National MP Maureen Pugh’s name edited online

A National MP has had their name replaced with an insult on her own party’s website.

It’s unclear whether the governing party’s website has been hacked or whether the change to National MP Maureen Pugh’s name was done internally.

In a newsletter on the National Party’s website from June 2021, Pugh’s name had been edited to “Dumbass Poogh”.

This has since been adjusted.

The newsletter that included the amended byline was the most recent the MP for the West Coast-Tasman had written.

In a statement, a National Party spokesperson told Stuff “the issue has been rectified and we’re investigating how it occurred”.

Last month, Pugh faced calls from Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori to apologise after she told Te Kahautu Maxwell to stop his brief whaikōrero [speech] ahead of the planned waiata.

Pugh said she had done so as it was prohibited to have members of the public gallery make speeches. The Opposition parties said her decision caused offence and contravened tikanga Māori.

Pugh spurred controversy last year after telling reporters she was yet to see evidence humans had contributed to climate change, following Cyclone Gabrielle.

She later abruptly changed her mind after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke about climate change with her.