Darleen Tana off to the Court of Appeal to argue for her place in Parliament
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Independent MP Darleen Tana will go to the Court of Appeal to argue for her place in Parliament, according to her former colleagues at the Green Party.
The Green Party, in a statement, said it had been notified of Tana’s intention to appeal the High Court ruling, which threw out her claim that the party acted unlawfully during its investigation into her connection to allegations of migrant worker exploitation.
That High Court claim was Tana’s bid to save her career as an MP, as the Green Party was set to meet to discuss whether to invoke the “waka jumping” law. That rule allows parties to kick out MPs who have left the caucus but continue to sit in Parliament as independents.
However, according to the Greens, Tana’s latest court action will not delay their plans. The party was scheduled to meet on Thursday, holding a special meeting with party delegates, to discuss whether to try and kick Tana out of Parliament.
Tana has not yet responded to Stuff’s request for comment.
What is the waka jumping law?
The waka jumping rule is highly controversial.
It came to Parliament through the instance of NZ First leader Winston Peters, with the Green, National and ACT parties strongly opposing its introduction. They argued it could hamper free expression and democracy within Parliament.
The Green Party’s historic opposition to this rule means it is carefully considering whether to use it. It would be the first time the waka jumping rule has been used since its re-introduction to Parliament in 2018.
Labour chose not to use it against its two rogue MPs, Gaurav Sharma and Meka Whaitiri, last term.
What happened between Darleen Tana and the Greens?
It all started in March, after a Stuff investigation into exploitation claims by two migrant workers at her husband’s e-bike business.
The party then suspended Tana and launched its own investigation into what she knew about those allegations.
When that investigation concluded in July, the Green Party called for Tana to resign. Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said she was not fit to be an MP.