Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick says it's unclear what path the party will take if Darleen Tana won't resign from Parliament.
The party was handed a report on Tana's knowledge of alleged migrant exploitation at her husband's business on Friday.
She's resigned from the party, and the caucus has unanimously requested she also quit Parliament.
Tana's released a statement saying she does not accept the report's findings.
Swarbrick says things are still up in the air.
"Were Darleen to put us in the position where she was not to resign as a member of Parliament, then of course we would have to go back to having some sort of discussion about what comes next."
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right, as we have been talking about Darling, Tana has
resigned from the Green Party but will stay as an
MP for now. The Greens have asked that she resigned
from parliament all together, but Tana is yet to respond
to that request. A report into allegations of migrant exploitation
at Tana's husband's e bike company was handed to the
party on Friday night, but neither the report or a
(00:21):
summary have been released. Chloe's Warbrook is the Green Party
co leader and she joins me, Now, Hi Calder, why
can't you say what's in the report?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
So, just to be crystal clear, our preference mine and
Matama's and our caucuses is for immediate release of that report,
but we have to continue to follow good practice in
privacy rights and law to that effect. It's basically about
consulting with all of the named parties here. We're not
just talking about Darling, but those who are involved and
you know, making those allegations in other ways. So for
(00:52):
sake of clarity as well, we as of this morning,
have contacted all parties named in the executive summary of
expediency in releasing that as practically possible.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Is Darlne Tana taking legal action against you or the
party to prevent publication of the report.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I am not aware of that at this point in time.
We have gone out for consultation and obviously asked for
her to feed back to us with regard to the
release of that report.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Chloe, how bad was the conduct that was detailed on
the report?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Frankly, it was bad. It was bad to the extent
that myself from Adama have come to the conclusion that
this wasn't a one off instance, but multiple events over
several years, and more so than that that it is
our very strong view that she misled us as co leaders,
which could have curtailed the need for this independent expert
investigation in the first place. The severity of that is
(01:46):
of course reflected in us taking that kind of unprecedented
steps so far as the Greens, to my understanding of
not taken this step in the past to recommend or
to make that recommendation to our caucus that we request
her resignation as a member of parliament in entirety.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
You mentioned that she went against the values of the
Green Party. What values in particular are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So look at the stand up today. Obviously myself town
we all know is Altamartha waker Martin and PACIFICA Caucus
chair and Ricardo men Indre's march, who is not only
our musterer but also our immigration spokesperson, spoke to our
values and our proud track record of advocating for people
in planet, but specifically for workers and for migrant workers' rights.
(02:29):
You know, there's plenty that is out there in the
public arena, and I cannot comment on the content specifically
of the report, but what I can say is that effectively,
her behavior and her actions and her inability to acknowledge
that behavior but also take accountability for it is in
stark contrast to the expectations that we have not only
(02:50):
of Green MP's but of any member of Parliament.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Does Darlene accept the findings of the report?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Honestly, Francisca, this is something which I would really encourage
you to put to Darlinge. At this point in time,
it's honestly not quite clear what her position, view or
otherwise is. We've made it clear what it is that
we believe has to happen here, which is for her
to resign so that we are all able to move forward.
And that would be my plea. You know, if she
still has any vestige of belief and upholding the Green
(03:21):
Party copopper, but also our foundational belief that no one
person is bigger than the things that we're all fighting for,
then the best way to bring about an end to
all of this and to minimize harm and any collateral
damage is to resign as a member of Parliament.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So, Chloe, if she doesn't resign from parliament, will you
try and force this by invoking the Walker jumping law.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
So this is not a discussion that we've yet had
with our caucus or with our party, as was well
chemist at the stand up today. Of course, we have
a long track record of opposing legislation as well. So
that's why it's important that everybody knows that right now
this ball sits in Darlene's court and we would expect
that the same level of scrutiny that has been applied
(04:03):
to the Greens as this investigation has been underway, that
there is due scrutiny now on Darlene Tana and her position.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
But if her behavior is as bad as you say
it has, would you consider doing that again?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
What I'm saying to you right now is that we
have not made a decision on what happens if Darlene
does not come back to us and accept our request
for her resignation. So yes, absolutely, Look, I am not
in a position to all things and arout at the moment.
The Greens very proudly make decisions in a collective basis.
