Green Party’s horror run continues with MP Darleen Tana’s suspension - Audrey Young

Green MP Darleen Tana. Photo / Jenny Ling

OPINION:

This is a transcript of Audrey Young’s subscriber-only Premium Politics newsletter. To sign up, click on your profile at nzherald.co.nz and select ‘Newsletters’. For a step-by-step guide, click here.

Welcome to the Politics Briefing. Who would have guessed that the Greens would be plunged into a series of crises, and so soon after posting their best election result ever? But with the suspension and investigation of Waiheke-based MP Darleen Tana over an employment dispute involving her husband’s e-bike business, the party has been thrown into further turmoil.

Tana was standing right behind Chloe Swarbrick last weekend when Swarbrick was elected to replace outgoing co-leader James Shaw. The reason given for the suspension was that while she declared the dispute to the party on February 1 and another the following week, she may have known about it before then.

Tana gave her maiden speech in Parliament on February 14 and it was a cracker. I ranked it among the best. She has not spoken in Parliament since. The party is conducting its own investigation and the dispute will be heard by the Employment Relations Authority.

Former MP Golriz Ghahraman pleaded guilty to shoplifting this week (and was escorted from court by a bodyguard shining a bright torch into the accompanying cameras). She was replaced in the Green caucus by Celia Wade-Brown. The death of Fa’anana Efeso Collins rocked the party and he was replaced by Lawrence Xu-Nan; and when James Shaw steps down, he will be replaced by Francisco Hernandez. The next person on the Green list is Benjamin Doyle, who contested Hamilton West for the party.

Pre-Budget squeeze continues

Meanwhile, the Government continues to face economic headwinds as it prepares for the May Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis, speaking on Newstalk ZB this morning, said the growth forecasts were gloomier than she thought they would be. But she is attempting to inject a sense of optimism into the situation, and a sense that Government needs business to stay positive when the next GDP figures are released next week. “We can get down in the dumps about it or we can say ‘what can we all do about it?’” She will no doubt be attempting to deliver the same message to a business audience in Auckland today.

It was good to see Christopher Luxon enjoying himself at the Central Districts Field Days in Feilding this week, as Adam Pearse reports. After copping a bit of criticism about his prickliness at Monday’s press conference, he is back to giving a good imitation of the Energizer Bunny.

One of things I enjoyed most this week was writing a warts-and-all obituary of the former Speaker Jonathan Hunt. As I said in it, everybody of a certain age has a Jonathan story - and some of them are retold in it. It also has details of his memorial service on March 22.

Quote unquote

“We are traditional Westminster parliamentarians. Sovereignty rests with Parliament and we want to avoid a situation on Treaty matters where the rule of law is replaced by the rule of lawyers” - Shane Jones on why NZ First will no longer allow general Treaty of Waitangi clauses in new legislation.

Micro quiz

How many of Winston Peters’ foreign affairs counterparts can you name - in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, the US and the UK - and which will be visiting New Zealand next week? (Answers below.)

Brickbat

Labour's finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds. Photo / Mark Mitchell

To Barbara Edmonds, Labour’s finance spokeswoman, for suggesting 346 landlords with at least 200 properties would get $464 million between them from the reinstatement of interest deductibility rules - a claim which cannot be substantiated (see Thomas Coughlan’s story below).

Bouquet

The Whakapapa skifield, operated by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts.

To the Taxpayers’ Union and the Free Speech Union respectively. Despite clearly being more sympathetic to the policies of the coalition Government, they have not hesitated to put the boot in when they deem it necessary - this week over bailouts to Ruapehu Alpine Lifts and excessive use of urgency.

Latest political news and views

Suspended MP: Green MP Darleen Tana has been suspended amid allegations she is linked to migrant exploitation at her husband’s company.

Ghahraman charges: A newly released court document has revealed details about which items former MP Golriz Ghahraman stole, and how she did it.

Fiscal hole: The IRD has put up its own costings for the Government’s plan to raise revenue from online gambling - and they’re much lower.

China meeting: China’s Foreign Minister will visit New Zealand next week for the first high-level meetings between the countries since the new Government took power.

Treaty policy: The coalition Government has stopped putting general Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation.

Property tax: The Government has confirmed its plans to water down the country’s de facto capital gains tax, known as the bright-line test.

Field Days visit: Inflation was a hot topic when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited the Central Districts Field Days in Feilding.

Labour retreat: Labour leader Chris Hipkins said his party was entering a “new era” at its first retreat after the election.

Jonathan Hunt tribute: Audrey Young documents the highs and lows of former Speaker Jonathan Hunt, who has died aged 85.

‘Landlord millionaires’: The Government says Labour used misleading figures when it claimed the reinstatement of property interest deductions would create a class of landlord millionaires.

Opinion - police pay: The Police Association has got the Government over a barrel when it comes to salary negotiations for police - and minister Mark Mitchell knows it, writes Claire Trevett.

Environmental laws: The Government is suspending a requirement for councils to map and impose Significant Natural Areas for three years.

India visit: Foreign Minister Winston Peters has wrapped up his first official visit to India this term, saying he sees a path to stronger relations on security and trade.

Quiz answer: Penny Wong from Australia, Wang Yi from China, S. Jaishankar from India, Retno Marsudi from Indonesia, Antony Blinken from the United States and David Cameron from Britain. Wang Yi will be visiting next week.

Audrey Young is the New Zealand Herald’s senior political correspondent. She was named Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards in 2023, 2020 and 2018.

For more political news and views, listen to On the Tiles, the Herald’s politics podcast.