Today in Parliament I asked some questions about Hekia Parata’s conduct in responding to letters from teachers expressing their concerns about bigger class sizes. In response to those letters Hekia Parata has written to the Boards of Trustees and Principals employing those teachers, rather than responding directly to their correspondence.
That in itself is a real breach of the teachers privacy, but it gets worse when we learn that some of the teachers didn’t identify which school they teach at in their letters. So how did Hekia Parta know which Board of Trustees to send the responses to? If Hekia Parata accessed teachers personal records to identify which schools they worked at, that’s a very serious abuse of her position.
Every citizen has the right to send a letter to a government minister without fear that their concerns will be taken to their employer. But bullying looks to be a deliberate tactic for Hekia Parata. Earlier this year she threatened schools that were using newsletters to inform parents about the effect National’s plan to increase class sizes. Parents have a right to know that information. Hekia Parata’s attempt to bully schools into silence is disgraceful.
How can members of the public have confidence that their views are respected by this government, when teachers have had their privacy breached by the Minister of Education, when beneficiaries have had their personal information splashed all over the media by the Minister for Social Development, and when claimants to ACC can have no confidence that their sensitive information won’t be emailed all over the country?
It appears that bullying and/or breeches of privacy are becoming standard operating procedure of the Govt given that Paula Bennett was found to have breached the privacy of a WINZ client and the use of the information was described by the Privacy Commissioner as bullying. What I can’t believe is her arrogance as she still thinks she did nothing wrong in releasing the information and when asked yesterday by the media she said she would do it again!
What I can’t believe is her arrogance
But it’s all too believable, and there will be more of it.
Bullies back down when they are afraid. Bennett (and Key, and Parata, and the rest) look across the House, and they are not afraid. No challenge = no change.
Labour MPs know what to do about that. They could do it any time they wanted. When will they?
Hi Chris, instead of asking rhetorical questions on your blog, where you know you won’t get answers, why don’t you bite the bullet and ask the Minister in the House? That’s what parliamentary questions are for. Use the tools that Standing Orders provide you instead of smearing politicians on your blog, without evidence.
If you think “But bullying looks to be a deliberate tactic for Hekia Parata”, then there are many that think using parliamentary privilege is similar form of deliberate bullying.
Anyone’d think that maybe a primary opposition party failing to find narrative traction should perhaps be working a fundamental criticism of the Government’s ever-present blind bigoted hubris into every media opportunity on every issue and then moving to show its presence in the fundamental economic strategy of that Government so as to create a discrediting visceral contempt of that increasingly stagnant Government.
And for God’s sake throw the Paganis overboard — preferably in a weighted sack. Shearer’s even managing to drive away the remnant of political parochialists who vote Labour regardless of platform and personnel.
@whodunit
The questions were asked of the Minister in the House, today. Read the post again – or Hansard (it’s all online for you).
There seems to be a lot of bullying going on from across the house. Today the speaker Lockwood Smith describe MP behaviour during question time as “absolutely disgraceful”.
“Members of the public watching this will email me this afternoon about how disgusted they are by some of the behaviour – it’s happened too often this week…”
If enough people speak up about it they may get the message. Or is it just a part of the game MPs play (while on very good salaries)?
http://yournz.org/2012/08/16/addressing-disgraceful-parliame
ntary-behaviour/
here to help, that isn’t true. Chris Hipkins asked Gerry Brownlee in a supplementary question. The primary question had nothing to do with this issue. If Chris wants answers to this question he should ask the Minister directly in the House.
@whodunnit
Sounds like you come from the same school of silencing criticism as Bennett, Parata et al. All you lack is a stick to beat Chris with for speaking out.
He should (and has) raise it in the House (and you are so, so disingenuous when you moan it was in a supplementary) and sing it from the fricking rooftops until the media pick up this story.
Oh, you don’t like it? What a surprise.
I understood that Banks survived because he broke no law. Ms Bennett has been found by the commissioner to have breached the Privacy Act. Breach = broke. Act = law.
What a well-timed baseball trip.
Bullying takes many forms. In my book it includes a party leader, deputy and advisor advising the leader to pour derision and scorn on a sickness beneficiary. You will probably consider this off topic, but bullying it is. Using power to cast derision on a “faceless” , yet real section of our society is unbecoming to a party which says it champions those who struggle in society.
It also plays on the terrible myth of benefit fraud, which your own party investigated between 2007 and 2009 and found that only $16m per year is lost on benefit fraud, and some of that is committed by employees. Hardly the astonishing number everyone imagines.
$120m on brokers fees compared to $16m in fraud from the entire welfare system, c’mon get some pride.
Yes, we need to remember the little guy. Isn’t it why we are all here? I hope it is.
http://thestandard.org.nz/to-the-back-teeth-and-beyond/
C’mon Labour. You guys here know I used to visit often. I’ve stopped. Your desire to take over National’s ground they took from you which you took from them…. is madness. I am in the middle class white NZ bracket you so want to woo. BUT I believe in respect and dignity and currently that’s not what I get from you guys… The Greens are stealing your ground, with merit. never say never, but I will never vote for Nation, Dunne or Act… my options, like so many others are limited… The Greens are become more and more inspiring by the day.
Thanks for that link, dancer.
It’s a moving personal insight and I hope Labour MPs read it.
dancerwaitakere, commenters at The Standard are complaining about not being listened to, but with the amount of nastiness running rampant there this week it’s no surprise they aren’t taken seriously.
