The Prime Minister’s fiancé Clarke Gayford has today apologised for “any confusion” he caused after speaking to a pharmacist about rapid antigen testing on behalf of a musician mate.
The pharmacist alleges Gayford gave inaccurate advice about testing guidance on behalf of his friend who was trying to get a rapid antigen test after being identified as a potential close contact.
The incident occurred as the first community Omicron case was detected in the community, UK-based DJ Dimension.
National’s Covid-19 spokesman Chris Bishop labelled the incident “deeply inappropriate” and claims the Prime Minister’s fiancé was effectively trying to subvert ministry of health rules for his mates.
Whenever you are giving Chris Bishop free hits, you know you’ve fucked up!
I know Clarke well. He’s the kind of loyal passionate friend who would give you the shirt off his own back.
What’s happened here is that he’s been put into a position by a friend and he’s fired up.
There are three issues.
1 – he shouldn’t have done that! He can’t pretend talking to a frontline staff assistant as the first Gentleman doesn’t carry a certain power imbalance!
2 – he was wrong! Telling a frontline staff member to agree to a test when that isn’t the actual protocol is a really dumb thing to do.
Last but not least, the 3rd thing is his dumb jumped up Muso mates who put him in that position in the first place! Stop calling Clarke into your shit you ego driven creatives, it’s your shit, not his! He isn’t there as a personal advisor to help you get through public health measures!
So yeah, bit of a dumb play by everyone involved, but Gayford has credit in the bank as a good bugger so anyone feasting out on this is doing so for political reasons pre Omicron in the Community.
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It’s a bit of a non event to be fair. Well, since we know international DJ’s that some clearly think are vital to New Zealand’s best interests in Covid times have been traipsing in and out multiple times in the last year.
don’t worry the red wedding will fix everything
It won’t.
If someday, somewhere Gayford looks left, right, left when crossing the road instead of right, left, right, some fuckwit will report it to some fuckwit like Bishop and some fuckwit journalist will try to turn it into a Pulitzer Prize investigative, shock horror masterpiece.
When it comes out the glue in Ardern’s wedding shoes was made from boiling the endangered fleas off the abyssinian stoat? Well, the then shit will really hit the fan.
What fun!
Seriously, this sort of preferential treatment adds to the perception that the country is being lead by a pop star loving dilettante, at the most serious of times. It is.
This sounds like a … “Don’t you know who I am!” moment.
Along with the “it’s ok when the left do it”
Totally is one of these moments. I mean whats the point being the spouse of an important person when you can not help out a mate here and then.
.
Hell, I read Gayford gave inaccurate advice about Covid. Inaccurate advice? Well then I guess he’s up for running protest meetings, sorry, “family picnics in the park” to talk all about covid and vaccinations, the whole nine yards. He’s a fucken expert! Cranmer Square any chance this weekend?
How about Saturday morning in the Auckland Domain then through the kids’ cricket, then off to
Newmarket? Or what about Murupara? They’ll love to see him, they’re into that sort of thing. Of course if there’s any dumb lawyer in Nelson who can book a private flight to the Bay of Islands there’s bound to be a seat for him. There are plenty of Northern numpties who’ll be prepared to listen. Again.
Nah, just kidding. According to some Gayford’s missus has been inaccurate and misleading all the way through. All those press conferences, all those daily updates, all those interviews, every single one of them when she set out to deceive and mislead. That’s how it’s been, how it is, isn’t it? So why shouldn’t he play too?
Let’s lighten up, enjoy it for its entertainment value. We’ve had so much bullshit around covid from so many for so long. We’ve had mayors and lawyers and doctors and politicians, people all over, right up and down and across the country, putting out bullshit and believing bullshit. And they’re getting upset about whatever this guy said?
God, he could be their true leader!
Yes the comments will be political and why wouldn’t they be.
The Prime Ministers partner using his position to participate in disgraceful behaviour is not acceptable.
To revisit John Key (pre Sir) when he was PM and did something that he claimed he didn’t do as PM.
The Prime Ministers partner did not use that position to participate in disgraceful behaviour. At the time he was being someone’s mate not the PM’s partner.
Oh so he is only an off and on partner?
That’s preposterous.
If he was not the Prime Ministers partner would his mates have called him?
Please come on.
By the way how does John Key suddenly pop up?
John Key showed you can do some things as a private citizen which you can claim by action are outside the role of PM even if you are the PM. in the business of his communications with Rachel Glucina.
