National MP Andrew Falloon to retire at election for mental health reasons

Andrew Falloon to retire at election for mental health reasons; PM's office receives correspondence related to Falloon; He joins five other National MPs who have announced their retirements from politics in recent weeks

20th Jul 20, 2:26pm by Jenée Tibshraeny

Andrew Falloon. Photo from National Party website.

National MP Andrew Falloon has announced he will retire at the September 19 election to maintain his "health and wellbeing".

He said: “As I noted in my maiden speech three years ago, when I was younger I lost three close friends to suicide. It was an extremely difficult period in my life. Unfortunately, recently, another friend took their own life, which has brought back much unresolved grief.

"I have made a number of mistakes and I apologise to those who have been affected.

“Recent events have compounded that situation and reminded me of the need to maintain my own health and wellbeing. I have again been receiving counselling."

National Leader Judith Collins said: “The National Party was advised of an issue relating to Andrew late on Friday afternoon and we have dealt with it this morning."

Falloon said he on Monday told Collins he wouldn't be contesting the election.

Collins said: “Andrew is suffering from significant mental health issues and his privacy, and that of his family, must be respected.”

Meanwhile a spokesperson for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said an "item of correspondence" was sent to her office last week related to Falloon. Ardern's office then sent it to the Leader of the Opposition, with the sender's permission.

The spokesperson said, "We treat all correspondence confidentially. All matters to do with Andrew Falloon's resignation are a matter for the Leader of the Opposition."

Falloon said: “I want to thank Judith for her support during this time and I look forward to helping a new candidate in the Rangitata electorate in any way I can.

“I apologise for this disruption to my colleagues and to those I serve in Mid and South Canterbury.”

Falloon follows a string of National MPs who have in recent weeks said they'd step down at the election: Amy Adams, Nikki Kaye, Hamish Walker, Jian Yang and Paula Bennett.

Other National MPs to retire at the September election include Maggie Barry, David Carter, Nathan Guy, Anne Tolley, Nicky Wagner, Sarah Dowie and Alastair Scott.

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119 Comments

by Pragmatist | 20th Jul 20, 2:36pm 1595212604

Never heard of him. I'm sure his leaving will be noticed /s

by Logicthinker | 20th Jul 20, 7:58pm 1595231939

Me neither but he sounds like a genuine guy. All the very best for his future outcomes.
After watching the news tonight, his conduct was terrible. What a disgrace to his political family. Crusher won't muck around getting rid of him --- quickly.

by PocketAces | 20th Jul 20, 8:12pm 1595232736

She already has mucked around, she knew on Friday. And he's not gone till the election, and for something like this he probably should be gone now.

by vman | 20th Jul 20, 8:40pm 1595234458

yea,she obviously didn't want her 'honeymoon' ruined with all the media interviews she had lined up for Friday & the weekend...

by Pietro | 21st Jul 20, 9:09am 1595279379

The heading is wrong. He is NOT resigning for mental health reasons. He has been sacked and only after further revelations left Collins, who had defended him yesterday, with no options. He’s a grubby, entitled idiot. The big question is, who’s picking these f***wits? Are there many more to come out of the woodwork? Heaven forbid that one of them becomes a minister in any future government. Falloon’s biog on Wikipedia is interesting. Seems like he was an ACT high flier, head hunted to join the Nats.

by Foxglove. | 21st Jul 20, 9:44am 1595281486

Exactly. What the heck is the selection criteria? Whatever it is, it is delivering up an array of individuals who have neither respect nor application to the responsibilities and performance of our government. Lets see now. Gilmour, Barclay,Walker,Falloon could all be type cast. And then you have Ross and the affair too. Perhaps the Key regime attracted or incubated this culture that is manifesting now. Whatever it is, it is all about them, their ambition and self interest, before anything else.

by gingerninja | 21st Jul 20, 10:40am 1595284808

It's utterly disgraceful that he attempted to use mental health issues to hide his predatory sexual behaviour. How dare he disrespect the memory of the those young men who committed suicide twenty years ago? Can you imagine how the families of those who lost their sons feel, having all this dragged into the media attached to his seedy behaviour? We have a genuine mental health crisis and he is undermining that for spin? Shame on him.

by Foxglove. | 21st Jul 20, 10:34am 1595284470

Yes he ladled all that out in his introductory speech. Super sensitive and caring apparently, about what is a tragic and devastating element in our society. But didn’t stop to think inflicting obscenity on others might harm them mentally.

by dictator | 20th Jul 20, 2:39pm 1595212777

This seems to be a matter of using mental health as an excuse for bad behaviour. It does not excuse bad behaviour.

