Chlöe Swarbrick: Green Party co-leader on Darleen Tana's ousting from Parliament

The Greens are looking forward to moving ahead - as Darleen Tana's days in Parliament come to an end.

The party today confirmed Speaker Gerry Brownlee has officially ousted Tana after delegates unanimously voted to put the issue to him.

Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick says she is grateful to draw a line under this. 

"It's been a several months-long process that has obviously ensued the likes of legal battles and otherwise - which I don't think has been a nice situation for anybody that's been involved."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heller DU two ninety two is the text number standard
text FECE applied. By the way, the coal is with
us after half past five. Now Wellington's longest running drama
were maybe second longest running drama, because there's lot of
dramas in Wellington at the moment has ended. Darlene has
been kicked out of Parliament by the Speaker Jerry Browny
this morning declared her seat as vacant. And this is
of course after the Greens triggered the Wacker jumping law

(00:22):
late last week. Chloe Sworewick as the Greens coly to, hey,
Chloe d when is she out? She out? Already she gone?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
As I understand that the gazette noticed that was issued
this morning by the Speaker does mean under the way
that the law functions that it is effectively as though
she were never elected. So my understanding is the Parliamentary
Services is in direct contact with Darlin and will be
working with her to figure out moving things out of
the Parliamentary building.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
I didn't, I didn't. I didn't look at that a
question time today did she turn up?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
No, she did not, as I understand it, and again
per that gazette this morning, it means that she is
no longer a member of Parliament.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
How do you feel, Chloe, I mean, you must be relieved,
because I'll tell you what. I watched your press conference
the other day. You were grinningly in a way I
haven't seen you grin like that for ages.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
I think I need to kind of counterbalance that by
pointing to the fact that this is a really sad situation.
You know, Look, I will be completely honest about the
fact that I'm grateful to have a position now where
we can draw a line under this. But it's been
a several months long process that obviously has ensued the
likes of legal battles in other ways, which I don't
think has been a nice situation for anybody that's been involved.

(01:31):
But ultimately, for us to get to that position last week,
where one hundred and eighty five Green Party who represent
thousands of members from all across the country, coming to
that position unanimously, for that consensus to put that request
to the speaker, I think speaks really proudly to me,
or rather I speak really proudly to the point that
that goes to the core of who we are as
a grassroots lead party.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Okay, so when does Benjamin start.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
So our mustera Racardo Minindez March has been directly in
touch with them, and we'll be working through all of
the usual processes whenever any new member of Parliament comes
into this place. Obviously it requires putting notice into their
current job, and yet working through when the best time
to be sworn in and made inspects and otherwise.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Have you Are you absolutely confident that Benjamin is not
going to embarrass you? And the reason I'm not picking
on Benjamin, I'm just picking generally on your candidacy selection.
Your candidate selection has let you down. Are you sure
that everybody that you're bringing in now is being properly vetted?

Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah? I hear you on that point, and that of
course has been something which has been forefront of my
mind since taking this mental alongside the honorable Madame and
Davidson as co leader. I mean, this issue literally occurred
the first week that I became co leader, So it'll
come as no surprise that we are working with the
party to tighten up those processes. But look, you know,
I'm really excited to be welcoming Benjamin into the team.

(02:53):
They've got a long, proud history of working in the
education sector, which obviously right now is forefront of mind
with the government's reforms and cuts, especially in the likes
of the tri or Mahoru space. So I think that
they'll have a lot to contribute.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
Hey, what do you make of the government deciding to
intervene in Wellington City Council.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
I think that the broader point remains, which is that
governments are both stripes, both national and labor led. Governments
have initiated inquiries and sought advice externally, independently and expert
over the past few decades into the issues with local government,
and they've consistently found, most recently in the Future of
Local Government review tabled at the end of last year,
that local governments across this country do not have the

(03:33):
resources to achieve their mandate basically to do what it
says on the tin. And we're actually it's.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Not the problem here though, Chloe. That's not the problem
with this council.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
It is part of the problem if you think about
the legacy of issues that have got to that place
where that kind of deficit and the decisions and trade
offs that are having to be made, and I'd say
that this is actually even something that Sami and Brown
said on the campaign trail during twenty twenty three when
he spoke to the fact that there would need to
be some form of what he called local or SETI
deals I think appealing.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yeah, but come one, look at look at all the
councils around the country who are managing to make the
situation work without having the infighting that's going on with
this council, without having to go back and relitigate really
really significant parts of their long term plan. This is
a Wellington City Council problem. And the reason I'm asking
you about it is because this is the only council
in the country that has a Green mayor, so it

(04:22):
reflects badly on the Green Party.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yeah. Sure, and I'm sure that those points that we
made and plenty of commentary and throughout talkback, but the
point again remains that we're not addressing the fundamental issue here. Sure,
there are observers coming in, but that doesn't address the
basic fundamental premise that local governments across the country do
not have the resources to achieve the infrastructural.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
I get that, I get what you're saying, but I'm
asking you about something else, which is how you feel
about the situation where you've got this one. You guys
have celebrated the fact it's the first Green mayor and
there's a complete stuff up.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
I'm not a Wellingtonian. I have voted in the awkward
local body elections, but Wellingtonians voted for this counsel, and
this council has made that democratic decision. And there's a
lot of different political machinations that are obviously at play there,
and again we'd say that this is simply a function
of a need to sort out those fundamental problems with
the government.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Speaking of candidates, you know Tory wants to come and
become an MP with you guys, are you going to
let it.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
That we're getting far ahead of ourselves on that one?

Speaker 1 (05:22):
I think yeah, that's actually a very good answer. We are,
aren't we. Chloe? Thank you very much, Chloe Swaarbrick, co
leader of the Greens. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive,
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