Latest news with #leaks
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
PM doesn't believe coalition subject to more leaks than previous governments
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says public servants who leak to the media are undermining the government, and the public's trust in it. The Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche has issued a directive to public servants to stop leaking sensitive information - a directive which was itself leaked to RNZ . Sir Brian declined to be interviewed by Morning Report on Thursday. The Public Service Association says it doesn't condone leaking, but it wants stronger protections for whistleblowers and more emphasis on free advice . Luxon said there was a lot of government business going through the public service currently and only a small number of leaks which reflected poorly on those who did it. He did not believe the coalition government was experiencing more leaks than previous administrations. New Zealand favoured a politically neutral public service and he would not like to see a switch to the American system where a change of government meant "a wholesale change" of all public servants. "We have many excellent public servants and I just think it tarnishes their reputation and professionalism." The prime minister was asked abut the recent police memo about some changes to their response to some thefts. The memo which was leaked to RNZ resulted in a strong government response and the Police Commissioner announcing the policy would not be enacted . Luxon responded there were other "genuine ways" of raising such issues but if there was a culture where leaking was acceptable it undermined a politically neutral public service. "We're very proud of our public servants and the politically neutral job they do supporting whichever government of the day there is. ....They [Leaks] happen sadly and we deal with it..." PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said she agreed with the prime minister that leaking was unprofessional and public servants must serve the government of the day, even if they disagreed with some of their policies. Fitzsimons said the union did not condone leaking, and people should expect consequences if they did. However, she took issue with Sir Brian's direction that leakers should be sacked. "The Public Service Commissioner cannot impose a blanket approach of dismissing public servants if leaks occur. "The employer needs to go through a proper and fair process, including natural justice, and they must do what is fair and reasonable by looking at all the circumstances at the time the action occurred." She said if staff had concerns about aspects of their work, they should raise matters with their managers. "I don't want people listening to this to get the impression that leaking can be justified in circumstances where it is actually unlawful and is likely to lead to disciplinary outcomes for them because that would be unfair for people to be left with that impression." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
PSA criticises members who leak info to media
politics employment about 1 hour ago The Public Service Association has come out criticising members who leak information to the media, while also criticising Ministers who seek cherry picked advice on key policies. PSA national secretary spoke to Corin Dann.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
For the love of leaks
Public Service Commissioner Brian Roche issued a memo to government staff warning against leaks of sensitive information - a memo that was subsequently leaked to RNZ. Editor of Richard Harman joins Emile Donovan to talk about receiving leaks, how journalists can use them, and what leaks say about the government agencies they originate from. Photo: Reece Baker/RNZ
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
'Chilling effect': Union raises concerns over ministers' interference after leaks
Public service organisations have been urged to "take every possible action" to shut down leaking. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Stronger whistleblowing laws and more emphasis on free and frank advice are needed to balance out a crackdown on leaks, the Public Service Association (PSA) union says. The campaign against leaks was exposed in a leaked email from a department boss to staff, after Commissioner Sir Brian Roche urged chief executives to "take every possible action" to shut down leaking, including sacking those found responsible where appropriate. PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said such dismissals would require fair process. "We don't condone leaking, but we cannot see a blanket rule that public servants are dismissed when leaks occur. New Zealand law requires a full and fair investigation process, and employers have to enter that process with an open mind," she said. "Public servants must not leak. But there is a legal duty to provide free and frank advice to the government of the day, and we'd like to see the government also reiterating those expectations alongside these messages about leaking." Pointing to an academic article by Massey's Richard Shaw and Victoria University of Wellington's Chris Eichbaum from 2023, she said there had been a chilling effect on the provision of free and frank advice over multiple governments. "Our members have reported to us that they have been advised not to provide certain commentary in advice or to only do so via phone and that there is direct ministerial involvement in matters that would usually sit within departments," she said. "We saw this with the approach taken to the survey of public servants recently. The chilling effect of this is exacerbated in an environment of constant cuts and job losses." She said Associate Health Minister Casey Costello making accusations in November about a public servant for internal communications about heated tobacco products was another case. PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The PSA at the time wrote to Sir Brian saying that would have a chilling effect, made worse by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's comments that "appear to conflate this case with a separate issue from last month". Fitzsimons urged the government to look at strengthening New Zealand's whistleblowing law, the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022. "The current whistleblowing laws in New Zealand put a very high threshold on