And with the way they attack anyone they disagree with it’s not surprising people don’t want to go and ‘engage’.
The behaviour at The Standard is more disgraceful than usual.
Be fair Pete G, visited KB anytime recently. I get sick of how all people at a blog are tarred with the brush of a few.
Some people at TS behave badly, so do some at KB. Doesn’t make it not worth reading some threads or deriding all people there.
Politics is an emotional topic for many. I see you posted in this thread under two different monikers?
Different locations Tracey, I need to make IDs the same.
I’ve visited KB and TS extensively.
KB was very knarly two yo three years ago. I stood up to quite a bit of nonsense. It’s better now. Sure, there are some abusive commenters still, but they’re occasional and individual.
I’ve been accepted on TS by some and had some reasonable discussions, but there are a core there that target anyone they don’t want speaking there, and harrass the hell out of them. Frequently, regularly. I’ve been subjected to a lot of personal abuse there, and that abuse has been supported by moderators. I’ve been banned several times for speaking up about abuse and lies. I’ve just been banned permanently for suggesting that the bad behaviour is bad for The Standard and bad for Labour.
And since I’ve left the abuse has deteriorated. Abuse directed at Labour people, especially the Paganis and David Shearer.
Look what happens when someone speaks up about the behaviour:
The Standard labours lower.
I’ve been more supportive of Labour and Shearer on The Standard than any of the authors and pretty much any of the Labour activists. They hate Shearer there. It’s a bitter embubbled bunch that won’t be happy whatever the outcome is, and will keep dragging Labour down. Chief moderator was this afternoon promoting anti-Labour leadership posts and rhetoric.
I think Shearer didn’t handle the roof story well, it was poorly done, but it has disproportionately sparked a rebellion that is very damaging for Labour.
Well Pete, I think people just get tired of you posting the same thing across three blogs, constantly cross-referencing your posts on the other blogs (as you have done above), your disingenuous concern and the way you transparently pretend to have the Party’s best interests at heart, the way you constantly try to push Labour to the right, the way you post in a completely different tone between different blogs (and spend a lot of time complaining on Kiwiblog about the meanies at the Standard and what an awful place it is), the way you constantly try to ratchet up tension in the Labour Party by “stirring” (as you have done above).
If you didn’t do these things, people would welcome your contribution more. Its not that you can’t contribute to all of these blogs (it is not “us or them”), its just that you should be less Machiavellian about it. Most people see right through it.
Hence the
s.
I mean, dropping pretenses for a second, do you even deny that your major activity on the Standard and Red Alert (and I assume your own blog – not that I’m a reader) is directed towards dividing the Left? Telling them how much they hate each other?
I mean let’s face it, you are a classic stirrer. I don’t think you’re stupid, I just think you lack any self-awareness about your behaviour and how it is perceived.
Tim G – too many people jump to too many conclusions, most of them wrong, like you. I’m aware that some in politics are into devious pointscoring so presume everyone else must be doing the same, but my main aim is to promote better politics and better democracy. That means promoting what I see as positive and speaking against what I see as negative.
Most of what I do is party independent. I’ve had positive communication today with Labour, UF, NZF and Green MPs, eight in total. All with a common aim.
Not everyone is into petty politics. Just because it may be your thing don’t assume everyone else is the same.
Tim G, re your 8.11pm, I do try and provoke/inspire discussion and thinking outside the square. Some people don’t like that. Too bad. If they weren’t so childish they could handle it.
I’m not trying to divide Labour, sadly that’s happening without my help. I want to see a strong Labour recovery, the better every party is doing the better our parliament will be. That’s why I promote what I see as positive from Labour, and I do that quite a bit.
But I will speak up about what I disagree with as well – in a lot better manner than many on The Standard, who only seem to know how to do bitter and vicious. They seem to get angrier because I won’t rise to their bait. It’s not my problem they can’t handle their frustrations.
I’ve posted more Labour positives on YourNZ than all the authors combined have posted on The Standard over the last few months. That’s sad.
I’ve offered to Labour orientated people the opportunity to use YourNZ directly, I’d like to increase Labour discussion on a blog that isn’t hobbled by censorship and cooperative abuse and attacks. Anyone interested? If you don’t mind robust discussion but with respect for alternative views.
Pete, are you really unaware of the irony, that you (not a Labour voter or member) have been more positive about the party’s leader than so many people who ARE Labour voters or members?
It doesn’t matter what you think of the Labour party, just as it doesn’t matter what I think about the Wallabies’ selection for the Bledisloe Cup. Because in each case, we don’t want them to win.
If you need the history lesson, it’s called Remuera, 1987.
here to help – I’m well aware of that irony, except that you are obviously unaware of who I’ve voted for. I’ve voted more often for Labour and for Labour candidates than any other party.
It should matter what the Labour party think of voters like me, who sometimes vote for them.
You should be aware that parties on their own don’t win. And it makes a difference what I think of the Labour Party – when I think they are ready to run government again I will want them to be the party able to form a coalition.
At the moment I hope National don’t deteriorate too quickly because Labour unfortunately seems to be going backwards. Self inflicted.
“but my main aim is to promote better politics and better democracy”
By supporting a twat that refused to vote on the asset sales bill to keep his place at the big table.
Great example, pete.
“It should matter what the Labour party think of voters like me”
Well you know what I think.
Say goodbye to freedom of speech,people will close down for fear of losing their livlelihood, along with union bashing….heading for an idiocracy