Lee MelissaMELISSA LEE (National): Yesterday Radio New Zealand board member Jason Ake doubled down on his political commentary about the Hon Kiritapu Allan despite the Prime Minister calling it inappropriate for a board member of a Crown entity to make such political commentary. I completely agree with the Prime Minister and I don't agree with him often. Today he has quit the board. Ake questioned why Kiri Allan was cleared to return to Parliament—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Excuse me. Could you gentlemen at the back have your party outside please? Sorry Ms Lee—carry on.MELISSA LEE: Do I get extra—DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'll give you an extra 10 seconds.MELISSA LEE: Ake questioned why the Hon Kiri Allan was cleared to return to Parliament. He hit out at reactions to her arrest and resignation saying sharks were circling while there was blood in the water. RNZ chair Jim Mather reminded Ake that he must avoid certain political activities in his new role while Minister Willie Jackson said yesterday that although Ake had been a vocal person his commentary needed to stop if he was to remain on the RNZ board.As a supporter of free speech I completely support Ake's right to commentary except that he was on a Crown entity board—RNZ—and it should have been made very clear to him that while on a Crown board political commentary is completely inappropriate. It's not the first time he's done this. He actually did it on 18 July after he was appointed to the board on his Facebook criticising another media company on their translation of stories into Māori saying that stories written from a non-Māori perspective are a complete and utter nonsense. On 5 July he also attacked a journalist from another news organisation on his Facebook for investigating a teacher who was allegedly struck off the teachers register for inappropriate behaviour with a student or grooming that student—Ake's words—saying that journalist's questions did not need to be answered by the kura in question where the teacher had been employed saying that there was no statutory obligation for the kura to answer the journalist. He was on the board of RNZ has responsibilities to the Crown and yet he was interfering in editorial matters and it is none of his business and he should have known better because Mr Ake has actually been on Government boards before and still is. He was also the Hon Parekura Horomia's press secretary from 2002 to 2006. He was the chair of the Māori Media Sector Shift panel from 2020 to 2022. He is currently serving as a panel member on Māori Education's Te Pae Roa since 2021 and he is serving as the Māori committee member for the Law Commission since 2018. Should he or his comments be considered for the current boards that he now sits on—whether it is appropriate for him to still sit on those boards—is something that other Ministers should actually take into consideration.The Radio New Zealand Act specifically says in section 14(4) No governor of the public radio company shall be appointed to represent or promote the views of a particular interest group." When Minister Willie Jackson appointed Jason Ake did he know Mr Ake's position on his role—that he was bringing to the RNZ board issues around the Treaty and transformation—which Mr Ake has actually said on his Facebook: that as a board member of Te Whakaruruhau it was his mandate "to be noisy around political stuff"?—I'm quoting Mr Ake. Is that the reason why the Hon Willie Jackson brought Jason Ake to the RNZ board to change the culture that he actually often talked about? I can hardly believe that Mr Jackson did not actually know Mr Ake's political connections or his political views but members of a Government board should not make these kinds of commentary.Today I was also alerted to another board member with a conflict of interest—this time the chair of TVNZ board Alastair Carruthers. He's also the chair of the New Zealand Film Commission. When media first contacted me about the potential conflict of interest of being on two boards I actually said Mr Carruthers is an experienced board member and I believe that he will manage the conflicts very well. But today I am unsure. The information I have now actually says he's a member of the Cornwall Park Trust board who voted against enabling film studios to be built on the Auckland Showgrounds site. He also is a director of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited which controls Screen Auckland. Tātaki owns on behalf of the council two of the film studios. One has to wonder which hat he was actually wearing when he voted on the Cornwall Park Trust board to decide—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!MELISSA LEE: Do I get 10 seconds more?DEPUTY SPEAKER: I believe that 10 seconds was already added. Thank you for your patience."