The Executive Council of the Tonga Law Society wishes to refer to the recent media reports concerning Mr David Garrett SC, a New Zealand Member of Parliament, and licensed law practitioner in Tonga, making inappropriate sexual comments to a female staff member of the New Zealand Parliament.

It was reported that while Mr Garret was trying to apologise on television for his conduct, he stated that "I now understand very clearly that the kind of thing that might have been okay in a law firm in Tonga is not okay in parliament".

The Tonga Law Society wishes to state very clearly that any inappropriate sexual comments made to women in any Tongan law firm, or any other organisation, is absolutely unacceptable and intolerable. Such action is not condoned by any member of the Tongan Law Society.

The Council would also like to report that it today received a letter from Mr Garrett where he "unreservedly" apologised to the members of the Society for his comments on television. In his letter Mr Garrett accepts that "behaviour towards women that is unacceptable in New Zealand's Parliament is just as unacceptable in Tonga, or anywhere else".

The Council has considered the media reports and Mr Garrett's apology, and it has decided to note Mr Garrett's apology.

Mr Garrett's conduct at this stage is not a subject of a disciplinary complaint, and as the determining body that deals with disciplinary complaints against law practitioners, the Executive Council has not made a determination on the merits of matter. President and the Executive Council of the Tonga Law Society, 25/06/09.