By Patrick Gower
The ACC-Bronwyn Pullar privacy scandal has now claimed its sixth casualty.
3 News can reveal another board member, Murray Hilder, has quit. That brings the total to three board members, plus the chair, chief executive and a minister.
But the Government has been keeping Mr Hilder's departure quiet.
“I'm happy to make it public but it's not something I've considered,” ACC Minister Judith Collins says.
She says Mr Murray did not tell her why he was leaving.
But a source close to Mr Hilder has told 3 News his skills were "the best in the business", and he simply didn't like the politics from Ms Collins.
"Murray has had a complete gutsful,” the anonymous source says. “It is blatantly obvious why he has buggered off -he does not want to be around this political behaviour."
Labour says the latest resignation was kept quiet because it is a further embarrassment.
“ACC is in chaos at the most senior levels. It is not a very good expression of confidence in the Minister,” Labour MP Andrew Little says.
Ms Collins again faced questions about whether she was involved in discussions about ACC putting the police onto Ms Pullar and Michelle Boag for alleged extortion, and whether it was all about bad blood between Ms Collins and Ms Boag.
But Ms Collins denied it that it was.
The central question has always been about what Ms Collins knew in advance about the ACC's extortion complaint to police.
“In terms of telling me or asking my advice - no - they have simply done it and advised me afterwards... I don't know how many times I have to say it," she says.
But Labour is still not convinced.
“Something just doesn't add up, and the minister isn't giving us straight answers,” Mr Little says.
So an ACC departure that the Government was so embarrassed about, no one wanted to announce it. Half the board the Government appointed has now been either sacked or has jumped ship.
Just four of eight board members remain.
3 News
source: newshub archive