At least he can now go on the equivalent of the sickness benefit while he recovers.

by Lanthanide | 20th Jul 20, 6:24pm 1595226265

Apparently he sent porn to schoolgirl.

by Logicthinker | 20th Jul 20, 8:01pm 1595232069

Yes,shocking isn't it.

by dictator | 21st Jul 20, 8:01am 1595275286

It turns out it wasn't just one.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300061529/andrew-falloon-sent…

by Whatwillhappen | 21st Jul 20, 9:22am 1595280120

University "woman". Apparently there's a switch - when you turn 18 and/or leave school you're an adult.

by Boatman | 21st Jul 20, 1:04pm 1595293461

@Lanthnide ......bollocks !

Its inexcusable , but she was not a schoolgirl .

Hopefully the truth comes out , because there are way too many gaps and unanswered questions in this story to actually get a handle on it

by Lanthanide | 21st Jul 20, 3:12pm 1595301132

... I posted that comment just after the news initially broke when it was reported she was a schoolgirl. Obviously further information has come out that clarified she is a university student.

by sharetrader | 20th Jul 20, 7:18pm 1595229512

now the story has come out the bad behaviour is using mental health as a cover story

by Fritz | 20th Jul 20, 9:42pm 1595238159

Agree it's a pathetic excuse.
Mental health is a serious issue, not to be belittled. But it can't excuse this.

by xingmowang | 20th Jul 20, 2:40pm 1595212807

What a proper party member progression system would look like?

This system is used by the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_Department_of_the_Communist_…).

The Party is one of the most meritocratic political institutions in the world. Only one fifth of Politburo members come from privileged backgrounds, and in the Central Committee of more than 300, the percentage is even smaller. This is thanks to a body little known to Westerners — the Party’s Organization Department system that guides candidates through integrated career tracks for Chinese officials, recruiting college graduates into entry-level positions and promoting them through the ranks, including high officialdom — a process requiring up to three decades. While patronage plays a role, merit is the underlying driver, says Li. “Within this system,” Li says, “and this is not a put-down — merely a statement of fact: George W. Bush and Barack Obama, before running for president, would not have made small-county chief in China’s system.”

by stevell | 20th Jul 20, 4:50pm 1595220624

That's an interesting link...I guess nobody has the perfect system...

".....The buying and selling of official positions also takes place, particularly in small localities, where head of the local Organization Department is among the most sought after positions. The job carries great discretionary power, allowing the wielder the ability to grant jobs to other individuals in return for cash. The practice is characterised by bribery, corruption, treachery, and "sheer desperate self-interest,"...."

by Mrs The Point | 20th Jul 20, 10:46pm 1595242010

Sounds fantastic, can't believe we don't use this system.

by Anzac888 | 20th Jul 20, 6:01pm 1595224881

More tripe from your brainwashed, delusional mind. I know of a few examples where qualified, experienced, and selected candidates have been taken aside, and been shifted into lower positions because the boss wishes to appoint a relative instead. Merit! Don't make me laugh. Go back to your village and observe how real officialdom works. Jobs for the boys.

by scarfie | 20th Jul 20, 9:25pm 1595237100

Meritocratic is known in this culture as brown nose.

by Albert2020 | 20th Jul 20, 2:45pm 1595213142

Any idea what he did?

by bw | 20th Jul 20, 3:31pm 1595215894

Well, we're absolutely certain it had nothing to do with an extra-marital affair or the leaking of documentation - that's been written in the Herald, and everything there is gospel.

by Albert2020 | 20th Jul 20, 6:32pm 1595226733

Oh, sending porn to a schoolgirl.... the rot runs deep in this bunch

by Boatman | 21st Jul 20, 1:05pm 1595293532

Schoolgirl ?

