8 September 2005 Media Statement

Brash caught lying over Brethren pamphlets

Don Brash has told an outright lie about his knowledge of pamphlets issued by members of the Exclusive Brethren, Labour MP Pete Hodgson said today.

On 95BFM in Auckland today Dr Brash confirmed that when he met with the Exclusive Brethren some time in the last month they told him that they were going to issue the pamphlets.

Brash “I knew they were going to issue some pamphlets attacking the government and I said that’s tremendous”

However Dr Brash and other National MPs over the past few days have been denying that they had any knowledge of the pamphlets.

On Tuesday morning on Paul Holmes show on Newstalk ZB, Don Brash explicitly denied knowledge of who had sent the pamphlets.

Holmes : Who’s doing the nasty pamphlets?
Brash: I don’t know actually Paul. One thing I do know, its not the National Party.

National Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee also told Radio New Zealand on Wednesday, “ We were not aware that they were coming out and have had nothing to do with it.”

“Dr Brash and his colleagues have sought to deliberately mislead New Zealanders about how much they knew about the pamphlets and where they came from. Initially there were denials that Dr Brash had even met the Exclusive Brethren, now we discover he was aware of their pamphlet campaign. This kind of behaviour proves once and for all that National are simply not fit to govern.

“We now know why Dr Brash would not answer questions about this last night. He was trying to avoid admitting that he was deceiving New Zealanders. This puts beyond doubt that Dr Brash is not fit to be Prime Minister, and the National Party must be questioning if he is an appropriate person to be their leader," Pete Hodgson said.

ENDS
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NEWZTEL NEWS: TRN 1ZB “PAUL HOLMES” TUESDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2005

PRESENTER (PAUL HOLMES): Eighteen to eight and we have the National Party leader Don Brash with us for his Tuesday spot. Good morning.
………………………………

PRESENTER: Who’s doing the nasty pamphlets?

BRASH: I don’t know actually, Paul. One thing I do know, it’s not the National Party.

PRESENTER: It’s got blue tick all over the back.

BRASH: Well I can’t help them using our blue colour but it’s not the National Party I can promise you that.

PRESENTER: Don Brash, thank you very much for your time.

BRASH: Thank you, Paul.

PRESENTER: That’s Don Brash, leader of the National Party. It is 12 minutes to eight at NewstalkZB.

NEWZTEL NEWS: RNZ “MORNING REPORT” WEDNESDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2005 7-8 AM
………………………

PRESENTER: Well the National Party’s Gerry Brownlee, joins us now. Gerry Brownlee, what is the National Party’s relationship, if any, with the Exclusive Brethren Church?

GERRY BROWNLEE (NATIONAL’S DEPUTY LEADER): Oh there’s no relationship with the Exclusive Brethren Church and we did not have anything to do with the preparation of these pamphlets or the printing or the distribution of these pamphlets. We were not aware that they were coming out and have had nothing to do with it.

PRESENTER: Okay…

Transcript by PM's office - Don Brash and 95b FM reporter Noelle McCarthy, Thursday 8 September (audio on www.scoop.co.nz)

Don Brash
Good morning Noelle – how are you?

Noelle
I am well thank you. Now is it true that two weeks ago you met with members of the Exclusive Brethren who are behind this anti government leaflet campaign.

Don Brash
I can’t tell you exactly when I met with them, but yes I have met with them, I’ve made that quite clear. Certainly it was within the last month, and they told me they were utterly fed up with the government and I agreed with them.

Noelle
There was talk that there was some prayer at this meeting. Was that what happened?

Don Brash
No – there was no prayer at that meeting – or at least not that I could observe, there may have been people praying silently. The Herald report this morning suggesting we met for prayer is quite wrong. At least I didn’t say that at any point. What they indicated was that they were going to pray for me and pray for the National Party.

Noelle
Lovely, so apart from indicating that they were going to pray for you was there anything else of a campaigning nature discussed?

Don Brash
Oh yes they indicated that they were going to campaign against the government and they were going to issue some pamphlets, but I did not read those pamphlets and had absolutely no part in reading them, writing them, funding them, or distributing them and it’s high time that the media pointed that out and the Greens have been arguing that the National Party was behind those pamphlets. And we were not. And the people who where involved with these pamphlets have now said who they are.

Noelle
So you were aware that this group was going to use other methods beside the power of prayer to support the National Party.

Don Brash
I knew they were going to use some pamphlets attacking the government and I said tremendous I’m delighted about that, because the government is lousy and should be changed.

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