Goff emails raise questions
Veteran politician John Banks has upped the pressure on Phil Goff by calling for an inquiry into the Auckland mayor’s use of a private email account after a tranche of hacked emails was shopped to media.
Banks, who toyed with a run at the Auckland mayoralty which Goff won easily last year, said a large-scale hack of Goff’s personal Xtra email account may show he has been concealing councilrelated communications from the public.
Banks questioned whether the mayor may have been using his personal home email to avoid the scrutiny of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.
Banks said revelations someone had tried to sell thousands of Goff’s hacked emails also raised questions about the mayor’s fundraising efforts as well.
"It is very concerning that we have all read today how one email contained an instruction to supporters to send messages to Goff’s private email to avoid detection of the LOGIMA,’’ Banks said.
‘‘Transparency is required. It’s very hard to believe that someone who has been in politics for as long as Goff would end up in this mess because of innocent ignorance.’’
A spokesman for Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta said she would be asking Department of Internal Affairs staff for advice on this issue.
When contacted yesterday, Goff’s chief of staff, Nirupa George, referred the Sunday Star-Times to the mayor’s earlier statement that the email hack was now subject to investigation by the police and other relevant agencies, and they would not be commenting further.