US embassy cable - 04WELLINGTON647

C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000647 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR MGREEN 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/30/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, NZ 
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND MINISTER HOSTS MIKE MOORE'S 
"FAHRENHEIT 9/11" FUNDRAISER (ALMOST) 
 
 
Classified By: DCM David R. Burnett 
 
 1.  (SBU) Embassy Wellington learned July 30 that GNZ 
Cabinet Minister for the Environment Marian Hobbs was 
reportedly hosting a special screening of Michael Moore's 
controversial movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" as a local Labour Party 
fundraising event.  DCM contacted the Prime Minister's office 
to ask whether it could shed some light on the matter and was 
told by PM office staff that they were not aware of the issue 
but would look into it.  DCM then contacted Minister Hobbs' 
office but the Minister's office declined to make her 
available to discuss the matter.  Hobbs' staff later informed 
Embassy that Hobbs would not be hosting the fundraiser. 
However, she would be attending the event. 
 
2. (C) COMMENT:  There's a reason this particular Minister is 
nicknamed "Boo Boo" Hobbs.  That said, it is probable that 
this potential fiasco may only have been averted because of 
our phone calls - it is apparent to us that neither the 
Minister nor anyone else in the Labour government seems to 
have thought there was anything wrong with a senior Minister 
hosting such an event.  Ambassador will use a scheduled 
meeting with the Prime Minister to tell Clark of the near 
instantaneous press queries for USG comment in this matter 
and remind her that we would really rather not get dragged 
into internal NZ political issues, such as Ministerial 
fundraising events for Clark's Labour Party. 
Swindells