Ask Matt too...

The lead story on the Herald's website this morning is of financial irregularities at Auckland University of Technology. Jonathan Kirkpatrick, a former Anglican minister, gay rights advocate and former partner of Tim Barnett, the former MP for Christchurch Central has had his assets frozen by the Court, and is likely to face a police investigation. A sum of around $500,000 is reported to be involved.

The Herald story carries a photograph of Kirkpatrick either opening or closing the door of his home, and the body of the story includes this line:

Mr Kirkpatrick, too, refused to comment when approached at his Mt Roskill home yesterday. "I'm not going to talk to you," he said.

Now, this is a matter of public interest, and the Herald has attempted to obtain comment from the man who is allegedly in the frame for the disappearance of a large sum of money. That's what journalists do.

Why then has no Herald journalist gone to visit Matt McCarten at Unite Union's offices, and asked him to comment on the apparent disappearance of well over $250,000 which was owed to the Inland Revenue Department but not paid over an 18-month period? Surely that is a matter of public interest as well.

We know that some journalists have been trying; one tweeted to us yesterday that McCarten was not answering phone calls or returning e-mails. But the Herald's silence is deafening. Could it have anything to do with the fact that McCarten writes a weekly column for the Herald on Sunday?

We've made it easy for them; we've already drafted a list of questions which could be asked. So come on Herald journo's; let's see a photo of a defensive Matt McCarten on the website tomorrow, telling you to get lost. Better still, we might even get an answer from McCarten as to why it's ok for a union not to pass on tax collected on behalf of its staff.