by PocketAces | 21st Jul 20, 1:21pm 1595294503

Check the timeline of the comment you are answering, that is what the information was at the time. Also, the fact the person is an adult does not in any way, shape or form excuse the behaviour. It seems there are other women

by solardb | 20th Jul 20, 2:52pm 1595213533

Seems an ideal opportunity to get these issues talked about . Particularly rural male suicides. If he , and muller could talk about it , the publicity could be very beneficial to many. Understandable if they don't , and the mainstream media don't help with the dirt digging.

by middleman1 | 20th Jul 20, 3:09pm 1595214572

Fine line there - it is absolutely the media's job to dig on politicians activities. If Falloon's explanations for his yet to be revealed 'mistakes' are proven valid then discretion needs to be exercised in how they are reported. Not to undermine your excellent point that pollies and others should be affirmed in talking openly about mental health issues but he is a public figure by choice and knows a higher level of scrutiny goes with the territory. I hope his explanation is genuine but want examination of this to make sure mental health is not being used as a cover for old fashioned bad behaviour.

by CJ099 | 20th Jul 20, 3:58pm 1595217495

Both of you have very valid points, though perhaps it's just that National party are far too corrupt and this weighs very heavily on their minds. After all, their main policies do center around selling out NZ to the highest bidders. And it doesn't matter to them if the main buyer is a foreign dictatorship.

by andyb | 20th Jul 20, 4:40pm 1595220038

Yawn.. same old conspiracy BS... what policy exactly is selling out NZ?

Your comment has nothing to do with the story about an MP leaving and citing mental health reasons.

by CJ099 | 20th Jul 20, 5:20pm 1595222419

Typical dismissive response of a nasty Nats supporter. Actually my comment has every thing to do with the state of their deteriorating mental health as a political party, you only have to look at their track record and current policies to see that. :)

by J.C. | 20th Jul 20, 5:20pm 1595222443

Yawn.. same old conspiracy BS... what policy exactly is selling out NZ?

IMO, feathering one's nest is not selling out NZ (Tremain, Brash, Shipley, Sabin, Richardson). However, I 'personally' don't believe that ex-MPs should be allowed to work for organizations or interests where there is a possibility that your prior experience as a politician can help to grease wheels or potentially divulge sensitive information.

by company of heroes | 21st Jul 20, 9:36am 1595280984

Sending Porn to a school girl is not a mental health issue. You can find as many as excuses if you want but that behavior is unacceptable as a MP. You want your kids to receive porn from these nasty people? Be my guest, vote for them. National wont have my vote until I see certain actions being done to get rid of their internal corruptions. It sounds like they really have an awful culture within the party. I just can't trust them anymore.

by andyb | 21st Jul 20, 12:24pm 1595291080

Agree... not acceptable... see my post below. I was questioning the suggesting of National selling out NZ and its reason for being on this article.

No excuses.. he is gone and I think Collins needs to go to. Why on earth would she allow him to cite mental health issues?

As inept as Labour have been, I aint voting National at this election.

by Foxglove. | 20th Jul 20, 4:35pm 1595219723

Well the process was that some party felt obliged to report the matter to the Prime Minister’s office and it has advanced from there to the National Party. One would have thought if there was a problem of this magnitude apparent, that National would normally have been aware and involved from the outset. As Middleman explains, it would be a very poor show to use as a smoke screen, the dire circumstances and consequences this country carries with regard to mental health issues that have been abused and neglected far too often, far too easily.

by andyb | 20th Jul 20, 4:51pm 1595220712

Agree with the above comment... given the reference to mental health issues you would expect National have ensured he has the correct medical expertise around him... and its not a convenient smoke screen for poor behaviour.

Would be telling to know if National have simply accepted him citing mental health as his public rationale for departing.. or have they rallied around their troubled colleague, Given STUFF are reporting this follows an alcohol-related incident on Friday I'd suggest its the former.

by Te Kooti | 20th Jul 20, 4:05pm 1595217928

What I took away from this was that a young NZ man had lost 4 friends to suicide. NZ has a a horrendous suicide and mental health problem, maybe we should all be a bit nicer to each other?

by powerdownkiwi | 20th Jul 20, 4:15pm 1595218536

Maybe we should ask what was wrong with the society they felt part of?

