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Home / New Zealand

Pushback on Winston Peters' privacy claims now part of official parliamentary record

Derek Cheng
By Derek Cheng
Senior Writer·NZ Herald·
25 Aug, 2020 05:10 AM3 mins to read

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Winston Peters reveals who he thinks is source of superannuation details leak; David Seymour asked to leave House. Video / Jason walls

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters' claims about who was involved in the leaking of his superannuation details have been officially denied on the parliamentary record.

Peters made the claims in a speech in the House on July 22, using parliamentary privilege to allege that Kiwiblogger David Farrar, National Party press secretary Rachel Morton, Act leader David Seymour, Taxpayer Union director Jordan Williams, Newsroom editor Tim Murphy and John Bishop, father of Hutt-South MP Chris Bishop, were all involved.

They all responded by rubbishing the claims and challenging Peters to repeat his claims without the protection of parliamentary privilege, which he refused to do.

READ MORE:
• Winston Peters to pay $320,000 over failed superannuation leak privacy court case
• Winston Peters fact-check: $18,000 repayment amount 'demonstrably false' in 2017
• Winston Peters reveals who he thinks is source of superannuation details leak; David Seymour asked to leave House
• Winston Peters admits being overpaid superannuation

Today statements by Farrar and Morton denying any involvement were incorporated into the parliamentary record.

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Under Standing Orders, people who are not MPs can apply to the Speaker if they think they've been adversely affected or their reputation has been damaged after being referred to in the House.

Speaker Trevor Mallard decided that their responses met the threshold to become part of the parliamentary record, and they were published today.

Farrar made his application on the day of Peters' speech in the House - July 22.

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"Winston Peters stated in the General Debate that I was told by Jordan Williams about Mr Peters' superannuation and that I was involved in breaching Mr Peters' right to privacy," Farrar's statement said.

"The statement by Mr Peters is incorrect. I did not discuss or disclose, in any way or form, details of his superannuation prior to reports appearing in the media about it.

"I know this for a certainty as I was totally unaware of there being any issue around Mr Peters' superannuation until it was reported in the media."

Morton made her application on July 31, addressing the claim that she was in the room when Peters' superannuation details were discussed between then-Cabinet Ministers Anne Tolley and Paula Bennett, and that she then told Seymour, who is a former partner.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

Peters reveals he was overpaid superannuation

27 Aug 07:10 AM
New Zealand|politics

Winston Peters fact-check: $18k repayment amount 'demonstrably false' in 2017

10 Nov 10:07 PM
Business

Winston Peters ordered to pay $320k over failed privacy case

20 Jul 01:14 AM
New Zealand|politics

'Been in Parliament too long': Seymour hits back after Peters names alleged leakers

22 Jul 05:55 AM

"I was never in a meeting with Mrs Tolley and Mrs Bennett where this was discussed, and I never gave any information to Mr Seymour," Morton's statement said.

"The statement by Mr Peters is categorically not true."

Peters' chief-of-staff Jon Johansson said that Peters had no objection to their comments becoming part of the parliamentary record.

"Given that their denials were already in the public domain, this action was moot," Johansson told the Herald.

Mallard said the matters had to be "non-trivial" to meet the threshold to be considered under the relevant Standing Orders (159 to 162).

He had not received any other applications about Peters' comments.

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Details about Peters' superannuation payments were made public in the lead-up to the 2017 election.

He had been wrongly paid the single person's pension for seven years despite being in a long-term relationship with partner Jan Trotman.

Peters took court action against Tolley and Bennett, among others, and a High Court found that his privacy had been deliberately breached to publicly embarrass him and cause him harm.

But the court action fell over because it failed to establish who was responsible for the leak.

Peters intends to appeal, but in July was ordered to pay nearly $320,000 in legal costs.

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