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Labour Party President Nigel Haworth, who resigned today (image: Rebecca ParsonsKing/RNZ)
Labour Party President Nigel Haworth, who resigned today (image: Rebecca ParsonsKing/RNZ)

PoliticsSeptember 11, 2019

Labour president Nigel Haworth resigns as Jacinda Ardern issues apology

Labour Party President Nigel Haworth, who resigned today (image: Rebecca ParsonsKing/RNZ)
Labour Party President Nigel Haworth, who resigned today (image: Rebecca ParsonsKing/RNZ)

The president of the Labour Party, Nigel Haworth, has resigned following serious allegations relating to a Labour staff member and an inquiry he oversaw which has been angrily criticised by the complainants who took part.

“In the last 48 hours I have read incredibly distressing reports of an alleged sexual assault involving members of the Labour Party,” said Jacinda Ardern in a statement. 

“This morning I was provided some of the correspondence from complainants written to the party several months ago. It confirms that the allegations made were extremely serious, that the process caused complainants additional distress, and that ultimately, in my view, the party was never equipped to appropriately deal with the issue. 

This morning The Spinoff revealed a second email from a complainant was sent with attached documents that provided clear references to her own allegations of sexual assault.

The Labour Party has steadfastly insisted the allegations were not made known to the inquiry. The statement indicated that stance is unchanged as far as Haworth is concerned. 

“I discussed the correspondence with the Labour Party President this morning. Whilst he stands by the statements he has made on this matter I believe mistakes were made,” said Ardern.

The prime minister and party leader also offered a message for the complainants. 

“Raising an allegation of sexual assault is an incredibly difficult thing to do; for additional distress to be caused through the way those allegations are handled is incredibly upsetting. On behalf of the Labour Party I apologise to the complainants for the way this matter has been dealt with,” she said.

“I have made it clear that I want the QC led appeal process to resolve this matter. I also want to assure myself that appropriate victim support and advocacy have been put in place around the complainants and ensure the terms of reference in the appeal covers the entirety of the process. 

“I have previously said I would be happy to meet with complainants, and that remains the case. I will take steps to make that offer available to them if they wish to take it up. I want a justice system in New Zealand where people feel comfortable coming forward and are listened to, but I also need to ensure the Labour Party lives up to that expectation too.”

In a separate statement from the Labour Party, Howarth said: “I’ve come to the conclusion that regardless of the outcome of the appeal process into complaints about a party member, fresh leadership will be required to take forward any recommendations from that process.

“I have greatly enjoyed my time as president and will continue in my lifelong support of Labour and its principles. I will be making no further statements about this decision.”

The sexual assault allegations, detailed on The Spinoff on Monday, were made by a Labour volunteer who says she was violently attacked by a party staffer at a private meeting in his home in early 2018. She first told the party about the assault, she said, in a meeting with Nigel Haworth and Dianna Lacy in October that year, and again during the March 9 panel investigation in 2019. The allegations were also referenced in documents, seen by The Spinoff, sent to the members of the investigation panel. 

She is one of at least seven people who made formal complaints in relation to the individual, ranging from bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment through to sexual assault. 

Yesterday the woman told The Spinoff that she was “saddened” and “disappointed” by Haworth’s response. “Standing by a process you know is flawed, a process you know retraumatised and put further young women at risk is cowardly.”

Read the Spinoff’s investigation here, this morning’s news here, and a timeline of events here.

Nigel Haworth and Jacinda Ardern. Photos: RNZ
Nigel Haworth and Jacinda Ardern. Photos: RNZ

PoliticsSeptember 11, 2019

Fresh evidence emerges confirming Labour was told of sexual assault allegations on June 11

Nigel Haworth and Jacinda Ardern. Photos: RNZ
Nigel Haworth and Jacinda Ardern. Photos: RNZ

The Young Labour volunteer who says she was sexually assaulted by a Labour staffer has told The Spinoff she is deeply disappointed in the Labour president’s response, as another email emerges showing documents were sent to Labour investigators.

The woman who alleges sexual assault by a man currently employed by the Labour Leader’s office has expressed dismay at the response of the Labour Party president, Nigel Haworth, who yesterday issued a public statement doubling down on his position that sexual assault allegations contained in an investigation published by The Spinoff were never made known to anyone involved in the Labour inquiry.

“He was like a fatherly figure to these six women, and he’s let us down,” she told The Spinoff.

Her comments come as a second email has newly emerged which shows Sarah, the pseudonym by which she is described in The Spinoff’s story, sending a written account of sexual abuse allegations to the Labour Party.

In the email, dated June 11 and sent to the three members of the investigation panel, she directs them to an “attached … notes of testimony”. The attached document contains clear reference to her allegation of being sexually assaulted by the man: “SEXUAL ASSAULT occurred February 2018”.

This is on top of another email, sent on the morning of her interview to the chair of the panel, requesting that attached documents be printed. He asked her to send it on to the party official who was overseeing access to Labour headquarters, which she did. According to Sarah four copies of those documents were printed and provided to the panel. 

The Labour Party has told The Spinoff that no attachments were received by the investigation chair, and that no one involved in the investigation was aware that any of the people appearing before them was alleging sexual assault.

Sarah told The Spinoff yesterday she was “disappointed” by what she regarded as a “cowardly” statements on the part of the Labour Party. She maintained that her traumatic experience, as detailed Monday on The Spinoff, was first described to Labour at a meeting in October 2018 with Nigel Haworth and general secretary Dianna Lacy. She said this was reiterated to the investigating sub-committee in March 2019.  

“We’ve had so many email exchanges that talk about the nature of the investigation,” she said. “I’m incredibly saddened … Standing by a process you know is flawed, a process you know retraumatised and put further young women at risk is cowardly.”

She called on Jacinda Ardern to support the victims who have spoken out. “I’d like to remind our leader that she has a lot more resources than us, we can’t keep this up all on our own and we still need her,” said Sarah, who remains a member of the Labour Party.

“I feel incredibly sorry for her, but now is the time to act.”

Update: A representative for Simon Mitchell, one of the three members of the investigation panel, has contacted The Spinoff to advise that none of the attachments received by Mr Mitchell on 11 June included the excerpts referred to in the above story