New information reveals that Chris Hipkins not only breached Charlotte Bellis’ privacy by releasing her personal details, but also ignored Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction that those details were ‘not for public comment’, National’s Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“Chris Hipkins has some serious explaining to do about why he thought he had the right to share Ms Bellis’ personal information, without her consent and against MFAT’s instruction not to disclose the information.

“On Monday 31 January, Mr Hipkins shared her personal information about when he believed she had arrived in Afghanistan and that she had been offered consular assistance.

“At the time, the Government was under mounting pressure and global scrutiny about its stubborn refusal to grant Ms Bellis an emergency MIQ spot. Instead of showing kindness, Mr Hipkins used her personal information as a political weapon to attack her.

“And now we know how this information came to enter the public domain. Answers to my written questions reveal the following timeline:

• MFAT provided Ms Mahuta’s office with a note regarding their engagement with Ms Bellis on a ‘no surprises’ basis, as they expected the Minister would receive requests for comment. The note identified all personal information was ‘not for public comment’.
• Later that day, the MFAT briefing note and media lines were passed to Mr Hipkins’ office by Ms Mahuta’s office. The media lines noted that ‘for privacy reasons, we do not disclose details regarding individual cases’.
• Mr Hipkins made Ms Bellis’ personal information public later the same day.

“It is totally unacceptable that Chris Hipkins used personal information that only a few people had access to in order to try and smear Charlotte Bellis. He was told specifically not to disclose the information and did so anyway.

“Nanaia Mahuta also needs to explain whether she authorised the passing of the information to Chris Hipkins. If so, why?”

You can find answers to Written Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) here.