NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Sex predator storm: Turbulent day in parliamentary workplace

Derek Cheng
By Derek Cheng
Senior Writer·NZ Herald·
22 May, 2019 05:00 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Playback Denied: Location

      Error Code: PLAYER_ERR_GEO_RESTRICTED
      Technical details :
      Video is unavailable from your current location.
      Session ID: 2025-05-21:190f72a43e5d05c88d411f53 Player Element ID: vjs_video_6039183002001

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Liam Dann explains what to expect in Budget 2025

      UP NEXT:

      Autoplay in
      4
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      PM comments on the external independent review of bullying and harassment at Parliament.

      Survivors' advocate Louise Nicholas is encouraging sexual assault victims to speak to police, even unofficially, as they decide whether to lay complaints against an alleged sexual predator in Parliament.

      Her words came at the end of a turbulent day in Wellington as the Francis Review into bullying and harassment revealed 14 people had been the victim of alleged sexual assaults in the parliamentary workplace.

      Speaker Trevor Mallard yesterday morning characterised three of those incidents as rape, which he believed were carried out by one perpetrator who still worked in Parliament.

      Survivors' advocate Louise Nicholas. Photo / Mark Mitchell
      Survivors' advocate Louise Nicholas. Photo / Mark Mitchell

      Controversy ensued, with calls for the police to be brought in immediately to investigate.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      A parliamentary staff member was subsequently stood down following a complaint about a historical assault of a sexual nature. But Parliamentary Service was yesterday treating that complaint as an employment matter, with Mallard refusing to pass the matter to police citing confidentiality.

      The alleged incident had been investigated but the inquiry had been reopened, the service said — though the original investigation was not into allegations of rape.

      The police would not comment on whether formal complaints had been laid or any investigation launched.

      Speaker Trevor Mallard announcing a parliamentary staff member had been stood down. Photo / Mark Mitchell
      Speaker Trevor Mallard announcing a parliamentary staff member had been stood down. Photo / Mark Mitchell

      National Party deputy leader Paula Bennett and MP Judith Collins called for any complaints to be forwarded to police, but Mallard and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was up to the women to decide whether to take the matter further.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Louise Nicholas — who accused three police officers of raping her in the 1980s and now works with police as a victims' advocate — agreed.

      "If those women feel that they need to take it further with police that is their absolute right, but they cannot be forced to do it," Nicholas said.

      "It's a killer, but the safety of the survivor is paramount and their wellbeing is paramount."

      Survivors could however talk to police without making a formal statement. "I know I'll get kickback on this, because I've been told if somebody discloses to police then the police need to act. No, they don't."

      Discover more

      New Zealand|politics

      Review of Parliament's culture released today

      20 May 10:12 PM
      New Zealand|politics

      Parliament sex assaults appear the result of a predator: Review

      21 May 01:43 AM
      Opinion

      Soper: Working in Parliament is a hazardous task

      21 May 06:00 PM
      New Zealand|politics

      Watch: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on possible rapist in Parliament

      22 May 02:03 AM

      Survivors could take a support person and talk to the police's Adult Sexual Assault Team "off the record" before deciding whether to go further.

      National Party deputy leader Paula Bennett. Photo / Mark Mitchell
      National Party deputy leader Paula Bennett. Photo / Mark Mitchell

      "It's not about telling the story but talking to them about the process and then maybe disclosing some of it, if you want to continue."

      Nicholas was unsurprised that sexual assaults happened in Parliament.

      "Every organisation has these people. It's about what we can do to help this organisation ensure that this does not happen again. And those women are the experts."

      Mallard thanked the staff member who had came forward to lay the complaint yesterday.

      "This is obviously a very traumatic time for that individual, and will also be the case for other individuals, other women, who are involved."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Asked if Parliament was safe, Mallard said: "One can never make an absolute guarantee of that type, and clearly we have a lot of work to do out of the review around attitude ... One of the key dangers is no longer in the building."

      Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Mark Mitchell
      Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Mark Mitchell

      Bennett said that police should be called in, regardless of whether Mallard knew the identity of the alleged offender.

      "Debbie Francis does [know the identity].

      "She was contracted by [the Speaker]. Something else needs to happen. For me, it almost feels like they are harbouring a criminal ... This is not just a bit of inappropriate behaviour.

      "The Speaker is alleging a very serious criminal act. I'm not convinced that everything is being done that should be."

