The Government should sack Rob Campbell as Chair of the Environmental Protection Authority immediately, National’s Public Service spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

“The political comments made by Campbell over the weekend were a clear breach of political neutrality rules.

“The Government has sacked Campbell as Chair of Te Whatu Ora, but the same rules apply to his role within the Environmental Protection Authority.

“There is absolutely no justification for Mr Campbell to stay in this job given he has failed to comply with the rules for public service neutrality.

“New Zealanders have high expectations of public servants, with political neutrality of the public service being critical to the functioning of our democracy.

“Rob Campbell continued to defend his comments about National Party policy in media interviews this morning, demonstrating he has no regard for these rules. His role in chairing the Environmental Protection Authority is entirely untenable.

“The Government can’t just sack him from one role and think they have dealt with this issue. Consistency has to apply for the credibility of New Zealand’s public services and the entities involved.”