So where darline to put us in a position where
she was not to resign as a member of Parliament,
(04:38):
then of course we would have to go back to
having some form of discussion about what comes next. I'm
telling you that we haven't yet investigated that, thank you.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Darlene is a listing piece. She got less than three
thousand votes. She doesn't have the public backing to be
an independent. Surely you have to force this issue.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, And look, the reality is politically, legislatively or otherwise.
This is really now a matter not only for the
Green Party but also for due public scrutiny. As we've
said from the outset, we spent a lot of time
myself and Madama as co leaders, protecting the integrity and
the natural justice of this independent expert inquiry such that
(05:17):
we could have robust, evidential findings that didn't have any
polase finger on the scale, so that we could come
to very clear decisions on what needed to happen next
without kind of anybody, as I said before, putting their
fingers on the scale to that effect. Into your question
is to whether she has the public mandate to stay on. Look,
she was as she was elected, rather as you say,
(05:38):
as a Green List MP. All of our List MPs
are elected on the basis of our principles and our values,
and thousands of Green volunteers across the country mobilized to
end up getting over three hundred thousand New Zealanders to
put their face, their trust and their confidence and in
us past election, and we are very clear that dulln
(05:58):
Punner's actions and our very strong view has breached all
of those things.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Finally, Chloe, is there anything in this report that would
make you consider going to the police.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
No, there's nothing in the report that would currently make
me consider going to police. Know but also as I
said at the stand up, look, we remain open and
willing to engage with whomever, you know, whatever is needed
in terms of getting justice in this out in this process.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
That was Choe Swarbrick there, the co leader of the
Green Party, and we have just received a statement from
Darlene Taner. I can confirm that I received a copy
of the final report on Saturday morning and attended a
caucus meeting that day where it was discussed. I do
not feel that natural justice has been followed during this process,
and it's Saturday's Huy. It seemed clear that a predetermined
(06:47):
view has been formed prior to hearing from me. I
can confirm, as indicated during today's conference with the Green
Party leadership, that I have subsequently resigned as a member
of the Green Party. I'm reading you that the press
release a statement which has just been released from Darling Tana.
She continues, I want to make it clear that I
do not accept the findings of the report and believe
(07:09):
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'm
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.
(07:30):
I have only a short time to consider this report
and am taking some time to consider it before making
any further comment so that has just been released. That
is the statement from Darlene Tana. For more from Heather
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to News Talk said B
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Right, as we have been talking about Darling, Tana has
resigned from the Green Party but will stay as an
MP for now. The Greens have asked that she resigned
from parliament all together, but Tana is yet to respond
to that request. A report into allegations of migrant exploitation
at Tana's husband's e bike company was handed to the
party on Friday night, but neither the report or a
(00:21):
summary have been released. Chloe's Warbrook is the Green Party
co leader and she joins me, Now, Hi Calder, why
can't you say what's in the report?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
So, just to be crystal clear, our preference mine and
Matama's and our caucuses is for immediate release of that report,
but we have to continue to follow good practice in
privacy rights and law to that effect. It's basically about
consulting with all of the named parties here. We're not
just talking about Darling, but those who are involved and
you know, making those allegations in other ways. So for
(00:52):
sake of clarity as well, we as of this morning,
have contacted all parties named in the executive summary of
expediency in releasing that as practically possible.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Is Darlne Tana taking legal action against you or the
party to prevent publication of the report.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I am not aware of that at this point in time.
We have gone out for consultation and obviously asked for
her to feed back to us with regard to the
release of that report.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Chloe, how bad was the conduct that was detailed on
the report?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Frankly, it was bad. It was bad to the extent
that myself from Adama have come to the conclusion that
this wasn't a one off instance, but multiple events over
several years, and more so than that that it is
our very strong view that she misled us as co leaders,
which could have curtailed the need for this independent expert
investigation in the first place. The severity of that is
(01:46):
of course reflected in us taking that kind of unprecedented
steps so far as the Greens, to my understanding of
not taken this step in the past to recommend or
to make that recommendation to our caucus that we request
her resignation as a member of parliament in entirety.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
You mentioned that she went against the values of the
Green Party. What values in particular are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So look at the stand up today. Obviously myself town
we all know is Altamartha waker Martin and PACIFICA Caucus
chair and Ricardo men Indre's march, who is not only
our musterer but also our immigration spokesperson, spoke to our
values and our proud track record of advocating for people
in planet, but specifically for workers and for migrant workers' rights.
