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When a top-level Internal Affairs official used her personal Instagram account to message British DJ Fred Again over passport woes with one of his Kiwi acts, it created the impression she was getting special treatment, an investigation says.
An independent review released today showed the urgent passport application for Wellington-based DJ Tessa Hills was processed appropriately, however, the report also found areas in which DIA officials “could have managed better”.
At the end of March, Hills, known as Messie, won a competition to join British DJ Fred Again in Australia as part of his world tour. The only problem - she didn’t have a current passport.
Fred Again, who had just played sold-out shows in New Zealand, posted to his 2.5 million Instagram followers pleading for assistance to help get Hills an up-to-date passport, catching the eye of a senior leader at the Department of Internal Affairs.
Tessa Hills, whose stage name is Messie. Photo / Messie
Deputy chief executive of service delivery and operations Maria Robertson said “a number of people” saw the post, including her son, a Fred Again fan.
Robertson contacted Fred Again via Instagram direct message to let him know the matter was being looked at. She said she did not do anything to fast-track the woman’s passport, merely acknowledging her application and copying a colleague into an email.
Parts of the exchange between Fred Again and Robertson were posted by the British DJ on Instagram.
In the message, Robertson said Internal Affairs was “sorting” Hills’ application.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden was forced to make inquires about the widely publicised issue. Photo / NZME
“We love your music and we are thrilled you are backing one of your own to support your gig,” she added, to which the musician expressed his thanks via social media.
The review found Robertson proactively used her Instagram account to communicate with a third party about Hills’ passport because she believed this was necessary to protect the integrity of the passport system, given the social media engagement by some MPs.
“Note this is inconsistent with DIA social media policies.”
The review also found Robertson’s decision to use her personal account for official purposes created the impression that a senior official was engaged personally in the application process.
“This was amplified by the involvement of her direct family members and her official and direct messages reflecting her personal enthusiasm for the decision of Fred Again to invite Ms Hills to perform with him.
“Together, these created the impression and perception of Ms Hills being treated differently and the impression that [Robertson] had authorised a level of service that ordinary citizens may not have been able to access in similar circumstances.”
The matter, which was widely reported at the time, caused Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden to make inquiries.
Fred Again posted to social media and received a message back from Maria Robertson of Internal Affairs.
In a state from van Velden’s office, the minister said at the end of March she sought assurances from the DIA chief executive that the department’s correct processes and policies had been followed.
“I raised my concerns after being made aware of online social media activity by the department’s deputy chief executive (DCE) Maria Robertson. Specifically, interactions with international DJ Fred Again’s post for assistance in obtaining a passport for a New Zealander,” van Velden said.
“I wanted to be assured that there was no breach of privacy and preferential treatment given to the applicant by the DCE and asked the chief executive to examine this.
“I have now received the report and I am pleased to see that the correct processing procedures were followed, and that no preferential treatment was given.”
Van Velden said the report does identify that errors were made by Robertson around the privacy of the applicant.
“However, the Privacy Commissioner has assured that no feasible harm occurred as a result of this privacy breach,” she said.
“My expectation has always been very clear that all New Zealanders applying for passports be treated equally regardless of their public status, and I am pleased to see that this has occurred in this case. My next expectation is that privacy of individuals is respected no matter their public status.”
The review made five recommendations to Internal Affairs, including that it review its media policies and guidelines, review conflict of interest training, develop guidelines covering how senior managers respond to direct customer contact, remind staff of social media policies, and review its complaints policies.
Internal Affairs chief executive Paul James said the review found the passport renewal application was processed “in the normal way, and also notes areas that we could have managed better”.
“There is no evidence of preferential treatment, nor of any DIA leader playing a role in the decision to grant the passport renewal. The urgent passport was processed in the normal way, by the normal people, and the urgent fee was paid. That said, we should have handled aspects of this better, specifically privacy implications and the use of social media.”
He said he accepted the recommendations in the review and they would start to be implemented immediately to ensure the same does not happen again.
He said the processing of same-day urgent applications was not unusual for the DIA. From October 1, 2023 to March 30, 2024, there were 14,026 urgent same day passports issued, with 62 being granted on March 26, including the passport in question.
