Cabinet Minister Kiri Allan is facing questions about working relationships in her office after concerns were raised by the heads of two government agencies.
Allan said today she has "great working relationships with my office crew" but also has "high expectations". A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office said no formal complaints have been made about Allan from departmental or ministerial staff.
Meanwhile, National has said the minister needs to front on the issues.
It comes as the Govt's confirmed it's improved working relations in the minister's office after concerns were raised. (Source: 1News)
In one Official Information Act response, Department of Conservation director-general Penny Nelson said she had become aware of concerns about "working relationships with the minister in the office and that it was not running as smoothly as it might".
"Accordingly, I had discussions with my colleagues, including from Internal Affairs which manages Ministerial Services, regarding support in the office. No further concerns were subsequently brought to my attention, and I understand relationships improved."
One person on secondment to Allan's office from DOC ended it early "due to the working relationships in the office", according to the OIA response.
In another response, National Emergency Management Agency chief executive David Gawn said he was aware of concerns regarding relationships in the minister's office with staff who were being seconded there from NEMA and that he was aware that action was taken.
Asked for further clarification, a NEMA representative said Gawn would not comment further as it was a "staffing matter". Asked about the chief executive's comments by 1News recently, Allan said she was not aware of any issues raised.
"I don't know what that's in reference to," she said.
"I really enjoyed the role at NEMA, and I think I had a pretty good relationship with most people there, and we keep in regular contact, so I really don't know what that's in reference to. There was never anything raised with me, so if that was something that's happened internally, that must have been something they've dealt with.
"One of the things I've always taken really to heart in my role as a minister — New Zealanders expect outcomes from [the] Government.
"And I've always been very clear, particularly with senior government bureaucrats, we have high expectations because New Zealand has high expectations.
"Where those high expectations leads to anything else, we'll engage in a conversation, and I'll reach out to people, including those in senior management, where I need to.
"Nothing has been raised with me. Nothing that's been raised, to the best of my knowledge, with who I'm accountable to — which is the Prime Minister's Office — and nothing that's been raised with [the] Public Service Commission."
A spokesperson from the Prime Minister's Office said issues had been raised "about how to improve working relations in the minister's office."
"Work was done to improve the situation and no further issues were raised," they said.
"There have been no formal complaints made by departmental or ministerial staff about Minister Allan.
"Parliament is a high-pressure environment and Minister Allan is passionate about her work, however this has never led to any formal complaints and past issues have been resolved without the need for significant escalation.”
Kieran McAnulty, who was until June last year Labour's chief whip — a role which manages the caucus — said issues had never been raised "directly" to him.
"It's not something I can speak to because I haven't had it raised with me."
McAnulty said he had spoken to Allan while she was on leave, having travelled to Tairāwhiti on the weekend.
"I was in regular contact with her, I spoke to her on the way up... we're also pretty good mates so we keep in touch at a personal level as well."
In a statement this evening, Allan said she had "great working relationships" with her "office crew".
"Like in many offices and workplaces, there are sometimes challenges with working relationships and the Beehive is no different," the minister said.
"I value my crew and I have always been clear that I have high expectations of senior public servants, as I do myself. New Zealanders rightly deserve results from the Government and my job is to deliver those outcomes."
In a social media post today, Allan said part of being a public figure included being honest with the public about "tough times", as it could help someone else experiencing difficulty. The minister made the post about an hour before a Stuff article on the DOC allegations was published
"Over the past few weeks I've really been struggling with mental health and wellness. Triggered by personal circumstances, as well as other external things — even things like the cyclones having such a massive impact on our entire region. Sometimes things accumulate, and I hit a wall a few weeks ago," Allan posted on social media.
"I kept going, showing up to events, smiling, giving speeches. But about a week ago, I had to be pretty honest with myself that I needed to put my mental well-being at the forefront of my focus.
"I reached out to colleagues, friends and families to let them know where I was at. That was bloody hard. It felt a little embarrassing admitting I wasn’t doing okay.
"But what followed was an overwhelming response of aroha — and I am so glad I shared with people I love to help pull me out of my head.
"So if you've been wondering why I haven't been at work this week, it's because I had to take some time to get some help and get back on track."
Allan was at Parliament on Sunday, commenting on National's law and order policy for media. In the post today, she said she was now feeling better and would be "back at work tomorrow with a little skip in my beat".
"But honestly, it's taken a little while to get there."
National Party public service spokesman Simeon Brown said there were "a number of serious allegations" about Allan's behaviour towards staff in her office.
"She needs to answer those questions regardless of the timing."
Allan — who is the Justice and Regional Development Minister — has previously defended taking donations from former Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon.
She also faced questions after concerns were raised over her comments at a farewell at Radio New Zealand for her partner, former broadcaster Māni Dunlop.
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