12 Feb 2026

NZ First MP says judge must have known she was yelling at Deputy PM

From Checkpoint, 4:44 pm on 12 February 2026

New Zealand First MP Casey Costello has told a Judicial Conduct Panel that the judge accused of disrupting a political party event must have known she was yelling at the then-Deputy Prime Minister. District Court Judge Ema Aitken is accused of yelling at Winston Peters during an event at Auckland's exclusive Northern Club, calling him a liar describing his comments disgusting. Today, the panel for the first time heard from the judge herself. Finn Blackwell reports.