You are saying friends of Gayford contact him for help with anything only because he’s the Prime Minister’s partner. The only foundation for such a claim is political bias.
A very good and accurate description Peter. However the political bias of people is all to see when people wish to have a “gotcha”! moment as is with this case.
Yes Bert, but it was for yet another pop singer, not a nurse or a doctor – we’re being flooded with the bread and circus brigade – or rather, the scone and circus brigade – when needed and.helpful people can’t get in.
It doesn’t help that your DJ mate, the wedding singer and now a backbencher have all miraculously gained MIQ spots as well when the majority of joe public isn’t. Irrespective of whether it’s innocent or not perception is reality and Gayford then sticking his head above the parapet was poor taste.
Ironically this story is a number of weeks old – why did it take so long for the MSM to run with it?
and your surprised that money entitlement and privilege trumps politics on ALL sides of the house in little ‘ol NZ???? REALLY?
the issue isn’t did he grant favours the actual issue is, his entourage phoned him clearly expecting he would grant a favour, and that tells us something about the everyday culture of corruption here.
+1
Whippy do don’t we have any better news than this.
Much of the MSM must agree with you as there is no mention of it.
I heard it on govt policy dissemination service RNZ yesterday,
so it ain’t that secret jeremy
Perhaps there’s 50 million reasons why?
Clarke was just a bit silly, a bottle of John Key’s finest wine should be sufficient apology..
Brilliant @ Bert. Bang on.
Well covid is pa, house prices are up 28.2% in NZ for the year, Christchurch a staggering 40.2% or in real terms $220,000 per house on average price climb in just a single year. Yet another year of record growth, and that is yet again, under a Labour government!
Megan Woods and Labour are the toast of the REINZ, real estate agents in general, the wealthy, the banks and lets not forget those much maligned misunderstood creatures,
investors and… throughout the world.
How’s that?
Across the whole range on impacting factors, what should they have done for housing from the beginning of 2018 onwards to see the situation not as now?
Kept their election promises which were obviously false.
The state builds a hell of a lot more state houses than the National Party set, fiscally conservative numbers they’re building at the moment. For starters! Why, because our housing dysfunction is only worsening.
Create a state backed company to take over building these houses as the number 1 priority!
By now understand what the issues are instead of looking clueless.
By now understand the ramifications of the housing catastrophe to society left unchecked as they’re doing now.
Stop making excuses to justify tinkering.
Show Megan Woods the door.
Admit house prices can and should fall just like any other investment instead of pretending they can’t.
Not run away from Captial Gains. Tax multiple property ownership into the stone age.
Loan to Debt ratio of 90% for investors, except new builds.
Let’s admit it, Labour are an abject failure for the people I thought they represented and society overall. But break out the magnums of finest French champers for everyone else.
So, specifically you would have:
– Created a state backed company building many more state houses
– Had a Captial Gains tax.
– Taxed multiple property ownership into the stone age.
– Had a Loan to Debt ratio of 90% for investors, except new builds.
And those things would have dramatically eased the housing situation.
Had those measures been introduced which of them do you think the National/Act Party would have got rid of when they are Government in 2023?
Or as you would like, do nothing
Easy, a progressive stamp duty. 10% on the third house 15% on the 4th house and so one payable at time of purchase like gst.
Poof speculators are out of the market.
nice idea cricklewood, nice idea
Built some houses! Use the ‘weight’ of buying power in the use of a Government to bulk buy and supply materials for building houses.
Leveraged construction companies who are contracted to funding for Government contracts to comply or lose their government-funded contracts. That’ll sort out the bs competition amongst the developers building houses for one ‘class’ of buyer for profit.
John A Lee had a plan and look who’s benefitted from it, then and now. You’d be lucky if you can buy one of his properties for 2 million!
J.A. Lee was probably the one and only real Socialist that the labour party has ever had.
+1
Hopefully Clarke’s friends will stop ‘using’ him, and he has learnt to say ‘contact the ministry for the latest information’. As for Chris Bishop’s indignation, if that’s the worst dirt he can scrape up we are doing well.
Who are the we in” we are doing well”
Jeremy, my ‘we’ refers to the country as a whole. I’m only too well aware that some individually are suffering hugely, but as a whole comparatively ‘we’ are doing extremely well.
That’s complete nonsense by every measure the issues Labour were going to fix have all got worse.
Jeremy, not sure how this is now a discussion about ‘every issue’ , my comment was related soley to the handling of the virus. That thousands are trying to get here rather proves the grass is not greener anywhere else.
Well ok.
