BREAKING: Hamish Walker, NP for Southland, has announced he will not stand for re-election, saying he sincerely apologises for his actions.

“Today I am announcing that I will not be standing for re-election for the Southland electorate at the upcoming 2020 election,” Hamish said.

“I wish to thank the people of Clutha-Southland who I have loved meeting, assisting and representing over the past two and a half years.”

National Party Leader, Todd Muller, has accepted his resignation.

Hamish will stay on until the September election.

Earlier:

After being told off twice by his boss, Hamish Walker’s future as an MP is under scrutiny.

Hamish Walker, MP for Southland, has found himself at the end of a ticking off from National Party Leader, Todd Muller, twice in the last week.

Todd said on TVNZ’s Breakfast programme this morning he has written to the National Party Board to express his concern about the first-term MP’s behaviour and lack of judgement, and says the Board will be meeting today to reflect on this.

When asked by TVNZ if he personally wanted to see Hamish out of the electorate he answered “yes”. He also said he was “hugely disappointed” and angry and felt let down by Hamish’s behaviour.

Hamish Walker was the MP for Clutha-Southland, which was renamed to Southland in April when the electorate boundaries were rearranged and the area from the Teviot Valley through to Clyde and Springvale added to his electorate.

Last week, the Southland MP was reprimanded by Todd Muller for his remarks about people from “India, Pakistan and Korea” coming to managed isolation facilities in Queenstown, which the Government labelled racist as he had only singled out arrivals from these three countries. Hamish defended his statement, saying “My source today was told people will be coming from these three countries only”.

"I expressed my disappointment and certainly don't condone what he said... I've had the conversation with Hamish [and] expressed my concern," Todd responded to media when questioned about his conversation with Hamish.

Yesterday, Hamish admitted to leaking confidential COVID-19 patient data. When asked why, he explained he wanted to expose the government’s shortcomings in the hope they would be rectified.

“I have spoken to National Party Leader Todd Muller and informed him that I passed to members of the media, by email, information containing Covid-19 patient details that was given to me by a source.

“I did this to expose the Government’s shortcomings so they would be rectified.

“It was never intended that the personal details would be made public, and they have not been, either by me or the persons I forwarded them to,” said Hamish in a statement.

“By exposing a significant privacy issue, I hope the Government will improve its protocols and get its safeguards right.”

Hamish apologised for his handling of the information and to those affected by the leak. He said he will be fully cooperating with Michael Heron, QC, who was appointed earlier this week by the Hon Chris Hipkins in his role as State Services Minister, to conduct an inquiry into the leak.

Former National Party President, Michelle Boag, has since admitted passing the patient details to Hamish.

Hamish has been stripped of his Forestry, Land Information and Associate Tourism portfolios and Todd Muller said he will not be making any further comment on the matter, as it is now the subject of an inquiry.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health has said the Ministry “won’t have comment on anything which may involve the investigation currently underway.”