Labour to work through Field issues

Taito Phillip Field

Chief Labour whip Tim Barnett will meet Taito Phillip Field and his electorate staff today to discuss concerns raised in the Noel Ingram report.

Mr Barnett said the meeting at Mr Field's Mangere office would cover a range of issues, including the practice of lafo, and was an "attempt to begin the communication".

Dr Ingram's report, sparked by allegations Mr Field was providing immigration assistance for would-be Thai residents in exchange for cheap labour, said Mr Field had confirmed that lafo - a tradition involving accepting money in exchange for help - was practised in his office.

Mr Field told him that elderly Samoans might throw $10 or $20 to one of his secretaries as they left his office. He said his office usually refused the gifts, but sometimes this was considered an insult.

If the money was accepted a receipt was issued, he said. When the gifts were substantial - $500 in one case - he would ask the donor to give the money to charity.

Dr Ingram did not find against Mr Field over the practice but said the bad impression it gave could be something for Helen Clark to address. She said the Labour leadership and whips would work on it.

Parliamentary Service visited Mr Field's office in 2002 and required a sign to be put up stating the office's services were free.

His then lawyer Mai Chen said last year allegations involving the electorate office had been investigated and "fully resolved" by Parliamentary Service in 2002.

Parliamentary Service would not comment about the matter yesterday.

General manager Joel George said the service was in charge of employment matters and that was all it would investigate.

It might provide advice or assistance to an employee or MP, but it would do so in confidence.

Dr Ingram also looked at the alleged employment of Mr Field's wife Maxine - a breach of Parliamentary Service rules - but he found that Labour whips had already dealt with concerns.

Mr Barnett said he hoped "to find out a bit more about the office, how it works and to work through some of those issues raised in the report".

Asked if he would talk about ethics, he said not necessarily.

"But if that came out as an issue then we have resources available and can take appropriate action. The reason for going is just to begin that communication."

Mr Barnett said he didn't know what Parliamentary Service had advised Mr Field in 2002.

"I suspect we'll find quite a lot has been addressed in the in-between period ... But I go with an open mind.

"There's a number of things we can do, depending on what comes up. If it's about training, signage, policy or whatever then we can take appropriate action."