House has bullying too: MP
We must learn from Whaitiri situation, says Greens’ Logie
Npolitics ew Zealand workplaces have a bullying problem and Parliament is no exception, says Green MP Jan Logie.
She said there were lessons to learn from the Meka Whaitiri case — the minister who was sacked last week after a report into an incident with a staffer suggested the MP had grabbed her arm hard enough to leave a bruise on it.
“We know that as a country we have got an issue with workplace bullying,” Logie said at Parliament yesterday. “It is pretty well acknowledged, and Parliament is clearly no exception to that.
“There are lots of things we can learn from this . . . one of them is about making sure that if someone has got concerns in their workplace they know who to raise them with and there can be interventions to be able to make sure a manager is doing their job as well as they can and that they are treating their staff with respect.
“Another thing I think we can all learn from this is that we learn how to hold people to account and help them to change behaviour and we are consistent in the way that we do that.”
Logie, the Greens’ workplace spokeswoman, would not express a view on whether Whaitiri should stay an MP. That was over to Labour and Whaitiri’s electorate, Ikaroa-Rawhiti.
But National deputy leader Paula Bennett doubted there was a way forward for Whaitiri.
“I struggle to see it myself,” Bennett said.
“I think the behaviour we have seen come out in this report really leads us to questioning whether or not she would be someone that is really fit to hold a position like that. It seems to me she is setting a very low bar and a low standard and I think the country deserves better.”
Bennett was also critical of the Labour Ma¯ori caucus for their support of Whaitiri: “Protecting their own and standing by a colleague can be admirable but I think one has to look at it and there is another individual involved in this and from what I’ve read it looks pretty traumatic for her.”
Bennett did not believe Whaitiri should remain co-chair of the Ma¯ori caucus.
“I find it staggering that the Ma¯ori caucus, who are big in number and strong, are seeing someone like that being in a leadership position with what we know,” she said.
Speaking from New York, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was disappointed the report had been leaked, that Internal Affairs were conducting an inquiry into the leak, and a redacted version of the report was still being prepared for public release.
She gave no suggestion that her view on Whaitiri’s future had changed since the sacking last week when she said she had encouraged the MP to improve herself and her relationships.
Ma¯ori caucus co-chair Willie Jackson said Whaitiri still had caucus support.
“The Prime Minister spoke today and the Prime Minister’s words are very important and we support what she is saying. She supports Meka still and so does the Ma¯ori caucus.”
Asked if she would remain Ma¯ori caucus co-chair, Jackson said: “That’s obvious. Nothing has changed.”
HFor a video report go to nzherald.co.nz
Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters told Parliament Whaitiri had been a “stand-out woman” in the past and had contributed enormously to Nga¯ti Porou and Ma¯oridom.
Peters also twice introduced an element of doubt into whether Whaitiri really had grabbed a staff member hard enough to leave bruises on her upper arm, in answer to questions from Bennett.
“Just because there may have or may not have been a lapse is no reason for that member to repose on me the responsibility of being able to judge the worth or value of women,” Peters said.
He also said the delay in releasing the report into the incident had been “to protect the so-called or alleged victim”.
There has been no response from Whaitiri to requests for comment.