Thomas Coughlan: NZ Herald political editor on the Government launching an inquiry into the Tom Phillips case

Strong signals from the Government suggesting the rights and privacy of the children will be paramount in the Tom Phillips inquiry. 

Police shot the fugitive dead in September after he was on the run with his kids in the Waikato bush for four years. 

NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan explained what this case could uncover.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And Thomas Coglan, the Herald's political editors, with me Hi Thomas,
Good afternoon. Right, so we've got the inquiry into Tom Phillips.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Yes, yes, yes, we do so announced a general inquiry
into the government's actions during that that that led to
the Tom Phillips sort of situation. Some thing's excluded specific
decisions at the family Court, but it's quite a wide
ranging inquiry into into the decisions of various government agencies
during that period, and it ends basically at the time

(00:27):
that the children were found and taken back into stake here.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Okay, obviously, and I'm not going to ask you to
comments on it, but the obvious problem here is that
there is there is suppression on very key elements of this,
which means that it's going to limit, isn't it what
they can talk about publicly? And it's probably the reason
why it's private rather than publicly out.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yes, precisely, Yes, it is a It is an incredibly
complicated inquiry and obviously there are some real questions to
be asked and answered here, because there's clearly some mistakes
were made at a point along the way. But obviously,
given given the massive sensitive is around what happened. The
government is sort of limited and where it can go

(01:08):
and what it can do at this stage.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Now, it doesn't it sound like Labour loves having Michael
Wood back.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
This, yes, well, and that's that's a very various dute observation.
And I guess to that you'd have to say, well,
which part of Labor is not happy about having Michael
Wood back? I think there is. Obviously, the Chrisipkins kind
of project is quite a centerius project. He's obviously been
pulled aweey it to the left and opposition agreeing to
this capital gains tax. But Michael Woods beloved of the

(01:35):
party's left. He is beloved of the parties of a
progressive wing and is a bit of a standard bearer
for that that part of the party. And and so
that part of the party is very excited to have
Michael Wood back. And in Chris Hopkins pre interview, sorry
pre conference interviews, they've just got this conference this weekend,
he told the Post, and he actually told the Heralds

(01:55):
as well, that that that Michael Wood is gonna have
to sort of, you know, win back some trust in
order to elevate himself within the Labor Party and into
a potential labor cabinet should it win the election.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
What is the trust that he's breached?

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Well, I suppose it it relates to the circumstances of
his opposite the Shares and Grace the Shares, And I mean,
you know, I'm not sure about you, but personally, I
think he's probably probably served his time on that one.
Like it was definitely embarrassing and definitely a total screw up,

(02:34):
but obviously he got what he had to resign, he
lost the seat, He's served his time on the bench,
and I probably think it's that's probably the punishment fitting
the crime. Yep.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
I look, I would agree with you is do do
you think he still harbor his aspirations to be the leader?
And is that probably part of the reason maybe why
Chip he's not super keen on it.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
I would say that most in peace, I think, contemplate
a circumstance which would see them as the lead of
their party and perhaps the prime minister. Yeah, and I
think Michael would have certainly one of them. And certainly,
you know, he's an ambitious guy who's decided to give
politics another cracks, So you know that sort of speaks
for itself.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Now I suppose so. Hey, thank you very much, Thomas.
I really appreciate it. Thomas Coglan, the Herald's political editor.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
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