Yesterday morning Stuart Nash was full of braggadocio as he blustered and harrumphed his indignation at being held to the same standard that Maurice Williamson was for interfering in policing and court issues by calling on his “mate” Andrew Coster to appeal a sentence.
He had failed to understand the implications of what he did and continued on swaggering about boasting of how it was nothing.
A few hours later his Prime Minister saw it differently and accepted his resignation when it was offered.
Stuart Nash has resigned as police minister after admitting on radio he encouraged Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to appeal a court decision.
In doing so, opposition MPs said he’d done two things wrong: First, they said it was wrong to discuss the issue with police, given the commissioner is legally not responsible to ministers for decisions around law enforcement or prosecutions.
Secondly, Nash was directly criticising a decision of the courts – which is against Cabinet Manual rules.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins agreed, and accepted Nash’s resignation as police minister on Wednesday. But Nash would keep his other ministerial roles, including as minister for economic development, forestry and fisheries.
From rooster to feather duster inside a few hours. We know how it really goes: Nash would have had a call from Hipkins’ chief of staff telling him he has two choices, resign (which would be accepted), or be gutted like trout. Of course, he resigned; it is all part of the pretence.
But the resignation is meaningless really because he retains his other portfolios when he really should be losing those ones too. His error goes to judgment as a minister and so his other jobs should be gone too.
But it leaves Hipkins in a precarious position, even though he acted decisively. For a start, the Police Minister job has become somewhat of a revolving door with this Government, and their talent pool is decidedly shallow.
Then there is the issue with Nashy’s “mate” who should be asked to resign also because he was approached by Nash who tried to sway his opinion, and yet he said nothing. It only came out because of Nash’s bragging admission to the media.
Nash then sent a message to the judiciary, saying judges need to “read the room” on crime.
“Society is sick to death of these gang members creating havoc and we want it to be dealt with appropriately, but unfortunately police don’t determine what happens to them once they get in court.”
Criminal Bar Association president Fiona Guy Kidd KC told the Herald it was important for judges to operate free from interference or criticism by members of the executive.
“Judges make their decisions on a large amount of information which may not all be reported,” she said.
“It is unfair to attack them publicly for decisions made because they cannot answer back and have no power to change a decision once it is made.”
NZ Herald
The same goes for the judiciary who were written to by Nash; they sat with their eyes, ears and mouths covered as the minister rode roughshod over our constitutional framework. Their silence condemns them too.
But, I wonder how many breaches of the cabinet manual took place while the protest at parliament took place? I wonder if Jacinda Ardern breached the cabinet manual when the Police stepped up to defend her boyfriend? I wonder if the cabinet manual was breached when the Police started monitoring New Zealand citizens? Was there a breach of the cabinet manual when Immigration stopped Avi Yemini from coming into the country? Unfortunately, we will never know unless a minister opens his or her mouth because there will certainly be no paperwork.
It’s messy and embarrassing but Stuart Nash still keeps his cars and his over-inflated paycheck, and Hipkins gets to look strong, which given his day-walker complexion, ginger hair and a body like a half-sucked throatie seems overly generous.
Help Fund Our NewsDesk
We are building a NewsDesk, hiring journalists and taking the fight to the mainstream media. Will you help fund our NewsDesk?
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.
