Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter confronts Matthew Doocey in Parliament, May 1, 2024.
The Green Party has commenced a disciplinary process into the behaviour of MP Julie Anne Genter after a confrontation in Parliament last night, which has now triggered multiple privileges complaint.
“This cannot happen again,” Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson told media at a press conference this afternoon.
“It completely fell below our standards of behaviour,” Davidson said.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee has also just confirmed to Parliament that he had received privileges complaints from party whips relating to the incident. He did not specify which parties had lodged the complaints.
Speaking in Parliament, he said the process of natural justice meant he would give the MP facing the complaint (Genter) until midday on Monday to make a representation on it before he made a decision on it. He reminded MPs that once a point of privilege had been raised, they were not to raise the incident in Parliament until his ruling was made.
Genter crossed the floor of the debating chamber last night and waved a book in the face of National minister Matt Doocey. She has subsequently apologised for her actions.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Genter’s behaviour was “quite unbelievable”. He had checked in with Doocey last night.
NZ First leader Winston Peters and Labour leader Chris Hipkins have also said Genter’s actions were unacceptable.
Davidson wouldn’t answer whether Genter had displayed similar behaviour in the past or had breached the party’s expectations of behaviour. She was limiting herself to commenting on the actions that took place last night.
”[Her actions] were not good and they were wrong.”
The Greens had an internal MP code of conduct and Genter had breached that.
Davidson said she had contacted Doocey as well as Luxon, but hadn’t heard back. Doocey didn’t comment on the matter when asked by journalists.
Davidson believed the party didn’t need to conduct an investigation into any role the party could have played in Genter’s actions.
Asked how they might respond to public concern about the state of the party, Davidson said she understood if some members of the public would have concerns in light of Genter’s actions, which followed the launch of an investigation into MP Darleen Tana and the resignations of former MPs Golriz Ghahraman and Elizabeth Kerekere.
Davidson said she had thought it best Genter not be here today.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said they had made it clear to Genter that her actions were not acceptable.
“It crossed a threshold last night,” Swarbrick said.
Swarbrick did acknowledge Genter had been talked to about a prior incident of poor behaviour during a media interview.
Doocey refused to comment to journalists about the matter as he headed into Question Time this afternoon.
This morning on Newstalk ZB, Deputy Prime Minister Peters said Genter “lost the plot” and should face consequences, while Hipkins also said such behaviour was not acceptable.
A Green Party spokesman said earlier Genter’s actions were “clearly unacceptable and do not meet the standards of what we expect of Green Party MPs.
“The co-leaders have talked to Julie Anne and made clear their expectations. Julie Anne has apologised to the Speaker and to the House.”
If her actions weren’t intimidating, “I don’t know what is,” Peters said to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB.
Peters was not in the House last night but said he had spoken to people who were.
He described Genter’s actions as waving a “big book” in someone’s face as if she were going to “bang [him] on the nose with it.
”I think she just lost the plot.”
Asked what should happen to Genter, Peters said her saying “I made you feel unsafe and I’m sorry” just ‘doesn’t cut it’.
”There has to be consequences for this … it’s disappointing in the extreme.”
Act Party leader David Seymour tweeted about it, saying “there’s a culture in the Greens where they think they know it all, and the rules don’t apply to them. Now there’s a Green Party scandal almost every month with one of their MPs acting out on that culture.”
At a media standup in South Auckland this morning Labour leader Hipkins said while he was also not in the House at the time he had seen the “unflattering photos” of Genter.
He wasn’t prepared to comment on whether it was intimidating behaviour but didn’t think it was acceptable for politicians to get up and walk across the House.
The incident happened about 8pm, while Labour’s Nelson MP Rachel Boyack was speaking and followed some heckling between Doocey and Genter over transport funding for roading.
It was visible in the background of the footage on Parliament TV.
“Miss Genter. Miss Genter, please resume your seat,” demanded the chair at the time, Barbara Kuriger.
“It’s not appropriate to get out of one’s seat to go and have an argument with somebody on the other side.”
Speaker Gerry Brownlee was recalled to the debating chamber to deal with the issue after National’s whip Scott Simpson asked Kuriger to do so.
After some other MPs spoke, Genter stood and said she would like to apologise, saying she had been trying to show Doocey some information in a booklet.
“It was the last thing I wanted to do was to intimidate anyone in this House. What has absolutely motivated me was a desire to share information that I believed would be of benefit to everyone in this House. And I’m very sorry if in my passion to do so, I was intimidating. That was not my intention.”
Brownlee said he had not seen the incident himself, but it would be open for MPs to lodge a privileges complaint if they felt it was warranted and that Genter’s apology was not sufficient.