Winston Peters wants prison terms for Immigration officials

2:57 pm today

NZ First leader Winston Peters

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Winston Peters says public servants who mislead ministers should be sacked and "put in prison".

On Tuesday, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said officials "deliberately withheld" information from both her and her Labour predecessors about a failed technology upgrade and used "creative accounting" to avoid scrutiny.

Speaking to reporters after a select committee appearance on Wednesday, Peters said those responsible needed to be held to account.

"Of course you'd lose your job. They need to be put in prison as well. It's a conspiracy against the people, for goodness' sake."

Responding to Peters' comments, Stanford told RNZ: "That's not something that I would say, but it is really important that the public service commissioner does a full investigation."

Peters said the revelations came as no surprise, noting that he had warned Stanford "some time ago" that Immigration New Zealand was the "worst department in this country by miles".

"I'm pleased they've been found out, and now they're going to be straightened out, because they've simply been lying to Parliamentarians and lying to the taxpayers of this country."

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford.

Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii

Peters noted some officials were excellent and worthy of trust, but you do get a "few apples that have gone off".

He lamented the loss of more than $30 million, saying that could have helped ordinary families.

Peters also questioned why it had taken so long to work out things were wrong, also questioning the ministerial oversight.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis

Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii

'They fell very short'

Speaking separately at Parliament, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said "accountability" was important to ensure such conduct was never repeated.

"The message I want everyone in the public service to hear is: do not cover up bad news, send it up to the minister's desk, so that we can take the right decisions on behalf of New Zealanders," she said.

"When you cover your own butt, you're actually putting New Zealand taxpayers at risk."

Willis said she had no reason to think that such behaviour stretched more widely through the public service.

"My experience is that most public servants come to work each day with high levels of integrity, wanting to do a good job on behalf of their fellow New Zealanders, but clearly, in this instance, they fell very short."

Public Service Minister Paul Goldsmith.

Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii

Following a scrutiny hearing for the Public Service Minister, Paul Goldsmith and Sir Brian Roche were questioned about Peters' comments.

Asked if it was helpful to have a senior minister saying public servants should be imprisoned, Roche said "there's a wide range of views on this".

He said he didn't know if recommending criminal charges were within his powers.

"The courts determine who goes to prison.

"At this point, let's get the investigation done, and whatever flows from that will flow."

Asked whether anyone needed to be stood down as part of the process, Roche said he'll get "whatever evidence we need", and then "take whatever actions".

"If I look like I'm leaping to a level of predetermination that will undermine the integrity of the report - the integrity is what we're trying to preserve here."

However, Roche did say he didn't think police needed to be involved at this point.

On whether it was within Roche's powers to recommend criminal charges, Goldsmith said he wasn't a lawyer "but my understanding is that it is for police to decide whether to do such things".

On the officials themselves who were involved in the failed biometrics project at Immigration New Zealand, Roche was asked if they'd been stood down.

"The senior officials are no longer involved," he said. He was "still working through" whether they remained in the public service.

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