And maybe we better get a plan for reducing to a population of 2 million or so (folk tend not to be so nice to each other when they're scrapping)?

by Te Kooti | 20th Jul 20, 4:40pm 1595220012

I don't have a lot of insight as to NZ's suicide crisis, it does seem to be a bigger issue in rural communities. Your aspiration of removing 3m Kiwi's is probably best kept to yourself to be honest.

by Lanthanide | 20th Jul 20, 5:14pm 1595222052

pdk claims to care about life, and then blithely suggests that we need to 'remove' 3M people from this country.

by powerdownkiwi | 20th Jul 20, 6:17pm 1595225864

In my day, it was called 'Comprehension'.

Reduce and remove are entirely different words.

You'll get there. :)

by Te Kooti | 20th Jul 20, 7:03pm 1595228625

Today it's called being disingenuous. What's your go to strategy, LIFO? At least I'm sweet.

by powerdownkiwi | 20th Jul 20, 7:17pm 1595229462

One child max, zero imports.

You have to realise that the planet is 5-6 billion overstocked; no end to letting people in.
https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil1100/Hardin.pdf

by Te Kooti | 20th Jul 20, 7:25pm 1595229950

It sounds like you'd like China?

by linklater01 | 20th Jul 20, 7:29pm 1595230147

pdk,

Enforceable I assume? How, through actual coercion or the tax system? Please explain how this policy would be implemented.

by nymad | 20th Jul 20, 7:37pm 1595230650

Definitely not with incentives - remember, PDK thinks economic theory is completely useless.

Therefore, he is left with the stick approach.

by powerdownkiwi | 20th Jul 20, 8:21pm 1595233278

TK - No, I'd not 'like China'. Why is it folk put emotion (wish, in this instance) into it all the time? But their one-child policy, given their own overpopulation, was the best move by a government, anywhere, anytime. Are you capable of separating action from actor? Read this - all of it.
https://www.amazon.com/Overshoot-Ecological-Basis-Revolutionary-Change-…
Dispassionately......

Probably laws and draconian penalties, perhaps post-child sterilisation. But maybe we agree that chosen-childless can trade their abstinence to others; he debate is yet to be had. But I think we ar well into a 'period of consequences' now, and no leader will dare go there until too late (it's already too late numbers-wise, I mean too late strategically.

by Lanthanide | 20th Jul 20, 9:35pm 1595237713

Ok, and by when do you want this "reduction" to 2m to be done?

Also if the world is really going to go to hell in a handbasket like you think it is, two things:
1. There are 1 million NZ citizens overseas. Are you going to deny them their right to return?
2. In a long enough time span, the problem should take care of itself

by Kohukohunui | 20th Jul 20, 6:48pm 1595227733

And maybe we better get a plan for reducing to a population of 2 million or so (folk tend not to be so nice to each other when they're scrapping)?

There's no evidence suicide is linked to population growth (https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/data-story-over…).

by CourtJester | 20th Jul 20, 4:15pm 1595218559

...and not destroy the future of a whole generation. Housing should be affordable for the average 30 year old working couple.

by Te Kooti | 20th Jul 20, 4:46pm 1595220377

I agree.

by Mountie | 20th Jul 20, 4:52pm 1595220748

Me too.

by CJ099 | 20th Jul 20, 5:22pm 1595222568

Absolutely

by powerdownkiwi | 20th Jul 20, 8:24pm 1595233475

Then you all need to address population.

Because the more people you have per resource (land, materials, energy) the less there is per-head. Just think, if there were a million less hereabouts, would there be a 'housing crisis'? Would prices be what they are?

What we have is a population crisis - if we called it what it is, we might be getting somewhere.

by Fritz | 20th Jul 20, 9:47pm 1595238464

Good points. One of the reasons that housing has become close to affordable in most urban areas of Japan over the last 25 years is because of depopulation.

by Boatman | 21st Jul 20, 1:15pm 1595294134

@Court jester ..............we will NEVER have affordable houses for 30 year -olds when Auckland Council charges a years wages for DC Levies on a single dwelling , and another half a years wages for a water connection .

