Netsafe told Justice Minister Kris Faafoi's officials that it had apologised to three women whose private information it supplied to a criminal stalker. But it hadn't apologised. After Newsroom revealed it had misled the minister, the agency's new chief executive Brent Carey really did write to apologise. This is one woman's reply.
► The author of this letter has name suppression, as the victim of an abusive stalker. In March, the Human Rights Review Tribunal ordered Netsafe to pay $100,000 compensation to her and two other victims, after the publicly-funded agency supplied private information to their stalker without disclosing it to them, so he could further pursue them through vexatious court hearings.
Dear B,
I’m addressing you directly as you are the one who communicated with me to pass on a letter, which I’m guessing you wrote, but was attributed to Brent. Digital signatures are so handy.
I have to say that receiving an apology after media announced that you (and by you B, I mean Brent) hadn’t, seems a tad insincere.
It’s worse when I know that [Netsafe] lied to the Ministry by saying you had apologised to me already. That, I understand, was in response to media as well. I’m guessing (again) B, that someone from the Minister’s office got in touch recently with you (and by you, I mean Brent) about making him look like he doesn’t know what’s going on.
Ministers hate that.
I understand Brent was going to do a bit of sweep out of the past. But it seems to me nothing has changed.
[...]
I wouldn’t waste my time coming in to meet, B. I’m sure you’re lovely but I’m actually really busy. (Did I mention that?) I’m advising the Government on how to meet our climate change goals. I’m working 10 to 12 hours a day at the moment.
I'm back in a career that your organisation almost managed to scuttle, doing my best to make the world a better place.
I’m busy, but I still say thank you to the bus driver, chat with the barista while she makes my coffee, and say hi to the guy cleaning the toilets at work. I remembered your name B, but Brent I thought was Brian until I looked to check whether he’d actually signed the letter.
When I make a mistake, I acknowledge it as soon as I can, and offer contrition. And I do this personally, because I’m a decent human being.
