Waititi breaches suppression order

Stuff reports:

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi could face referral to Parliament’s powerful Privileges Committee, after appearing to breach both a court order and Parliament’s own rules.

Waititi appeared to substantially breach a name suppression order in Parliament’s debating chamber on Wednesday.

But Waititi denied he breached any suppression order, after he left the House. He told Stuff that because he did not say the defendant’s name, he couldn’t have breached a name suppression order.

Waititi is wrong. You can breach a name suppression order without naming someone. If you refer to details about them that can allow people to work out their name, then that is also a breach.

For example if Waititi was before the courts and had name suppression, and I said that the male co-leader of the Māori Party was before the courts, then I would have breached his name supression.

Waititi can’t be hauled before the court for his breach of name suppression, as it was done in Parliament, but it seems inevitable he will be referred to the Privileges Committee.

NB: Any comments that breach name suppression orders will be deleted and may get you suspended.