Hager’s work of fiction
Nicky’s Hager’s last book had an enquiry led by a former Supreme Court Judge, and a former Attorney General and Prime Minister. They concluded that the “principal allegations” in Hager’s book “are not accurate”.
This book is even worse. I could spend most of the week detailing the untruths in it, but frankly there is no need. Just take a few.
He claimed the Taxpayers’ Union paid out a sexual harassment complaint against the CE. The TU Chair, Ruth Richardson, has put out a release saying she has consulted every former chair (and me), and can conclusively say that there was not only no payment in a sexual harassment case, there was no complaint. Call me old fashioned – but isn’t printing a false claim in a book without verification, umm dirty politics?
He claimed I supplied data from the National Party to the TU for their affordable housing campaign. This is 1000% false. It never ever happened (or would ever ever happen). The TU purchased some property data from a commercial property company. What sort of so called journalist publishes such an allegation without checking first?
He claimed he only started the book after the TU did a release in mid 2023 saying he was writing a book on them. He claimed former staff contacted him after that. This is false. He contacted former staff aggressively and persistently before then. I’ve seen the e-mails!
He claims I pushed the TU into engaging on the Three Waters issue as some sort of Maori bashing exercise. Again false. I did agree that the TU should engage on Three Waters, but on the issue of accountability – that if you have half the overseers of water companies not democratically accountable that is bad public policy – and that it would apply equally if the proposal was that Federated Farmers appoint half the overseers.
He claimed a former Chair left because of a change in the mission statement. False. The Chair had resigned before that change was debated and made. I could carry on and on.
Basically what we have learnt is that a hard left activist doesn’t like the Taxpayers’ Union. Hold the presses!