Response from Crux Editor (and comment from Richard Thomas) after Media Council complaint

Editorial.

Crux has published today (February 16) a ruling from the Media Council that upholds a complaint from Destination Queenstown Chair and Skyline Enterprises director Richard Thomas that he was not approached for comment and that the opinion in question was not supported by established facts.

Crux accepts this ruling and notes that we should have approached Mr Thomas for comment after receiving credible information from multiple sources that suggested he tried to undermine the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s handling of the multi-million-dollar Regional Deals negotiation committee. Mr Thomas has previously not responded to questions from Crux – but we should have made the attempt.

However, we have subsequently published confirmation that the conversation by Richard Thomas regarding a change on the Regional Deals committee did take place – not with Mayor John Glover as we reported initially, but with Councillor Jon Mitchell.

Earlier this week we sent Mr Thomas a number of questions for his formal response, including the following.

• Can you explain your full role in the immediate past and previous local body elections going back ten years (3 elections) in particular local body election campaigns to elect Mayor Boult and Mayor Lewers?
• Why have you not replied to previous questions on this subject?
• Do you agree that your comments to Councillor Jon Mitchell at the DQ 40th Birthday celebration crossed a line and, in proposing Councillor Heath Copland for the Regional Deals Negotiation Committee, you sought to undermine a decision already made by elected members?
• Do you agree that your suggestion re Councillor Copland had the effect of undermining the current mayor John Glover?
• Were you the client and invoiced party for Scope Communication in the case of the Lewers and Boult campaigns? If not - who was?

We received the following reply from Mr Thomas, which failed to address any of the questions above.

“I’m afraid I don’t consider your ‘journalism’ or media platform a legitimate news source. 

“Crux is really nothing more than your personal blog.  I feel no obligation, nor need, to join you on your various fishing expeditions the content of which is highly defamatory of me. “The most recent blog, which remains online, is a good example of that. You accuse me of dishonesty. Your further questions are an attempt to further that nasty ill-founded allegation. You are just aggravating the harm you have caused.

“You need to stop.”

Crux has at no time accused Mr Thomas of dishonesty but we do strongly believe that it is in the public interest to know who supports mayoral election campaigns. We also believe it is in the public interest as to why Mr Thomas would seek a change in the already decided composition of the Regional Deals negotiation committee with his preferred councillor Heath Copland.

Mayor John Glover and Deputy Mayor Quentin Smith have both been nominated and confirmed by QLDC to represent the council on the Regional Deals negotiation committee that has the potential to affect public private partnerships worth up to a billion dollars.