PM's Post-Cabinet Press Conference 19 August 2019: Bad Mail
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern began her post-cabinet press conference on Monday by running through recent government
announcements, followed by a preview of her week to come. She also said Depity Prime Minister Winston Peters would not
be attending parliament this week following a "small surgical procedure".
Cabinet was updated on the process around prisoners sending mail, following the accused Christchurch gunman sending
letters that "should have been stopped". All mail of "high concern prisoners" will now be checked by a specialist team
and a changes to the legal criteria for witholding mail are expecting to go to a cabinet committee in this parliamentary
session.
The PM took questions around the letters, plans of the prison letter rule changes, the focus of Corrections' apology on
the matter, related issues arounf the Christchurch Call on the spread of extremist ideology online, children being taken
into state care, discussion over Ihumātao expected during and upcoming Kīngitanga visit, efforts to reduce the Māori
prison population, the Ihumātao negotiations and attempt to get Ardern to visit the contested site, Australia's position
over climate change at the Pacific Island forum and the Pacific's relationship to China, reports of Stuff and NZME
lobbying legal changes to propose the proposed merger, any Ministerial knowledge of TVNZ not returning a dividend and
Mediaworks' response, the protests in Hong Kong (supporting the right to protest, calling for de-escalation and a
restoration of the "one China, two systems" philosophy), the possibility of the accused Christchurch voting in local
elections, the appeals process on the Labour Party's inquiry into staff bullying, other issues around the criminal
inquiry into the Christchurch mosque attacks, the effect on families of beneficiary sanction over drug tests, and issues
with venues getting liquor licences for Rugby World Cup game screening times.