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Irrespective of this particular situation it must grate the Greens, who were anti the Waka jumping bill, to now be forced into using it. I bet they will try everything they can before they have to.

Unless Parliament and the parties all hold their MP's to account, to a high standard, nothing will ever improve. We already have a very low skill level in parliament across the board and if we allow MP's to continue in parliament when they have serious issues with integrity then it will continue to go backwards and the people in NZ will continue to lose faith in them.

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Jul 9·edited Jul 10

330,907 people voted for Darleen Tana in the 2023 general election. They may not have wanted to, but they did: because under MMP to vote for the party is to vote for The List. A flaw of MMP as it stands is that we the electors cannot reorder the names on party lists, so when we vote for a party, we must accept The List exactly as the candidates have been ranked by the party leaders.

The Greens were right to oppose the waka jumping law: it is a violation of democracy. It is indeed 'therefore astonishing that Swarbrick is willing to countenance using the rule that they have denounced as anti-democratic and constitutionally outrageous; previous party co-leaders have ruled out ever invoking the law.'

Martyn Bradbury is wrong calling for the Greens to try to expel Tana from Parliament, but spot on when he says that 'once again the Greens desire to tick identity boxes over actually checking their candidates has bitten them in the arse'.

One is left with the impression that Darleen Tana was chosen because she is a Māori woman with a chin tattoo who would be an advertisement for the Greens' bicultural credentials, and as a bonus laid claim to a petty-bourgeois small-business background. If the Greens looked no deeper into Darleen Tana than her image, then their penance now should be to suffer her continued presence in Parliament till the next general election, because they nominated her, and 330,907 people elected her.

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At least this report and its comments doesnt/dont confuse some of us simpletons by referring to her as a they ...or maybe that was just AI with the "woke" button pressed hard???

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Can’t really do any of this without a conviction of some type so it’s all hyperbole and male commeteriat pearl clutching until then. Certainly the blokes of other parties historically tough it out and get away with it for worse. NZ is built on exploited labour. I agree if there’s a case in the business they should be charged. Until then there is nothing more legally to be done.

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"it’s all hyperbole and male commeteriat pearl clutching"

The investigation found that Darleen repeatedly changed her story; that she chose to mislead her fellow Greens probably had a lot more to do with her demise than the alleged crime.

The Greens leadership and the investigative lawyer are women but let's blame the blokes?

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Chloe Swarbrick: "It is also our very strong view that she has misled myself and Marama ... if we can be straight up about it, it is our strong view that she lied to us.

"I take absolutely no joy and no pleasure in what it is that we have had to do today.

"I find it incredibly difficult, on a really personal level, to reconcile my view and understanding of somebody who I thought I knew and loved to that effect with somebody who has engaged in this behaviour, but also not being forthright and upfront about it."

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I have seriously considered joining the Greens as both Labour & the others are failing the country. Which brings me to a place I don’t want to be. Outside of parliament, party members can be as dizzy as they like without causing too many problems. But parliament is different. Like it or not, MP’s have an effect on all our lives. One of the biggest problems with the current government is that they think and act for their donors & lobbyists only. Not what the country needs, but what they want.

The Green leadership needs clear accountability, openness and transparency to be at the heart of everything they do. To try and play the same political games as the rest is just plain not good enough!

I have great respect for Julie A G and actually appreciate her frustration at the government, especially when they can’t be arsed to read reports…….

As far as this current situation is concerned, the report should be released in full, in parliament if necessary and the Greens need to live with the consequences. They also need to be quick and unequivocal in dealing with their MP’s and party organisation in future. They are all well paid and given plenty of opportunities. Yes, it’s a cruel, rough and viscous environment but it’s the same for all MP’s.

So, will I join them? Sorry but the jury is out at present! I will sit in the wilderness for present.

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