Parker resigns as Attorney-General

David Parker

David Parker has resigned as Attorney General after he admitted making mistakes in filling in annual returns to the Companies Office. 

Prime Minister Helen Clark said she accepted Mr Parker's resignation from the job.  

She said there was no evidence that anyone had been harmed by the mistakes concerned but agreed that they justified her accepting his resignation as Attorney General.  

Mr Parker is also Minister of Energy and Minister of Transport and he retains those posts.


He resigned as the Government's chief legal officer after Investigate magazine published a story about his business dealings.


In the late 1990s, Mr Parker was a partner in a company called Queens Park Mews Ltd with his father Francis and Dunedin property developer Russell Hyslop. They each held one third of the shares.


Investigate reported that Mr Parker filed a declaration to the Companies Office stating that the shareholders of Queens Park Mews Ltd decided unanimously not to appoint an auditor.


Mr Hyslop told the magazine he was never asked to approve the "unanimous" decision, and the declaration was therefore false.


Mr Parker told reporters today that he had followed the correct procedure to begin with.


Mr Parker filed the returns after Mr Hyslop was made bankrupt -- the latest was as recently as last year.  

Filing a false return is an offence punishable by a five-year jail sentence and/or a $200,000 fine.  

On TV One's Closeup tonight Mr Parker admitted what he did was a breach of the law.  

"I admit that I made a mistake and I expect to be treated the same as anyone else would be in this situation."  

Asked if he had lied, Mr Parker said he didn't see it like that.  

"I didn't have any sinister intent. There was no disadvantage caused to anyone because of this."  

He had not put thought into signing the declarations and had not sought to avoid an audit which would only have cost about $500.  

As a politician Mr Parker said he had expected previous business failings to be raised against him "but I can honestly say until this issue was raised with me this morning I've never given a thought to it".  

Mr Parker said he was considering taking legal action over allegations made in the Investigate article.  

He said all matters Mr Hyslop had complained about had been considered by the Official Assignee who had decided to take no further action.  

Mr Parker said he believed the office of Attorney-General was important because it protected civil liberties.  

"It was an honour to have held that office and obviously I regret how it's ended".  

He said he did think about about resigning all portfolios but decided -- after talking advice -- what he did only related to the Attorney-General portfolio.  

"Overall I am proud of the things I have achieved in my life but I am certainly ashamed of this particular mistake."

- NZPA