Danyl McLauchlan: Sacrifices may be called for if Greens are to flourish
Green MPs and activists are fiercely proud of their party’s internal democracy, but as the party grows is it still fit for purpose? Photo / Getty Images
Every party has MPs who go rogue. For a few exciting decades around the turn of the century, our politicians flounced out of their parties for ideological reasons. Jim Anderton left Labour to form NewLabour; Peter Dunne and a clutch of others split from their parties to form Future NZ; Winston Peters resigned as he was ushered towards the exit by National and founded New Zealand First; the Greens defected from the Alliance; Tariana Turia quit Labour to launch the Māori Party and Hone Harawira quit the Māori Party to launch the Mana Party.
But modern rogue MPs are primarily rogues. They follow a predictable trajectory: a scandal emerges; the party investigates. A report is produced but rarely made public. The MP splits from their caucus and employs the standard crisis PR strategy drummed into them since they entered professional politics: deny, attack, reverse victim and offender.
They insist they’ve done nothing wrong; they’ve been betrayed by their leaders but they’ll heroically elect to remain in Parliament – to represent their constituents if they’re an electorate MP, or to continue their vitally important work if they came in on the list.
Their important work consists of receiving a pay cheque and attacking their former colleagues until they’re tossed out in the next election.
It’s the path taken by former Green Party MP Elizabeth Kerekere until the 2023 election, and now beckons her former fellow party member Darleen Tana. She was dumped by her caucus in the wake of accusations of migrant exploitation at her husband’s e-bike business, and suggestions she was involved in the alleged offending.
Tana is following the standard go-rogue script. She feels “silenced and isolated” by her former co-leaders. She may remain in Parliament – leaving would be too easy! – to uphold the kaupapa of her mahi.
The Greens are a small party and this is their second rogue wahine Māori MP in two years. Unhappy coincidence or deeper problem? Perhaps the fault lies in the party’s complicated candidate selection process.
Green MPs and activists are fiercely proud of their party’s internal democracy. Every election year, it holds a contest to determine which of its candidates will secure winnable list positions – the outcome is decided by the party, unlike the processes conducted by Labour and National.
This system works well for a minor party with a limited number of viable list slots: everyone knows everyone; the good candidates are obvious, the bad ones flagged via gossip networks.
Slipping through
But as the Greens scale up and the number of winnable list positions increases, the efficacy of its informal vetting process declines.