Your Daily Ten@10 - 2026/050

This is edition 2026/050 of the Ten@10 newsletter.

Hi all,

This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.

Enjoy!

• 🧾 The scandal involving Paul Eagle has deepened, with serious allegations including a $460,000 house renovation, fabricated documents, and a forged signature, now under review by the Serious Fraud Office for possible criminal investigation.
• 💰 The Chatham Islands Council paid over $433,000 to Agite Consulting Limited without tender or formal contract, consuming nearly half a year’s rates for a small, financially strained community.
• 📑 Engagement with Agite was based on a “pre-existing connection,” with contracts signed retrospectively, no procurement process followed, and no evidence of value-for-money assessment.
• 📊 Funds were largely spent on “government relations,” strategy, and political influence rather than infrastructure, with no measurable outcomes or internal evaluation of the work delivered.
• ⚠️ Crown “Better Off Funding,” intended for community wellbeing under Three Waters, was redirected into consultancy spending, with misleading claims made to the Department of Internal Affairs about contracted work.
• 🔄 Agite is staffed by politically connected insiders, including figures linked to government, transport, and lobbying sectors, highlighting a strong “revolving door” between public office and private consulting.
• 🏛️ Former Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry joined Agite shortly after leaving office, while Agite consultant Peri Zee became Mayor of Upper Hutt—illustrating tight political and professional networks.
• 📱 Barry’s direct communication with Christopher Luxon after joining Agite shows how political access can be quickly leveraged into influence work.
• 👥 A proposed subcontract worth over $100,000 to Eagle’s wife raised serious conflict-of-interest concerns, with no evidence councillors were informed—suggesting potential self-dealing.
• 🔗 Agite’s links to former lobbying firm SenateSHJ and its controversial past (including embedded staff within regulators) reinforce concerns about blurred lines between public policy and private influence.
• 🧭 Despite the scale of the scandal, both the New Zealand Labour Party and Local Government New Zealand have remained silent, raising questions about accountability and political protection.
• 🚨 The council has referred the case to the SFO, while government ministers including Simon Watts acknowledge its seriousness amid ongoing financial crisis negotiations for the islands.
• 🌐 The case highlights systemic issues in New Zealand: weak lobbying regulation, no cooling-off periods, and poor procurement standards—creating an environment where insider networks can thrive on public funds.
• 🧩 Ultimately, the scandal reflects a broader cultural problem where political connections, influence, and public money intersect with minimal transparency, eroding trust in governance.