Suspended transport minister Michael Wood was told to sell his Auckland Airport shares twelve times by the Cabinet Office, not 鈥渉alf a dozen鈥 times as previously reported.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins made the revelation facing questions from National鈥檚 acting leader Nicola Willis in the House. On Tuesday, Hipkins told media Wood had only been warned 鈥渉alf a dozen鈥 times.
The Government faced questions in the House from National and Act over its handling of the Michael Wood saga.
Hipkins told Parliament; 鈥淥n the 19th of November, 2020; 9th and 14th of December, 2020; 24th of March, 2021; 30 June, 2021; 17 December, 2021; 1st of March, 2022; 28th of March, 2022; 4th of May, 2022; 16th of January 2023; 6th of March, 2023 and 27th of March, 2023, the Cabinet Office sought to confirm whether [Michael Wood] had divested the shareholding. Throughout the process [Wood] confirmed that he was about to or in the process of divesting the shareholdings,鈥
聽鈥淏y my count, there were 12 interactions [where the Cabinet Office asked Wood to divest the shares],鈥 Hipkins said.
鈥淎s I indicated yesterday, I think [Wood] should have divested the shares when he first said he was going to.鈥
Responding to a question from National鈥檚 Nicola Willis鈥 about why Wood remained in Cabinet, Hipkins said: 鈥淚 have indicated I don鈥檛 think Minister Wood has met the relevant expectations and that is why he has been stood down as Minister of Transport.
鈥淭he first I was made aware of the shareholding was over the weekend- or on Friday, when my office was made aware of that. In terms of why they didn鈥檛 signal that, I am somewhat frustrated that when I was doing the reshuffle, they had not highlighted that as an issue for me.
When Willis asked Hipkins whether it was good enough for him to be 鈥渟omewhat frustrated鈥 when his Cabinet ministers didn鈥檛 appear to be sticking to the Cabinet Manual, Hipkins said: 鈥淣o, it鈥檚 not acceptable.鈥
鈥淚t is my expectation that ministers will follow the rules around conflicts of interest. Those rules are clear, and where there is evidence that they haven鈥檛 [followed the rules] then I will deal with that.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe there is a need to have an investigation on that matter [Wood鈥檚 inaction after being told to divest his shares 12 times] because the facts are clear and they are not contested,鈥 Hipkins said.
鈥淸Communications between Wood and the Cabinet Office were] a mixture of both [written and spoken] and the Cabinet Office鈥檚 records are, of course, subject to the Official Information Act,鈥 Hipkins said.
Both National and Act are calling for Wood to go. National leader Christopher Luxon wants Wood sacked from his remaining portfolios and removed from Cabinet.
After further revelations,聽, Act leader David Seymour has also called for Wood to go.
聽for his handling of shares owned in Auckland Airport.
The value of the shares amounted to just $13,000, but it was Wood鈥檚 decision to tell the Cabinet Office he would sell the shares but never actually getting around to doing it that has landed him in hot water.
鈥淥ne of the challenges is that the Cabinet Office had been advised by [Wood] on a number of occasions that he has divested himself of the shares, that clearly hasn鈥檛 happened. That is quite a material issue,鈥 Hipkins said.
Wood has been stood down while he works through disclosing the shares appropriately and finally sells them.
He has a path back to Cabinet once he has worked through the register of pecuniary interests to properly disclose his ownership of the shares in the past.
Luxon told TVNZ鈥檚 Breakfast the Wood issue was a case of 鈥渁nother week, another ministerial scandal within the Labour Government, another week where we鈥檙e talking about why people don鈥檛 feel safe in their homes, why our kids aren鈥檛 at school and about the cost of living鈥.
He said it was 鈥渁 massive distraction at a time when New Zealanders really want the Government focused on things that matter to them鈥.
Luxon called Hipkins鈥 leadership 鈥渨eak鈥 and said the party鈥檚 鈥渨heels are falling off鈥.
Act leader David Seymour said news Wood was involved in declining the application of North Shore Airport鈥檚 airport authority status meant he could no longer continue as a minister.
鈥淭he question of Wood being a Minister is no longer a matter of 鈥榣ife admin鈥 as Chris Hipkins has put it. It is now a matter of whether people can trust the New Zealand Government to be open and transparent about who it serves,鈥 he said.
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