"The views she expressed in her tweet were distressing, and are obviously not shared by ... the Herald on Sunday.”
Brian Edwards talks about Pebbles Hooper on NBR Radio and on-demand on MyNBR Radio.
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The NZ Herald has announced that Pebbles Hooper has resigned from her role as co-editor of the Herald on Sunday’s Spy gossip pages following a backlash about one of her tweets.
“Today I accepted the resignation of Pebbles Hooper, effective immediately,” NZ Herald Weekend editor Miriyana Alexander said in a statement.
Ms Hooper will also no longer appear in the Weekend Herald's Canvas magazine, in which she has had a long-running advice column with her mother, fashion designer Denise L'Estrange Corbet.
"As I said on Sunday, the views she expressed in her tweet were distressing, and are obviously not shared by me, or the Herald on Sunday,” Ms Alexander’s statement says.
"I have also apologised to a family spokesman for the contents of the tweet and the distress it caused them."
Ms Alexander had been quick to front-foot the controversy caused by a tweet by Ms Hooper on Saturday, telling media that “We are treating it [the tweet] extremely seriously and will be taking this matter up with her this week."
Ms Hooper’s tweet said, “I’ll get major slack [sic] for this but leaving a car running inside a closed garage while you’re [sic] kids are in the house is natural selection.”
It was a reference to the deaths of Ashburton mother Cindy George and her children Pio, Teuruaa and Telyzshaun, after they were overcome by exhaust fumes. A car had been left running to prevent its battery from going flat in the garage of the house they were staying at.
After copping criticism for her comment, Ms Hooper tweeted the following statement on Saturday: "I deeply regret any distress caused to the family. I apologise for my wording and take responsibility for upsetting those involved, and I was careless in my actions," she wrote.
"The issue I regrettably tried to raise was about parental negligence and the precautions needed to ensure the safety of those who are unable to care for themselves.
"I never aimed to target or isolate this issue to one family. Again, I apologise for my actions and have the family in my thoughts."
However, the explanation attracted almost as much criticism as the original tweet.
Ms Hooper’s Twitter account has since been closed.
After her resignation from her NZ Herald roles was announced, NBR approached MediaWorks to ask whether, in light of the controversy, Ms Hooper would continue to appear as a regular panellist on The Paul Henry Show.
A spokeswoman for the company said she was unable to provide an answer as the team that makes the programme had left for the day and that a response would be provided tomorrow.
To build your own NBR Radio playlist and enjoy instant on-demand access to any audio, sign up for our FREE smartphone-only subscription to NBR ONLINE.
