The Ministry of Health has issued an apology to Associate Minister of Health Casey Costello for not informing her of a conflict of interest involving an official advising her on tobacco reform.
The official, as revealed by Winston Peters in Parliament, is the sister-in-law of Labour’s health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall.
Peters accused the official of attending meetings with Costello without disclosing this familial connection and suggested she may have had leaked information to assist Labour’s political attacks.
The Ministry acknowledged that while the official followed internal conflict of interest rules, it failed to communicate the conflict to Costello.
Peters’ allegations have intensified political tensions, with Labour denying any wrongdoing.
Verrall told media she was confident the conflict was appropriately managed, claiming that such familial connections are common in a small country like New Zealand.
Peters said the situation was “corrupt”, claiming it undermined the integrity of the health ministry’s work.
Sorry, not.
Business as usual…via nepotism, favouritism, and non-advertised jobs for others who may have better merits…!
I could never quite understand why Dr Ayesha Verrall has been consistently judging from the sidelines on the smoking topic while so many other important issues in Health should have been the priority.
Aside from her obvious incompetence as Minister of Health in the prior Govt and a significant failing to disclose the conflict ….at least we now know why!
A good lesson here for Labour in mindfulness, integrity and minding one’s business!