Sorry mate , 'aint gonna happen

by vman | 20th Jul 20, 6:05pm 1595225115

oh dear...
National MP Andrew Falloon is believed to have quit politics after an incident involving him sending a schoolgirl "inappropriate material".
The Herald understands the image was not of himself but was sexually explicit in nature.
The schoolgirl's parents alerted the Prime Minister's office to the incident - and Jacinda Ardern's chief of staff, with permission, notified National leader Judith Collins on Friday.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12349504

by ian64 | 20th Jul 20, 6:22pm 1595226163

if that's the case you would hope the PM would notify the police first.. sounds like their dealing with it the Vatican's way.

by Lanthanide | 20th Jul 20, 6:25pm 1595226335

if that's the case you would hope the PM would notify the police first

No, that'd be Judith's job.

by nymad | 20th Jul 20, 6:45pm 1595227552

Perhaps we should also be congratulating the PM's office for handling this issue with the care and respect it demands instead of leveraging it to score some cheap political points.
Given the most recent experiences with the National Party, can we honestly say the same process would have been undertaken if the shoe was on the other foot?

by Foxglove. | 20th Jul 20, 8:02pm 1595232168

No it is counterproductive to praise an action solely because it is correct. Regrettably though, in this day and age, your point is hardly unjustified. It would be something of an indictment on our political circles, if that doing what is right and proper, could end up as being regarded as politically astute.

by Foxglove. | 20th Jul 20, 6:23pm 1595226194

Hard to believe that the police will not need to be involved surely. I mean that would be the case obviously for any adult who peddled pornography in such a manner. resigning from a job does not absolve anyone. Being drunk and/or past personal grief might well be a factor but that is now for the court to determine. Cannot imagine any parent in New Zealand, or any nation, would not think due legal process must be followed.

by Pragmatist | 20th Jul 20, 6:44pm 1595227462

According to stuff they've already been involved and no charges are forthcoming.

by PocketAces | 21st Jul 20, 1:23pm 1595294622

Moving beast this, since more women have come forward, seems the police will re-look at it. Of course, anything coming of that we won't know about before then.

by Kakapo | 21st Jul 20, 1:57pm 1595296660

Looks like Police had original complaint weeks ago, had a look at it, decided it wasn't worth prosecuting for whatever reason, valid or no. We still don't have a clear timeline on this, which is possibly why the victim's age has been all over the place in reports. I'd suspect that the most likely scenario is that she was 17 or 18, in final year of high school when the offence took place, and has turned 19 and started uni whilst the police were sitting on the file.

by Just a farmer | 20th Jul 20, 7:39pm 1595230766

School girl doesn’t necessarily mean the person was a minor.
Other news site state it was a young woman so I would assume it was a 16-18 year old, legally an adult so no crime committed even though it is yuck.

by gingerninja | 21st Jul 20, 10:13am 1595283218

It's more than yuk, it's sexually predatory and an abuse of power. He also tried to use the suicides of young men 20 years ago and a personal mental health issue as a smokescreen. In addition, he lied and tried to blame colleagues for sending the pic, whilst failing to disclose sending other pics to other women. This a morally bankrupt behaviour and this type of person has no business in politics.

Are we expected to believe that all these sorts of behaviours just magically appeared this week? That no one noticed he was a wrongun before?

by status quo | 21st Jul 20, 11:13am 1595286814

I totally agree Gingerninga. Clearly there is a firmly seeded culture in National which is pulling them apart rapidly. I wonder what else is going to surface? The past couple of weeks events make it clear that the rats are leaving the sinking ship.

by Boatman | 21st Jul 20, 1:27pm 1595294825

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY ON EARTH THE POLICE ARE REFUSING TO PROSECUTE AN INCIDENT SUCH AS THIS INVOLVING A SCHOOLGIRL ?

We are a society that protects our children , or so I thought.

Or is it something else ?

I am not sure we have the full story here

by Kakapo | 20th Jul 20, 8:02pm 1595232125

Mental health? Nonsense, being a sexo who got caught isn't a mental health issue, and I've seen zero remorse or a single thought given to the girl he victimised. All me me me wah wah wah want sympathy for my own stupid and predatory actions. Good riddance.

by Beanie | 20th Jul 20, 8:52pm 1595235149

Playing that card just to try and keep secrets hidden would be pretty despicable.

by Kakapo | 20th Jul 20, 9:01pm 1595235706

And people genuinely struggling with their mental health are demonised, stigmatised, and generally thrown under the bus because this skeevy narcissist wants to make self-serving excuses for his sexual harassment of a young woman. If he gave a damn about suicide he wouldn't be dragging them into this as an excuse for sending dirty pics to somebody young enough to be his daughter.

