Cabinet minister Kiri Allan: ‘Something wrong’ with RNZ and ‘unable to keep Māori talent’

Cabinet minister Kiri Allan alleged there “is something wrong” at the state broadcaster, which she claims has been unable to keep Māori media talent. Photo / NZME

Cabinet minister Kiri Allan alleged there “is something wrong” at the state broadcaster, which she claims has been unable to keep Māori media talent.

Today, Radio NZ released a partial transcript of the Justice Minister’s speech which she made during her fiancee Māni Dunlop’s farewell from the organisation in March.

“There is something within this organisation that has to be looked at,” Allan said.

“Now I know that you said that you would pick up that, the wero, that Māni left. It is not for just you, it is for your SLT [senior leadership team] to pick up. It’s for your SLT to pick up. It’s for your boards to pick up.”

Allan continued by claiming: “There is something wrong within the organisation that will not, and has not been able to keep Māori talent and that is a question that I think deserves some deep reflection.

“We are looking at these two, and we are looking at this organisation and how it treats its talent. Want to know … she doesn’t need to do it, it’s not her role to carry that any more.

“So it’s to this room, and the people within this place to grow and nurture, show that they have a viable future within this organisation. That you can come in as an intern and that you can get to the top spot, not just because you are Māori but because you have trained them well, you have nurtured them well.”

Māni Dunlop had been with RNZ for over a decade. Photo / RNZ

RNZ refused to release the full transcript of Allan’s speech to the Herald, citing privacy and to protect the tikanga of RNZ and its kaimahi.

When asked about Allan’s comments in the speech, and whether it was appropriate for RNZ not to release the full version, a spokesperson for Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson said it was an “operational matter for RNZ”.

Hipkins said today he had seen the transcript at the time and made his judgement based on that.

“Her comments were unwise, but I don’t they’re at the stage that warrants further action from me.”

On the agency only releasing a portion of the speech, he said it was a “matter for RNZ”.

Last month, Allan apologised for her comments and said it could have been interpreted as her telling the state broadcaster how to manage its staff or company.

The partial release of the transcript comes just days after RNZ’s head of news, Richard Sutherland, announced his resignation and plans to leave the broadcaster at the end of July. In a statement, Sutherland said he was taking an extended break.

RNZ’s response to the Herald’s Official Information Act request said the farewell was conducted in accordance with both tikanga Māori protocols and the protocols of how RNZ conducts employees’ farewells.

”In relation to the event, those protocols meant that there was an open floor where people could trust that what they said was for that audience only and they were able to speak openly and frankly.”

It said Allan’s kōrero was made as a direct response to the invitation, established at the start of the evening, for attendees to “challenge RNZ” if they wished to do so.

”She made it clear she was speaking as an individual on behalf of Māni Dunlop and her whānau.”

In the response, RNZ said she made brief comments that were critical of the broadcaster, which were first reported by the Herald.

”We are of the view that Ms Allan’s speech, made at a private farewell with family and friends present, where speakers were encouraged to speak openly, involves a privacy interest that should be protected under section 9(2)(a) OIA.”

RNZ also noted the sensitivity of the information, it being personal information of an emotional and private nature and the circumstances in which the information was obtained.

”In particular the strong expectation of privacy in the context of a farewell done in accordance with RNZ tikanga. Specifically, we consider that attendees have privacy interests that warrant protection.”

While the organisation released some comments from her speech, it said the remainder and the video and audio recording of the RNZ comments will be withheld to protect the attendees’ privacy.

Dunlop, an award-winning journalist who had worked at RNZ for 11 years, had earlier been tipped as a potential co-host on Morning Report, seen as one of the top on-air positions at the organisation.

Dunlop quit after journalist and television presenter Ingrid Hipkiss was hired for the role, with Dunlop indicating during her final broadcast on March 31 that she left because she was passed over for the “top job”.

At a leaving event later that day Allan – Minister of Justice and MP for East Coast – was one of the speakers and the Herald understands she made comments critical of RNZ.

After the Herald published news of Allan’s apology, RNZ published a version of the story. It reported that “speaking at her farewell in RNZ’s boardroom on Friday afternoon, Allan took aim at RNZ’s treatment of Māori reporters and urged the public broadcaster to have a look at its culture”.

Allan told the Herald that, while she does not have ministerial responsibility for media and broadcasting, she sincerely apologised “if any of my comments or reflections said at Māni’s farewell made any person feel uncomfortable”.

“On reflection, I also accept that it could have been interpreted as me telling RNZ how to manage their staff or company. That was not my intent and it is certainly not my job.

“My sole intention was to speak on behalf of Māni’s family.”

Allan said last month she was speaking in a personal capacity but acknowledged and accepted that “I am a senior government minister, and as such that there is not such a delineation in terms of public perception”.

“I was invited to Friday’s event as Māni’s fiancee to speak on her behalf, and the family’s behalf, to her employer of 11 years.”

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he had accepted Allan’s apology and that management of issues involving families of MPs was “tricky”.

“She was invited to the event in a personal capacity and was there as a family member.

“It’s natural and understandable for people to support their families.”

He said in this instance it would have been better if Allan, given her ministerial position, had chosen not to speak.

At the time an RNZ spokesperson told the Herald more than a dozen people took the opportunity to speak at Dunlop’s leaving event.

“They are private functions and provide an opportunity for whānau and kaimahi [workers] to gather to acknowledge, celebrate and support departing colleagues. Farewells include an open invitation for anyone present to whaikōrero [give a speech] and the free expression of views is encouraged.”

The spokesperson said RNZ was “robustly independent” when questioned about whether it was appropriate for a minister to comment on a government agency’s decision-making.

In Dunlop’s last show, she said she discovered during one of her first jobs as an intern at RNZ, more than a decade ago, why it was so important for Māori to be in mainstream media.

“To tell the stories by us, for everyone with a different and often overlooked lens of the communities in which we come from.”

At RNZ, she had grown and been part of “incredible” historic events.

When she stepped into the presenter chair, she was the first Māori person to present a weekday show at RNZ.

This path was paved by many before her, she said.

She went on to acknowledge several leading Māori media figures, including Mihingarangi Forbes and Julian Wilcox.

“To the haters, and there’s plenty of them, come on the journey,” she said. “My mates know that your hatred doesn’t stop us, it fuels us, it inspires us and Aotearoa is moving in a beautiful direction and I implore you to not resist but to hop on that waka, or you will be left behind.”

Dunlop went on to thank her colleagues, whānau and Allan.

“Thank you for always catching me. It is not easy to navigate in our respective professions but we do it well and we do it with integrity. To our babies, we do this for you.

“I am a staunch public broadcaster, I believe hugely in what RNZ can do, and the role that it serves and it will continue to fulfil as the media landscape transforms. I hope it does what it needs to, to fulfil its obligations to Te Tiriti.”