Griffin won’t hand over Curran recording

The Herald reports:

RNZ chairman Richard Griffin says a phone call from Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran was “inappropriate” and releasing her voicemail would further damage RNZ’s relationship with her and the Government.

Griffin has defied the request of the Economic Development, Science and Innovation select committee to hand over the voice recording of the message left on his mobile phone by Curran about his upcoming committee appearance.

In his letter to committee chairman Jonathan Young, Griffin outlines his reasons for declining to hand over the voicemail.

“The Minister’s inappropriate call to me and the content of the message on the phone, whatever she said or meant, is not any part of the matter requiring correction.

“What she said, or intended, is a fresh issue which is also irrelevant given that it had no part in the decision RNZ and I had already made to return to the committee and apologise at the earliest possible opportunity,” he says in the letter.

“In fact I would be breaching my own ethical boundaries and, I believe, further damage relations between RNZ, the Minister and the wider Government, which is an integral part of the framework within which we work, if I complied with the request.”

I understand the recording has now been deleted. Minister Curran should be very grateful to Dick Griffin that despite her behaviour, he has acted professionally and done what he can to minimise damage to her.