Darleen Tana rejects report that led to her removal from Greens

Monday, 8 July 2024

Former Green Party MP Darleen Tana has rebuked Green Party MPs for ousting her from the party, rejecting a report into her conduct.

Tana, in a statement issued late on Monday, said the party had reached a “pre-determined view” about her when they met at the weekend to decide her fate in the Greens.

But she has not confirmed whether she will remain in Parliament, as an independent MP.

The Green Party voted to oust Tana from Parliament for breaching the party’s code of conduct, after an investigation into claims she was aware of complaints of migrant exploitation at her husband’s business.

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick, at press conference on Monday, said the party’s MPs had reached the unanimous decision to remove the suspended MP from the Greens and ask her to leave Parliament, after a nearly four-month investigation into the claims, first reported by Stuff in March.

“I feel utterly betrayed,” Swarbrick said, at a press conference where she declined to comment on the detail of the final report — the outcome of the investigation.

“It is crystal clear to myself and Marama that Darleen Tana’s behaviour falls far short of our expectations for any member of Parliament.

“What’s really clear is that Darleen did not, was not, upfront with myself and Marama as co-leaders.

“This kind of goes to the core of who we are, in terms of the allegations that have been swirling publicly, with regards to like the migrant exploitation, for example. This is really serious.”

The party received the final report late on Friday night, and organised a caucus meeting for Saturday.

Tana had made her case to the party’s caucus, with a lawyer and support person present, on Saturday before the members held a vote.

But before the MPs voted, Tana also wrote to Green Party officials to resign from the party.

Swarbrick, Davidson, and party “musterer”, or whip, Ricardo Menéndez March wrote to Speaker Gerry Brownlee on Saturday evening to inform him Tana was out of the party.

The co-leaders then asked that Tana resign from Parliament.

“We believe that the best way to minimise any more harm and any collateral damage is for Darleen to resign,” Swarbrick said.

In a statement issued late Monday, Tana confirmed she received the report and attended the caucus meeting.

“I do not feel that natural justice has been followed during this process, and at Saturday’s hui it seemed clear that a pre-determined view had been formed prior to hearing from me.

“I want to make it clear that I do not accept the findings of the report and believe that it substantially misrepresents the level of my involvement in my husband’s business.

“This was an investigation into what I knew and should have disclosed to my party leadership. I am therefore deeply concerned by the party’s summary of the findings. The report does not say that migrant exploitation has occurred, let alone that I am responsible for it in any capacity.”

Tana said she was taking time to consider the report, and did not comment on whether she would remain in Parliament.

Under Parliament’s so-called waka-jumping rules, MPs that resign or are expelled from their party can also be expelled from Parliament if the party leaders write to the Speaker asking for this.

But the party leaders must “reasonably believe” the MP ousted from the party has acted in a way that will distort the proportionality of political representation in the House.

The Green Party opposed the waka jumping legislation and has not, as yet, attempted to trigger the rules to try force Tana out of Parliament.

“We are hoping that Darleen does the right thing here and resigns as a member of Parliament. If she does not do that, then further discussions will ensue,” Swarbrick said.

Brownlee said he had no comment for The Post.

Swarbrick said she attempted to call Tana twice, and wrote to her, on Monday, to let her know the party was going public. She also hoped to make public the executive summary of the report, once all involved were notified of this.

Next on the Green Party list, and a likely replacement of Tana if she resigns, is Benjamin Doyle, a teacher at Rototuna High School in Hamilton. Doyle was not available for comment on Monday.

Tana was suspended in March after Stuff reported on claims of migrant exploitation at a bike shop owned by Tana’s husband, including from a worker who alleged they were owed $25,000 in unpaid wages. The allegations are before the Employment Relations Authority.

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The Green Party launched an investigation, and Tana said she would co-operate fully. The investigation has taken months and cost the taxpayer $43,000, before the party assumed the remaining cost.

The investigation, conducted by an independent lawyer, sought to establish what Tana knew of the allegations of exploitation.

Tana had earlier, in February, informed the party of a complaint being laid with the Employment Relations Authority, and without going public the party had her voluntarily step aside from the small business portfolio. She notified the party of a second complaint.

Tana’s position as an MP was further troubled in June, when the Electoral Commission referred her and the publishers of Verve Magazine to the police over an election advertising issue.

Verve Magazine had published a paid article about Tana, but the advertisement appeared to lack a promoter statement required by law.