Rachel MacGregor is being forced back to court by Colin Craig. You can help make sure she gets the same access to justice that he has.
Auckland
Rachel was Press Secretary for Conservative Party founder Colin Craig in the lead up to the 2014 election. She filed a sexual harassment claim against Craig with the Human Rights Commission in 2014.
They reached a confidential settlement. To this day Rachel has stuck by the terms of that agreement, and has not spoken about the case or the settlement. She expected to be able to move on, and rebuild her life.
Craig went on to breach the settlement in a series of media conferences, interviews and in a self-produced pamphlet that went to 1.6 million Kiwi homes.
The Human Rights Tribunal found that Mr Craig had “at all times been in a more powerful position than Miss MacGregor. He has used his power and wealth to conduct a calculated campaign of breaches for the sole purpose of attempting to bolster his reputation.”
Since 2014 Craig has drawn Rachel into a series of very public court cases, which has impacted impacted her health, and caused her major financial hardship.
In his latest move, Craig is suing her for defamation. The trial starts in the High Court on September 24 and current estimates put the cost of a good legal defense at $300,000.
We are a group of concerned women who have formed a trust to fundraise for Rachel’s legal costs. What we saw looked unfair and unprecedented and like most New Zealanders who discover with gross inequity, we wanted to help.
The money raised will go towards Rachel’s legal fees and other costs related to the trial.
Together we can send a clear message that here in New Zealand, access to justice is not just for those with the most money and power.
Update: Craig unable to appeal to the Supreme Court 11 September 2021
We have been unable to give meaningful updates for a while, but there is some good news... As many of you may have seen in the media over the past few days, Colin Craig has been told he can’t challenge the High Court ruling that he sexually harassed Rachel. Craig has taken his appeal case all the way to the Supreme Court. In a decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court said it would not allow Craig’s challenge.
Donations towards her very high legal costs to date are still welcomed, and we are extremely grateful for all your contributions and support to date. We have today launched a NEW Givealittle fundraiser which you can find here:
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-end-years-of-abuse-for-rachel-macgregor
We are endeavouring to organise a personal update from Rachel over the next few days. She is feeling relieved, and resting.
Here is Alison Mau's Sunday article in Stuff that covers the events and some of the broader concerns regarding justice:
Please note the High Court's decision on damages is still pending.
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