David Seymour says the police website makes it clear people can talk or write to their MP if they feel they are not being treated fairly. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
ACT Party leader David Seymour has hit back at the prime minister's criticism of his support letter for Philip Polkinghorne.
On Sunday, the New Zealand Herald reported the Epsom MP wrote a 1012-word letter to police supporting Polkinghorne, during the investigation into the death of his wife Pauline Hanna.
"Mr Polkinghorne has had a harrowing and traumatic experience, but feels he has been treated like a suspect rather than a traumatised member of the public," the letter stated.
"It's understandable that police would regard him as a person of interest. But in this instance, the police appear to have gone beyond that brief. While acknowledging the difficult balance police must strike, Mr Polkinghorne feels that he has been subject to prejudice from the police in the above actions."
The letter was written in April 2022, four months before Polkinghorne was charged with Hanna's murder - and before Seymour was a minister. Polkinghorne was found not guilty in September 2024.
Philip Polkinghorne at the High Court at Auckland on the first day of his trial for the murder of his wife. Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
At his post-cabinet press conference on Monday, Christopher Luxon said Seymour was "ill-advised" to send a letter in support of Polkinghorne while police were investigating his wife's death.
Seymour told Checkpoint his actions were not ill-advised.
"No and my response to that is what's ill-advised is commenting when you don't know all the facts and criticising a local MP for doing their work, which is standing up for their constituents."
"He's [Luxon] entitled to say that, but I would say that before criticising a local MP for doing their job you should know all the facts."
Earlier on Monday, Seymour said the police website made it clear people could talk or write to their MP if they feel they are not being treated fairly.
"I had a distraught constituent, and my job as a local MP is to pass on their concerns to government authorities," he said.
"The police website says if you are concerned about unfair treatment, go to your local MP. That's what he did. He was clearly distraught, he gave me a number of specific concerns about treatment, I had those passed on, the police got back to me and they said 'we are taking good process' and there was nothing further from there."
In 2023, Seymour heavily criticised then-minister Stuart Nash for encouraging the police commissioner to appeal a court decision.
Nash, who was police minister (although not at the time he called the commissioner) lost his portfolio.
Seymour said his case was different, as he was not a minister and his letter did not attempt to influence a police decision.
"First of all, my letter is very clear and very careful to respect that it's the police's decision. It's passing on concerns on behalf of a person, it didn't seek to influence their decision-making," he said.
"There's some pretty tawdry suggestions and innuendo around this, but I can tell you if you live in Epsom, I'll help you. That's my key job as a local MP."
Letter 'ill-advised' - Luxon
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there was a fine line to walk for electorate MPs when advocating for a constituent and ensuring they were not interfering with an investigation.
"Public confidence in the justice system relies on making sure that actually, police investigations and political intervention are separated, that's really a critical part of our system. Personally, I thought sending the letter was ill-advised, he's aware of my views on that," Luxon said.
He said as Seymour was not a minister when he sent the letter, there had been no breach of the Cabinet Manual.
But Labour leader Chris Hipkins said Luxon should remove Seymour as a minister and he should not have written the letter, even as a member of Parliament.
"Members of Parliament supporting constituents with enquiries to the police is one thing. Inserting yourself in the middle of a murder investigation is entirely another," he said.
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