by Nzdan | 20th Jul 20, 8:04pm 1595232258

Well done National for winning the trifecta on underage affairs. John Key had a thing for girls with pony tails, Chris Bishop was cautioned for snap-chatting school kids and now this? One could be forgiven for believing there's a culture of this in National. Even the handling of RoastBusters by Anne Tolley....

by andyb | 21st Jul 20, 3:08pm 1595300926

you are drawing a bit of a long bow to rope John Key in on the pony tail thing whilst blindly ignoring the young Labour issues and subsequent cover up.

Why is it so hard to find good people to run for office? Here and abroad it seems to attract a grubby element who carry a sense of entitlement and a need to look after themselves with no understanding of public service.

by Nzdan | 21st Jul 20, 6:32pm 1595313137

But we're not talking about Labour. As far as I am aware, that issue with young Labour sex camp went through the courts and the culprit (who unlike National wasn't a list MP) was charged with Assault. It was probably Max Key, turned up to an underage Labour scout camp with a chiller trailer of booze and a car load of his Roast Buster mates.

by Foyle | 20th Jul 20, 9:18pm 1595236736

To clarify it was a University Student. Qualitatively quite different, still ick and not OK for a married MP, but not illegal. Wonder who it was putting it about that it was a "schoolgirl"? (Edit; 19yr old apparently)

by Just a farmer | 20th Jul 20, 8:40pm 1595234458

Yes, seems like a bit of an embellishment of facts there!

by Foyle | 20th Jul 20, 8:51pm 1595235119

And Falloon is saying it was in fact sent by a 3rd party using his phone while at a social event. Poor bastard if that is the case (supposing he can't prove it)

by company of heroes | 21st Jul 20, 10:54am 1595285673

Why are you defending him? Stop defending him before you know what's actually going on.
Apparently there were allegations towards him from multiple women and police have advised Judith Collins they are likely to reopen the investigation.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/122194402/live-national-leade…

by Nzdan | 21st Jul 20, 12:48pm 1595292514

Does he not have a pin code on his phone?

by RickStrauss | 21st Jul 20, 5:35pm 1595309758

That would absolutely be the first time that excuse has been used, yesiree.

by solardb | 20th Jul 20, 9:01pm 1595235704

A University student's parents forwarded it to the P.M??? . seems much more likely it was a schoolgirl for the parents to be involved, so probably a fair call on the ski,py info avaliable at first .
Really , it was a failure of Collins and Falloon to put the information out there, and be straight out at the start , that caused speculation and possible misinterpretation. To characterise been at a party and mislaying ones phone as a mental health issue is a very long straw.

by company of heroes | 21st Jul 20, 11:58am 1595289496

It's a sexual harassment, do you think it's okay for him to sexual harass a 19 year old student even if he is not married?

by Contrarian | 20th Jul 20, 8:36pm 1595234200

Good riddance, I am sure not many will miss him. Chance for Judith to nominate another friend.

by powerdownkiwi | 20th Jul 20, 9:04pm 1595235898

Another?

by Foyle | 20th Jul 20, 9:13pm 1595236424

So my take is that Collins was told that Uni Student received porn from Falloon, Falloon probably told her that it was 3rd party who had borrowed his phone (whether or not that is true), and Collins made him quietly fall on his sword for moral (not criminal) failing. The PM's office likely decided to turn this into a hit job by leaking to media that it was a schoolgirl, which Herald ran with, retracting after Falloon corrected them (grounds for a defamation case there?).

by vman | 20th Jul 20, 9:23pm 1595237037

maybe Woodhouses 'homeless' man was at the party and used his phone.

by Beanie | 20th Jul 20, 9:47pm 1595238465

A sitting MP doesn't have a PIN on his phone??

by Houseworks | 20th Jul 20, 9:53pm 1595238786

"The PM's office likely decided to turn this into a hit job by leaking to media that it was a schoolgirl"
Sickening lowlifes, there should be some things you dont do

by vman | 20th Jul 20, 10:04pm 1595239448

I don't think anyone knows that,it was just thrown up in here...conversely you could say 'sickening lowlifes' to the people saying it was the PM's office....

