Jason Walls: ZB political editor on the latest updates in the Darleen Tana saga

It's still unclear what Darleen Tana's next step will be, despite growing calls for her to leave Parliament.

Tana has yet to confirm whether she'll remain an MP - after resigning from the Green Party.

The party has also released a summary of findings, showing Tana likely knew about alleged migrant exploitation at her husband's business.

ZB political editor Jason Walls says the Greens still face a difficult choice regarding Tana's political future. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good to have you with us, and it's time to
talk politics now and I'm joined by news talk z
TOB political editor Jason Walls.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Good morning, Jason, Good morning.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
How are you.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
I'm really good. Thanks.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Hey.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Look where are we at with the Darling Tana saga?

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Well, listen, we're in a bit of limbo land at
the moment. I'll run you through what happened this week
and then what gets what happens next week after that? Basically,
she gave an interview with One News on Monday, basically
just kind of saying that pushing back on that report
that came out this week about the alleged migrant exploitation
at her husband's company, really really putting the idea out

(00:49):
there that she didn't have anything to do with it
and it was all her husband. So she was really
pushing back on that idea of it. But the more
interesting thing from my perspective is what happens next. She
is not sounding like she's going anywhere. Of course, we
all know that she is resigned from the Green Party,
or more accurately, she was made to resign from the
excuse me, from the Green Party, and now we've faced

(01:10):
a question about what happens next in her political future
because she's still technically an independent MP. So the Greens
have this choice to make. They either what's called waker
jump Darli in Tana, which means that they write to
the Speaker and say she is no longer with the
party that she came into Parliament with, therefore she should
no longer be an MP and he kicks her out,

(01:32):
or they let her stay on as an independent. Essentially,
they do nothing, and this is a hard choice for
them because they fought tooth and nail against that waker
jumping legislation, so turn around and use it now would
make them look like hypocrites. So in the meantime, Darli
in Tana has indicated that she is staying on. She
hasn't explicitly said so, but she's been using phrases like

(01:53):
she's the only MP that can blend til Mary, politics
and science all together in the House, and she's taking
soundings from Hapu and Ewe about whether she should stay
And in addition to this, she's also talked to the
Clerk of the House about where her office would be,
should she stay on as an independent MP. So it
really looks like she's in here for the long haul.

(02:15):
And we'll find out this week actually on Tuesday, when
Parliament starts sitting, if she walks into the House and
takes a seat and where she sits. So all eyes
on the debating chamber on Tuesday, and.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
I'm sure that a lot of people will be asking
her the question is she going to stay? Hey, how
is UIs politics affecting New Zealand? It's all going the UIs,
isn't it.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
It is absolutely all go in the US, and it's
absolutely reverberated here. Of course Trumps the attempted assassination on him.
I mean every politician New Zealand kind of came out
and said the same thing that they condemn politics, and
all means all the politics, because they condemn violence in
all forms when it comes to things like election campaigns.

(02:58):
And it's not really surprised that they've come out and
said that, but more often, I mean, you have to
look at what happened this week in the state of
Joe Biden and Trump coming out essentially so strongly after
that assassination attempt. It would really look like his election
campaign has given a lot more of a boon, and
it would be looking a lot more likely that we
have President Donald Trump than the President Joe Biden step up,

(03:23):
So that'll obviously have implications on New Zealand. No politician
here are really giving a bob each way in terms
of what they think who they think it should be. Obviously,
the Prime Minister's consistently said he'll work with anyone, so
we'll wait and see what happens then. But we still
got a few months before the US election race, and
it seems to be some whispers that Joe Biden is
reconsidering his political future, so we'll have to wait and

(03:46):
see on that one.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
And as you mentioned, Parliament is back on Tuesday.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
Indeed it is. It's been a big long three week
recess block, so I kind of missed them all and
I'm sure I'm sure that I'm sure feelings mutual. So
there's quite a lot to get through. I mean, the
Prime Minister has just outlined his third course plan, so
he'll be looking to crack into that one with a
big focus on infrastructure and law and order. And we

(04:12):
did see yesterday some politicians touring the first military boot
camp for youth offenders, so that's going to be high
on the government's agenda. Of course, obviously the Darling time
and stuff, how that plays out with the Green Party,
and just really just seeing how it all plays out
after being away for so long and getting into some

(04:32):
governance and some post cabinet press conferences and that sort
of thing. So we'll be with you all week, so
keeping her out for there'd be for the latest update.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
But I can just see you bounding down the hallways now, Jason,
as the politicians go, oh, here we go, we back into.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
It, rolling the rives as soon as they see me.
It tends to be how it is.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
Lovely to catch up with you. Thank you for your time,
and enjoy the rest of your Sunday. It is twenty
two to ten News Talks.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
He'd be for more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudken.
Listen live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.