Tamihere refuses to retract Investigate statements

National Party Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee says Helen Clark still has a problem on her hands given that John Tamihere is still refusing to retract the statements he made in an Investigate Magazine interview.

On radio this morning Mr Tamihere was asked whether he stood by the comments he made to Ian Wishart. He replied: ‘He won’t release the full copy of the tape, so I didn’t know what was being taped so when you cut and splice for excerpts to sell a dodgy magazine that concerns me. But having said that, what I said I said. I regret that the publication of it not just offended, but definitely hurt a number of colleagues and you’ve got to wear that. It’s as simple as that.’ - John Tamihere 01 May 2005.

“Despite two weeks on ‘stress’ leave to gather his thoughts, it is clear that Mr Tamihere is still refusing to back away from the remarks.

“Mr Tamihere might now regret the hurt he’s caused his colleagues but he has consistently refused to retract the substance of those claims.

“This is the new standard being set and accepted by Helen Clark. Mr Tamihere says he is now ‘moving on’ - another classic Clarkism used when she knows she has been caught out.

“Mr Tamihere is in an impossible position. If he does eventually resile from the comments made in Investigate, then he can never be trusted by the Parliament again.

“But since he is standing firm on his comments, which most New Zealanders know to be true, he continues to put his membership of the Labour Party on the line,” says Mr Brownlee.

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