Immediately following an online session with Green members at which she said her role in the caucus had become untenable as a result of an inquiry into her behaviour that would stretch through the list ranking process, the MP Elizabeth Kerekere has resigned from the party. According to a statement from the co-leaders, Marama Davidson and James Shaw, the party will not enforce the so-called “waka-jumping” provisions and she intends to retire from politics at the election.

The statement reads: “Just after 8pm this evening, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere notified the Green Party caucus in writing that she has resigned as a Green Party MP and Green Party member effective immediately. Dr Kerekere has notified the Green Party Caucus of her intention to sit as an independent MP until the general election, when she will retire. As we said when the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act was passed, we do not intend to invoke it if faced with that choice.”

At this evening’s Zoom meeting, Kerekere disputed allegations made against her relating to her interactions with staff and other MPs and insisted the “crybaby” epithet issued in a misdirected Signal message was intended for herself, rather than Chlöe Swarbrick. According to a source who attended the meeting, she criticised Davidson and Shaw directly and told members that the ongoing inquiry, which will not be complete before members vote on the party ranking, was a breach of “natural justice” and made it “difficult to continue my work” as an MP. The online meeting was cut short after about 10 minutes. As an independent, Kerekere is likely to be seated alongside another MP who has been described by the speaker as an independent for parliamentary purposes, Meka Whaitiri.

Announcing her resignation, the co-leaders said: “Our first priority as co-leaders of the Green Party is to our kaupapa, values, members, and our caucus. On April 5 2023, Dr Kerekere sent messages to a group of Green Party MPs and staff that appeared to fall short of these values. We were concerned that these messages were not isolated, but part of a pattern of behaviour towards staff and caucus colleagues. We requested that a formal caucus process be carried out to consider the matter. This process began in the days that followed Dr Kerekere’s messages on 5 April.”

Since then, they said, “a number of allegations surfaced about the conduct of Dr Kerekere towards other Green Party MPs, staff and members. As we have stated on numerous occasions, we committed to an internal process to look into these matters that was fair to everyone involved. Before that process could conclude, Dr Kerekere resigned as a Green Party MP and Green Party member. We have been informed that Dr Kerekere made a number of statements whilst addressing party members tonight that we consider to be untrue.”

The statement concluded: “We do not intend to address these tonight, but will do so over the coming days. We want to be clear that the Green Party’s important mahi continues … We wish Dr Kerekere all the best for her future.” The co-leaders are expected to speak to media tomorrow morning.

There’s not much context needed for this but I thought if I had to see this, you all did too. Courtesy of Stuff’s Charlie Mitchell on Twitter, here is AI’s attempt to generate a photo of prime minister Chris Hipkins and his plate of Buckingham Palace sausage rolls.

* This is an excerpt from The Spinoff’s regular TV newsletter Rec Room. Sign up for regular Friday instalments.

The dark jokes, the famous girlfriends, the loudmouth antics – Pete Davidson is the kind of controversial Hollywood figure you either love or loathe. You can make up your mind in Bupkis (TVNZ+), a comedy in which Davidson plays a fictional version of himself with Edie Falco as his mum and Joe Pesci as his granddad. “Raw, chaotic, occasionally disarming,” said The Hollywood Reporter in one of many good reviews.

Elsewhere, Rebecca Ferguson’s Silo (Apple TV+) is delivering claustrophobic drama of the highest order. “Ambitiously staged, with a central mystery that only grows more absorbing as it continues,” quipped Empire. Critics also say you shouldn’t miss White House Plumbers (Neon), a satirical take on the Watergate scandal starring Justin Theroux and Woody Harrelson. “Big laughs,” says Decider.

Wrapping up the big TV debuts is The Gone (TVNZ+, from May 7), a missing persons drama filmed in Aotearoa and Ireland. If you’re after a change of pace and haven’t quite recovered from his Eden Park shows, Ed Sheeran’s four-part documentary The Sum of it All (Disney+) promises an intimate look at the pop star. “Surprisingly moving,” said The Guardian in a surprisingly positive review. The acclaimed animated series Star Wars: Visions (Disney+) also returns for its second season.

