KEY POINTS:
Revelations that secret emails had to be forensically retrieved by experts in London are flying around Parliament as the storm over Health Minister David Cunliffe's sacking of the entire Hawkes Bay District Health Board intensifies.
In a highly charged political battle, National yesterday used parliamentary privilege to allege that former board member Peter Hausmann colluded with Hawkes Bay chief executive Chris Clarke to make changes to a tender document to benefit his firm.
National also tried to portray Mr Cunliffe's sacking of the board as a move designed to protect former Health Minister Annette King - who appointed Mr Hausmann to the board in 2005, and whose husband now works for Mr Hausmann's company.
That smear of "cronyism" drew a furious reaction from Ms King, who invited selected reporters to her office to hand out documents detailing the standard statutory process she went through when she appointed Mr Hausmann.
Ms King said she was never advised not to appoint Mr Hausmann for conflict of interest reasons, and said she was "indignant" about the unfairness of what was being said, especially as it involved her family.
She said Mr Hausmann was not a personal friend of either her or her husband, but instead she had met him professionally and appointed him after being impressed by his knowledge.
The Hawkes Bay DHB sacking has provoked a strong reaction in the region where the board has been dismissed, and National is seizing on what it sees as an opportunity to try to put the Government under pressure.
National's health spokesman Tony Ryall - who yesterday would not comment outside the House where he could be subject to legal action - claimed during question time that there were "secret emails" between Mr Hausmann and Mr Clarke.
Mr Ryall alleged the emails were withheld from an ongoing inquiry into issues at the Hawkes Bay board and came to light "only after independent forensic analysis in London".
"Is the minister aware of the email that shows that chief executive Chris Clarke instructed staff to send draft tender documents to Mr Hausmann - who had indicated he would be a bidder - some weeks before the tender process opened, and before any other bidder saw the documents; and is this acceptable behaviour?" Mr Ryall asked Mr Cunliffe in the House.
Mr Cunliffe replied that he did not have access to material that may be the subject of a review, "but I do note that the member seems to be labouring under some misapprehension that it is my role to defend Mr Hausmann, which it is not".
Mr Hausmann last night took on that role himself, issuing a statement saying the emails used in the House had been "deliberately misconstrued".
Some emails related to discussions that occurred before he was appointed, and others followed a direct request from the chairman, he said.
Mr Hausmann rejected claims he had withheld any information from the inquiry and said he was confident the final report would show he acted with integrity.
The report is due to be publicly released on March 17.
Mr Clarke - who has returned to work as the Hawkes Bay DHB's chief executive following a period of stress leave - declined to comment until the final inquiry report was made public.
National was not the only party to yesterday express concern - the Maori Party, Act, and the Greens were among others to question the decision, while New Zealand First has said it hopes the sacking was not a sign of things to come.
