It's not often you hear the National Party calling for inquiries, reviews and working groups into anything.
The Opposition has been highly critical of the Labour Government announcing reviews and inquiries and working groups into everything.
National Party leader Chris Luxon has had his wishes granted, as the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to conduct a review into dismissed Cabinet minister Stuart Nash’s communications with his donors.
Chris Hipkins says the email was seen by then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's office two years ago.
Luxon told Lloyd Burr it's hard to believe it wasn't taken to the Prime Minister herself when it was first uncovered in 2021.
"As he [Hipkins] undertakes the inquiry that he has committed to, he should be asking questions about the culture of the Prime Minister's office," Luxon said.
"This is an email, frankly, that should have been elevated to the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff."
While there are a number of unknowns in this case, the bottom line for the National Party's leader is the need for absolute standards around this issue.
"This is a really serious, egregious breach of Cabinet information to donors. We have to make sure we have got high-integrity Cabinet Ministers.
"We've got to have some absolutes in this country because our democracy depends on it.
"What we are seeing is a six-year government that has ministers that don't read or understand the Cabinet manual and former ministers that are now doing governance roles for Crown entities that don't believe in political neutrality or read their codes of conduct either."
Luxon told Burr the continued scandals are taking away from more important policy conversations that should be leading the news.
"All we are talking about is internal Labour government personnel issues.
"I want to be able to talk to you about education policy or childcare rebate family boost programme that we've got or our alternative to Three Waters but we are going to be spending all this week talking about these issues yet again."
Listen to the full interview between National Party leader Chris Luxon and Tova above.
You can also download the full interview on the Tova podcast, and listen on the go.
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER.
Stay in the loop on some of the most important things happening at Today FM - whether it be the biggest news stories, host opinions or the latest on what you need to know about happening on air and on our website. Sign up here.
