A major political scandal has rocked New Zealand after Michael Forbes, a senior communications aide to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, resigned following disturbing allegations that he secretly recorded women, including sex workers, and took non-consensual photos and videos.
The revelations have triggered widespread outrage, prompted apologies from top officials, and renewed calls for tougher privacy laws to protect people—especially women—from such acts of voyeurism.
Forbes, who until Wednesday served as Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, reportedly recorded audio of a sex worker while he was in the shower during an encounter in July 2024. The woman became suspicious after spotting the active recording app on his phone. After confronting him, Forbes gave her his phone’s password.
What she and several other sex workers found next stunned them: multiple audio recordings of intimate encounters, along with photos and videos of unsuspecting women taken in various settings—including gyms, supermarkets, and even through windows of their homes.
Following these findings, Forbes admitted wrongdoing and submitted his resignation. In a public statement, he said:
“I offer my sincerest apologies to the women I have harmed. I was in a downward spiral due to unresolved trauma and stress, and I’ve since sought professional help. But what I failed to do then was make a genuine attempt to apologise.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, visibly shocked by the allegations, said he had zero tolerance for such behaviour and expressed full sympathy for the women affected.
“My sympathy is with the women who raised these allegations and who were made to feel unsafe due to the actions of this person,” Luxon said on Thursday. “This case came as an absolute shock. There is no place for behaviour that invades people’s privacy and dignity.”
At the time of the incident, Forbes worked as press secretary to Social Development Minister Louise Upston. He was later promoted in February 2025 to his role in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Both Luxon and Upston said they were unaware of the previous complaint until it surfaced in media reports. According to Stuff, a local news outlet, police had been alerted to the issue in July 2024, when a Wellington brothel filed a complaint after seeing disturbing content on Forbes’ phone.
However, police said the case did not meet the threshold for prosecution and was not flagged to government officials. This revelation has sparked criticism of the communication gap between law enforcement and political offices.
Prime Minister Luxon has since ordered a review of inter-agency processes, demanding to know why such serious information was never brought to the attention of ministers.
“We have to take this incident seriously, understand how it happened, and look at what more we can do to prevent this kind of behaviour in future,” Luxon said.
Luxon also joined other political leaders in calling for stronger privacy and surveillance laws, particularly laws aimed at curbing voyeurism, harassment, and digital abuse.
“There is a clear gap in how our laws protect individuals from this kind of invasive behaviour. We must look at legislative changes to address it,” he said.
The scandal has raised broader concerns about the vetting and oversight of staff in government offices, especially those with access to sensitive political and media environments. Critics argue that early intervention by law enforcement and transparent communication could have prevented further harm.
Women’s rights groups and advocacy organisations have also responded strongly, urging the government to prioritise the protection of women’s privacy and dignity in both private and professional spaces.
As of now, there is no indication that Forbes will face criminal charges, but pressure is mounting on police and legal authorities to reconsider the matter, especially in light of the growing public outcry.
The case has left a stain on Prime Minister Luxon’s administration, just months into his term, and may lead to lasting changes in how political offices handle allegations of misconduct involving staff members.
For now, the government says it is committed to reviewing internal procedures and ensuring that the voices of affected women are heard and respected.