Novel immigration assistance from a Labour MP
Very interesting depositions to date in the Taito Philip Field case, relating to his activities when a Labour MP.
Field asked Ministers to intervene more often than any other MP, and had a massively high sucess rate at getting Ministers to overturn decisions of the Immigration Service. So how did he advise immigrants?
The Herald reports:
A Thai immigrant says Mangere MP Taito Phillip Field told her to get married, then put her up in a rent-free home in the weeks after immigration authorities ordered her removal from New Zealand.
So we have the allegation a (then) Labour MP and Minister of the Crown advised illegal overstayers to get married, as a way to stop their deportation. Then he would house them for free (presumably so the Immigration Service would not find them), have them work for free on his house, and hey proesto his mate the Minister then gave them a work visa.
This is not yet proven in court, but my oh my it will be a fascinating case to follow. Hopefully they will also reports on how many of these people helped went on to join the Thai branch of the Labour Party.
And in a further NZPA story today, we heave of the alleged cover-up:
However, after Mr Siriwan went to Samoa on Field’s advice, the witness said he called her and told her not to talk to police about his finances or his accommodation in New Zealand in case there were problems.
So the former Minister was allegedly telling witnesses not to co-operate with the Police inquiry. Also fascinating.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
If true, it sounds like Samoan politics meets Thai politics in New Zealand.
This is the unacceptable face of multiculturalism.
Or is it just plain greed and corruption?
April 15th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Quelle surprise! So this is what it means to be “only guilty of helping his constituents”.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I don’t think it is looking too good for the old Taito there folks!
The burning question will be how many Labour Cabinet ministers may be tainted by association?
April 15th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Clark and her cronies will be glad that today’s lightning strike will take up the bulk of this evening’s news.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Colonel – she’ll need more than a lightning strike when Wishart’s book comes out on Monday!
April 15th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Having spent 7 years in Samoa I don’t find Taito Feild’s conduct extraordinary. As a person of rank he would be expected to help others and others likewise to contribute to him so that his cultural obligations, which are extensive, can be met. These things can look like corruption in a NZ setting but are not in a Samoan.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
KevOB
He wasn’t an MP in Saoma, he was doing this in NZ.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
MP’s are there to represent their constituents. None of these would-be immigrants are permanet residents, or on any NZ Electoral Roll, so what are MP’s like Field doing lobbying for such people? MP’s should only be permitted to work on behalf of those lawfully in NZ. I don’t appreciate my tax dollars being used to pay the salaries of MP’s in such circumstances.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
KevOB
Right. The only problem is this is New Zealand, not Samoa. Mr Field is a NZ MP funded by the NZ taxpayer and with responsibilities to the NZ taxpayer.
It’s very straightforward.
If you want to play by Samoan, or Thai, rules then please go to Samoa or Thailand. We do it differently in NZ, for good reason.
Mr Field, I suggest, is no fool and he would have been fully aware of what he was doing.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Wait for the deal to be done The one where the charges are dropped or severly reduced and he cops a low level plea bargain in return for not blowing the whistle
TPF has been around the traps a long time Enough to know where at least some of the bodies are buried.
Not only pollies but senior civil servants will be shitting themselves if he decided to spill his guts.
You can bet there will be some discussions taking place all (cough) in the national interest of course.
Bets anyone that TPF get off or a slap on the wrist.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
BTW I reckon we should get a refund of the fees paid to one Noel Ingram QC and he should be struck off the roll of Barristers for incompetence
he took on the job knowing or ought to have known that the TORs were so restrictive as set by She Who Must Be Obeyed that he had no chance of getting to the heart and truth of the matter.
Just another legal eagle guzzling in the public trough
April 15th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Taito has a chance to lift the lid on all of this and expose it for us all to see. Which of his superiors knew all along what he was doing when the TOR were set for the Ingham whitewash? How many of his superiors deliberately covered for him so they could use his vote?
He should blow this whole thing wide open, once he works out that he’s in this up to his neck what has he got to loose ?
April 15th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
How exactly did Field convince the Minister to grant visas? Is there any evidence of that Minister accepting any kind of gratuity, money or otherwise, in exchange for the assistance?
April 15th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
The last MP to face criminal charges was Donna Awatere and eventually she was only charged with a small fraction of the frauds that were investigated by the Police. And now she has been rehabilitated by her old MP pal John Tamihere who has employed her. There was an article in the Wekkend Herald last Saturday by another ex-MP, Willie Jackson, who reckoned Awatrere had done her time … and after all it was only $50,000 she stole…..
Incidentally, does anyone know whatever happened to the 1970′s Labour MP John Kirk (son of PM Norm Kirk), who fled to the US to avoid fraud charges but was eventually caught in America??
April 15th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
On the scale of deliberate fraud how does the grand larceny of the pledgecard compare ? Does it even come anywhere near it.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I am all the more convinced this is absolute Helengrad setup for not towing the party line against a BFG (big friendly giant) who set himself at his own expense to help others who were disadvantaged – And even more to the point this sort of activity is happening in every ministry , Look at Health and after all wasn’t he meant to be helping pacific island people wasn’t that another portfolio?
April 15th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I doubt Taito has much on the liarbore mafia, if he did he would be still walking around pulling tricks. Going by some of the crimes Taito has been acussed of I would have throught he had all the right traits to be called Liarbore minister. I guess his only mistake was that he was not in deep enough.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Actual I feel a bit sorry for Taito, he was only following the dear leaders new high standards of corruption and incomptentence.
His only sin was to suggest he might not stand for Labour at the next election.
But’s that Labour for you – if you are brown and of no use to the Labour party then thrown them under the bus.