Craig Young explores the long history of sex scandals in New Zealand politics—from consensual affairs to criminal acts—and asks what the Michael Forbes resignation says about Christopher Luxon’s leadership.
The recent resignation of Michael Forbes, deputy chief press secretary to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, following a police investigation, reopens a familiar chapter in politics: the uneasy intersection of sex, scandal, and public office. While some dismiss such stories as salacious gossip, there’s value in approaching them analytically, considering both the scale of the scandal and its implications for political leadership.
Let’s begin with consensual extra-marital affairs—long a staple of political controversy. While adultery has never been illegal in New Zealand, it’s often judged harshly, especially when it involves public figures who champion conservative values. Take Australian National Party MP Barnaby Joyce, who left his wife for a younger staffer, prompting public mockery given his family values platform.
Two past New Zealand cases illustrate variations in public and political response. Colin Craig, founder of the Conservative Party, was embroiled in lengthy legal disputes with former media manager Rachel MacGregor and disaffected party members. Craig eventually resigned, and his party descended into chaos, so much so that it polled lower than the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party in the 2023 election.
Then there’s Don Brash, who led both the National Party and ACT. During the 2005 election campaign, Brash had his own affair while also coordinating with the ultra-conservative Exclusive Brethren and opposing civil union and prostitution law reform. Though his actions were legal, the hypocrisy undermined his leadership, leading to his eventual ousting.
Women politicians are not exempt from scandal. Iris Robinson of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party—vocally anti-LGBTQ+—had an affair with a man half her age. While contraception and abortion access have helped decouple sex from scandal for women, the hypocrisy cost Robinson her political career.
That said, gay politicians haven’t been immune to controversy. Green MP Benjamin Doyle was recently the target of manufactured outrage from far-right figures over benign social media posts. Decades earlier, then-Prime Minister Robert Muldoon tried to discredit Labour’s Colin Moyle by accusing him of “loitering” in a public toilet—at a time when male homosexuality was still illegal. Muldoon’s tactic backfired: Moyle remained in politics and went on to vote for homosexual law reform.
Looking abroad, sex and politics have collided with lasting consequences. In 1960s Britain, John Profumo’s affair with Christine Keeler, who was also involved with a Soviet diplomat, raised national security concerns and ended his career. In the 1970s, Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe’s downfall came not from a gay relationship with Norman Scott, but from efforts to silence him, including an alleged murder plot.
Even non-elected officials haven’t escaped. In the US, Eisenhower aide Robert Cutler and LBJ adviser Walter Jenkins both faced scrutiny over their homosexuality, providing a historical lens on mid-century repression and the policing of gay relationships in high office.
At the far end of the spectrum lie scandals involving non-consensual acts. The most egregious remains Graham Capill, former Christian Heritage Party leader, who was convicted for sexual abuse of minors. His fall from grace obliterated his party and left a permanent stain on the religious right in New Zealand politics.
Returning to the present: Michael Forbes’s resignation, following a police investigation into his interactions with female sex workers—some of which were reportedly recorded without consent—raises serious questions. Though the police ultimately concluded the matter didn’t meet the threshold for prosecution, the reputational damage is real. Forbes cited unresolved trauma and stress as contributing factors.
While this situation doesn’t approach the severity of the Capill case, it does reflect poorly on the Prime Minister’s oversight. It’s yet another episode that raises concerns about leadership and management within Luxon’s office.