by Foyle | 20th Jul 20, 10:20pm 1595240419

Seems to me that Labour is most likely source for the inaccurate age detail in initial media reports, as it was the PM's office that the family of the girl approached, and if it was the girl in question or her family approaching media directly then they would have been more clear on details of her age. It can be pretty much expected that any party, including Labour will use whatever ammunition is presented to them to hurt their opponents (whatever they might pretend to the contrary). Perhaps this was utu for Bennett's revelation of rape allegations against PM's senior staffer in 2018?

by vman | 20th Jul 20, 10:23pm 1595240631

"Seems to me that Labour is most likely.." based on what?

by Lanthanide | 20th Jul 20, 11:40pm 1595245224

Rightwing bias that secretly Labour must be just as bad as National.

by oldbloke1 | 21st Jul 20, 7:53am 1595274813

You got the email too, eh?

by Pietro | 21st Jul 20, 8:42am 1595277767

Recent developments clear this up. How on earth can you even begin to defend this man, and Collins’ feeble response yesterday. Compare her fluster with Ardern’s measured response. I ‘m an impartial observer just in case you think otherwise. It all comes down to the people behind you. Like with the Boag thing, Labour pulled a masterstroke appointing a QC rather than going for cheap points. And the same yesterday, put it on to Collins, rather than leak it to the media.

by Lanthanide | 20th Jul 20, 11:39pm 1595245163

Yeah, like send porn to people who don't want it.

by solardb | 20th Jul 20, 10:07pm 1595239668

So this "3rd party", downloaded an image, entered a university students phone number, and sent the text . with mates like that , who needs enemies.

by vman | 20th Jul 20, 10:11pm 1595239918

Maybe he was at the party with his mate Chris Bishop...

by Houseworks | 20th Jul 20, 9:46pm 1595238376

Just do us a favour and step down immediately. I cant imagine too many constituents have any faith in him now given his grubby habits. Why are our supposed leaders morally bankrupt

by solardb | 20th Jul 20, 10:00pm 1595239252

That would force a byelection. Though i think there is a rule that says a byelection is not necessary so many months before a general election???

by skip- | 20th Jul 20, 11:15pm 1595243736

Six months...

by Lanthanide | 20th Jul 20, 11:42pm 1595245375

Yes, there's a huge number of National MPs conveniently "retiring" at the election, safe in the knowledge that they receive an additional 3 months of taxpayer funded salary for doing so. One last swill at the trough before they toddle off into the sunset.

by vman | 21st Jul 20, 8:06am 1595275587

My goodness,the rot runs deep...

by Pietro | 21st Jul 20, 8:36am 1595277407

Need to update this story in light of recent developments.Mental health reasons? My ****. Collins would have known far more yesterday and should not have used the mental health cover story. She’s got egg on her face as a result. What is it with these youngish Nat MPs? Who’s putting these idiots forward? National has a huge problem and needs to get back to its roots [thats not a double entendre BTW). Anybody would have seen thru this man when he appeared on TV last night. Very, very angry to see this once great party in such disarray. Bring back Bolger, English or some such half decent person.

by eskyrider | 21st Jul 20, 8:39am 1595277543

So Mr Falloon gets caught not once but twice sending pornography to young women. How many other times has he been doing the same thing? Is Mr Falloon married or in a stable relationship?
Yet he puts himself in a public position (member of Parliament) and tries to pretend this is normal behaviour. Then he gets caught out with his pants down both figuratively and literally.
"Oh, I have mental health issues" What bollocks. He should be sacked immediately. And lose all rights to any pension. I feel for his family, not for him.

by Lanthanide | 21st Jul 20, 9:19am 1595279969

Yes he's married. Or was.

by Brutus Iscariot | 21st Jul 20, 9:33am 1595280790

Before we jump to conclusions, recognise that we have few of the facts. The most important being their prior relationship/association, if any.

Firstly, she's not a schoolgirl, she was a university student and well over the age of consent. "Sugar daddy" arrangements are actually common amongst university students with older men (note he's only 37). An Australian website in this vein has tens of thousands of members. Secondly, the fact that her parents went directly to the PM, suggests a political element - i.e. hoping the PM would use the information for political gain. The police have laid no charges. I'm assuming this is because harassment requires a pattern of behaviour after the recipient has made it clear that it is unwanted - i.e. a single flirty message doesn't meet this threshold.

