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
Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

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 / Rotorua Daily Post

National Leader Simon Bridges orders internal review of party's culture

Jason Walls
By Jason Walls
Political Editor – Newstalk ZB·NZ Herald·
22 Oct, 2018 11:23 PM4 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.

      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.

      Autoplay in
      5
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      National Party leader Simon Bridges, from his caucus run, saying he told off Paula Bennett and will not be using the waka jumping bill over Jami-Lee Ross.

      National leader Simon Bridges is ordering an internal review to ensure a culture in the party where women feel safe - and has spoken to his deputy Paula Bennett about outing Jami-Lee Ross' extra-marital affairs.

      Bridges also said the party was unlikely to consider using the waka-jumping law to remove Ross from Parliament as long as he is was unwell.

      Speaking to media this morning, Bridges said he would talk to Parliamentary Service this week to "make sure women feel absolutely safe in the workplace and feel they can confidently come forward on all matters".

      Bridges said he wanted to make sure the same is happening within the party, with volunteers, candidates and staff.

      He has ordered an review into this.

      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
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      The move comes after Newsroom revealed at least four women had come forward and accused Ross of harassment.

      "We are getting independent advice to make sure we have got the best systems and process so women do feel safe."

      Bridges did not think there is a cultural issue within the National Party – "but the reality is several women have been affected by what has happened".

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      He said he wanted to make sure National can do the best for its future.

      How the review would look is an "open question at this stage".

      The results of that review probably won't be made public, he said.

      The review, he said, was to ensure the culture would be the best it could be.

      Discover more

      Opinion

      What we can learn from the Jami-Lee Ross saga

      24 Oct 03:31 PM

      He admitted National had fallen short in some areas of the Ross saga but didn't think there was anything they could have done differently.

      Ross was taken to the mental health unit in Middlemore Hospital on Sunday following an incident on Saturday that a friend, who did not want to be named, has described as a serious situation and far from a "cry for help".

      Bridges said he didn't know about this until after it had happened, but would not comment on specifics as he is not familiar with the first-hand details.

      He said this is now a matter for the right authorities to deal with.

      He said National had made the "right call" for the right reasons" and he had done "the right thing at every step of this".

      "I have acted entirely consistent with the specialist medical advice at every step of this."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Last week, Deputy Leader Paula Bennett told the Herald issues raised with Ross had nothing to do with harassment but were about inappropriate behaviour from Ross as a "married Member of Parliament".

      Bridges said Bennett has acknowledged that "she didn't get it all perfect".

      He had spoken to her about the comments.

      Bridges said because Ross was unwell, it was "incredibly unlikely that we will use the waka-jumping law".

      He said National would be unlikely to use the bill in any other circumstances.

      His leadership would not come up in caucus today, he said.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Meanwhile, National MPs are standing behind Bridges and have offered support to Ross.

      Rodney MP Mark Mitchell said the caucus' support for Bridges was "unwavering" and that won't change.

      He said he had met with Ross three weeks ago to ensure he was getting the proper support he needed.

      "I didn't offer him anything other than support and to get well and to make sure he was focused on his own health."

      List MP Brett Hudson said the events of last week showed the party's leadership and its caucus handled the situation "very well, given the information we had".

      Paul Goldsmith said he was worried about Ross. He does not know the details, but said he is "sure he is under very good care".

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      On how the Ross saga was handled, Goldsmith said the caucus handled the "very, very difficult situation the best way that we could".

      Melisa Lee said everything the party and its leadership had done, in relation to Ross, had been done correctly.

      Just moments before Bridges announced the review, National MP Nicola Willis said she didn't think an inquiry into the culture of the National Party was needed.

      "The culture in the National Party for me has always been one that has been supportive and positive and I have really appreciated that."

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

      Rotorua Daily Post

      Regional ratepayers to fund $3.58m loan for Tarawera Sewerage Scheme

      27 May 06:40 PM
      Premium
      Rotorua Daily Post

      Kiwi Harvard students' futures 'held hostage' in university's battle with Trump

      27 May 06:00 PM
      Rotorua Daily Post

      'Putting lives at risk': The barriers facing Māori from getting immunised

      27 May 02:01 AM

      Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      'Playing with fire': Trump hits out at Putin over Ukraine conflict
      World

      'Playing with fire': Trump hits out at Putin over Ukraine conflict

      27 May 07:48 PM
      Hospital nurse attacked walking to work by pair on electric scooter
      New Zealand

      Hospital nurse attacked walking to work by pair on electric scooter

      27 May 07:28 PM
      Motorcycle taken from fatal crash scene, police seek public's help
      Whanganui Chronicle

      Motorcycle taken from fatal crash scene, police seek public's help

      27 May 07:15 PM
      Driver of Liverpool car which ploughed into crowd suspected of taking drugs
      World

      Driver of Liverpool car which ploughed into crowd suspected of taking drugs

      27 May 07:06 PM
      Watch: Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm in trailer for Pike River feature film
      Entertainment

      Watch: Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm in trailer for Pike River feature film

      27 May 07:00 PM

      Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

      Regional ratepayers to fund $3.58m loan for Tarawera Sewerage Scheme

      Regional ratepayers to fund $3.58m loan for Tarawera Sewerage Scheme

      27 May 06:40 PM

      Debate on the final split of the controversial scheme's $32.3m cost begins today.

      Premium
      Kiwi Harvard students' futures 'held hostage' in university's battle with Trump

      Kiwi Harvard students' futures 'held hostage' in university's battle with Trump

      27 May 06:00 PM
      'Putting lives at risk': The barriers facing Māori from getting immunised

      'Putting lives at risk': The barriers facing Māori from getting immunised

      27 May 02:01 AM
      Car crashes into Rotorua shop front

      Car crashes into Rotorua shop front

      Explore the hidden gems of NSW
      sponsored

      Explore the hidden gems of NSW

      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
      • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • 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