The Front Page: Barry Soper on the long history of tensions between MPs and their staff

Kiri Allan isn't the first politician to face accusations of a tense relationship with staff.

Justice Minister Kiri Allan is far from the first person in Parliament to face accusations of being difficult to work with.

The reports of the strained working relationship between Allan and a Department of Conservation staffer are just the latest in a long list of examples of tension between MPs and those working under them.

Meka Whaitiri, Anna Lorck and Gaurav Sharma have all faced complaints since Labour took office, while National MP Todd Barclay famously had to resign back in 2017 after revelations he had recorded a staff member at his electorate office. National stalwart Nick Smith also ended his 30-year political career amid a cloud of controversy about a verbal altercation he had with a staffer, and Labour’s Trevor Mallard had a chequered history of bullying allegations.

Speaking to The Front Page podcast, Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says stories like these have been part of politics since he joined the press gallery decades ago.

“The most amusing one that I can tell you was about when Robert Muldoon was the Prime Minister,” says Soper.

“Not uncommonly, he had too much to drink, and one night one of his staff went down to his blue Triumph 2000 and they let his tyres down. I don’t know if I ever discovered who that was.”

That story is on the lighter side, but it points to the long, uncomfortable tension between MPs and their staff.

The one big difference that Soper has seen in recent years is the unwillingness of staff to accept behaviour that may have been the norm in years gone by.

“We live in a very woke world the days, and [it’s no longer acceptable] to yell at somebody... I mean, I’ve been in this business many years, and if I had to resign or complain about every time I’d been yelled at by a fellow colleague, I would have left the job many years ago.”

Soper says the changes happening at Parliament are a reflection of a broader movement across the workforce.

“There is tension in Parliament, there’s no doubt about that. And if a minister like Kiri Allan doesn’t like what the public is doing, she should let them know. But these days, you’ve got to be very careful about how to let them know – because if you don’t, you get exactly what we’re talking about now: public servants complaining about their treatment.”

So, how much more strain will this place on Prime Minister Chris Hipkins? Will Allan be able to hold on to her job? How much vetting actually goes into appointing MPs and their staff? Do MPs need more management training? And what impact is this likely to have on Labour’s election plans?

Listen to today’s episode of The Front Page podcast to hear the full discussion with Soper on these issues.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.