Shaun Plunket has issued an unreserved public apology to Wellington employment lawyer Barbara Buckett, retracting comments he made on The Platform and confirming a settlement that includes damages and legal costs.
In a statement published on 30 September 2025, Plunket says he is apologising in response to a High Court statement of claim served on 28 July and that his June remarks about Buckett “crossed a line.” He accepts it was wrong to question her integrity or motives and apologises both personally and on behalf of The Platform.
Barbara Buckett (pictured) is a well known Wellington employment lawyer, practising at BuckettLaw.
What Plunket said, in plain terms: he won’t repeat the original comments; he expressly withdraws them; he acknowledges they were personal remarks that “had no place” on his programme; and he accepts responsibility for allowing others on his platform to pile on.
He also confirms the case has been settled, with payment of Buckett’s costs and a sum in damages. The apology was posted as a written statement and as a short video carried by The Platform’s channels.
Buckett acted for former Platform editor Ani O’Brien in her long-running employment dispute with The Platform. That context makes Plunket’s on-air swing at Buckett especially pointed, and the public retreat even starker. Recent reporting has noted O’Brien’s successful compensation outcome and the wider fallout around The Platform’s workplace issues.
Defamation lawyer Peter McKnight represented Barbara Buckett ini the matter with The Platform represented by Franks Ogilvie.
