The Front Page: The ‘murky’ controversy embroiling Callaghan Innovation and Manaaki

Callaghan Innovation has been embroiled in a messy situation. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand LinkedIn has blown up over the last week, with accusations of smear campaigns, bullying and corporate villains.

This string of accusations has its genesis in the fraught relationship between the Government’s Callaghan Innovation and Kiwi startup Maanaki.

BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie joined the Front Page podcast to explain what’s happening behind the scenes and why the business community has become so riled up by this issue.

In a wide-ranging interview, Smellie explains who the various parties are involved in this feud, looks into the controversies at the heart of the matter and offers an explanation of who’s in the wrong.

Listen to the full podcast above for answers to the following questions:

• What is Callaghan Innovation?
• What is Manaaki and how does it relate to We Are Indigo?
• What is the nature of the feud?
• Why did Callaghan bring in a private investigator?
• What did the investigator’s report say?
• Why was this report so contentious?
• Will the public ever know the full details of the investigator’s report?
• What has been the response from We Are Indigo and Callaghan Innovation?