Following the announcement to Green members that they will hear from Elizabeth Kerekere tomorrow night, party co-leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw have outlined their reasons for commissioning an internal inquiry into whether there is a “pattern of behaviour” on the part of the MP “that may be affecting staff wellbeing or the trust of caucus colleagues”, and implicitly warned the MP not to stray into discussion about the investigation.

In a statement, the co-leaders laid out the basis for the inquiry. “Green Party MPs work tirelessly to deliver positive change for Aotearoa, and we have a long history of celebrating our individual and collective successes together. On April 5, Dr. Elizabeth Kerekere sent messages to a group of Green Party MPs and staff that appeared to go against these values,” they said. “Our immediate concern was maintaining the trust and unity of our caucus. As co-leaders we began a formal internal process. We wanted to look formally into whether Dr Kerekere’s messages on April 5 were part of a pattern of behaviour that may be affecting staff wellbeing or the trust of caucus colleagues.”

Concerns have been raised about the timing and duration of the inquiry, with some members concerned that it will not be complete by the time members are required to return votes on the list ranking that could determine Kerekere’s political future.

The statement continued: “Consistent with Green Party values, we made clear that the process should be fair to everyone involved. In the absence of an agreement on what could be said, the parties involved have refrained from saying anything. We understand that Dr Elizabeth Kerekere has accepted an invitation to address the party membership. We remain committed to an internal process that is fair, and provides an opportunity to hear from MPs and present and former staff in confidence on matters that may have an impact on our ability to carry out our important work on behalf of the people of Aotearoa.”

Green members have been invited to an online meeting with Elizabeth Kerekere tomorrow night, providing “an opportunity to hear from Dr Kerekere, as discussed at the recent assembly”. Members were alerted to the Zoom session in an email this afternoon from the party co-convenors, viewed by the Spinoff.

Kerekere is currently the subject of an internal party review after allegations that include “mean girl behaviour” and “badmouthing” staff and fellow MPs. The process was sparked by a leaked message, sent inadvertently to a group chat with all Green MPs and a number of staff, in which she appeared to call Chlöe Swarbrick a “crybaby”, and lamented the fact her caucus colleague had the good fortune to have a member’s bill drawn during the list ranking period. Kerekere has not spoken to members or publicly since the allegations emerged, though has disputed the characterisation of the message.

Members are currently in the process of voting on a draft list ranking, which put Swarbrick third and Kerekere fourth. Members can choose to endorse the ranking by delegates or shift the names around. A group of members including representatives of Rainbow Greens, Young Greens, Aotearoa Greens Global, Pasifika Greens and Inclusive Greens were last week unsuccessful in seeking a delay of the ranking process pending the outcome of the Kerekere investigation, which is being led by Green MP Jan Logie and the party’s chief of staff, Robin Campbell. The deadline for members’ list rank responses is May 12.

Stuff reported this morning that Green members are threatening to quit over the handling of the inquiry.

Cyclone and flood-stricken businesses in the North Island won’t have to pay tax on insurance or compensation for their damaged buildings, plants and equipment.

The revenue minister’s announced that he’ll introduce legislation later in the month to allow “rollover relief of tax liability” for businesses in particular circumstances.

“Normally, such payouts could result in taxable income, but a tax bill is the last thing needed by businesses struggling to get back on their feet,” David Parker said.

“Rollover relief means that insured businesses can use their payouts to replace assets, rather than having them reduced by a tax bill. The cost of the replacement asset would then be adjusted for tax purposes to reflect the tax deferral.”

Parker said similar tax relief was provided following the Canterbury and Kaikoura quakes.

The government has been facing criticism in recent weeks for not providing enough ongoing support in the wake of several severe weather events in the first few months of 2023. A report released earlier this week suggested Hawke’s Bay in particular could face economic ruin over the next decade if additional support wasn’t offered.

The speaker of the House has reiterated that Meka Whaitiri will be an independent MP following her decision to leave the Labour Party.