Millions trying to get into the USA.
Yes, agreed, but largely to escape the tyranny created by the drug barons in Sth America, who ironically are largely funded by the drug demand in USA.
Many rich US citizens seem to enjoy owning a piece of our paridise.
yessss pete, but they buy into NZs image not it’s reality check out some of the middle class wankfests on y-tube, that’s the image of NZ they’re seeking…
like the clean/green fantasy, mere illusion glasshopper mere illusion…but an attractive one.
Yes gagarin, I don’t disagree, just like the millions fleeing to USA believing in the better life it will offer. But money allows you an environment destroying life style here that most of us can’t even dream of.
Clarke was spreading Covid disinformation during a heightened state of alert, a serious criminal offence which while carrying no sentence for pseudo celebrities moving favours, does require said pseudo celebrity to try harder next time to ensure his entitlement and intent are better disguised.
EW, Clarke was being foolish, but ‘foolish’ is not a criminal offence or we would all be guilty. The pharmacy’s legal responsibility is to follow MOH Official guidelines, not second-hand interpretation, no matter who is offering it, even if it was the PM herself.
Yep – tiny squall in a tea cup, with Righties trying to dramatise… Boring.
Perhaps Clarke assumed, incorrectly it seems now, that what he thought was a private conversation with a health professional would remain private.
Do pharmacists routinely discuss people who consult about health issues, behind their backs or make the contents of those conversations public?
I thought discussions of health matters with a pharmacist were supposed to be confidential.
I must be wrong.
Joy, I understand your concerns about the privacy issues that have arisen about this; but at the end of the day Clarke should not have given any ‘guidance’ other than to suggest if the pharmacist was unsure they should refer his friends’ situation to the MOH for official instructions.
I agree there is no excuse for leaking a private conversation, as for cricket loving Chris Bishop who cares about his usual dog whistling he has nothing new to add to this pandemic
All it brought to mind, was that time a multi-billionaire jumped the que and got his Aotearoa residency/citizenship under a month while the ordinary people had to wait five years…so fuck it all, NEXT.
Yes, agree. Peter Theil’s residency a far worse ‘favor’ and this is totally a gotcha moment for Gayford.
absolutely but hey we’re not a banana republic we don’t sell passports
….oh wait a minute we do
bit of a shame there are no nazi war criminals around anymore with all that looted gold, I’m sure we could sell some citizenships in that market….oh well NZ late to the ballgame again.
and the PRO-COVID mob attack a library that has the temerity to comply with the law
….and the govt does nothing, nichevo, nichts, nowt…..in fact less than nothing their craveness just encourages the numpties.
it’s a terrible thought but lets hope for casualties amongst the unvaxxed, they won’t admit their errors but it might quieten down the ignorant for a bit
…and before anyone has a go…they took their freedumb choice so they can ‘die to own the libs’
Ooooo… The fleas are stirring!
Thank Christ I don’t give a fuck.
I have been following the Clarke Gayford and RAT Testing with interest. Pharmacists are forever saying they want to be taken seriously as part of the wider health care profession. As a consequence I have just re-read the code of Ethics from the Pharmacy Council, where it specifically mentions the privileged and confidential nature of any conversation between a pharmacist their patient/customer, and any possible support person involved. It does not say that these ethical guidelines may not necessarily apply to musicians or fiancés at the whim of the pharmacist involved. As someone who works with ethnic communities many of whom by default, use phone translation services or support people to engage with health professionals, they would be horrified that any conversation had in a pharmacy setting especially on speaker phone is not totally private and confidential. Let alone that it would end up in a Pharmacy Facebook chat post identifying all those involved. Surely anything I say at my local chemists should be totally private. Mr Michael Taylor needs to be disciplined for this obvious breech of ethics and fined accordingly. Did he not learn anything at Otago University whilst obtaining his degree. I certainly will be reminding my own pharmacist of their confidentially obligations to me next time I seek advice in their shop, or pick up prescriptions. I do not want my information to appear somewhere online for their own salacious entertainment. I presume My Taylor is not 14 years old. One wonders if he also passes on information about HIV patients to his colleagues just for a giggle?
Good points.
According to the Herald:
“On December 29, Michael Taylor, a pharmacist in Bayfair, Tauranga, was asked by potential Covid-19 close contacts whether they could get a Rapid Antigen Test.
Taylor posted an account of the events to a private Facebook group for pharmacists.”
“Taylor said he was posting the message to the group as he wanted to ask fellow pharmacists whether they were aware of any changes to the health guidance.”
