The Government is coming under fire for not briefing other political parties on the plan to blackout coverage of the plight of the Kiwi influencers who were stuck in Iran.
The Opposition says by making them fly blind the Government put the couple at unnecessary risk
Loudly, proudly standing with the women of Iran, staining the Iranian Embassy red, throwing headscarves into the flames and burning passports to a crisp, a group of Iranian Kiwis on Friday cut ties with their homeland in the name of Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old Kurdish woman was killed by Iran's so-called morality police for allegedly improperly wearing hijab - it sparked a revolution.
"It has been led by a young generation of Iranians. They want democracy. They've never seen freedom. This has been 43 years of oppression," said Green MP Golriz Ghahraman.
New Zealand was unusually restrained in its criticism as two Kiwi Instagram influencers went missing in Iran.
For months behind the scenes, the Government was working hard to get them out. They'd travelled to Iran despite a travel warning against it.
"For the benefit of your Instagram reel or your YouTube channel I think most people would say doesn't feel like common sense and does feel a little bit entitled," said Labour minister Michael Wood.
Media organisations, including Newshub, agreed to a blackout with no coverage of the pair's disappearance to ensure their safety.
The Government did brief the Green Party as their foreign affairs spokesperson and Iranian native Ghahraman knew.
But one vital pillar of the political environment was not in the loop.
"The Government never briefed us on this and frankly I think they should have... we all need to be on the same page and we would have been," said Opposition MP Erica Stanford.
ACT was chasing the Government to go harder on Iran without knowing why they had gone quiet.
"We are all on team New Zealand," said ACT leader David Seymour. "We are just disappointed the Prime Minister didn't reach out. We could have started asking questions in Parliament or done any number of things that could have put these people in danger."
But Wood said: "Our job is not to make everyone in the political realm feel comfortable and happy. Our job is to ensure the safety of New Zealanders."
In some cases - like the Kiwi nurse who was captured by ISIS, Louisa Akavi - other political parties are brought into the loop.
A spokesperson for the Minister for Foreign Affairs told Newshub Golriz Ghahraman was briefed as she had independently found out about the Iran case and enquired with the Government herself. She was given the same briefing MFAT gave journalists.
