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While the decision has already been made and Hamish Walker is the one to go, we might do well to consider the full implications of what transpired, along with a look at what it says of the man who aspires to the highest political office in our country.
Without dragging in the distractions of the bit players or even the alleged ringmasters, let’s focus on a few facts about the two lead roles: National Party Leader Todd Muller and Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker.
Hamish Walker is a 35 year old first term Member of Parliament who until a week or so ago, was relatively unknown nationally. He was elected with a majority of 14,354 votes and would appear to have been a popular choice in the region with many electors openly saying he’s a hard working MP who does a good job for his constituents. The fact that he was relatively unknown at a national level would suggest he’s kept his nose clean otherwise we’d all have known about him before this.
Todd Muller is 51 and has been Member of Parliament for Bay of Plenty since the 2014 election which he won with a majority of 15,096. He won convincingly again in 2017 with a slightly reduced majority of 13,996. Like Walker, Muller was relatively irrelevant in the national picture until he swooped in on the National Party leadership in the coup that unseated Simon Bridges in May this year. Probably his most noted moment in national media until then would have been his collaboration with James Shaw on the Zero Carbon Bill which National supported.
He has become much more widely publicised since becoming Opposition Leader though most of the media has been critical or negative and the jury is still out on his leadership skills though there have been no ‘wow’ moments and several ‘cringe’ ones.
Where does this event sit in the overall picture and what exactly did Hamish Walker do that was so bad it cost him his job and career?
On 02 July, he issued a press statement headlined
“Up To 11,000 People Could be Destined for Quarantine in the South”
This is his electorate so he does have an interest in the matter and, some might argue, an obligation to make his constituents aware of what might happen, given that nobody has been consulted or even told about it.
“It’s absolutely disgraceful that the community hasn’t been consulted on this” Mr Walker Says. “These people are possibly heading for Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown from India, Pakistan and Korea.”
“I’ve already had many calls, texts and emails from residents who do not want people in quarantine in Queenstown.”
Housing Minister Megan Woods ripped into this press statement:
“It’s disgraceful and it’s reprehensible. I think he’s trying to stir up a sentiment that I don’t think has any place in New Zealand. Quite frankly, it’s racist”
Walker’s response:
“Calling me a racist is Labour’s default tactic when they are unable to defend their blatant failures. It’s not about race, it’s about the countries these Kiwis are coming from”
Muller’s response:
“I had that conversation with Hamish and I expressed my concern and I don’t condone what he said”
Up to this point, it would be fair to say Walker did what any MP would have done with that kind of information and there’s nothing in his statement that would seem to me to be inappropriate, though I’d raise my eyebrows at the suggestion that anybody would consider sending 11,000 people to the south – that’s a whole heap of aircraft. Mind you, this government isn’t exactly renowned for its foresight so I’d lean to the “anything’s possible” file on that one.
Muller’s brief, deprecating and accusatory response speaks volumes for how he thinks and what his leadership skills are.
The villains are of course Megan Woods, who managed to call it racism and be very angry about being caught out yet again, backed up by the Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins and of course Todd Muller.
Hamish Walker was backed into a corner and was isolated by his own leader when he had in fact done nothing of any consequence. He then reacted poorly with a stupid mistake to support his pronouncement and prove he wasn’t making it all up.
Of course, he wouldn’t have needed to do this if his colleague and leader hadn’t immediately shown he was going to throw him under the nearest bus.
People do dumb things when they’re trapped. Walker should never have been trapped by his own leader and a quality leader would have bent the government over and kicked them where they needed to be kicked. They were wrong and Walker was right to point it out. Woods was wrong to accuse him of racism. It’s nasty and dishonest. They should be called out for this by the Opposition Leader, not supported and endorsed.
The rest should have happened behind closed doors. But it didn’t and National is looking less and less like it could govern if given the chance.
So, Michelle Boag has gone. Hamish Walker is going. And the spine we’re all looking for in this party is still nowhere to be found.
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