New Zealand politician punched in face while walking to work
Posted March 13, 2019 4:48 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A New Zealand government minister says he was punched in the face while walking to work in an attack that’s rare in a country where politicians often mingle with the public in stores, bars and sports arenas.
James Shaw, the Climate Change Minister and co-leader of the Green Party, was walking past Wellington’s Botanic Garden just before 8 a.m. Thursday when a man started talking to him before grabbing him and punching him several times, says Shaw’s press secretary, Peter Stevens.
Stevens says two people came along to help and the man jumped in a car and drove away. Shaw suffered a black eye and grazes on his wrist and was being assessed at Wellington Hospital, Stevens said.
Police say a 47-year-old man has been arrested.
The Associated Press
