Chris Bishop’s public outburst in no way comparable to Tory Whanau case - Katrina Bennett

THE FACTS:

• Government minister Chris Bishop has been criticised for calling Stan Walker’s performance at the Aotearoa Music Awards a “load of crap”.
• Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau admitted having a drinking problem in 2023 after two incidents at a restaurant and bar.
• The treatment of Bishop and Whanau has been compared because Bishop was holding a beer.

Chris Bishop making regrettable comments at a public music event with a beer in hand is in no way comparable to Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau’s admission of a drinking problem.

This week, some have tried to claim the two situations are similar, including an opinion piece from a left-wing blogger alleging “double standards” and “crushing hypocrisy” in the way the two politicians have been treated. That piece was reposted by the mayor to her social media followers.

State broadcaster RNZ also drew a comparison between the two in an interview with Finance Minister Nicola Willis early on Wednesday.

First Up host Nathan Rarere told Willis he wanted to talk about Chris Bishop and his “load of crap” comment during Stan Walker’s performance of Māori Ki te Ao at the Aotearoa Music Awards last week. Renowned musician Don McGlashan was captured on video telling the minister to “shut up”.

Willis said Bishop had already made it clear he regretted making the comments.

“His reflection is that he would have been better to keep those thoughts to himself.”

Rarere said the other thing he wanted to discuss was how Bishop had a beer in his hand.

“The last politician to get in the news over public drinking is Tory Whanau, and things worked out quite differently for her. Tell us about the difference between these cases and if he’s been spoken to about public representation,” Rarere said.

A frosty Willis replied: “I think in the case of Tory Whanau, the incident I think you’re referring to is one in which she didn’t pay for her dinner, having been drinking, and she herself acknowledged after the fact she had a drinking problem.

“In this case, there’s no suggestion that Chris Bishop has a drinking problem or that alcohol was the cause of his remarks.”

Willis is right. Bishop has never once blamed what he said on alcohol, which is different to Whanau’s case, in which she admitted having a drinking problem not just after the restaurant incident but also another at Havana Bar.

Stan Walker's performance at the Aotearoa Music Awards in Auckland last week that attracted criticism from Cabinet Minister Chris Bishop. Photo / Juliette Veber

Whanau’s drinking and love of a night out was a point of conversation early in her mayoralty, thanks to an interview with Newshub Nation in June 2023 in which she leaned into criticism that she was a party lover.

“I’m 40, I’m single, I love our hospitality scene and every couple of weeks I love to head out with my mates and hit a couple of bars, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.”

A month later, it emerged that Whanau was visibly intoxicated one night at the Old Quarter to the point that staff considered not serving her. She then forgot to pay the bill.

She strenuously denied claims about drunken behaviour but admitted she was “tipsy”.

She said the failure to pay the bill was a “miscommunication” between friends, that she was “mortified” by the mistake and had apologised to the restaurant.

In August, Whanau said she would no longer go out on a Friday night for a drink and had been through a process of mourning her private life.

In November, she admitted having a problem with alcohol after an incident at Havana Bar, which to her “great embarrassment and shame” may have been recorded. She said she was “a flawed person” and had sought professional help.

No video of any incident at Havana Bar has emerged.

Blogger Martyn Bradbury published an opinion piece on Waatea news on Monday, comparing Whanau’s experience to Bishop’s.

“Both have been involved in public drinking incidents, yet the criticism for Tory was all-encompassing, whereas Chris Bishop gets defended by the new Deputy Prime Minister,” he wrote.

Whanau reposted the article on Bluesky, a social media platform that has become popular as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter).

She also reposted a comment saying, “I hate the way media perceive men drinking over women drinking. Mind you, 90% of the media is a boy’s club”.

Interestingly, nobody has mentioned Andrew Bayly, another politician who attracted keen media interest after his behaviour at a winery in Marlborough.

The National Party minister apologised after calling a worker a “loser” and pulling an “L” on his forehead, but denied drinking before the interactions. He did take part in a wine tasting afterwards.

He stood down in February after admitting a separate “inappropriate” incident with a staffer. The media scrutiny was intense.

Taking the step to publicly admit a drinking problem after incidents that have left you mortified, embarrassed and ashamed is very different to saying something out loud that, in hindsight, you accept you should have kept to yourself.

Perhaps alcohol loosened Bishop’s tongue, but he’s never blamed it for what he said or the opinion he holds.

Whanau’s remarkable admission in 2023 was incredibly brave and defining. It was always going to dominate headlines and shine an extra-bright spotlight on a public figure already under scrutiny.

Had Bishop made a similar admission, the media response would have been the same. But linking his public outburst to another politician’s drinking problem is to draw the long bow.