New Zealand immigration minister fired for improper affair with staffer

This is so completely stupid. How can this be called "an abuse of power" and "consensual" at the same time? The only reason I can think of why anybody cares is completely animal. Wolves also attack males they catch having sex. One would think humans could rise above such behavior. Do they want humans for leaders or sexless robots?

Does anyone actually believe the PM fired Iain Lees-Galloway over just an affair?

Come on.

This affair's been known about for months down in Wellington. Even senior Labour MPs knew about it for months, and did nothing.

Unless there is more to this, it looks like he's been fired because the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was politically snookered. She couldn't' do anything other than fire him because she had to match new National leader Judith Collins.

She gave Collins dirty information last week. Collins was decisive. Andrew Falloon lost his job.

So, tit for tat. Collins gave the PM dirty information yesterday. Ardern needed to look decisive too. She had to fire him.

She basically got snookered by a Collins power play.

If she didn't fire him, it would've dredged up all the other times the PM has failed to take action on poorly-performing or incompetent MPs. Clare Curran, David Clark, Phil Twyford.

This close to an election she can't be handing Collins the chance to bring that up all over again.

But putting aside the political necessity of the PM's move, on principle – even if it's just an excuse – firing someone over an affair is pretty low.

As long as it's legal, it's none of our business what MPs get up to in their private time.

This just opens an ugly can of worms even further doesn't it? After this and the Jami-Lee Ross affair allegations two years ago it seems we've turned a corner and accepted that smut can be used in national politics to tear down opponents.

There will be a few MPs pretty worried right now about the precedent this has set for their own careers.

I don't buy the PM's argument that Lees-Galloway used his office improperly, or that being Workplace Relations Minister made the affair any worse.

At the moment, they just look like political excuses for a political decision.

Sex with a report is stupid behaviour.

He sure looks like a slimy old creep.

Wait, what, NZers aren't the perfectly wise totally woke angels the liberal MSM makes them out to be?! Who knew!

As long as it's legal, it's none of our business what MPs get up to in their private time.

Bingo. There are not any saints in the sense people think of saints. Yet they keep expecting saints. Its completely idiotic. No politician is pure. There is just stuff we don't know about yet. And this? How does a consensual affair measure up to continuing wars of empire and lies while the perps walk free? This is nothing. In fact, this makes me like the guy. An affair is productive. War is destructive. Priorities are all out of whack.

As long as it's legal, it's none of our business what MPs get up to in their private time

Technically legal, yes, and I've no moral drum to beat. This is not just their private time, however. Any boss compromises their position if they sleep with their report(s). If it gets to bumping uglies, one of the parties should resign, full stop.

Mickelicious, what are 'reports'?

Why doesn't anyone mention that he is married? Then this news would have made a little sense...

Ardern, who leads the liberal Labour Party, said she was wary about passing moral judgment 

So Ardern fired the guy? Of course she made a moral judgement. The Left is becoming the intolerant sex police.

Any boss compromises their position if they sleep with their report(s).

This issue was settled by Monica Lewinsky. It’s just about sex. No harm no foul. The PM should keep her nose out of other people’s bedrooms.

It’s not as simple as just being an affair. I think it’s closer to what Bjorn Tomention suggested above, but it’s more than that as well. I’m sure most of us will never know the full details, but this guy has made some big errors in his judgement in the past as well and I’m glad he’s gone. NZ does actually have some shady characters in politics. Right now I’m not sure if there are any politicians that I can say I like... except for maybe Chris Bishop.

Why doesn't anyone mention that he is married? Then this news would have made a little sense...

It's not mentioned because it's irrelevant to his sacking.