Will the OAG investigation cover the use of Pansy Wong’s electorate office address for ‘Shipley & Wong Ltd’?

15 April 2011

Yesterday I rang the Office of the Auditor-General and asked whether or not the scope of their investigation into Sammy Wong’s travel expenses was going to extend to the use of (ex) National Party MP Pansy Wong’s electorate office (735 Chapel Rd, Botany), as the business address of Shipley & Wong Ltd.

( At that time, on 11 June 2010,  former National Party Prime Minister Jenny Shipley was a 50% shareholder of Shipley & Wong Ltd, and her husband Burton Ross Shipley was a Director – along with Sammy Wong, Pansy Wong’s husband.)

Nicola White from the OAG confirmed that the office was aware of my concerns and my previous correspondence, and that they were ‘looking into issues associated with the matter’.

So – presumably the answer is ‘yes’?

(Following is the correspondence to which Nicola White is referring):

19 February 2011

Press Release: Penny Bright Independent candidate Botany by-election:

‘Politically explosive’ Public Meeting on central government corruption and privatisation’ Sunday 20 February 3-5pm Tangaroa College

Latest developments in the Pansy Wong scandal:

“The Communications Advisor for the Office of the Auditor-General confirmed yesterday that it had not yet decided  whether or not to investigate the use of Pansy Wong’s electorate office address as the business address of Shipley & Wong Ltd,” says ‘Anti-Corruption campaigner’, Penny Bright, Independent candidate in the Botany by-election.

“Has the current National Government Prime Minister John Key, been responsible for helping to cover-up arguably corrupt conduct which involves former National Party Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, who is a 50% shareholder in Shipley and Wong Ltd?”

(SHIPLEY & WONG – Companies Office Number: 1245430)

“Does Prime Minister John Key know of and approve of the registered company address of SHIPLEY & WONG LTD, changing to 735 Chapel Rd, Botany, on 11 June 2010, at a time that former National Party Prime Minister Jenny Shipley was a 50% shareholder, and her husband Burton Ross Shipley was a Director – along with Sammy Wong, Pansy Wong’s husband?

735 Chapel Rd Botany, being the address, at that time,  of Pansy Wong’s electorate office?”

“How is it that neither then current National Party MP (Pansy Wong) , or her husband; or a former National Party Prime Minister (Jenny Shipley) , or her husband, knew that this was wrong, and effectively constituted ‘misuse of public office for private gain’?  How ‘dodgy’ is that?”

“Why don’t New Zealand MPs have a ‘Code of Conduct’ with sanctions for breaches thereof?”

“Why isn’t the Office of the Auditor-General investigating? What’s the hold-up?”

“Why isn’t the Office of the Auditor-General proposing a ‘Code of Conduct for MPs as part of  the ‘systems solution’ for this problem?”

“Isn’t it time NZ had an ‘Independent Commission Against Corruption’ to help set up systems to enable genuine transparency and prevent corruption?”,

Ms Bright concludes.”

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