“Taylor yesterday confirmed he had made the Facebook post, but would not comment further, referring questions to his chief executive.
Alison Van Wyk, the chief executive of Green Cross Health, which owns the pharmacy, defended Taylor’s advice.”
It seems clear that to get the advice he needed the pharmacist had no need to name individuals. His boss defended the advice he gave but there is no comment about the ethics of naming individuals.
On the surface, given what you say the Ethics from the Pharmacy Council are, and based on what’s been in the media, discussion of a breach of ethics is justified.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/deeply-inappropriate-clarke-gayford-sorry-for-confusion-after-claim-he-tried-to-get-mate-rapid-covid-test/BERMJTAVSMBW756EZLHP56PCVA/
Sadly, this story came to light due Australian media reporting it, not NZ media…well done team of $55 million.
Clarke did not apologize, his management team did…tells you something about Clarke, not good
Yes a man of no integrity but he would give you the shirt off his own back.
Yeah, something does not feel right about Clarke in this situation.
My guess is he was very unpleasant towards a Health worker, who deserves a hell of a lot better, considering all that Health workers have had to do over the past 18 months
Does not feel right?
Yeah, maybe consider that the critical thing that does not feel right is the instant default setting being ‘SOMETHING SINISTER IS GOING ON!’ because he is the partner of the PM.
Does not feel right?
Yeah, maybe consider that the critical thing that does not feel right is the instant default setting being ‘SOMETHING SINISTER IS GOING ON!’ because he is the partner of the PM.
Jeremy and NK, To-date we know very little detail as to what was actually said or how it was said. I would suggest that to attempt to publicly crucify a persons character based on no actual knowledge and a “My guess” brings into question your own integrity and agenda.
Read Martyn’s points one two and three above.
Jeremy, none of Martyn’s points give any clue as to what was said, or more importantly how it was said. I have already said Clarke was foolish to give advice, but this is no basis to crucify his integrity or character.
If there is one lesson in all of this it is to those holding positions of responsibilty – only be guided by those with authority to give it, NEVER make decisions based on unofficial sources, no matter how well intentioned; and to everyone else butt-out and leave giving guidance to those qualified and charged with the responsibility to give it.
@ joy “Perhaps Clarke assumed, incorrectly it seems now, that what he thought was a private conversation with a health professional would remain private.”
I read that the conversation was heard over speaker phone. If this was in a public area such as a shop should the party at the other end have been advised of the fact?
Privacy laws have a wide scope. Are phone calls not covered?
How did the information get passed to Chris Bishop?
After visiting two pharmacies and an audiology clinic in Auckland this morning, all staff I talked too thought the release of information about a private discussion or consultation in the health setting of a pharmacy and the subsequent release of names on social media was a massive breach of confidentiality and were horrified. They thought that disciplinary action should be taken against the Pharmacy and queried the age of the pharmacist thinking perhaps he had just graduated.
Certainly it has made my son say, “well that’s the last time I buy my condoms at the chemist, give me the anonymity and professionalism of Countdown any day”
What’s the big deal? Why is this non event getting airtime? This is the type of petty, vindictive & nasty tactics that Bishop excels in, straight out of the National Party playbook & as highlighted in Nicky Hagars “Dirty Politics” Book? The heinous, desperate, perpetually constipated looking Chris Bishop is trying to take on Judith Collins mantle & toxic legacy by dumpster diving in a Garbage bin in a insane attempt to dig up any dirt he can on Jacinda or her partner & Labour? Desperate times call for desperate measures, what a despicable fool Bishop is!
Because it is a form of corruption.
Fuck off it is! Take him to court, go on big boy!
Prime Minister’s friends are above the law so sadly cannot take him to court.
So it’s not corruption, clearly. Any proof to back up your statement Jeremy?
Bert “the blowfly” is back! Miss you, how’s the Jacinda blow up doll going?
How are you Wayne? Still living up to your name I see? How’s your voodoo doll of Jacinda and the Labour party? Do you moan as much in bed with your boyfriend?
Homophobic comments not acceptable.
Ah, Bert…too easy
You are easy Wayne, still waiting on your evidence Jeremy, opinions are acceptable, statements without evidence are just rhetoric. And Wayne you have nothing and never will have. Now back to putting those pins in your doll, too easy.
It’s in plain sight.
So rhetoric it is.
Didn’t say that.
Ties, ties and ties. Poor Chris has as bland a face as his father. Hope he has his father’s conscience ‘for all that’.
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