Letter to John Key and Commission of Inquiry Terms of Reference

[The following is based on character recognition and may contain errors. Original document, with proposed terms of reference: Letter_to_John_Key_and_Commisison_of_Inquiry_TOR.pdf ]

David CUNLIFFE
Leader of the Labour Party MP for New Lynn
1 September 2014
Rt Hon John Key Prime Minister
Parliament Buildings Wellington

Dear Prime Minister

Since Parliament rose for the election a number of serious issues have arisen. These include questions relating to the conduct of Ministers, Ministerial offices, and the practice of government.

Some of these are likely to give rise to investigations, including by the Police as to whether there was a criminal conspiracy to undermine the Serious Fraud Office or the Financial Markets Authority, and the already announced investigation by the Inspector General of Security and Intelligence. Those investigations may or may not find probable breaches of the criminal law or law relating to the SIS.

Those investigations will be limited to the narrower issues under consideration by them. The broader issues highlighted by the media since the publication of the Hager book and subsequent events have given rise to serious concerns.

The issues raised have undermined public confidence in our democracy and the rule of law. Restoring public confidence requires a transparent inquiry which is wide enough to traverse the issues which are now in the public arena.

We believe there should be a public inquiry, as defined by the Inquiries Act 2013. In our view this should be a three person Commission chaired by a High Court judge.

We are in the period between Parliaments. The terms of the Inquiry ought not to be determined by the ruling party, especially in these circumstances.

These issues transcend the interests of any political party. We ought to be able to agree appropriate terms of reference for the sake of the democracy we seek to uphold and the people we serve.

We attach draft terms of reference for your consideration, and look forward to receiving your suggestions.

A similar letter is being sent to the leader of each party currently represented in Parliament.

Yours faithfully
Hon David Cunliffe
Leader of the Labour Party

[Original document, with proposed terms of reference: Letter_to_John_Key_and_Commisison_of_Inquiry_TOR.pdf ]

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