David Seymour takes aim at Christopher Luxon after PM calls Polkinghorne letter ‘ill-advised’

Act leader David Seymour has tonight quickly hit back at the Prime Minister’s description of his letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne as “ill-advised”, adding that his coalition partner should know the facts before commenting.

“What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and criticising a local MP for doing their work, which is standing up for their constituents,” Seymour said of Luxon on RNZ on Monday evening.

Asked if he was inferring Luxon was ill-advised to comment on the matter, Seymour responded: “It’s not an inference, it’s what I’m saying.”

”He’s entitled to say that but I would say, before criticising a local MP for doing their job, you should know all the facts.“

It comes just months before Seymour is meant to take on the Deputy Prime Minister role – Luxon’s 2IC. Under the Government’s coalition agreements, Seymour is to take on the job from the end of May.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the letter was "ill-advised". Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Prime Minister at his Monday afternoon press conference was critical of Seymour’s decision to write a letter to police in April 2022 advocating for Polkinghorne during an investigation into the death of the Remuera man’s wife, Pauline Hanna.

Polkinghorne had not been charged with her murder at the time the letter was written but was so four months later. He was later acquitted.

Seymour has stood by his decision to write the letter, first revealed by the Herald on Sunday, saying he was passing on the concerns of a constituent.

The Prime Minister told media it was important there was a separation between the police and politicians.

“Personally, I thought sending the letter was ill-advised. He is aware of my views on that. As you know, he wasn’t a Cabinet minister at the time,” Luxon said.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB, Seymour argued he was “very careful” in writing the letter by expressing his respect for the constitutional arrangement mandating separation between politicians and police investigations.

He said he sent the letter because it was his job as an electorate MP, which he likened to the role of a rugby fullback, a “last line of defence”. Seymour also noted the police website encouraged people who felt they’d been treated unfairly by police to contact their local MP.

David Seymour has taken aim at the Prime Minister. NZME photograph by Mark Mitchell

While Luxon said there has been no breach of the Cabinet Manual, Labour leader Chris Hipkins has called on Seymour to be sacked, saying MPs – regardless of whether they are a minister or not – should not be “interfering” in a murder investigation.

“He shouldn’t have done it as a Member of Parliament, let alone as a minister. I think Members of Parliament supporting constituents with inquiries to the police is one things, inserting yourself in the middle of a murder investigation is entirely another.”

The Herald on Sunday reported that in the letter, Seymour accused police of inappropriate practice, invading privacy and alleging Polkinghorne and another doctor at Auckland Eye were involved in money laundering.

“While acknowledging the difficult balance police must strike, Mr Polkinghorne feels that he has been subject to prejudice from the police,” wrote Seymour to the superintendent.

The letter also listed several specific ways in which the Remuera eye surgeon felt unfairly treated by police.

Seymour said in his letter that he was aware of the constitutional separation between members of Parliament and police operations

“However, Mr Polkinghorne has approached me feeling he has no other avenues to pursue,” he said at the time.

In a statement, Seymour said he met Polkinghorne at community events.

“An electorate MP’s job is to serve their constituents. I had a constituent contact me with concerns over the way they felt they had been treated by police. As is made clear in the letter, the intention was to pass on the constituent’s concerns to police.

“Police responded assuring good practice was being followed and there was no further correspondence on the matter. This all took place before any charges were being pursued.”

‘Political sideshow’

Luxon was also asked to comment on Seymour attempting to drive a vehicle on to the steps of Parliament, something security stopped him from doing during a charity event.

“I’m much more interested in getting this economy growing and that’s what I have been focusing on again ... I’m just not interested in those political sideshows,“ the PM said.

“Those are issues for David Seymour and [the Speaker] Gerry Brownlee to talk through, given Gerry Brownlee is the Speaker, responsible for the Parliament. All I am saying, for me, is that I’m very interested in getting into the job at hand, which is growth, growth, growth.”

Seymour said he wasn’t aware the Speaker had said no to his performing the stunt.

“They told us the Speaker had explicitly said no, no one else told me that, they should have said earlier. You shouldn’t need to get permission to do every sort of thing in New Zealand.”

Seymour said at the time that MPs shouldn’t need permission to drive a vehicle up the steps of Parliament because it was their workplace, particularly if it was for a good cause.

“If you’re a member of Parliament, yeah, I think people can use their judgment.”

The same privilege didn’t extend to Parliament staff in Seymour’s view, who said they worked for MPs.

Brownlee’s office said he would be releasing a statement on the incident “in due course”. It was understood it was more likely Brownlee would address it in the House tomorrow.

Hipkins described Seymour attempting to drive onto Parliament’s steps as the minister “ram-raiding the steps of Parliament”.

Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.