Tough time for MP — tough office too?

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

The personal can become very public for politicians and many will be feeling for East Coast MP Kiri Allan who has had that in spades this week as she returned to Parliament from a mental health break.

News reports of “concerns” about the working relationships in her ministerial office broke on Wednesday just after Allan posted on social media that she had taken mental health leave last week due to personal circumstances and work pressures.

In a statement she responded that she had “great working relationships with her office crew” but as with every workplace, there were sometimes challenges. “I value my crew and I have always been clear that I have high expectations of senior public servants, as I do myself.”

Yesterday Allan confirmed the recent break-up of her relationship with fiancé Māni Dunlop and fronted media on the workplace issues, before facing a further grilling in Parliament.

The initial revelation was from the director-general of the Department of Conservation, confirming it had raised “concerns” about the working relationships in Allan’s office more than a year ago and one staffer had left her office early as a result. Stuff reported that other concerns had been raised by the heads of the National Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

The NEMA boss has since said he was also aware of concerns regarding relationships in Allan’s office with staff seconded from his agency.

The MBIE situation seems to reside in a text message from the head of its Kānoa - Regional Economic Development Unit Robert Pigou which was withheld in releasing information to the National Party under an OIA request, on the basis of a “free and frank” exchange of opinions.

Pigou has since said the text “does not express concerns about staff working in the office and therefore no follow-up action was needed”.

Allan and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins — no doubt delighted to be talking about this during his high-level trip to China — have both said no “formal allegations” were made. The PM’s office has added that no further issues had been raised after work was done to improve the situation.

Yesterday Allan said she disagreed with the DoC director-general’s characterisation of events: “There have never been any formal allegations put to me — these are serious allegations and I would have expected a serious process to be followed if that was indeed the case.”

The big question now is what further developments there might be in this story as National and the media pursue any more leads.

In the meantime, kia kaha Kiri.