Matthew Tukaki is a hot-head and is currently enjoying several Government or Ministerial appointments while hurling abuse at various people on social media. His commenters on his posts are appalling.
One wonders what it would take for him to lose his ministerial appointments.
The Taxpayer’s Union has drawn attention to two of his public attacks:
The social media attacks on Simon Bridges by the Chairman of Oranga Tamariki’s new Advisory Board is bizarre, unbecoming, and warrant resignation, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.
Since becoming Chair of the group – ironically tasked with fixing the Ministry’s relationships, its professional social work practices, and its organisational culture – Matthew Tukaki has gone on to make a series of Donald Trump-style social media attacks. He labelled the former leader of the Opposition a ‘bonehead’, ‘whackhead’, and has alleged a former NZ First MP is a misogynist.
“It is difficult to imagine more ill-judged public comments by the man tasked with improving the professionalism and culture at Oranga Tamariki,” says Jordan Williams, a Taxpayers’ Union spokesman.
“New Zealand has a long history of an impartial public service. This sort of behaviour would get a low level official fired. It is a clear violation of the Public Service Commission’s Code of Ethics.”
“Not only does this reflect poorly on Oranga Tamariki, it does a huge disservice to Mr Tukaki’s respected colleagues who also serve on the board including Dame Naida Glavish, Shannon Pakura and Sir Mark Solomon.”
“Mr Tukaki is a Ministerial appointee, and it is difficult to see how the Minister could possibly defend this behaviour. The best thing to happen would be for Mr Tukaki to have the good grace to apologise to those he has attacked, and resign.”
Taxpayer’s Union
His Facebook post on Simon Bridges is disgusting.
He made an earlier attack on ex-NZ First MPs as well.
Once you decipher the pidgin English you can see how gratuitous his attacks are, especially the rather defamatory attack on Clayton Mitchell.
Here is another of his attacks against Don Brash and Margaret Murray-Benge, Todd Muller and Hobson’s Pledge. Who’s the misogynist now, Mr Tukaki?
He even called Hobson’s Pledge “mutt dogs“:
Then there are the nasty and arguably illegal comments that his followers place on his Facebook rants:
Should Matthew Tukaki continue to hold senior ministerial appointments like Chairman of Oranga Tamariki’s new Advisory Board when he continually makes very public, often racist attacks against many different people and organisations?
His disrespect seems to know no bounds; even when presenting to a Select Committee, he called those criticising illegal Maori road blocks in Northland, a “bunch of baboons”:
“If we’ve got dog-whistling from our leaders down there in Wellington carrying on like a bunch of baboons, questioning the legitimacy of them, that does nothing to help the situation in those communities.”
Newshub
When confronted over his abuse, he refused to apologise and then doubled down saying he was talking about Act leader David Seymour:
ACT leader David Seymour accepted Tukaki’s concern over politicisation of the topic, but took issue with his language.
“With the greatest of respect, if you’re here calling people baboons, then you’re not part of the solution – you’re actually part of that problem.”
Tukaki did not apologise for the remark and indicated that it was directed at Seymour.
“Let me just not apologise for using the reference to other human-like creatures,” he said. “I also mentioned dog-whistling politics, so I’ll leave that one there – it was probably just a statement on your behalf.”
Newshub
Given he self-confessed that he makes everything up, every day, I’m not sure he is stable enough to have key government appointments.
And here I am, still making it up every day. You often walk into things and you don’t necessarily know what you’re doing, but you try to figure out the right way of doing things by not being boxed into conventional thinking.
E-Tangata
His unconventional thinking, often spoken out loud on social media, would have seen lesser people sacked from their roles.
You have to wonder what hold he has over various ministers, or is it because his brother works in Willie Jackson‘s office that we see a ‘nothing to see here’ approach from the government?
Will the minister act? Or will they just let him carry on hurling partisan abuse despite very clear rules for the public service to the contrary?
My pick is they’ll do nothing.