Green Party dramas will drag on for weeks - or longer

Saturday, 4 May 2024

As MPs were debating roading projects as part of the Annual Review - Transport on Wednesday night, Genter rose from her seat and walked across the chamber towards National's Matt Doocey.

ANALYSIS: Controversy will continue to haunt the Green Party, after a torrid start to a year which has brought three MPs’ conduct into question.

The party’s co-leaders, Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick, must now navigate two contentious issues in the weeks ahead.

After standing over and shouting at National’s Matt Doocey on Wednesday night, Green MP Julie Anne Genter went to ground on Thursday and Friday. She has not responded to requests for comment, even after facing allegations of “bullying” from a Wellington florist who’s upset about cycleways.

While Genter was “working from home” on Thursday, she must eventually return to Parliament. MPs are set to reconvene on Tuesday for another week in the House. When Genter does return, she will be expected to have a response to the complaints made against her.

Chlöe Swarbrick has only recently taken over as Green co-leader.

However, Parliament’s anachronistic rules will provide short-term relief to Genter. Now that the Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, has received formal letters of complaint about Genter - raising a question of “privilege” - she has a justification for not answering questions about the Wednesday night spectacle.

The privileges complaints only concern Genter’s behaviour in the House on Wednesday night. There is no reason she cannot respond to the accusations from Newtown florist Laura Newcombe.

Wednesday’s issue could be referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee, a group of senior MPs that can hold each other to account and punish MPs deemed to have broken the rules. If the committee is called to judge Genter, and then finds against her, it will only extend the lifespan of stories about Green Party disorder.

A similar issue of elongated scandal has arisen as a result of the Green Party’s “independent investigation” into its suspended MP, Darleen Tana.

Tana was suspended in March, after a Stuff investigation raised connections between the MP and migrant exploitation allegations at her husband’s bike shop.

Swarbrick and Davidson moved promptly to suspend the MP, after Stuff asked questions about her involvement with the bike shop.

Golriz Ghahraman resigned as a Green MP in January, and Darleen Tana was suspended as a Green MP in March.

And in the 50 days since that story broke, Tana has stayed away from Parliament - while receiving full pay. The party said she would remain suspended until the investigation, which barrister Rachel Burt is conducting, is completed.

The party’s leadership isn’t happy that they still have this Tana investigation hanging around their necks, more than six weeks down the track.

“We would have loved for this to be finished a lot earlier than it's currently obviously in train for,” Swarbrick said, earlier this week.

The party is expecting the Tana findings to arrive this month.

Asked if she thought it was fair for the public to be frustrated that both Tana and Genter being away from work, Davidson said it was - although she insisted the party continued to “carry on with the mahi”.

“We're working through each situation as best we can. Again, last night was completely unacceptable and there will be disciplinary action,” she said on Thursday.

The party has only recently started moving on from the Golriz Ghahraman shoplifting saga.

But with a third MP facing conduct questions, the party was reminded about its handling of Ghahraman’s shoplifting incidents again on Friday. NZ First leader Winston Peters described the culture of the party as “intensely sad”, during a press conference with reporters in Auckland.

'I'm talking about Golriz. I don't believe that they in any way gave her the help that they needed much earlier in her political career,' he said.

Former Green co-leader James Shaw said the party did have support available.

'And I suspect I'm seeing the same again, and I'm not going to dump down on her because of that.'

The Green Party has repeatedly rejected claims that internal cultural or support issues have led to these issues.

In the case of Ghahraman, former co-leader James Shaw said there was mental health support available - although he also said she had received particularity ugly and serious public abuse “since the day she was elected”.

Shaw suggested those issues, with threats of violence and assault, would understandably take a toll - even if the party had support in place.

The party has also rejected suggestions it lacks accountability or transparency.

On Thursday, Swarbrick said the swift promise for “disciplinary action” showed commitment to accountability. And she said the party also included “support” when MPs were in trouble.

“We've been really clear about the fact that there is a disciplinary action that's being undertaken. Julie Anne will be subjected to both personal and professional support so that we make it really really clear what the standards of behaviour are,” she said.

Green co-leaders Chlöe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson will continue to face questions about their MPs’ conduct.

In the case of Tana, the party did face questions about transparency. The same happened with Ghahraman, as it emerged that leaders knew of some issues before the public found out.

For instance, Tana told the Greens about an ERA complaint in February. At that point, she lost her position as small business spokesperson - but that change went unnoticed by pretty much everyone as the reasoning was not explained.

But Davidson said there was no connecting thread between the conduct concerns which had embroiled three Green MPs this year.

She said it was clear the party’s MPs had faced a lot of stress in recent months, especially as they grieved for Fa'anānā Efeso Collins.

There has also been a transfer of power, with Shaw stepping down as co-leader and then leaving Parliament on Wednesday night - after 10 years. That was the same night Genter confronted Doocey in the House.

“Everyone knows that the Greens have had a heck of a rough time,” Davidson said, on Thursday.

“But nothing excuses the behaviour that happened in the House.”