(02:29):
You know, there's plenty that is out there in the
public arena, and I cannot comment on the content specifically
of the report, but what I can say is that effectively,
her behavior and her actions and her inability to acknowledge
that behavior but also take accountability for it is in
stark contrast to the expectations that we have not only
(02:50):
of Green MP's but of any member of Parliament.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Does Darlene accept the findings of the report?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Honestly, Francisca, this is something which I would really encourage
you to put to Darlinge. At this point in time,
it's honestly not quite clear what her position, view or
otherwise is. We've made it clear what it is that
we believe has to happen here, which is for her
to resign so that we are all able to move forward.
And that would be my plea. You know, if she
still has any vestige of belief and upholding the Green
(03:21):
Party copopper, but also our foundational belief that no one
person is bigger than the things that we're all fighting for,
then the best way to bring about an end to
all of this and to minimize harm and any collateral
damage is to resign as a member of Parliament.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So, Chloe, if she doesn't resign from parliament, will you
try and force this by invoking the Walker jumping law.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
So this is not a discussion that we've yet had
with our caucus or with our party, as was well
chemist at the stand up today. Of course, we have
a long track record of opposing legislation as well. So
that's why it's important that everybody knows that right now
this ball sits in Darlene's court and we would expect
that the same level of scrutiny that has been applied
(04:03):
to the Greens as this investigation has been underway, that
there is due scrutiny now on Darlene Tana and her position.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
But if her behavior is as bad as you say
it has, would you consider doing that again?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
What I'm saying to you right now is that we
have not made a decision on what happens if Darlene
does not come back to us and accept our request
for her resignation. So yes, absolutely, Look, I am not
in a position to all things and arout at the moment.
The Greens very proudly make decisions in a collective basis.
So where darline to put us in a position where
she was not to resign as a member of Parliament,
(04:38):
then of course we would have to go back to
having some form of discussion about what comes next. I'm
telling you that we haven't yet investigated that, thank you.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Darlene is a listing piece. She got less than three
thousand votes. She doesn't have the public backing to be
an independent. Surely you have to force this issue.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, And look, the reality is politically, legislatively or otherwise.
This is really now a matter not only for the
Green Party but also for due public scrutiny. As we've
said from the outset, we spent a lot of time
myself and Madama as co leaders, protecting the integrity and
the natural justice of this independent expert inquiry such that
(05:17):
we could have robust, evidential findings that didn't have any
polase finger on the scale, so that we could come
to very clear decisions on what needed to happen next
without kind of anybody, as I said before, putting their
fingers on the scale to that effect. Into your question
is to whether she has the public mandate to stay on. Look,
she was as she was elected, rather as you say,
(05:38):
as a Green List MP. All of our List MPs
are elected on the basis of our principles and our values,
and thousands of Green volunteers across the country mobilized to
end up getting over three hundred thousand New Zealanders to
put their face, their trust and their confidence and in
us past election, and we are very clear that dulln
(05:58):
Punner's actions and our very strong view has breached all
of those things.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Finally, Chloe, is there anything in this report that would
make you consider going to the police.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
No, there's nothing in the report that would currently make
me consider going to police. Know but also as I
said at the stand up, look, we remain open and
willing to engage with whomever, you know, whatever is needed
in terms of getting justice in this out in this process.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
That was Choe Swarbrick there, the co leader of the
Green Party, and we have just received a statement from
Darlene Taner. I can confirm that I received a copy
of the final report on Saturday morning and attended a
caucus meeting that day where it was discussed. I do
not feel that natural justice has been followed during this process,
and it's Saturday's Huy. It seemed clear that a predetermined
(06:47):
view has been formed prior to hearing from me. I
can confirm, as indicated during today's conference with the Green
Party leadership, that I have subsequently resigned as a member
of the Green Party. I'm reading you that the press
release a statement which has just been released from Darling Tana.
She continues, I want to make it clear that I
do not accept the findings of the report and believe
(07:09):
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'm
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.
(07:30):
I have only a short time to consider this report
and am taking some time to consider it before making
any further comment so that has just been released. That
is the statement from Darlene Tana. For more from Heather
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to News Talk said B
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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