There was some confusion yesterday after Whaitiri, formally a Labour minister, said she had resigned from the party and intended to join Te Pāti Māori. This appeared to suggest she had formally resigned, meaning the waka jumping rule would be invoked and Whaitiri would be forced to vacate her seat in parliament.

However, the speaker Adrian Rurawhe later revealed that Whaitiri would be an independent MP, noting that she had not actually resigned and instead asked for her votes to not be counted for the Labour Party. This was a somewhat surprising decision move following Whaitiri’s earlier comments.

Speaking this afternoon in parliament, Rurawhe clarified why he made that decision and reiterated that Whaitiri was to be considered an independent MP.

“For the purposes of the Electoral Act, a member ceases to be a parliamentary member of the political party for which the member was elected only if a written notice is delivered that complies with section 55B or 55C. I have not received a message that complies with either of these sections,” he said. “There is no leeway for the speaker to declare a seat vacant if they are informed or become aware of the information that a member has ceased to be a parliamentary member.”

Rurawhe said he was aware of comments Whaitiri had made in the media, but regardless, he had not received a notice that complied with the law. “Those statements themselves do not cause the member’s seat to become vacant,” he said.

“As speaker I must administer the House’s procedures and this is problematic when a member’s party status is unclear. In practical terms I need to rule on how to treat a member who no longer sits or votes with the party they sat and voted with previously.”

Asked by National’s Michael Woodhouse whether the communications to and from Whaitiri would be released, Rurawhe said he could not do this for confidentiality reasons. However, he said Whaitiri herself could choose to do so if she wished.

The discussion then moved to whether or not Whaitiri could be considered an independent MP for the purposes of parliamentary business, but a Labour MP for the purposes of the Electoral Act. (Editor’s note: this was just a bit too confusing for me to transcribe).

It’s not that often something on the 1News site is listed as an “essay” – but when John Campbell wants to write about trains, he gets to write about trains.

The 1News correspondent has today written a touching and informative piece in the aftermath of ongoing rail issues in Wellington. In it, he both declares his affection for the transport form and also calls for improvements to be made to our rail network – and quickly.

“Rail deserves better,” Campbell writes. “We all do. This isn’t about a love of trains. But a knowledge of what they can do.”

And another read while you’re here, from The Spinoff archives: “Where were you when John Campbell took a train on breakfast TV?”

Were a referendum held tomorrow, New Zealanders would vote to retain the monarchy, according to a new poll undertaken by Lord Ashcroft, the British Conservative peer and pollster. The survey of 2,000 people found 44% would vote to keep the status quo, 34% would vote to become a republic and the remainder said they didn’t know or would not vote. The monarchist mood differed substantially according to age, with 63% of New Zealanders over 65 keen on keeping the status quo, compared with only 31% of those aged 18 to 24. A majority of people, 53%, reckoned that a referendum in 10 years would see New Zealand decide to become a republic.

In polling undertaken by Kantar for 1News following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year, 50% said they want to stick with the monarchy and 27% wanted the country to switch to a republic.

At a press conference on Monday ahead of his departure to the UK for the coronation of Charles III, Chris Hipkins said he was personally a republican but disinclined to push for constitutional change. “I think it is something for New Zealanders to instigate a discussion on and there isn’t a groundswell of support for having this particular debate right at the moment,” said the prime minister. “And I don’t particularly have any interest in pushing that debate on New Zealanders.”

Ashcroft’s company polled more than 22,000 people across 15 Commonwealth countries for which King Charles III is head of state. The mood for a republic was highest in the S0lomon Islands, Canada and the Bahamas. The keenest monarchists were in Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and Caribbean nations. In Australia, more support becoming a republic (42%) than remaining a constitutional monarchy (35%).

Embattled Invercargill councillor Nigel Skelt has been temporarily suspended from yet another role, The Spinoff can reveal.

Nigel Skelt recently resigned as general manager of Stadium Southland after 24 years in the role. It later emerged, as The Spinoff first reported, that Skelt had been accused of sexual harassment by an 18-year-old female employee at the venue.

