Labour Party camp indecent assault accused appears in court

A man accused of indecent assaults at a Labour Party summer youth camp pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court this morning.

The 20-year-old was arrested last month and appeared for the first time in the Auckland District Court this morning.

He faces six counts of indecent assault against four complainants and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

The accused was granted interim name suppression and bailed to appear in court again later this year.

The issue of the man's name suppression will also be contested later this month.

The charges followed a police investigation into allegations from a Labour Party summer camp at Waihi, on the Coromandel Peninsula, in February.

Labour Party president Nigel Haworth said after the arrest: "The Labour Party backs the decision of the police to lay charges against an individual relating to allegations of indecent assault at the Young Labour summer camp earlier this year.

"The party's internal report, prepared by Maria Austen [formerly Berryman], is focused on the party's policies and procedures around the summer camp, if they were properly applied, and how we should correct any deficiencies.

"Maria Austen's investigation is ongoing and separate from the police actions ... We will report back on her findings once we have received and considered them."

The allegations of indecent assaults against four young people, all believed to be 16, surfaced in March.

The alleged assaults occurred at an evening event, where reports emerged later detailed claims of heavy and underage drinking.

The day prior, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had spoken to the group.

Labour's hierarchy failed to tell Ardern about the scandal, while complaints followed about the handling of its aftermath and the failure to refer the issue to police at the time.