Ex-MP Darleen Tana says she is “relieved” she has been booted from Parliament under the so-called “waka-jumping” law, and has revealed why she refused to quit her job, despite repeated calls for her to do so.
Tana spoke exclusively to 1News, following confirmation from Speaker Gerry Brownlee she would be ejected from Parliament after the Green Party invoked legislation to do so.
It follows a decision by the party’s delegates to direct Green co-leaders to write to Brownlee, stating Tana’s resignation from the party affected the proportionality of the Parliament – under so-called waka-jumping or “party-hopping” legislation.
The Greens have been firm in their opposition to the law, despite voting for it due to Labour’s coalition agreement with New Zealand First in 2017 – something former co-leader James Shaw described as akin to swallowing a “dead rat”.
Despite the opposition, Tana’s removal from Parliament now means the Greens are the first party to use it. In July, Tana resigned from the party and became an independent MP after a meeting where the Greens caucus asked her to resign from Parliament.
That meeting was called after an independent report, commissioned by the party, found it was “more likely than not” Tana was aware of allegations of migrant worker exploitation against her husband’s e-bike business.
Tana – who was the party’s small business spokesperson – was first stood down by the party on March 13. Speaking to 1News Political Editor Maiki Sherman, at Wellington’s Oriental Bay, she said she learned of her removal as an MP this morning.
“My reaction to that? In one part relieved, but mostly just thankful – thankful to all of my supporters who’ve held me, thus far, and continue to hold me even now, who know that I’m not guilty of anything, that I’ve not done anything wrong.
Following a delayed meeting, delegates last night voted to use party hopping legislation against their former MP. (Source: 1News)
“I’m immensely thankful – and also to the New Zealand public, thankful that I’ve been able to have this occasion to work hard inside Parliament for – albeit, the short time that I’ve had.”
Asked if she would challenge the decision, Tana said she respected the Speaker’s call.
“The party-hopping law doesn’t leave much wiggle room. There’s an argument that some of it can be reviewable by judicial review. But no, I think, because I’m also relieved somewhat that I no longer have to stand there and hold because … had I resigned, that would have, in one way, been an admission of guilt and … I wasn’t guilty.”
Tana said she had fought being ejected from Parliament from the start “because fundamentally I didn’t do anything wrong”.
“Had I known about things happening in my husband’s business, then I would have had something to say to my leaders.
“The allegations against my husband still haven’t been proven.
“I’m not somebody who lives with regrets. How things have happened is how things have happened. I can’t look backward, I can only look forward.”
As to whether she took responsibility for any failings, Tana said: “Show me the facts”.
“Show me the evidence where I have done something wrong.
Tana’s lawyer told the High Court the Green Party failed to follow proper procedures, Political Editor Maiki Sherman reports. (Source: 1News)
“Whatever happened until innocent until proven guilty? A report was made, again, nothing based on hard evidence, purely on allegations and people bought into that.
“The Green Party leaders have continued their mis- and disinformation campaign against me. This is a political expediency story more than anything.”
Tana’s removal from Parliament draws to a close a long-running saga that began in March, when allegations against her husband’s business first became known publically.
On whether she had any regrets about what had transpired, the former MP said she was “somebody who just works hard and gets down to business”.
“I take up my responsibilities where they fall.
“If I had known there was something that was amok or awry I would have stepped in and helped and sorted it, and I would have certainly told my [Green Party] leaders.”
She said her hope for the Green Party was that “they get their heads around what is tikanga Māori”.
“All of this could have been resolved a lot quicker, a heck of a lot cheaper and certainly upholding the mana and integrity of everybody had we gone down a tikanga Māori process, had we sat around the table and just talked things through.”
Tana said she could not talk to the Green Party membership, repeating again the claim of a “mis- and disinformation campaign” against her.
She said the scandal around her had been “devastating” for her whānau and children.
“To have media make all kinds of stories about whether my husband and I are together and all of that kind of stuff – it’s been really, really hard. So I’m hoping that with this closing and this turning of a new page that people will just leave my whānau alone.”
Tana said she gave aroha (love) to her supporters for their kaha (strength).
“Without them, without their support, I would not have been able to stand as I have, quietly, patiently, just doing the mahi (work) inside Parliament alongside all of the noise happening.”
She said some of her supporters were today “devastated” by the Green Party.
“Devastated at a party where all of us have given so much, in the last few years, to live into the values of the Green Party, to see the party now go fully against its values, go fully against their own policy positions with respect to, in this latest example, the party-hopping bill.”
Tana will be replaced by the next person on the Green Party list, Benjamin Doyle, who is understood to likely be Parliament’s first out non-binary MP.
Doyle uses they/them pronouns.
Process ‘in line with our values’ – Greens co-leader
This morning, Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the party was “glad” to be in a position “where we can finally draw a line under all of this”.
“We have gone above and beyond the requirements of the legislation.
Party’s co-leaders have written to Tana, saying the MP’s actions have “distorted the proportionality” of Parliament — and setting in motion waka-jumping provisions. (Source: 1News)
“Everything that we have done, we have done so in line with our values.”
Swarbrick said she was “incredibly confident” and “comfortable” with the party’s processes dealing with the matter, and the speaker had also “dotted the ‘i’s and crossed the ‘t’s”.
“I am incredibly proud of the fact that we have thoroughly pulled this issue apart and looked at it from so many different angles and consistently come back to what we believe in and the things that we are trying to achieve as a political project, as the Green Party.
“I believe that that has required us inspecting ourselves, evolving and maturing in certain circumstances, obviously grappling with some really challenging variables, but ultimately I am really proud of where we’ve come to.
“We’ve never pretended that democracy is not a messy process and the Greens are pretty renowned for having those conversations in public as well as private.”
Swarbrick said Tana’s claims she had done nothing wrong were “simply not what the facts say”.
Timeline
March 14 – Darleen Tana is suspended from the Green Party pending an investigation into what she knew and when about allegations of migrant worker exploitation at her husband’s business
July 8 – Following the release of the independent report into what Tana knew and when he Greens caucus meets to ask Tana to resign as an MP
July 28 – The Green Party’s co-leaders write to Tana to begin the waka-jumping process, giving her 21 working days to respond
September 20 – Tana loses a High Court hearing to prevent the Greens’ special general meeting where it intends to decide whether to take the final step in the waka-jumping process – writing to the Speaker to express Tana’s resignation as a Green Party MP distorts the proportionality of the parliament
October 17 – The Green Party’s delegates reach consensus to write to the Speaker
October 22 – Speaker Gerry Brownlee informs Parliament Tana is no longer an MP.
Additional reporting by Felix Desmarais