The Coalition Of Chaos’ Pay Equity Amendment Bill, rammed through under urgency, has predictably hogged the headlines. But while the mainstream media fixates on this gut-punch to women’s economic justice, Education Minister Erica Stanford’s reckless use of her personal Gmail account for sensitive government business is being swept under the carpet. This is a sackable offence, yet the press, ever distracted by the coalition’s shiny objects, is letting it fade into oblivion.
Despite the mainstream medias bias in favour of right-wing political parties, Stanford’s astonishing breach deserves further scrutiny. Documents show she repeatedly forwarded confidential government briefings (pre-Budget details included) to her personal email, citing “printing issues” as a flimsy excuse. This isn’t just a violation of the Cabinet Manual; it’s a national security risk in an age of rampant cyber threats. Labour’s Chris Hipkins nailed it, calling it a “welcome mat” for hackers. In any other government, Stanford would be packing her bags. Instead, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, with his trademark corporate nonchalance, dismissed it as “untidy” and claimed it’s now all “sorted.” Sorted? Tell that to the intelligence agencies scrambling to plug National’s slack security.
So why the media blackout? The timing of the pay equity bill’s rushed passage (announced the same day Stanford’s major scandal broke) offers a clue. The bill, which kneecaps 33 active pay equity claims and betrays women in undervalued sectors like nursing and care work, was a deliberate lightning rod. By gutting years of progress on gender pay equity without consultation or scrutiny, National and ACT guaranteed public outrage and wall-to-wall coverage. Protests erupted at Parliament, and the media lapped it up, dutifully amplifying the coalition’s talking points while Stanford’s email fiasco vanished.
This isn’t just about one minister’s incompetence; it’s about a media ecosystem too easily distracted by the coalition’s theatrics. Outlets like the NZ Herald and Stuff, quick to dissect Labour’s every misstep in years past, have barely touched Stanford’s breach. A few cursory articles, no hard-hitting editorials, no calls for accountability. Compare this to the frenzy over former Labour minister Clare Curran’s minor procedural errors, wall to wall coverage that lasted for months, and the double standard is glaring. Highlighting media bias here is easy with around 50 mainstream media articles about Curran compared to 12 for Stanford. But there's also a large amount of the coalition’s manipulations setting the narrative. Whatever the main cause of media bias, the fourth estate is failing to hold power to account over this most serious issue.
Contrast the stark lack of reporting on Erica Stanford's security breaches with the mainstream media's vitriol directed at Clare Curran, which even resulted in her being berated off of Twitter.
In 2018, the Otago Daily Times reported:
…
Curran's Twitter account, with the handle @clarecurranmp, has since been deleted.
Comments on Patterson's original post largely echoed Curran's hostility towards the journalist's commentary.
One called Patterson "just another bully" while another called the comment "unprofessional".
"Expect better from an RNZ Political Editor," it continued.
The controversy around Curran's use of Gmail followed hot on the heels of an ongoing parliamentary scandal over Curran's failure to correctly diary two meetings.
The pay equity rollback is a travesty, no question. But letting Stanford’s security breach scandal slide sets a dangerous precedent. If ministers can flout security protocols without consequence, what’s next? The public deserves a media that digs deeper and holds power to account. If Luxon is too weak to sack her, Stanford’s resignation should be on the table, and the press should be treating her more serious breaches with at least the same scrutiny they gave Curran. Until they do, National will keep playing them—and us—for fools.
