Another Cabinet minister caught up in United Nations letter-writing saga
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
Another Cabinet minister has been caught up in the United Nations letter-writing imbroglio, with new documents showing David Seymour first ran his response past Paul Goldsmith before he sent it.
Seymour, writing as Regulations Minister, fired off a blunt reply to the UN in July that prompted public
rebukes from both Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
and
Foreign Minister Winston Peters
for bypassing proper processes.
Seymour refused to concede any mistake but agreed to formally withdraw his letter so Peters could issue one on behalf of the full government.
New correspondence, released to RNZ under the Official Information Act, reveals Goldsmith, the Treaty Negotiations Minister, had been looped in early on and appeared comfortable with Seymour's approach.
On 1 July, two days before the letter went to the UN, one of Seymour's advisors sent a draft to Goldsmith's office.
"Attached is the Minister for Regulation's proposed response... He mentioned that we had agreed to run it past your Minister before we sent it off," the email read.
"It is a little more direct than what MFAT might draft. Please let me know if your Minister is happy."
Goldsmith's office responded the next day, asking for a phone call.
By the morning of 3 July, Seymour's advisor emailed him: "Goldie is happy for us to send it. He is going to send his own mild MFAT holding letter on behalf of himself and [Māori Development Minister Tama] Potaka."
David Seymour.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
Seymour replied: "Ok, great." His letter was sent to the UN that afternoon.
In a statement provided to RNZ on Saturday, Goldsmith said: "When asked, I did not object to [Seymour] sending the letter, but when commenting on UN matters, it is the Foreign Minister's views that are relevant, not mine."
A spokesperson for Seymour said he had nothing further to add.
Emails between Seymour's staff in June canvassed the options for responding to the UN and noted MFAT's preferred approach was a joint reply from "relevant Ministers" Seymour, Goldsmith and Potaka, in line with previous UN communications in 2024.
Instead,
Peters ultimately issued a government-wide letter
on 11 August, striking a softer tone and expressing regret for the "breakdown in protocol".
The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert K Barume, had raised concerns on 12 June about Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill, suggesting it failed to recognise Māori traditions or uphold Treaty principles.
Seymour's reply branded the critique "presumptive, condescending and wholly misplaced" and "an affront to New Zealand's sovereignty".
After news of Seymour's letter broke in July, Luxon told media he agreed with its content but Seymour was wrong to have sent it: "I expect Winston Peters to be the person that engages with the UN."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
24 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Watch: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister Chris Penk announce construction changes
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will front a post-Cabinet press conference with Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk to discuss sweeping changes to the Building Act. The Government signalled in late 2024 it was investigating options for major reform to make it easier and cheaper to build. Penk confirmed to
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Auckland business leader begs government for economic plan
Viv Beck. Photo: Supplied / HOTC Auckland CBD's business association is asking the government to collaborate on a plan to revive the city's economy. On Morning Report, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon shut down Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's renewed calls to charge visitors a bed-night levy . "We just don't think a bed tax is the right way forward at this time and we're not looking at it this term." The levy would fund destination marketing and events to attract people to the city. Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said central city businesses suffering after Covid-19 and from ongoing construction due to the delayed City Rail Link needed a lifeline. "If the government doesn't want to do [a bed levy] what we need is a discussion about what the alternatives are. "If the prime minister had said, 'Look, we are not supporting a bed tax, but we are keen to talk to groups in Auckland concerned about the economic turnaround there,' that would be helpful so we could actually end up with a plan of attack. "We need a solution, and we're not going to get one if it keeps staying at a public stalemate." Beck said the government returning the GST it charged on rates would also help Auckland's economy. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
'Focused 100%' on economy, not passport: Luxon
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon denies the government has lost its focus, as calls intensify for the government to take action to help pull Auckland out of its economic slump. Earlier this month Auckland Business Chamber boss Simon Bridges called on the government to do more to stimulate the economy in the supercity. The latest Stats NZ data showed Auckland's 6.1% unemployment rate for the June 2025 quarter was the worst of all regions, ahead of the national rate of 5.2%. An article in the the Sunday Star-Times at the weekend said "many business leaders and political insiders, including those from traditional centre-right bases of support for National, are beginning to doubt whether" Luxon's coalition has an economic plan. Heart of the City boss Viv Beck said "Rome is burning for some of our small businesses", and Newmarket Business Association head Mark Knoff-Thomas said it was "ludicrous" the government was spending its time reordering words on passport covers instead of focusing on the economy. Mayor Wayne Brown wants a bed night levy, which the government is not keen on. "They'll cave in. They want to be elected…. They'll cave in on this, mate. This is a third of New Zealand. This is the city that decides who's the government." Luxon said the government was "not focused on passport changes" but would not be implementing a bed tax. "We're actually focused 100% on actually growing this economy … We inherited the big recession. We've had a massive post-Covid hangover," he said. We've had a lot of international challenges with respect to tariffs, and what that's done for sentiment and confidence, but I just say to you, we're also seeing a recovery in New Zealand." Luxon said South Island primary industries were "growing strongly" but "we know we've got work to do in our cities". He pointed to the government's fast-track scheme for big projects, capital investment write-offs for small businesses and making it easier to get things built. "It's really tough in Auckland and also in Wellington, you know? If you're in Christchurch, it's different, as I said before, but, you know, there's no doubt about it," Luxon said "We're open to continuing to look at what more we can do. We're pretty dynamic and agile. We keep adjusting and doing things to adjust to the circumstances that we're in." One recent poll saw Labour surge ahead of National, and Luxon neck-and-neck with Labour's Chris Hipkins as preferred prime minister. Another had National and Labour in a statistical, ditto for Luxon and Hipkins, with just 1 percentage point separating the parties and leaders. When Bridges led the National Party, it regularly polled in the 40s. He was rolled as leader in 2020 after a collapse in the party's support as Covid-19 spread the world. Luxon said he would "absolutely" be leading National into the 2026 election. "For me it's actually staying focused on what New Zealanders care about and that is actually us fixing this economy. "I appreciate it's been difficult, you know, we've had a very difficult, you know, a poor inheritance, but, you know, our job is to fix it for New Zealanders and that's what we're going to do every day."
