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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWL #0721 2560606
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 130606Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3260
INFO RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000721 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR D (FRITZ), EAP/FO, AND EAP/ANP 
NSC FOR VICTOR CHA 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISD LIZ PHU 
PACOM FOR J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL NZ
SUBJECT: NATIONAL LEADER'S EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR THREATENS 
HIS PARTY'S AGENDA 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission David J. Keegan, 
for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (SBU) National Party leader Don Brash has taken a leave 
of absence following revelations that he has been having an 
affair for two years with a member of the conservative 
Business Roundtable.  During the fractious 2005 general 
election campaign, Brash had been accused of taking large 
contributions from and colluding on election strategy with 
the Roundtable.   The revelations appear to have come to 
light in anticipation of the Government's threat to fight 
National's accusations that Labour had misappropriated 
taxpayer money for its election campaign by exposing damaging 
personal information about National Party MPs. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Embassy contacts have confirmed a September 13 
Independent Financial Review report that the Nats held a 
fractious caucus meeting on September 12 demanding that 
  Brash come clean about the affair to the whole caucus. 
(Senior members had reportedly long known about it.)  The 
Prime Minister has declined to comment. 
 
¶3.  (C) For months, Brash has been under pressure from 
National Party colleagues, who see him as colorless and 
incapable of leading the party in overturning Helen Clark's 
government.  Despite denials by National Party Deputy (now 
Acting Leader) Gerry Brownlee,  most analysts believe this 
will be the end of Brash's leadership.  Whatever the case, 
the matter will certainly command the bulk of NZ media 
attention, wiping the Labour election spending brouhaha off 
the front pages and undermining months of National Party 
efforts to cast doubt on the Government's honesty.  We'll be 
reporting more on this story as it unfolds. 
McCormick