serious wrongdoing. We would call on government to review those laws, but at the end of the day public servants shouldn't leak, it's not professional to do so, and we advise against it." The Act limits whistleblowing to exposing "serious wrongdoing", which includes posing a serious risk to health, safety, or the maintenance of law, corrupt or irregular use of public funds or resources, or breaking the law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that when leaks happened it undermined the public service as a whole. "They do the public service a big disservice frankly and the public's trust in the public service is a problem and that's why I think it's pretty unfair because we've got some great public servants in New Zealand, we're very well served by some awesome people. "We've always had leaking in different governments but it's ultimately up to individuals are trusted to serve the government of the day and to do so in a politically neutral way." ACT leader David Seymour said those found leaking should "absolutely" face repercussions. He had this message for public servants: "Your career as a public servant is a part of your life. For all of your life you're going to be invested in this country working and you have no right to undermine the constitutional setup and framework that has made this country a success, that you've benefited from. "Some of the people who are the people leaking would really struggle to get a job outside the cocoon of the public service, because in the private sector honesty and integrity are highly valued." He said the public service was "far too large" and "if we want to start reducing it maybe we need to leak out a few leakers". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Education Ministry asks RNZ to help investigation into leaks
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas The Education Ministry has started an external investigation into leaks - and asked RNZ to help. The ministry shared with RNZ on Wednesday an email to staff expressing deep concern about recent unauthorised disclosures and announcing the investigation by Michael Heron KC. It also invited RNZ to meet with Heron for "a brief chat" about what may have been shared or shown - an invitation that RNZ immediately refused. The message followed RNZ revealing on Wednesday morning it had seen a copy of an email referring to a message Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche sent to staff last week warning against leaks of information. Sir Brian's email was sent on 22 May, the same day RNZ reported that a court injunction granted on 21 May had blocked it from reporting on commercially sensitive information in a pre-Budget document sighted by RNZ. The Education Ministry's email to staff was signed off by acting deputy secretary for education, Rob Campbell. "As the Ministry's Integrity Champion, I am deeply concerned by the recent unauthorised disclosures of confidential documents to a journalist. These anonymous leaks not only harm our organisation but also unfairly create mistrust within our teams and distract from our professionalism and hard work," the message said. "When we have breaches like these, this compromises the integrity of the public service. As a public servant, you have signed up to our code of conduct and a core set of public service principles that set out common standards of behaviour and guide our judgement, choices and actions. This includes being fair, impartial, responsible, and trustworthy in everything we do. "Because of the seriousness of these breaches, an independent external investigation has been commissioned to determine how these occurred and identify those responsible. Michael Heron, KC has been appointed to undertake this investigation, the results of which will be provided directly to the Secretary for Education. We take this matter extremely seriously and will act on the findings of the investigation. "Alongside this investigation, we will be continuing to review the way that information is made available and shared appropriately. This will include looking at our technology environment and our internal processes and policies for raising concerns, such as our Speak Up policy and protected disclosure guidelines. This approach reflects our commitment to our integrity and accountability as public servants." The ministry's email to RNZ said the message "might be of interest given the alignment with some of RNZ's recent reporting". It also suggested a meeting with Heron. "As part of our follow-up, Mr Heron is keen to connect with you (and/or your colleagues) for a brief chat on Wednesday, 4 June if you're available. He's hoping to get a better sense of what may have been shared or shown to you, and would also welcome any general insights you might be able to provide. "Let me know if a time that day could work for you-or if you'd prefer to share anything in writing instead. Appreciate your time and openness." RNZ thanked the ministry for the information and the invitation, which it declined. RNZ Chief News Officer Mark Stevens said the newsroom declined the opportunity to participate in the investigation to ensure the identity of any confidential sources were protected. "The protection of confidential sources is a fundamental tenet of journalism that is not only enshrined in our own Editorial Policy but also captured in the principles of the New Zealand Media Council," he said. RNZ sighted an unprecedented number of confidential Education Ministry documents in the past year. In the past five weeks, it sighted four separate documents related to Budget decisions, three of which concerned plans to cut the Kāhui Ako scheme and divert its $118-million-a-year funding to learning support. The scheme clustered schools together and provided release time and extra pay for about 4000 teachers who led improvement work among the schools. The fourth and most recently-sighted document included commercially sensitive information the government said would damage its ability to engage in collective bargaining, prompting it to seek, and win, an injunction last week preventing publication. Last year, RNZ sighted internal Education Ministry information regarding the rewrite of the Year 7-13 English curriculum and ministry job-cuts and restructuring plans . In the past year RNZ has also sighted confidential internal information from StudyLink and Te Kura (The Correspondence School). Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
