Waitress: 'I felt NZ should know' By Rachel Glucina, Lane Nichols 5:00 AM Thursday Apr 23, 2015 A waitress says she went public about John Key repeatedly pulling her hair at the Parnell cafe where she works because the Prime Minister "feels he is untouchable". Amanda Bailey, 26, told the Herald that while she regretted the attention the controversy brought on her workplace and co-owners, she had no regrets about exposing Mr Key's behaviour. Scroll down to read a statement from Shayne Currie, editor NZ Herald "I didn't think it was appropriate behaviour and I didn't feel I should have to put up with that," the Rosie cafe worker told the Herald. "I expected more from him and I want the public to be aware." She said Mr Key's unwanted physical attention was wrong. "I felt the actions weren't those of a Prime Minister and I felt New Zealand should know that. It is because he is the PM that I went to the media. John Key feels he is untouchable." Her bosses, Hip Group owners Jackie Grant and Scott Brown, told the Herald they were disappointed Ms Bailey - who they say has "strong political points of view" - went public rather than coming to them directly with her concerns. However, they are hoping to "put this all behind us" now. Hip Group owns several cafes in Auckland, including Rosie. "We believe Amanda's intention was never to reflect any ill will to the Hip Group or to her co-workers. Had we been aware that Amanda had a grievance we would have acted but she did not make an official complaint. She said nothing to us. "The Prime Minister is a regular at Rosie and he's well loved amongst the staff. He always comes in with his wife Bronagh and his security detail, and the staff are always happy to accommodate them." A political storm erupted after Ms Bailey posted an anonymous letter on the left-leaning website The Daily Blog yesterday, saying Mr Key had behaved like a "schoolyard bully" when visiting the cafe during the past six months. She wrote that he had pulled on her ponytail on repeated occasions while visiting with wife Bronagh, despite the waitress making it clear the physical contact was offensive and unwanted, even threatening to hit him if he did not desist. He eventually apologised by giving her two bottles of his own pinot noir wine. please log in to view this image Amanda Bailey (right) with Jackie Grant and Scott Brown. Photo / Dean Purcell Mr Key's office responded by issuing an apology for any offence caused, saying his interactions were intended to be "light-hearted". Speaking from Los Angeles airport en route to Turkey to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli landings, Mr Key told One News he was a regular at the cafe and had a "fun relationship" with staff. "There's always lots of horsing around and sort of practical jokes and that's all there really was to it." However, his actions were inappropriate in hindsight, Mr Key admitted. "But in the context of 'we have lots of fun and games there', there's always practical jokes and things," he said. "It's a very warm, friendly relationship. In that context you'd say yes, but if you look at it now, no." A source told the Herald Mr Key had been going to the cafe for years and would regularly enjoy "banter" with the staff on his Friday morning and Saturday afternoon visits. "John Key used to call one of the waitresses Princess. He was always matey with the girls." Human Rights Commissioner Jackie Blue issued a statement saying it was never okay to touch someone without their permission. "There are no exceptions." The National Council of Women said in an open letter Mr Key had crossed the line and "joined the list of people outed for sexism". "We are disappointed to learn of your unwanted touching of a cafe worker. "We appreciate your apology to her and we understand that your actions were well-intentioned and not meant to offend or do the worker any harm. "You no doubt know that it's never okay to touch someone without their permission. You probably think that you've never touched someone in such a way before. "However, this incident shows that you have crossed the line. You will now be aware of the impact -- the worker described how vulnerable and embarrassed she felt." Herald statement Shayne Currie, Editor of NZ Herald has released a statement on how the story was reported: Rachel Glucina approached the Hip Group yesterday, after The Daily Blog broke the story. She knows the Hip Group owners personally. Glucina wanted to follow-up The Daily Blog post and urged the couple to front-foot the issue. She spoke to the couple and the waitress over the telephone. Regardless of any confusion over the initial approach, all three agreed they wanted to make a public statement. They also agreed to pose for a photograph and a Herald photographer was dispatched. They were told by the photographer that the photo would be appearing in the Herald. Herald editor Shayne Currie also spoke to the owners of the Hip Group yesterday afternoon following a call from a PR firm that had already been helping them. "When I spoke to the owners, they told me they had initially thought Rachel was working on a statement to go to all media, along with the photograph. "Given the situation, I wanted to absolutely ensure they knew this interview and photograph were for the Herald. To further ease any concerns, we took the very rare step of agreeing Rachel should run the quotes past the parties before publication. "By then, no one was in any doubt that the article, quotes and photograph would be appearing in the Herald."
In fairness if David Cameron had been accused of doing the same thing i susepct it would be commented on! Anyway, enjoy it while it lasts - there's another royal benefits baby on the way any day now and you'll be bombarded with news of it every bit as much as we will.
So she complained after taking the two bottles of wine as compensation? I bet she wants a career in acting or some such crap.
Is he a Tory or Labour - I need to know before I can get worked up and decide if he's to blame or the waitress and the BBC?
This has been making the news in the UK. No doubt there'll be personal injury vultures encouraging her to make a $ multi-million lawsuit for psychological damage
