And this week’s ministerial scandal is …. Kiri
Stuff reports:
A staffer seconded to work with Cabinet Minister Kiritapu Allanchose to leave early because of concerns about “working relationships” in the office.
Problems in the Beehive office saw Department of Conservation chief executive Penny Nelson take her concerns to the Department of Internal Affairs, which manages Ministerial Services.
Stuff understands that other senior public servants – including from Emergency Management, and the Ministry of Business, innovation and Employment – have also voiced concerns about how staff were treated.
So basically the allegations are that the Minister is a bully.
For a CEO to escalate it to DIA, means it must be very bad. Normally in the past the PMs Chief of Staff would deal with it informally and tell the Minister to change their behaviour, or escalate it to the PM.
For it to formally go to DIA means that either the PMs Office knew nothing about it, or that they did but didn’t resolve the situation.
It comes as Allan is on leave from Parliament, because she is “struggling with mental health and wellbeing”.
I wonder if the leave started before or after she became aware the media were asking questions about bullying in her office.
But she has long had a reputation as a demanding boss. A public service source with knowledge of the problems said “low trust and respect of public servants was [the] issue” and had been discussed among senior staff.
It was indeed widely known, which makes it seem unlikely the PMs Office were the only people in Wellington who hadn’t heard about this.
Bullying allegations have dogged the Labour Government. Meka Whaitiri was stripped of her ministerial responsibilities after an altercation with her press secretary in 2018. A report found it “probable” that she grabbed and left bruising on her press secretary.
Rebel MP Gaurav Sharma levelled explosive allegations of bullying last year, but failed to provide any evidence and was expelled.
In the wake of that drama, two former staffers accused Tukituki MP Anna Lorck of bullying. She later received “leadership training”.
Almost a pattern!
After Jacinda resigned the alternate leadership team to Hipkins/Sepuloni was Wood and Allan. In hindsight Labour will be relieved that did not eventuate!
But it does still leave Labour with a problem – another week and another Minister in the news for the wrong reasons.