      Bennett said she was not necessarily calling on Francis to breach the conditions of her contract and name people to police, but said police should at least be called in for advice.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      National MP Judith Collins, who is a former Police Minister, said police did not need a complainant to investigate.

      "I would have thought, if there is evidence at that level — so much so that there is a report of three sexual assaults, apparently by one person — that that matter should go to police, if there is any idea about who this person is."

      Timeline of events

      • Tuesday: Speaker Trevor Mallard and Debbie Francis release report into bullying and harassment in Parliament.

      • Tuesday afternoon: Mallard tells Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB there's a sexual predator working at parliament – or had been until recently. Mallard says he doesn't know who the man is.

      • Yesterday, 7.30am: Mallard says in Radio NZ interview that he believes one man is responsible for the three serious sexual assault allegations in the report, that they amount to rape, and that the man could still be working at Parliament.

      • 10.30am: Following extensive media coverage of Mallard's interview, Jacinda Ardern calls an urgent meeting with Mallard and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins to seek assurances that Mallard is acting to ensure the safety of the parliamentary workplace.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      • 11am: National deputy leader Paula Bennett fronts media to say her staff feel afraid that there might be a rapist among them. NZ First leader Winston Peters says Mallard's comments lacked any evidence and were "absolutely repugnant", adding that he believed the alleged offender did not work for any political party.

      • Before noon: A female staff member comes forward to lay a complaint with Parliamentary Service about a historical assault allegation.

      • 12.45pm: At Ardern's suggestion, Mallard meets party leaders to assure them that he is taking steps to ensure the safety of the parliamentary workplace.

      • 1.50pm: Ardern tells media of the meetings with Mallard that day, and that Mallard will have more to say in the afternoon.

      • Just after 2pm: Alleged offender stood down.

      • 3.30pm: Mallard fronts media to say a staff member has been stood down for an alleged assault of a sexual nature. Stands by his comments in the morning about rape. Says it is up to the complainant to refer the matter to police.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      • 4.30pm: Parliamentary Service says the complaint is about an incident that was already looked into, but the investigation has been reopened. Adds that the original investigation was not into a rape allegation.

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New Zealand

      The horrifying ordeal behind Auckland's high-profile gang torture case

      21 May 09:41 AM
      New Zealand

      Lotto Powerball: Have you won big in tonight’s $17 million draw?

      21 May 08:22 AM
      Crime

      Inside the Comancheros revenge plot against bodybuilder's family after gang exit stoush

      21 May 07:01 AM

      The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      The horrifying ordeal behind Auckland's high-profile gang torture case
      New Zealand

      The horrifying ordeal behind Auckland's high-profile gang torture case

      21 May 09:41 AM
      Erin Patterson trial: iNaturalist searches linked to mushroom case
      World

      Erin Patterson trial: iNaturalist searches linked to mushroom case

      21 May 09:08 AM
      Lotto Powerball: Have you won big in tonight’s $17 million draw?
      New Zealand

      Lotto Powerball: Have you won big in tonight’s $17 million draw?

      21 May 08:22 AM
      NSW's relentless rain has led to record-breaking emergency
      World

      NSW's relentless rain has led to record-breaking emergency

      21 May 08:20 AM
      Inside the Comancheros revenge plot against bodybuilder's family after gang exit stoush
      Crime

      Inside the Comancheros revenge plot against bodybuilder's family after gang exit stoush

      21 May 07:01 AM

      Latest from New Zealand

      The horrifying ordeal behind Auckland's high-profile gang torture case

      The horrifying ordeal behind Auckland's high-profile gang torture case

      21 May 09:41 AM

      The victim was tortured with drills, hot water and a metal pole.

      Lotto Powerball: Have you won big in tonight’s $17 million draw?

      Lotto Powerball: Have you won big in tonight’s $17 million draw?

      21 May 08:22 AM
      Inside the Comancheros revenge plot against bodybuilder's family after gang exit stoush

      Inside the Comancheros revenge plot against bodybuilder's family after gang exit stoush

      21 May 07:01 AM
      Racing: No Hastings spring carnival until 2026, Waipukurau revival announced

      Racing: No Hastings spring carnival until 2026, Waipukurau revival announced

      21 May 07:00 AM
      Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
      sponsored

      Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • What the Actual
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven CarGuide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search