A high-ranking public servant is in hot water with the Minister of Internal Affairs for messaging international DJ Fred Again to help him get a passport for a friend.
The celebrity – who just played three sold-out shows – posted a plea on Instagram for someone to help expedite a passport for Wellington DJ Tessa Hills, whose stage name is MESSIE, so she could tour with him to Australia.
He tagged the official Parliament account, begging: “Please please can anybody help us with this!”
Fred Again later shared a screenshot of a private message from the deputy chief executive of the Department of Internal Affairs Maria Robertson.
Robertson said in the message: “My son got in touch with Tessa after seeing your post, Tessa got in touch with us, she’s made her application and we are sorting it with her. We love your music and we are thrilled you are backing one of our own to support your gig.”
But the Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has sought assurances from the passport office and the department about the chain of events that led to the passport approval to ensure that all proper processes were followed.
Van Velden was also concerned that a citizen’s privacy could have been breached because details of a passport application were shared publicly.
“Every citizen should have the same rights, no matter how famous they are or what their status is in our community,” she said.
Isn’t this a case of the Public Service actually working and doing its job?
ACT hate it for culture war reasons simply because liberals on Twitter like this DJ and ACT are so trigger happy on using social media to launch their next culture war attack that they are in a constant state of Right Wing Outrage.
Brooke isn’t reacting because she actually believes there is bias in the Public Service, she is reacting because redneck fuckwits on Twitter saw the communications and went into a snowflake meltdown because a DJ liberals like had some perceived help.
The pettiness of Brooke’s investigation shows how hostile ACT are to any form of Government.
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Agree with you 100% Martyn.
Act playacting. Pretending they believe in universalism not rich first.
Van Velden was absolutely correct in what she did that is not up for dispute.
So you say and you’re a nobody so what was that you said again?
Gosh I have the countryboy down to one sentence which makes me a somebody of great skill.
Of cause it’s up for dispute, you’ve gone complete idiot to village idiot!
Now,now NSC go easy old chap.
Poor Bob so easily triggered.
Do you really want government ministers who complain when their department actually does their job? This is a good news story for most people & anyone upset by it should find a real issue in life to care about.
ACT is a protectorate of useless losers. Just look at their lineup? Lazy money fiddlers and con artists.
If you voted for them, it serves you right.
People of skill in the Act Party that much is obvious.
What particular skill are you referring to???
The skill to be gifted an electorate, without that skill ACT would not exist.
Clearly a party with no political skills.
Silly question but how long does it take to get a passport issued these days? You know for like normal people?
A little over a week, usually, unless you pay for expedited processing (in which case you may or may not have to follow up with the ministry daily to make sure they haven’t decided that you didn’t fill something in right but not to actually contact you about it).
This case certainly doesn’t particularly bother me. If it was one of Act’s leaders who wanted to expedite a passport for a young sexually vulnerable surfer, or Peter Thiel wanting to get his best blood boy a passport, you’d better believe they’d be making sure it got moved along outside the normal processes.
They actually do emergency passports for things like funerals so any comparison with standard waiting times is irrelevant.
I thought act hate red tape or is it only when it suit them
Very broad statement covid.
” “Every citizen should have the same rights, no matter how famous they are or what their status is in our community,” she said. ”
LOL.
Not only is she a hypocrite she is liar to boot.
She should apply her statement to all those who donated huge sums of money to protect their own status while harming and denying so many others their rights while they buy laws to feather their own nests.
” “Every citizen should have the same rights, no matter how famous they are or what their status is in our community,” she said. ”
LOL.
Not only is she a hypocrite she is liar to boot.
She should apply her statement to all those who donated huge sums of money to protect their own status while harming and denying so many others their rights while they buy laws to feather their own nests.