By Lucy Craymer
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The New Zealand government said on Friday it would commission an independent review to assess parliament’s workplace culture after a study three years ago found widespread bullying and harassment.
A 2019 report uncovered systemic harmful behaviour in New Zealand’s parliament, including by and between staff, managers, members of parliament, the media and the public.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Adrian Rurawhe said in a statement he believed the parliamentary workplace had improved over the past three years, and had commissioned the author of the 2019 study to review its progress.
“It is important that we take stock, as an institution, of the effectiveness of that work,” said Rurawhe.
In August, a member of parliament from the ruling Labour Party accused other lawmakers from the party of bullying. Labour has denied the accusations and the member of parliament has been suspended.
Rurawhe said the review would catalogue gains made to date as well as areas where there was still room for improvement.
(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