If you’re after a night out at the movies, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 appears to be stabilising the recent wobbles of the Marvel cinematic universe with an instalment with a lot of heart. “A blaze of glory,” declared The AV Club in a review that seems to sum all of them up. Lets hope those box office numbers match what the critics say.

Nigel Skelt has resigned from Invercargill Council following accusations of sexual harassment.

A former general manager of Stadium Southland, Skelt left the venue in April after 24 years. At the time, this was said to be for personal reasons, but as The Spinoff first reported on Monday, it came just weeks after an 18-year-old former stadium employee alleged Skelt had harassed her at work.

In a brief statement, Invercargill Council’s chief executive Michael Day said he received Skelt’s resignation last night. “In the event of the resignation of any elected member at this stage of the term, the Local Electoral Act 2001 requires a by-election to be held,” he said. “Council will provide more details on the by-election in due course.”

Skelt himself would not be commenting and has remained silent since the allegations against him first broke. We also revealed this week that Skelt had been temporarily stood down from his role with the Racing Integrity Board in light of the claims.

Questions have been asked this week about the role of mayor Nobby Clark in the saga. Documents released to The Spinoff showed Clark brokered a deal with the harassment complainant that included money and job offers, though it later transpired that at least one of these employment opportunities wasn’t formally on the table. Yesterday, Invercargill councillor Ria Bond suggested Clark had attempted to sweep the issue under the carpet, while former mayor Tim Shadbolt claimed there had been an “elaborate cover-up”.

New Zealand’s high commissioner to the UK has been called out for offending the Māori King with comments about the upcoming coronation.

Phil Goff, a former Labour minister and Auckland mayor, told a group travelling to the UK for the coronation of King Charles that no one in the room had experienced a coronation before.

But those comments were made in front of Kīngi Tuheitia and, as RNZ reported, some in the room had in fact attended three coronations. Goff also forgot to perform a karakia, a move later described by prime minister Chris Hipkins as “regrettable” but “a mistake”.

Buying a home with a partner you’re romantically involved with has always been the norm, but what if you’re not in a relationship or prefer to go solo? Bernard Hickey talks to Kiwibank’s Philippa Scott and Pip Maxwell about their new co-own mortgages, which allow flatmates, brothers, sisters, cousins, and groups of friends to save, borrow and own houses together in ways that fit around modern family structures.

Listen below or wherever you get your pods

Katie Scotcher reports for RNZ that PM Chris Hipkins has announced that a major free trade agreement with the UK will come into force at the end of the mont. The deal will eventually eliminate all tariffs between the two countries, and is predicted to add $1bn to New Zealand’s GDP. “The UK is New Zealand’s seventh largest trading partner and a crucial market for some of our key exports, so this should really help our economic recovery,” said Hipkins.

His counterpart, British prime minister Rishi Sunak said the FTA marked a “new chapter” in the relationship between the UK and New Zealand. “This deal will unlock new opportunities for businesses and investors across New Zealand and the UK, drive growth, boost jobs, and most importantly build a more prosperous future for the next generation.”

This is an excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.

A major lines fault in Grafton has prompted the cancellation of all Auckland trains this morning.

While Auckland Transport hoped to have the issue fixed later this morning, some train services have been canned until further notice.

And the short notice of the fault has meant that just a handful of rail replacement buses have been able to help stranded passengers.

Auckland Transport’s group manager metro services Darek Koper said there would be “flow-on cancellations and delays all morning” even once the issue had been fixed.

Transport minister Michael Wood told Newshub’s AM that it was “frustrating” but he was hopeful the fault could be fixed as soon as possible. “There are other public transport services that will be made available,” said Wood.

But National’s Simeon Brown wanted answers. “Kiwirail needs to front up and explain what has gone wrong in Auckland and how long the lines will be shut before they are fixed,” the party’s transport spokesperson said.  

“Labour has allocated more than $8 billion dollars to Kiwirail since becoming Government, but passengers are not seeing the benefits they should expect from that investment. Yet again under Labour, the focus is on spending, rather than delivering better services.”

Might I direct you to an opinion piece we published yesterday, simply titled: Just how hopeless is KiwiRail?

Meanwhile in Wellington, protesters have once again attempted to block roads. The Herald’s reported that Restore Passenger Rail protesters have targeted the state highway one at Johnsonville. You can read Toby Manhire’s excellent feature on the group here.