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Eight Immigration New Zealand employees have been placed on involuntary leave amid an investigation into claims of “inappropriate and unprofessional” online workplace conversations.
Immigration New Zealand head Alison McDonald confirmed to NZME she sent a company-wide email last week advising staff that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) was looking into their comments on chat platform Microsoft Teams.
“These comments appear to be in breach of MBIE’s code of conduct, which sets out the expectations we have of our people, including that we are professional and objective in our language and all our actions and interactions,” she said.
McDonald said the allegations were “serious and concerning” and as a result, eight people had been placed on leave in accordance with the ministry’s employment processes.
“I am disappointed by this alleged behaviour, which is contrary to all of MBIE’s values and not the standards expected of public servants ... Inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour by our people is completely unacceptable and MBIE will not hesitate to take any appropriate disciplinary action.
“We are committed to ensuring that we act in good faith and that there is a fair process so we will not be commenting further on these employment matters.”
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is investigating the allegations. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford told the Herald this was an operational matter for MBIE.
“Any allegations of inappropriate behaviour need to be thoroughly investigated.
“MBIE advises me it has no place for offensive and discriminatory behaviour and I am confident they will appropriately address this issue,” Stanford said.
The Public Service Association, a union representing public servants, declined to comment on the matter when approached by the Herald.
Academic and author Barbara Sumner made several Official Information Act requests as part of her PhD research into the systems around adoption. In October last year, she asked for all correspondence mentioning her by name.
“Because I had felt all along that there was a resistance to everything I sent in and you know, just the sort of snottiness, I guess, of some of the responses that came in that request. I wanted to understand how they were treating me throughout the process,” Sumner told RNZ.
One page of the response stood out among more than 100 others. A November 2022 Teams conversation between two staffers, whose names were redacted, complained about Sumner’s latest request.
They described it as “a waste of time” and said it “should have been refused on the ground of substantial collation” or that the ministry should “charge her for it and get a contractor”.
“Our ministerial services team sucks cuz they wouldnt let us refuse, and helen didnt push back hard [sic],” one worker wrote.
“But also shes a bitch for wanting everything. does she think govt just has unlimited resources for this type of crap lol.”
Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.
