What made Trevor Mallard such a controversial Speaker?

Trevor Mallard has departed his role as Speaker after almost five years of controversy.

For his nearly four decades of service to the Labour Party, he has been rewarded with a diplomatic posting in Ireland.

But not everyone is convinced that he’s the right person to represent New Zealand on the global stage.

Assault allegations earlier in his career combined with some of his antics as Speaker have some questioning whether he has the temperament for the position.

So is Mallard just the biggest bully at the beehive as his critics allege, or is his legacy more complicated than that?  And what can we expect from our new Speaker, Adrian Rurawhe?

Today, Audrey Young, a senior political correspondent and former political editor at the New Zealand Herald, joins Damien for a discussion about one of the country’s most divisive politicians.    

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Damien Venuto
Editor/Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.