Housing Minister Phil Twyford is again under fire, only this time he has been accused of trying to hold secret political meetings with his former boss Auckland Mayor Phil Goff.
Twyford failed to disclose the meeting, but was outed by one of own colleagues - Environment Minister David Parker, who also attended the meeting with the former Labour leader.
Twyford met with Goff and Parker on March 2 this year, but he failed to disclose that in his public diary. The missing meeting suddenly appeared in his diary on Wednesday morning.
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Twyford defended himself in Parliament on Wednesday. He said there was an "error in the published diary."
"It was an oversight that has since been corrected," Twyford said.
He told Newshub a "source" tipped him off that there was a "discrepancy between the published diary and the diary in my office.''
Twyford said he "wasn't aware there was a discrepancy" and dismissed the idea he only changed his diary on Wednesday because he got caught.
The Housing Minister was asked specifically to hand over any information about the meeting. But he refused the official request, saying, "The information requested does not exist or cannot be found."
When asked why he refused to release information about that meeting, he told Newshub: "I'm not aware that my office did refuse to release information."
It was Parker who let slip about the meeting, releasing the emails Twyford's office refused to release. They show Twyford's office requesting "a political meeting with no officials".
Twyford responded to that revelation, telling Newshub: "We're politicians - it's not uncommon to have political meetings without officials present - it happens routinely."
The meeting was held to discuss Auckland's urban rural boundary - it's Government policy to remove the boundary to free up more land for housing.
Ministers began proactively releasing details of their diaries this year - a move designed to "build trust and confidence in government."
But they're released with a disclaimer. It says they show "meetings held by the Minister relating to ministerial business", but ministers do not have to disclose meetings that are "party political".
Twyford insisted he hadn't tried to hide the meeting, and said there was "no intent to deceive anyone".
After promising to be open and transparent Government, Twyford is the latest minister accused of covering up secret meetings.
The National Party's housing spokesperson, Judith Collins, slammed Twyford in Parliament, describing his undisclosed meeting with Goff as "sneaky".
It has shades of the Clare Curran debacle. The Prime Minister accepted her resignation as a Minister in September last year after she failed to officially record a meeting she had.
Twyford said he would not be offering his resignation. The Prime Minister echoed that sentiment, telling Newshub she would not expect that of him.
"It was a clerical error, and I actually don't think people would expect that kind of level of reprimand for something like that."
Phil Twyford was already a minister on the ropes - Kiwibuild failed so spectacularly its having to be reset, recalibrated and rebuilt
The Prime Minister is announcing a reshuffle of her cabinet in the next couple of weeks, and the Housing Minister is already in her bad books.
He's just added another black mark next to his name.
Newshub.
