Saturday, 09 December 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand / Politics

Minister's staffer took part in blog

David Fisher
By
David Fisher
22 Aug, 2014 05:00 PM3 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Nick Bryant was the press secretary for Gerry Brownlee. Photo / NZ Herald

Nick Bryant was the press secretary for Gerry Brownlee. Photo / NZ Herald

The press secretary of Cabinet minister Gerry Brownlee has admitted posting anonymously to the Whale Oil blog as the impact of Dirty Politics continues to hit the election campaign.

Nick Bryant was named in Dirty Politics as the person who had used the pseudonym "Former Hack" to post anonymous comments encouraging blogger Cameron Slater's campaign against a public servant which resulted in death threats.

The Herald was able to confirm the use of Mr Bryant's ministerial computer through details obtained from an individual other than the hacker who also accessed information from Whale Oil during the Denial of Service attack.

Under "Former Hack", Mr Bryant told Slater "well done" on a post which attacked Simon Pleasants. He told others he agreed calls should be placed to ask why Mr Pleasants was still employed and told Slater "you might have one for the harpoon gallery there" - the so-called Whale Oil roll call of sacked officials.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Pleasants is the same public servant whose personal details were sent from Justice Minister Judith Collins to Slater, which were then published on the blog. The information shows the people who comment on Whale Oil have effectively lost their anonymity.

In the file held by the Herald, hundreds of messages sent from people working on ministerial or government computers are linked to the servers and IP addresses from which they were posted. The file links those details with email addresses - including Mr Bryant's.

Asked if he had posted to Whale Oil, Mr Bryant initially said: "I don't know."

When asked if he used the name "Former Hack" to do so, he said: "Nicky Hager said I was the person who posted as that."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Told of the new information, Mr Bryant said: "What I will say is I stopped commenting around that time. They were about the only comments I made on that blog."

At the time of the comments, Mr Bryant worked for former minister Phil Heatley.

Mr Hager's book links Mr Bryant to another anonymous name - but the Herald has found the email account linked to messages from the person is actually registered in the name of yet another ministerial staff member.

A spokesman for Internal Affairs refused to comment on individual staff members. He said "appropriate action" would be taken against a staff member who acted inappropriately.

Related articles

New Zealand|Politics

Slater in trouble for breaching privacy

21 Aug 10:22 PM
New Zealand|Politics

Key denies contradiction

22 Aug 02:49 AM
New Zealand|Politics

Dirty wave could swamp election

22 Aug 05:00 PM
New Zealand|Politics

OIA granted in 37 minutes

23 Aug 01:35 AM

Slater did not return calls. He did send an email saying: "Time for all your emails to come out Fish."

Other developments

• Rodney MP Mark Mitchell has told the Weekend Herald he is considering suing Nicky Hager over assertions in the book that he would not have won his electorate in 2011 without a dirty tricks campaign from Slater and political adviser Simon Lusk.

• Prime Minister John Key said yesterday he was happy to provide his phone records and give evidence under oath to an inquiry by the spy watchdog into the handling of an Official Information Act release by the SIS to blogger Cameron Slater.

• The Whale Oil site boasted its largest number of visitors in the wake of the book's publication - although others have questioned the validity of the figures. The site also reported Pak N Save's advertising agency had set up an "exclusion" to make sure its adverts no longer appear on the blog.

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

New ZealandUpdated

Focus: Auckland car yard targeted with air rifle, vandalism costing thousands

08 Dec 05:08 PM
New Zealand

What are the best beaches in Northland?

LifestyleUpdated

'Feels like home': The beauty queen who rebuilt her life after a tragedy

08 Dec 05:00 PM
Premium
BusinessUpdated

'Better together': The business run by a trio of brothers that employs 600 staff

08 Dec 05:00 PM

“Never been a better time to buy an EV”

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Focus: Auckland car yard targeted with air rifle, vandalism costing thousands

Focus: Auckland car yard targeted with air rifle, vandalism costing thousands

08 Dec 05:08 PM

Car yard owner Shirzay Faqeeri has been left thousands of dollars out of pocket.

What are the best beaches in Northland?

What are the best beaches in Northland?

'Feels like home': The beauty queen who rebuilt her life after a tragedy

'Feels like home': The beauty queen who rebuilt her life after a tragedy

08 Dec 05:00 PM
Premium
'Better together': The business run by a trio of brothers that employs 600 staff

'Better together': The business run by a trio of brothers that employs 600 staff

08 Dec 05:00 PM
9 big questions over an EV road trip
sponsored

9 big questions over an EV road trip

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP