Simplicity KiwiSaver boss Sam Stubbs says Michelle Boag's role up for review

Former National Party president Michelle Boag leaked the personal details of people with Covid-19. Photo / file

Simplicity boss Sam Stubbs says under-fire former National Party president Michelle Boag has tendered her resignation as a trustee of its charitable arm but it won't make a decision on her departure until its next board meeting.

In a shocking series of events this week, Boag has confessed to leaking the personal details of 18 people in Covid-19 managed isolation and quarantine to National MP Hamish Walker, who then leaked it to media.

She received the information in her role as acting chief executive of the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust, a role she has since resigned from.

Boag has been a trustee on the charitable trust which owns KiwiSaver provider Simplicity for four years in a role which involves her helping to decide which charities the provider gives money to.

Stubbs said in that role, which was a volunteer position, Boag did not have access to the personal information of any of its members.

"She has no access and has never had access to that information."

Stubbs said it took privacy matters very seriously as it had a lot of information about members.

"While these actions are extremely questionable and appear to be very, very wrong, what she has done for us has been very positive."

He said Boag had a lot of experience working with the charitable sector.

Stubbs said Boag had tendered her resignation yesterday.

"She has offered to resign. We will consider it at the next charitable trust meeting."

"She plays a very minor role here."

The meeting would be held in the next six weeks or so, he said.

Boag was one of seven trustees it had on the Simplicity Charitable Trust.

Stubbs said it had decided against having an ad-hoc meeting to make a quick decision because its trustees were based in different locations and it would be difficult to get them together to make the decision.

Sam Stubbs, founder and managing director of Simplicity. Photo / Doug Sherring

Simplicity was set up as a non-profit KiwiSaver provider by Stubbs, a former head of Tower investments, in September 2016.

It has 44,293 members with $1.85 billion in funds under management across both KiwiSaver and its other investment funds.

According to its website, 15 per cent of its fees go to the Simplicity Charitable Trust which has donated $1,136,813 to charities so far.

Meanwhile, Boag also faces an uncertain future on RNZ's show The Panel.

Boag is one of over 100 people who appear irregularly on the weekday afternoon talk show, but on Wednesday host Wallace Chapman announced she "won't be appearing anytime soon".

Incidentally, Boag was on The Panel on Tuesday, just half an hour before confessing her role in the leak, and could be heard working away on her computer in the background.

"Who the hell are you emailing?" asked Chapman, unbeknown of what was to come.

"It is very important," she responded.

After her appearance and subsequent confession The Panel received a "huge amount of feedback" about her continuing on the show.

"She disqualified herself as a person whose views can be seriously considered," said one listener.

A RNZ spokesman said there were more than 100 panellists used by RNZ for the show, for which they received a "small payment".