Staffer at centre of the Labour Party abuse allegations resigns
The staffer at the centre of the Labour Party abuse allegations has resigned from his role at Parliament.
The Parliament buildings in Wellington. Photo: Daniela Maoate-Cox
In a statement to RNZ, he says he has made the difficult decision to resign because of the stress of the situation and
to avoid distracting from the Government's work.
The staffer rejected the allegations against him and stressed he co-operated fully with the initial inquiry.
He said he was now taking part in the new review of the whole process and would continue to do so, having been assured
it would be fair to all parties.
The announcement of the staffer's resignation comes in his first public statement since claims of bullying, harassment
and sexual assault were reported roughly five weeks ago.
Labour had launched an internal investigation into seven formal complaints about the staffer's behaviour, and ultimately
concluded that no disciplinary action was warranted.
That decision is now being reviewed by Maria Dew QC after the complainants approached media and National Party deputy
leader Paula Bennett with concerns about the complaints process.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly stated that the man's employer - Parliamentary Service - was unable to take
any action regarding the man as it had received no formal complaints from other staff members.
The man has been working away from Parliament's precinct for the past five weeks.