Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says ACT leader David Seymour's comments about a journalist last week did not meet his expectations, but Seymour is free to express his views.
Luxon says he has not spoken to Seymour about the comments, but at this point he does not believe he has contravened the law, which bans ministers from directing the newsgathering of state-owned, commercially funded broadcaster TVNZ.
On the day TVNZ announced proposals to cut 68 roles and several news and current affairs programmes last week, Seymour told Stuff the media was suffering from "enormous self-pity" and may want to consider their own behaviour.
He singled out senior political reporter Benedict Collins' reporting of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon having taken a $52,000 accommodation supplement to live in an apartment he owned mortgage-free, when Premier House - in need of repairs - was available for Luxon to live in.
Seymour is a shareholding minister for TVNZ, as Associate Finance Minister. All government ministers are barred from giving direction to TVNZ about its programmes, content or newsgathering process.
ACT leader David Seymour, who is also the Associate Finance, and Regulation Minister. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister Melissa Lee at Parliament last week told reporters Seymour should know his responsibilities under the Act, and she would have a conversation with him about it.
Luxon - speaking at the weekly post-Cabinet briefing - said he had not spoken to Seymour about his comments, but the comments "to me didn't meet the criteria of what you'd expect from a Broadcasting Minister, or in this case a Minister of the Crown".
He said while politicians would all have complaints about the media's coverage of them, he thought the media did a good job and played an important role in supporting democracy.
However, he did not think Seymour had broken the law.
"From my point of view, those comments, he's right to express his view as he wishes, as do any politician, often does. With respect to being shareholding minister I don't think he's actually contravened that, at this point."
Asked if it was appropriate for Seymour as a shareholding minister to be criticising an independent editorial decision, Luxon says he has not seen those particular remarks.
Seymour on 9 February had also tweeted "if you wanted balanced journalism on the government's policy of allowing the sale of cold medication containing pseudoephedrine, you wouldn't have got it from 1News tonight," linking to an article by Collins.
The article outlined that officials had warned reintroducing pseudoephedrine could fuel meth-related crime.
Seymour's posts went on to say he had put Collins in touch with a pharmacist, and academic and a drug expert who were in favour of the policy, but TVNZ instead spoke to two other pharmacists.
Luxon said he had not seen those remarks, but in the case of the comments he had seen Seymour was just expressing a view.
"I think he's expressing his views ... he may not have expressed it the way I would have expressed it, but the point is he's free to do so."
It was put to him that, when John Key was prime minister he had cautioned ministers against attacking individual journalists.
Luxon said he had spoken to Cabinet and asked Attorney-General Judith Collins to speak about the need for probity, and Seymour had not contravened his instructions.
"We raised those concerns recently about making sure that ministers are more than welcome to talk about the effectiveness of a law but not to actually attack the judiciary individually. That was where my comments were and reminder was with respect to Cabinet.
"I'm just making sure that I take every opportunity I can to remind my Cabinet ministers of their obligations under the Cabinet manual. To remind them of any perceived conflicts - real or otherwise.
"Honestly, it's not complicated. We have a Cabinet process, we make sure that everyone's adherent with the Cabinet manual, we make sure that the ... Cabinet Office is making sure any perceived or real conflicts are well managed, and we take every opportunity in a Cabinet meeting for people to declare their interests and also to remind them of their obligations."