{"id":130084,"date":"2025-11-11T20:08:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T20:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/130084\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T20:08:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T20:08:12","slug":"dunedin-mp-casts-proxy-vote-for-expelled-pair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/130084\/","title":{"rendered":"Dunedin MP casts proxy vote for expelled pair"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Russell Palmer of RNZ\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and T\u0101kuta Ferris have delivered their first votes as independent MPs from afar, using the Green Party as proxies.<\/p>\n

Speaker Gerry Brownlee opened Parliament’s proceedings today – the first sitting day since Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori’s co-leaders announced Kapa-Kingi and Ferris’\u00a0expulsion.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been advised by Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori that their Parliamentary membership has changed, and that Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and T\u0101kuta Ferris are no longer members of Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori for Parliamentary purposes,” Brownlee said.<\/p>\n

“Accordingly under Standing Order 35.5, those members from 10th of November 2025 are regarded as independent members for Parliamentary purposes.”<\/p>\n

Their first vote in Parliament as independents was a procedural one, in opposition to Leader of the House Chris Bishop calling for extended sitting hours.<\/p>\n

With both MPs absent from Parliament today, Green MP Scott Willis, of Dunedin, acted as their proxy – but not without challenge from New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.<\/p>\n

“I seek leave to see the Green Party whip’s authority for the last four votes that he cast,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I’m aware that they have the authority,” Brownlee replied. “I’ve been notified by the members that the Green Party carries their proxy.”<\/p>\n

“Yeah, but have you seen them?” Peters pressed.<\/p>\n

“I don’t have to see it, I’m allowed to take members at their word,” Brownlee responded.<\/p>\n

“Well, that’s a mistake,” Peters said.<\/p>\n

“Well, I’ve been giving the member [Peters] the benefit of the doubt for the last couple of years,” Brownlee retaliated.<\/p>\n

Regardless, the coalition parties used their majority to push ahead with putting the House into extended hours.<\/p>\n

‘Getting the govt out’ the priority – Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori co-leaders<\/p>\n

Having announced the expulsion the previous day, Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer would not initially engage with questions about the public response.<\/p>\n

“I think the priority has always been, as we said yesterday, to focus on this government getting out, and getting into government in 2026 – we remain focused on that.”<\/p>\n

She pushed back when asked if they were facing dissent.<\/p>\n

“This was a big day yesterday, and our people are allowed to be hurt. They’re allowed to show their disappointment and their confusion.<\/p>\n

“They’re allowed to karanga out to each other – so they should – but what we have to show is the leadership is focused on one thing, and that is to get this government out in 2026.”<\/p>\n

Labour had earlier linked Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori’s internal ructions to an\u00a0increased interest in people wanting to stand\u00a0for Labour in the M\u0101ori electorates.<\/p>\n

“Well so have we,” Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said when that was put to him.<\/p>\n

“There are many people calling now to be part of the movement … everybody knows what we have to focus on, and it’s making sure that this is a one-term government – we must continue to focus on that.”<\/p>\n

‘Too early to tell’ if Greens gaining support<\/p>\n

On\u00a0current polling, Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori would need an electorate seat to be returned to Parliament because they fall below the 5% threshold needed to enter based on party votes alone.<\/p>\n

It was an outcome Labour’s Willie Jackson\u00a0said he would be “absolutely” comfortable with, but not one Greens co-leader Marama Davidson seemed comfortable with.<\/p>\n

“Would we be pleased to see them leave – No! Of course not. We’ve had a really strong working relationship with them, but those choices are up to the people.”<\/p>\n

Davidson said it was “too early to tell” if there was increased interest in people wanting to run for the Greens in M\u0101ori electorates.<\/p>\n

“What I am really pleased about are more and more people, M\u0101ori, coming to the Green Party who can see we continue as we always have getting on with the mahi of tiriti justice, of helping people and planet. We’ll keep doing that mahi.”<\/p>\n

Likewise, they had not seen comments on social media from Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori voters planning to vote for the Greens.<\/p>\n

“Ah, we haven’t been paying a lot of attention – been doing the mahi. But I’m aware that we are here and we’ve always been doing the work, that’s just how it has always been.”<\/p>\n

Asked if they, like Labour, would be campaigning hard for the M\u0101ori seats, Davidson said they had “always taken those M\u0101ori seats seriously and so, you know, let’s wait and see how we go”.<\/p>\n

She refused to be drawn on whether their MP, H\u016bhana Lyndon, would stand for Te Tai Tokerau, despite saying she was “a formidable presence” in the region and they had heard “long before now” she could win there.<\/p>\n

Winning a M\u0101ori seat would be “historic” for the Greens, she said, but “let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves”.<\/p>\n

“That is a party decision. We’re always going to be proud of H\u016bhana’s work in the north.”<\/p>\n

Many in Te Tai Tokerau “absolutely are really concerned” about their MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi’s expulsion, she said, but the matter was for Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori to answer to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Russell Palmer of RNZ\u00a0 Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and T\u0101kuta Ferris have delivered their first votes as independent MPs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130085,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-130084","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}