Emails released by the Prime Minister’s Office show there was concern about why disgraced arts patron James Wallace was able to keep his knighthood long after being convicted, while a letter also suggested there was opposition to stripping him of the honour.
Communications released to the Herald by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) under the Official Information Act (OIA) show emails questioning why Wallace continued to hold the title of “sir” despite being a convicted and sentenced criminal.
On September 9, 2021 an email to the Honours Unit read: “James Wallace is a convicted sex offender, why is he still afforded his knighthood? I would have expected this to have been stripped as he has preyed upon young artists sexually.”
Wallace was found guilty in March 2021 of indecently assaulting three men victims in the early 2000s, 2008 and 2016 and twice attempting to pervert the course of justice. He was then sentenced to two years and four months in prison in May 2021.
The Honours Unit replied to the email and said it had no comment to make on the man, who was knighted for services to the arts in 2011. During this time, Wallace continued to enjoy name suppression and was on bail pending his appeals.
A subsequent email to the Honours Unit on September 15, 2021 said: “From my perspective as a New Zealand citizen, this is important to me because I want to see justice for those affected by sexual violence. Part of this involves what recourse will come from the government departments that enhanced the profile in which these predators leveraged to further their offending.”
The emails’ author was redacted when released to the Herald.
It wasn’t until June 28, 2023 that then-Acting Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni initiated the forfeiture procedure for Wallace. It was the same day the Supreme Court ruled his name suppression was to lapse after years of opposition by the Herald and Stuff.
Two days later, the Executive Council Chambers provided advice to the Prime Minister on the potential forfeiture of Wallace’s knighthood.
The advice outlined Wallace’s philanthropy and provided a summary of his court case and appeals, while noting the sentencing judge said Wallace had an “inability” to accept his offending and a “sense of self-entitlement … it displays a lack of empathy for your victims”.
NZ Herald
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