MP's wife says she accepted cash

Taito Phillip Field

HERALD INVESTIGATION - The wife of embattled Mangere MP Taito Phillip Field has confirmed that she received money from a staff member in Mr Field's electorate office, despite parliamentary rules barring MPs' spouses from being employed in their offices.

Maxine Field said she accepted money from part-time staff member Loimata Lilo because Mrs Lilo insisted.

"I said to Loimata, 'I don't want any of your wages, it's yours', " Mrs Field said.

But Mrs Lilo said she wanted to share with Mrs Field, who was "doing most of the work".

"I couldn't help it, because I gave it to her and she put it in my pockets," Mrs Field said. "She's still doing it now."

Mrs Field's admission contradicts a denial by Mr Field last week when the Herald obtained emails exchanged by his secretaries in Mangere and Wellington about Mrs Lilo's employment, initially for a temporary period, in August 2002.

In the first email, Wellington secretary Naomi Alaiasa told Mangere secretary Maria Coady: "Please inform Loimata (and ensure that she understands) that the salary payment she will be paid from Members Services, she will need to share some of that income with Maxine as Maxine is also assisting her with the workload cover for that period, as I understand Loimata is not totally fluent in English."

Mrs Coady replied: "Okay Naomi, but she is very fluent in English and I know she will be the one doing all the work!"

Mrs Lilo yesterday told the Herald: "I don't want anyone to ask me any questions, okay?"

When told that informants alleged she was paying part of her wages to Mrs Field, she replied: "Those people are telling stories. They are sick. Taito is a good man."

Last week, Mr Field said Ms Alaiasa's email was a mistake.

"That was never carried out. Maxine sometimes volunteers just to make a cup of tea. Loimata is the official secretary."

Mrs Field's admission that she received money does not directly breach the Parliamentary Service rule that "a spouse or dependant of [an MP] cannot be engaged as an out-of-Parliament support staff member" - because she was not actually employed in the office.

But it comes as pressure builds on Associate Immigration Minister Damien O'Connor, as well as Mr and Mrs Field, over Sunan Siriwan, who tiled the floors of the Fields' new house in Samoa while waiting to get a New Zealand work permit.

Mr O'Connor, who told officials to give Mr Siriwan a work permit after a request from Mr Field, has still not reviewed the case despite saying on September 12 that he would do so "in the next couple of days".

A spokeswoman said he was still waiting for a report from Counties-Manukau police - who said they were still assessing information.

The head of Samoa's Immigration Department, Vaasatia Poloma Komiti, confirmed yesterday that Mrs Field applied for a work permit for Mr Siriwan and that this was granted subject to Samoa's minimum wage of 1.6 tala (86c) an hour being paid.

Mr Field has said his family had no "employment relationship" with Mr Siriwan, but paid him up to 200 tala a week from March "because we feel for him".

Prime Minister Helen Clark has asked Auckland Queen's Counsel Noel Ingram to report by October 4 on the nature of Mr Field's relationship with Mr Siriwan, the extent of Mr Field's involvement in applying for work permits for the Thai and his partner, whether he had any conflict of interest in the matter, and to identify any other matters that are necessary to provide a complete report.

Tim Spooner, an Auckland immigration consultant who advised Mr Siriwan through an intermediary in February that his case was "hopeless", has told Dr Ingram in a written submission that Mr O'Connor's decision to grant a work permit defied "logic and precedent".

Mr Siriwan's application for refugee status had been refused but he had stayed in the country illegally. His partner had been expelled and would normally have been banned from re-entering NZ for five years.