Acting Prime Minister David Seymour says waka-jumping legislation can lead to "some very dark places".
Seymour was today asked about his response to the Greens calling for its former member Darleen Tana to resign from Parliament.
Tana was at Parliament today but would not front the media, saying she had nothing further to add on what she had already told 1News in an exclusive sit-down interview.
Watch the full interview on TVNZ+
It follows the release today of an executive summary of an independent investigation into Tana and whether she knew about allegations of migrant worker exploitation at her husband's e-bike business.
Tana has repeatedly said she rejects the findings of the report, that its process did not follow natural justice and the Green Party had a predetermination on its outcome.
It came as the report into their connection to allegations of migrant worker exploitation were made public. (Source: 1News)
Seymour said he had "very, very little sympathy for what she's alleged to have been involved in".
"Bikes and Beyond is a business in the Epsom electorate and I don't particularly like the idea that there's migrant exploitation happening in the middle of Newmarket.
"On the other hand, I'm also a very strong believer that the only people who should be able to drive an elected Member of Parliament out of Parliament is the voters at an election. As soon as you go down the track of allowing Members of Parliament to push other Members of Parliament out of Parliament, you can get to some very dark places.
"Whether or not she goes I think should be up to her.
"If I was in the position that she's in, I think I'd be thinking very hard about whether I wanted to carry on, but I want to be really clear that it's absolutely her decision."
The ACT leader said that didn't mean he wants to repeal the so-called waka-jumping legislation — which allows for parties to trigger the removal of an MP if its seen to cause disproportionality in Parliament — but he wouldn't use it himself.
"Should that waka-jumping legislation be gone? I personally think it should be. Is that part of our Government's coalition agreements or commitments? No it's not, but you can still have a position about a law even if you're not planning to imminently reform it."
Seymour said it was unlikely the Greens would take advice from him, but if they did it would be that they should stick to their principles in continued opposition to the use of waka-jumping legislation.
He said over a "long period of time" there was a "systematic problem" in the Greens.
"They believe their cause is so high and mighty the rules don't apply to them — whether it is the treatment of Elizabeth Kerekere, this incident with Darleen Tana, whether it is Golriz Ghahraman or whether it's Julie Anne Genter going across the chamber and waving her papers at Matt Doocey.
"They seem to believe they are exempt from the usual rules of the game because somehow their message is more important than others."
Seymour said he didn't believe a list MP was any less than an electorate MP, saying there was plenty that made a big difference.
"I can certainly understand that [the Green Party] have lost some of their representation. On the other hand, it might well be that some of them voted for the Greens precisely because they were impressed by Darleen Tana.
"I mean, she does have an impressive CV and in many ways is an impressive person regardless of what we may think about these recent allegations.
"We don't know what the Green voters were voting for but if it wasn't for that, my suggestion is they should think about changing to blue and pink next time."
Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick told 1News today the report's executive summary showed "crystal clear" Tana had fallen short of the behaviour expected of an MP.
"What would draw a line under this issue is Darleen Tana accepting the request — unanimously from our caucus — for her resignation."
SHARE ME