record.
Mr Griffin refused a request to provide that voicemail to the committee.
Yesterday’s release of information includes a text from Ms Curran following her voicemail which says: ‘‘Hi Richard I have left a voicemail message re a written correction to the select committee that is needed today. Can you please advise you have received the message and it can be done. Thanks.’’
Mr Griffin then left a message for Ms Curran which said: ‘‘Good afternoon minister, I just picked up your call this morning, and your text. The fact is we agreed last . . . I agreed last Monday with the chairman that we would appear . . . we have since requested such an action and on Tuesday amended the appearance date from 1 o’clock today to 9am next Thursday.
‘‘I can only suggest you have a word with the chair if necessary but, we’ve already got a signed deal with them to have it on 9 o’clock on Thursday and we’re taking legal advice . . . we took legal advice yesterday with Hugh Rennie QC so that’s where the situation is from my point of view. The same applies to the message I got from Paul James today. Call me back if you’ve got a problem. Cheers.’’
Ms Curran declined to comment last night. — NZME