Te Puea Marae leak: The people inside

  • 16/06/2016
Te Puea Marae leak: The people inside

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has been criticised for a leak of information from her office about a police investigation into Te Puea marae chairman Hurimoana Dennis.

The marae has taken it upon itself to house some of Auckland's homeless.

The information was given to a journalist by one of Ms Bennett's staff members.

So who are the people involved?

Lucy Bennett

Te Puea Marae leak: The people inside

The press secretary at the centre of the Te Puea marae leak.

Paula Bennett refuses to say, but it is likely that Lucy Bennett was at the cafe meeting where Hurimoana Dennis told her he was under police investigation.

Lucy then passed that information onto TVNZ reporter Rebecca Wright during a phone call.

Lucy says she acted on her own in leaking the information, claiming she thought it was already in the public domain. She offered her resignation, but it was not accepted.

Lucy Bennett and Paula Bennett are not related.

Prior to joining Paula Bennett's office, Lucy was the press secretary for Sam Lotu-Iiga during the Serco scandal.

She previously worked for the New Zealand Herald.

Rebecca Wright

Te Puea Marae leak: The people inside

Rebecca Wright is the TVNZ reporter who got the leak about Hurimoana Dennis.

She is a former TV3 political reporter who had a series of clashes with Paula Bennett while working in the gallery in 2010/11.

It is not known how or why the conversation between Lucy Bennett and Ms Wright made it to Radio New Zealand, which had a senior reporter ask Paula Bennett about it on the way to Parliament on Tuesday.

Clark Hennessey

Te Puea Marae leak: The people inside

Clark Hennessey is Paula Bennett's other press secretary, and the one who has been accompanying her on all public occasions since the story broke.

He is likely to be one of the "three or four" political staff that Paula Bennett says she informed of the disclosure by Hurimoana Dennis.

Belinda Milnes

Te Puea Marae leak: The people inside

Belinda Milnes is a senior political adviser working in Paula Bennett's office. She is the sister of Justice Minister Amy Adams.

She is back working in the office after a break, in which Paula Bennett appointed her to Chief Families Commissioner.

She is also likely to be one of the "three or four" political staff that Paula Bennett says she informed of the disclosure by Hurimoana Dennis.

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