Mr Shadbolt apologised to plaintiff several times

Press, 13 November 1985, Page 37

Mr Shadbolt apologised to plaintiff several times

PA Auckland Mr Tim Shadbolt said in the High Court at Auckland that he had made more apologies to the plaintiff in a defamation action against him “than anyone else in my whole life.” That, he said, included one recently to the former Mayor of Waitemata, Mr Tony Covic, and an offer to publish it in several Auckland newspapers in a lastditch bid to avert the hearing.

Mr Covic is claiming damages totalling $90,000 from Mr Shadbolt, the present Mayor of Waitemata, and $270,000 from the “Auckland Star” newspaper.

He alleges that during the 1983 local body election

campaign he was seriously defamed by his successor in five statements, including one printed in the “Star,” and by another printed in the “Star” which did not refer to Mr Shadbolt. .

Mr Shadbolt said at the opening of the defence case: “I think I have apologised to Mr Covic more than anyone else in my whole life.”

The first apology came “virtually immediately” after the publication of an allegedly defamatory report, quoting Mr Shadbolt in “Inner City News” in early 1983.

Several others had followed, Mr Shadbolt said.

Mr Shadbolt, called by counsel, Mr Bob Fisher, QC, said he had also supported

Mr Covic on several occasions.

“I stood up at my inaugural meeting of council and said he (Mr Covic) was the best Mayor that this city ever had, and hoped I could carry on the good job.” Mr Shadbolt said he had voted for Mr Covic as chairman of the Auckland Regional Authority transport committee because he was the “best man for the job.” Referring to the “Inner City News” . report, Mr Shadbolt described several statements about Mr Covic as “off-the-cuff remarks never intended for publication.

He said the finished report contained gross inaccuracies. The reporter, Mr Douglas Hickson, had included some asides and personal comments made

by Mr Shadbolt, which had not been envisaged for publication.

Mr Shadbolt admitted making reference during the interview to Mr Covic’s involvement in what he termed the Dally Mafia in west Auckland.

“That one is mine,” he said. “I did not think he (the reporter) would write all this.

“I sort of saw it the same as Aussie being short for Australian,” referring to the expression Dally. ‘‘l did not think it was insulting — it was a common word in West Auckland that I had been brought up with.”

Mafia was a term for a group of people or family who stuck together and looked after each other. Mr Shadbolt also acknow-

ledged saying words to the effect that if he was elected Mayor he would lay a connecting road between the Waitemata City motor vehicle testing station and Mr Covic’s nearby garage.

"It was an off-the-cuff joke. I never thought that it would get written up in the newspaper.” Mr Shadbolt said that the day after the offending article appeared he was called to Mr Covic’s office.

Much of the discussion revolved round Mr Shadbolt’s standing for the mayoralty at the coming local body elections.

Mr Covic had told Mr Shadbolt that he was too young and inexperienced to run for Mayor and, instead, should serve an “apprenticeship” as a councillor.

“He was prepared to help me if I ran for council and give me advice, but of course he could not help me if I ran for Mayor.” The trial is continuing before Mr Justice Henry and a jury of eight women and four men.