So he gets a pass from me, despite the public handwringing and moralising.

by muzled | 21st Jul 20, 9:35am 1595280919

We do know that he is married though Brutus.

And you still give him a pass?

I hope if you're married you treat your wife better than that.

by Nzdan | 21st Jul 20, 10:17am 1595283434

Maybe they went direct to the PM because of how Roast Busters was handled by National.

by vman | 21st Jul 20, 10:26am 1595283967

There are now 3 woman,either he is very wealthy if he is entering into a 'sugar daddy' arrangement as you put forward,or as I suspect,he is just a creep and as someone above mentioned,it seems there is a culture in the Party,perhaps one of self entitlement,born to rule etc.

by gingerninja | 21st Jul 20, 10:45am 1595285138

No the facts as we currently know them are that he lied, tried to blame colleagues for sending pics. Tried to excuse his behaviour on mental health issues and drag the memory of other young men's suicide through the mud in order to smoke screen his behaviour. And also fail to disclose sending **UNSOLICITED** porn pics to other women (not just the first 19 year old). Some are now saying that he also has a drinking problem. The police are now apparently re-opening the case according to JC just now. Personally, I think sending unsolicited porn to 19 years old is not indicative of a respectful "sugar daddy" thing but a sex pest or predatory behaviour.

Personally, I don't consider condemning this to be "moralising". I fully expect a career in politics to mean a commitment to honesty and a high code of ethics. And whilst, a relationship between a 37 year old and 19 year old, whether it be "sugar daddy" or otherwise might be "normal", I do not consider it acceptable behaviour from a married man, in a position of power (such as politics) where the action becomes exploitative. He exploited his position of power, the faith of the National party, the trust his voters placed in him and unless he and his wife have an open marriage of some kind, then he has exploited the trust of his wife too.

by Beanie | 21st Jul 20, 11:57am 1595289477

A person's behaviour is often indicative of the company they keep. They probably thought he was a legend.

by Boatman | 21st Jul 20, 1:00pm 1595293259

Oh for goodness sake ....so are you suggesting that every member of Young Labour is rotten when some idiot does what happened at the Labour youth camp ?

Get over yourself with such sanctimonious bull-turd

by Kakapo | 21st Jul 20, 2:01pm 1595296861

This sugar daddy scenario is 100% from your imagination, and completely in contradiction of all known facts, such as the report to the police weeks ago. So question is, why are you so keen to smear the victims and make excuses for the sex offender?

by andyb | 21st Jul 20, 12:02pm 1595289724

Been a National supporter for a long time but dont know how anyone can vote for this lot.

There is no doubt Falloon citing mental health issues is nothing short of disgusting. How does someone of these morals end up even being considered for parliament?

What I find extremely troubling as a Nat supporter is Collins would has been aware of the behaviour since Friday. To sit by and idly let him cite mental health issues is 1, morally reprehensible and 2, extremely naive to think the truth wouldnt come to light.

Labour has been such a lost cause over the last three years I assumed National would waltz back in... but they have proven themselves to collectively be lacking in any moral compass or leadership whatsoever.

by vman | 21st Jul 20, 12:55pm 1595292948

I think she wanted the narrative over the weekend,with an interview on Q&A on Sunday to be about her roads announcement,not about another scandal....buried it until Monday,push the 'mental health' and hope it goes away.

by Boatman | 21st Jul 20, 1:23pm 1595294620

Collins has done well to bounce this fool as soon as she got wind of it .

He must be a crazy-asf lunatic to have done this to someone who was a virtual stranger , and STILL AT SCHOOL !!!!! .

And what is he even doing speaking to a schoolgirl ?

On initially reading it , I thought Its such a wild story that if it was in the US media, I would have written it off as Fake News

The more I think about it the more I think that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction

I have the horrible feeling there is a whole lot more to this story than meets the eye.

Something just does not add up .

We really do need to get to the bottom of it , and also why the Police dont want to prosecute where a schoolgirl is involved .

The Police need to explain to the NZ public why this is so

by Albert2020 | 21st Jul 20, 2:35pm 1595298928

You need to read the lastest information regarding this case before commenting any further.