1. JOHN KEY (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does she stand by her answers to oral question No. 2 on 19 February 2008; if not, why not?
When did the Prime Minister become aware that the President of the Labour Party, Mr Mike Williams, had asserted that no donations had been received from Owen Glenn since 2005?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I would think since the matter has been in the public arena, within the last few days.
Why did not the Prime Minister seek to correct the false impression given by Mike Williams, given that at the point she learnt of the statement she knew it to be untrue?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
When I say in the last few days, it was probably in the course of preparation for question time yesterday that my attention was drawn to that statement, which I think was made on or around 31 December. The member himself may have been in Hawaii at the time, which is probably why he refused to comment on the matter when asked by the New Zealand Herald.
How does the Prime Minister reconcile the fact that she chose not to correct the statement by Mr Williams, which she knew to be incorrect, with her promise that she would deliver a Government that people could trust and that would be open and accountable?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Of course, no such choice was made. I have made it clear since this matter has come to my attention that Mr Williams made a mistake. This donation of forgone interest will be in the Labour Party’s audited accounts. I note that the National Party’s audited accounts have no track of any donation ever made by Mr Key. Are we to believe that he is just mean, or has he hidden his donations in the Waitemata Trust?
Further to her response to my question yesterday, has she at any time had any discussions with the President of the New Zealand Labour Party, Mike Williams, regarding the possible appointment of Owen Glenn as New Zealand’s honorary consul to Monaco?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
As I said to the House yesterday, I became aware that Mr Glenn had expressed such an interest. Since becoming aware, I have obviously had that as a matter of discussion with Mr Winston Peters. Mr Williams has also talked to me about it. I repeat that Mr Glenn’s interest was expressed in just the same way that Mr Richard Worth advanced the cause of a friend of his; when Mr Worth wrote to the previous Minister of Foreign Affairs about the matter, he told Mr Phil Goff: “There is an aspect of substantial self-interest behind my request that the New Zealand Government appoint a consul in Monaco.”
Can the Prime Minister then confirm, subsequent to her answer just a few moments ago, at what point did Mr Williams actually inform her about the conversations that he had had with Mr Glenn; was it before or after they had received the various donations he gave to the Labour Party?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Those donations go back to somewhere around 2003, 2004, 2005, so quite a long time.
Has the Prime Minister worked out that not only is she wrong, but she is actually continuing to propagate the myth that Mr Williams has been trying to propagate, because, in fact, Mr Glenn gave a donation some time after that, and that may well have been around the time that he was talking about becoming the honorary consul?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
The member is starting to believe his own propaganda. There seems to be a view that being an honorary consul is a plum post. Well, it might be for Mr Worth, who sees it as being in his self-interest to recommend people for the position in Monaco, but for most people they offer to do it because they think they can do something for a country.