‘Ghost cyclists’ sparked Green MP drama, florist says

Friday, 3 May 2024

• An allegation against Green MP Julie Anne Genter has emerged over her visit to a Wellington florist.

• The Green party said it had no prior knowledge of the incident.

• The party said it was investigating Genter’s behaviour in parliament towards a National MP.

A Wellington florist says she felt “very uncomfortable” when Green MP Julie Anne Genter came into her shop, and started filming her.

Laura Newcombe’s Four Seasons Florist shop in Newtown is in the Rongotai electorate for which Genter is the MP.

Newcombe said she had been operating the business for 30 years, and it was widely known that she had opposed the removal of parking spaces in the area, while Genter was a passionate cyclist.

“She knows exactly how I feel being left with zero parks,” Newcombe said.

Genter had come into her shop last week, and they had been talking about cycleways.

“We were just looking out the window. I said, ‘there’s some ghost cyclists, there’s no cyclists on your cycleway’,” Newcombe said.

Genter had pulled out her phone and started filming her, Newcombe said.

“To come into somebody’s shop and aggressively film them is such an imbalance of power. It’s what you call bullying,” she said.

“It made me feel very uncomfortable. That’s classic bully behaviour.”

She felt Genter didn’t like her having a different point of view, and was using her power “to just really clamp me down”.

Newcombe said the cycleways had had a major negative impact on her business.

In a statement, the Green Party co-leaders said they had 'no prior knowledge' of Newcombe's complaint.

The new allegations come after the Green Party said it was launching an investigation into an incident in parliament on Wednesday between Genter and National Party minister, Matt Doocey.

During a debate about road projects, Genter walked across the debating chamber, stood beside Doocey - who remained in his seat - and proceeded to wave a book in his face while yelling 'Read the report!'

After the altercation, the Speaker was recalled to the chamber and Genter apologised.

Genter was not in parliament in Thursday and was said to be working from home. She has yet to reply to requests for comment on the florist incident.

Green co-leader Marama Davidson told Newshub: 'I understand that Julie Anne did pull a phone out and video the florist - that is completely unacceptable.'