By James Murray and Lloyd Burr
John Key has complained to the police over the ‘teapot tapes’, even though he says he is “very confident” they contain nothing that would be a game-changer.
The Prime Minister has made the complaint because he fears it could lead to more News of the World tactics.
Police visited his office at 4pm and have since confirmed they received a formal complaint from the Prime Minister “concerning an allegation that a private conversation between himself and the honourable John Banks has been unlawfully recorded”.
Deliberately and covertly recording a conversation is an offence under section 216B of the Crime Act 1961 and carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.
“I am not bothered in the slightest about the tape,” he told media at a news conference this afternoon. He was unable to say what was talked about in the conversation and would not comment until he had heard the tape himself.
“I’m not going into the tape and the contents of it because I don’t have a copy of it,” he said. “I’m not going into the content of the tape in any form because I don’t have a copy of the tape and I haven’t listened to it.”
“I’m more than happy with what I have said [in the conversation with John Banks]. I think it was a pretty bland conversation”.
The root of the Prime Minister’s issue with the recording is that he thinks it was a deliberate tactic used by the Herald on Sunday.
However, the cameraman at the centre of the fiasco told Newstalk ZB that it was not deliberate and he forgot about the microphone when he was hustled out of the room.
He says he put the microphone on the table before when he was getting audio from an interview with John Banks.
"I had enough time and enough space just to reach my arm and drop it on the table to try and get his questions," he told Newstalk ZB.
"I wasn't able to get a shot so I backed off and while I was backed off trying to get other shots we were basically hustled out of the room, told to get out."
After being thrown out the cameraman says he completely forgot about his microphone.
Meanwhile, Labour and the Greens have urged Mr Key to release a transcript of the recorded meeting.
The recordings were obtained after a freelancer camera operator left a microphone on the table where the two politicians were having a cup of tea together.
Mr Key has attacked inconsistencies in the cameraman’s story saying the recordings were done on purpose and were not accidental as claimed.
Grant Robertson, Labour’s campaign manager, says that by focusing on issues of legality Mr Key is deflecting attention from the content of the recordings.
''Frankly that is a side issue to what was actually said between the two Johns,'' Mr Robertson told stuff.co.nz.
Mr Robertson says New Zealanders deserve to know what was said so they can make up their own mind on the content.
''Otherwise speculation will continue to mount. What did they say about the role of other parties in the government they would like to form? Did the sale of further state assets come up?''
''New Zealanders deserve to know what deals and promises are being made if National and ACT get to form a government.''
"If I was Key I'd release the tape," Greens co-leader Russel Norman said this morning, echoing Mr Robertson in saying that that if it was an innocent conversation there should be no reason not to release a transcript.
Dr Norman was also critical of the deal between National and ACT.
"ACT is saying they will keep National accountable, but the National Party now owns ACT. ACT only exists because National lets it exist."
3 News
source: newshub archive