In the weeks since, Skelt, who was first elected to council in 2019, has kept a low profile and even fellow councillors were kept in the dark about the allegations against him until earlier this week.

Today, The Spinoff has confirmed that Skelt has also been away from his role with the Racing Integrity Board where he was an adjudicator. A spokesperson said that Skelt has been on “administrative leave since April 2023 when this matter first came to the attention of the Racing Integrity Board”.

The spokesperson would not comment any further given this was a matter between Skelt and his previous employer.

For more: Mayor Nobby Clark accused of a ‘cover up’ as councillor urged to resign

Newsroom has the scoop on an event from the NZ-China Business Club which had been promoted with PM Hipkins as the headliner. The group was founded in 2021 by ex-National MP Jian Yang, who was revealed to have worked at a Chinese state-linked spy school before moving to New Zealand. Tim Murphy reports that the event was sponsored by a prominent Chinese baijiu, or brandy.

In response to inquiries from Newsroom, Hipkins office said that he had planned to attend on the basis that it was an Auckland Business Chamber function which had been held for a number of years. “He accepted on that basis, but subsequently is unable to attend.”

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The co-leader of Te Pāti Māori has denied courting former Labour minister Meka Whaitiri.

The bombshell revelation that Whaitiri would be joining the opposition party was announced yesterday in Hastings, blindsiding the government.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer told RNZ that her party had always been an “open door” for parliament’s Māori MPs. “It’s really come about because of Meka’s calling,” she said. “Did Rawiri [Waititi] and I go out and specifically knock on her door? No. This has been about Meka’s awakening. We’ve been very open about the fact we are an unapologetic movement for all Māori.”

According to Ngarewa-Packer, this hadn’t been a long-brewing move either – potentially dispelling suggestions that the timing, when PM Chris Hipkins was out of the country, was intentional. “From my perspective this has gone down in the last week… Most importantly, there also had to be korero and discussion among the electorate.”

Hipkins revealed today that he still hasn’t heard from Whaitiri and had no idea why she had decided to defect. Ngarewa-Packer said that despite “high speculation”, this wasn’t a “protest” move from Whaitiri. “I’m extremely honest, there hasn’t been anything of that nature in our discussions,” she said.

Meanwhile, Labour’s deputy leader Kelvin Davis maintained today that despite the surprise move from Whaitiri, his party was going to keep on keeping on. “We’ve all done a collective shrug and gone ‘OK we’ll just carry on’,” he said. “We’re just moving on to what we need to do as a government and delivering for not just Maori, but all New Zealanders.

“They’re their on party… we’ll just governing. They’ll [Te Pāti Māori] keep on in opposition.”

The prime minister has met with King Charles ahead of this weekend’s coronation.

Chris Hipkins told New Zealand media with him in the UK that it was a special opportunity to meet with the monarch, and described lining up on the side of the road in the 1980s to catch a sight of him.

“I never ever would’ve imagined as a child that one day, in the future, I’d be sitting down having a cup of tea with him.”

The king had been following the recent weather disasters in New Zealand, said Hipkins. After some “really good conversations” about the issues facing our country, the pair had a “broader conversation about climate change”.

It wasn’t just a cuppa and a chat – the palace had clearly done their research on Hipkins’ favourite food. The prime minister was gifted a tray of palace sausage rolls, which he appeared to thoroughly enjoy. There wasn’t any tomato sauce, though.

Despite the pomp and pastry, the PM’s mind may still have been on domestic politics with the shock defection of one of his ministers – Meka Whaitiri. Hipkins told media he was still to hear from his former minister, who yesterday confused constitutional experts and politicians alike by becoming an independent MP despite an apparent resignation.

“I’ve still not heard from Meka Whaitiri, I’m still not clear exactly what her reasoning or thinking was behind her decision to switch political parties,” said Hipkins. Appearing on Newstalk ZB, Hipkins added that he had not heard any concerns from Whaitiri ahead of her defection. “So those are really questions for her I guess,” he said.