Six years for corrupt ex-Labour MP

I love how classy the Herald is:....and the winner is...It's not just a personal story of rags to riches and power and prestige and losing it all, it's not just an historical national moment when a man is convicted of corruption as an MP, it's also a party affair. This is supremely embarrassing for Labour. Helen's inquiry by a QC into Field was supposed to exonerate him, but even the jacked-up terms of reference couldn't hide the extent of this guy's rank exploitation of those who came to him for help and his over-stayer harvesting operation - even if Helen's immediate response was to do exactly that: to cover it up and pretend it was all OK. The leadership made a political calculation that Field was worth keeping and that criminal offences that have been given a sentence of six years were worth ignoring. The basic facts we know now are the same as the basic allegations that were made back then - the Labour leadership went into protection mode with their eyes wide open.

NZ Herald: Justice Hansen said an aggravating factor of Field's offending was that he was prepared to exploit the Thai nationals that he had helped.

"You saw the results, you must have known that their willing assistance was saving you tens of thousands of dollars," Justice Hansen said. "In my view you quite consciously used their adulations of you for your private gain."

Justice Hansen also said the jury must have found Field was trying to avoid justice when making and arranging for false information to be given to the Ingram Inquiry. "It is an aggravating factor that you recruited your Thai friends and Mr Sulusulu (another witness) into your web." The judge went on to say Field put his private interests ahead of his public ones: "It was a test of your character and it was a test that in my view you failed."

Justice Hansen discounted Field's sentence by 18 months after taking into account his "outstanding" previous service to the community, the public humiliation he'd suffered and the severe financial cost to Field of the case.

Outside court today, Crown solicitor Simon Moore said it was a sad day for the New Zealand community. Field has consistently maintained his innocence but last week he apologised for the actions which led to his convictions. He also said his conscience was clear.
[...]
Elected as Labour MP for Mangere in 1993, Field was expelled from the party in 2007.

He was only ejected from the Labour Party for a political offence: refusing to assure them he wouldn't stand for another party.
Labour has every reason in the world to forget this chapter. With Mike Williams as President of the party, with Helen as PM, with Cullen as the deputy, and with Margaret Wilson as the Speaker the government had become so sleazed up that an MP as corrupt as Field was tolerated for as long as they possibly could. It's not a pleasant passage in the annals of the NZ Labour Party.NZ Herald report from July 2006

Cheers.