NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • 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
  • Politics
  • 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
    • Herald NOW
    • 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
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • 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

Todd Barclay refused to co-operate with police three times

David Fisher
By David Fisher
Senior writer·NZ Herald·
19 Dec, 2017 03:27 AM3 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

Source: AAP. Prime Minister Bill English appears entirely unconcerned with the idea that someone has leaked details of his personal text messages to New Zealand First leader Winston Peters. Mr Peters revealed in parliament last week that he had evidence Mr English text former staffer Glenys Dickson 450 times in the year leading up to her leaving the office of retiring National MP Todd Barclay because of an employment dispute.

Former National MP Todd Barclay refused to co-operate with police on three distinct occasions during the fresh investigation into his alleged bugging of staff.

With this year's election campaign underway, Barclay was again refusing to be interviewed by police, refusing to allow access to evidence held by Parliamentary Services and refusing to allow police to search his electorate office.

The refusals all took place after party leader Bill English told the Herald: "Todd Barclay will remain an MP until the election and will continue to carry out his usual duties and represent his community in that time."

The fresh details of Barclay's refusal are contained in documents released through the Official Information Act from the second investigation into allegations of Barclay secretly recording staff.

The second investigation came after English admitted he had been told by Barclay that the secret recording existed - a detail police could not prove in its first investigation.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The detail was also not proved in the new investigation, although detectives said there was "circumstantial" evidence that he had done so.

Barclay is now gone from Parliament, having announced he would not seek re-election after publicly wrong-footing English on the issue.

The OIA papers detail how police pursued a line of inquiry sparked by reports from NZME's NewstalkZB political editor Barry Soper.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Soper had reported that Barclay had used CCTV cameras fitted with audio recording facilities to pick up comments made by electorate secretary Glenys Dickson, a National Party stalwart in Southland who worked for English for 20 years.

Detective sergeant Greg Baird, in his report on the case, wrote that detectives sought details of CCTV systems capable of picking up audio recordings, and sought paperwork relating to the refurbishment of the electorate office after Barclay took over.

The police documents show that Barclay refused to grant consent to Parliamentary Services which would have opened up new lines of inquiry.

Baird recorded that police again pursued Barclay for an interview and were again knocked back.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

Nobody thought recording was a crime: PM

22 Jun 05:22 PM
New Zealand|politics

PM fought to have his Barclay police statement withheld

29 Aug 02:44 AM
New Zealand|politics

Todd Barclay heads to London for work

13 Sep 05:13 PM
New Zealand|politics

Barclay will not face more charges: Police

30 Oct 12:22 AM

And he continued to refuse permission for police to search his electorate office.

The police assessment on whether to lay charges included an assessment of evidence that would be provided by English. Police assessed him as a "credible" witness.

In a section headed "Beyond Reasonable Doubt", Baird assessed the case against Barclay and said it could hinge on an explanation from the MP.

"This element would largely depend on any explanation offered by Barclay."

The office writing the assessment said other witnesses aside from English were also credible and there were also statements from Barclay which suggested confirmation of the recording.

Baird did not offer a recommendation around prosecution, saying he was told not to do so when writing the report.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The police inquiry did not just focus on Soper's report of a CCTV recording but also included consideration of Barclay using a covert recording device disguised as a pen, coffee cup, sunglasses, pot plant and other office items. Officers paid particular attention to a pen she was given by Barclay.

Detectives quizzed Dickson on whether any of those items had turned up in the office, including showing her photographs of the disguised devices.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Watch: Police release new CCTV of missing Christchurch pensioner

19 Jun 04:00 AM
New Zealand

What you need to know for the Matariki long weekend

19 Jun 04:00 AM
New Zealand|crimeUpdated

Armed police in 3-hr standoff, closes central Auckland street

19 Jun 03:47 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Watch: Police release new CCTV of missing Christchurch pensioner

Watch: Police release new CCTV of missing Christchurch pensioner

19 Jun 04:00 AM

The family of Elisabeth Nicholls and police are concerned for her wellbeing.

What you need to know for the Matariki long weekend

What you need to know for the Matariki long weekend

19 Jun 04:00 AM
Armed police in 3-hr standoff, closes central Auckland street

Armed police in 3-hr standoff, closes central Auckland street

19 Jun 03:47 AM
Second person charged with interference in teen homicide investigation

Second person charged with interference in teen homicide investigation

19 Jun 03:44 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

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
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • 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
TOP