Darleen Tana refuses to resign, in lengthy letter to party

Tuesday, 20 August 2024

Ex-Green MP Darleen Tana is refusing to resign from Parliament, in a lengthy letter sent to the Green Party and shared with media this afternoon.

The party, which Tana resigned from after an investigation into Tana’s conduct, has repeatedly asked Tana to stand down from Parliament.

“This letter is to confirm that despite your requests that I resign as a Member of Parliament, I was fairly elected as a List MP during the 2023 Election. I have done nothing which would require the Speaker to expel me from the House and I have mahi to do, so I will not be resigning,” Tana wrote in the letter, dated August 20.

In July it emerged independent investigator, barrister Rachel Burt, had found that Tana likely knew there had been allegations made in relation to employment matters at Tana’s partner’s business, which they hadn’t declared to the party. Tana has strongly refuted the findings and has said they don’t think natural justice had been followed.

Greens coleader Chloe Swarbrick previously said Tana had fallen “far, far short of expectations”, and been “far from forthright or upfront”. Swarbrick said Tana should resign from Parliament, if not, the party faced a decision on whether to envoke waka jumping rules, which could expel Tana from Parliament, but using legislation which the party has previously opposed.

Tana resigned from the party but in the letter today, a lengthy seven pages, Tana said they had made that decision after “a long and draining process wherein I had zero control, was silenced, and ultimately refused natural justice. The co-leaders’ decision to ask for my resignation even before I could speak to the investigation report was the final straw.”

Tana said they were “gobsmacked” to be called not fit-for-purpose by the Greens and “heartbroken” to be “the subject of such a malicious campaign of mis and disinformation”.

“Being independent means that I am also free to work kaukapa constructively across the left and right divide. I am not distracted by the noise and party political baiting. I do not care who gets the kudos for keeping our tamariki safe, as long as their mauri, mana and tapu are held at the centre of all our decision-making.”

Tana disputed the Greens’ claim that dis-proportionality had occurred in the House by Tana staying on as an independent.

The Greens are due to decide whether or not to trigger the waka jumping legislation next month.