Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick says she "holds absolutely no malice" towards Elizabeth Kerekere, who resigned last week following an investigation sparked by her text that appeared to call the Auckland Central MP a "crybaby".
Kerekere's resignation from the Greens was announced late on Friday night after a conference call with party members about an investigation into bullying allegations against the MP.
Talking to members, the MP hit out at how the party's co-leaders were handling the investigation, and later that evening said she said would retire at the general election.
When asked this morning, Swarbrick told Breakfast that the "investigation was what it was". She said she hadn't spoken with Kerekere over the past several weeks.
"Over the past few weeks, obviously, with the investigation underway, we haven't spoken," she said.
"But again, I hold absolutely no malice towards her, and I really genuinely mean it when I say that. I wish her all the best moving forward. And I just really hope that now we can have those conversations in the public arena about the stuff that really does matter."
The fourth-ranked list MP quit the party on Friday night. (Source: 1News)
The Auckland Central MP repeatedly emphasised that she wanted to focus on the "things that really matter".
"The investigation was what it was — it got to the place that it did.
"I really hope that at this point in time, we can draw a line under it and get back to focusing on those things that really matter."
According to RNZ reporting, Kerekere accused party co-leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw of dragging out the investigation into her actions and that "bad faith actors" had become involved in the process — including leaking the original texts.
She suggested that her original "what a crybaby" text had been misinterpreted and wasn't intended to be directed at Swarbrick.
Regarding the text comment", Swarbrick re-stated to Breakfast that she had been "called worse" previously in politics.
"There's been a lot of different things circulating about what was intended or otherwise, and I think that those are conversations that do need to be had on a human level.
"And I think the other thing to note is that — what we're talking about with the institution of Parliament is something which has been rightfully scrutinised for being an environment which is conducive to some pretty awful behaviour and bringing out some of the worst things and the people who engage in that space," Swarbrick said.
On Saturday, Davidson and Shaw addressed questions about Kerekere's resignation. The co-leaders said that there had been a number of allegations made since the investigation started.
Elizabeth Kerekere has been chastised by party leadership for her message. (Source: 1News)
"A number of allegations have surfaced, including confidentially to us, about the conduct of Dr Kerekere towards other Green Party MPs, staff, and members," Davidson said.
They emphasised that the party's formal investigation was launched prior to the texts being leaked to the media.
"We had been aware that there were concerns, and that the messages that were sent were indicative of that," Davidson said.
Shaw disputed Kerekere's characterisation of her text as referencing herself: "We don't find it credible. Given that she apologised for the use of that term, it would be odd to apologise for the use of a term in reference to yourself."
They said that accusations about Kerekere had previously been known to them but that there was not enough information to enact a formal investigation until the text emerged.
The MP's supporters have been critical of the timing of the investigation, which has taken place during the Greens' list-ranking process.
Last week, Kerekere told members on the conference call that she had only been given the terms of reference for the review last Wednesday, Stuff reported.
Kerekere has said she will remain an independent MP until September. The Greens have said they will not utilise waka-jumping rules to remove the MP from her seat.
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