Turei vows to fight on as two MPs go
Two MPs who announced they would quit at the election, in protest at co-leader Metiria Turei’s confession of benefit fraud, are out of the party’s caucus.
But long-serving MPs Kennedy Graham and David Clendon would remain Green MPs for the remaining two weeks of the Parliamentary term. They would be excluded from internal party business, such as campaign planning and caucus meetings but the party would still cast their votes.
The Greens’ hierarchy could still be considering procedures to expel them from the party, but in a change of heart co-leader James Shaw said he would advise the party not to. Late Monday night, Shaw said he would be leading that charge himself, but since then he had ‘‘gotten some sleep’’.
‘‘David and Kennedy withdrew from caucus today. That decision was supported by the other 12 Green Party MPs.
‘‘They have made the right decision today. We wish David and Kennedy the best,’’ he said.
‘‘The remainder of the Green Party caucus is 100 per cent behind our co-leader, Metiria.’’
Turei said there was no polling situation that would make her stand down as leader.
‘‘I’m committed to stay at least until the election, because we have a really important job to do.
‘‘I"m really sad they’ve undertaken this action. They believed it was necessary for them – I believe it is necessary for my party and the people I represent, for me to stay on as the co-leader of the Green Party.’’
She rejected assertions her admission had split the wider party.
‘‘I’ve never asked people to accept what I did was right. But that’s not the same thing as saying the Green Party doesn’t support me. Because actually, we have asked the party; yes the party does support me.
‘‘There will be many people who disagree with what I did but they support me as leader, and the Green Party and our campaign.’’
Turei said ‘‘wild accusations’’ about her living arrangements were only being made by people who opposed the Greens.
Graham and Clendon stood by their position.
‘‘Under the current leadership we couldn’t feel ourselves committing to participating in a campaign and while Metiria remained as coleader, we will not stand as candidates,’’ Clendon said.
Both said they would like to remain Green Party members. Graham said after Turei’s first admission, they had sought an exemption to be able to say they did not condone benefit fraud, which was eventually granted.
But the revelations that followed, were a bridge too far and had ‘‘moved it into a broader issue of leadership’’.
Shaw said he did not stand by early assertions from the party’s general manager Sarah Helm, that both Clendon and Graham, disgruntled over low list placings, had not been working hard in campaigning for the party. ‘‘That’s not true.’’ Graham is ranked eighth on the party’s list and Clendon is at 16.
The party spent most of yesterday morning in crisis talks, following the decision from Graham and Clendon to reveal to the media their ultimatum, late on Monday evening.
By yesterday morning, the Green Party had already removed them from its website.
Shaw and the rest of the caucus had maintained neither Graham or Clendon gave caucus members notice of their intentions. Clendon however, had suggested that was not true.
Ahead of their meeting, Shaw said he had respect for both MPs and their work, but not for the way they went about making their stand.
Turei refused to resign, saying she had the complete backing from the rest of the caucus.
‘‘I talked to my caucus last night. All of them but those two have asked me to stay and so that’s what I’ll do. I have a campaign to fight for climate change action, to clean up our rivers and to end poverty.’’
Turei made a calculated risk when she revealed during a policy launch, she had lied to Work & Income while receiving the Domestic Purposes Benefit and studying as a law student.
She did not disclose she was living with additional flatmates, during a period between 1993 and 1998. She was co-operating with the Ministry of Social development, as it investigated her for benefit fraud.
But she was later forced to admit registering to vote at an address that she did not live at, when it emerged she was listed as living with the father of her child, while collecting the DPB.
Public records also showed she lived with her mother during one period, but Turei says her mother was a flatmate and financially independent.
Following the electoral admissions, Turei announced she would remain as co-leader of the party but not seek a ministerial post in an upcoming government.
Clendon and Graham stood by their stance, saying they believe she should resign.