The Green Party has called for Darleen Tana’s resignation from Parliament following the conclusion of an independent investigation into her conduct.

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said, “Darleen’s conduct has fallen far short of the expectations Marama and I have of our caucus, and of the values the Green Party upholds.”

The request came after the Green Party Caucus reviewed the investigation report, received on Friday, 5 July. Swarbrick said,

“Following a careful reading of the report, it is clear to us that Darleen’s actions are completely at odds with our party’s values, policies, and kaupapa.”

Tana has been suspended on full pay since March, after a series of allegations of migrant exploitation against her husband Christian Hoff-Nielsen’s bicycle company.

The claims include text messages Tana told a migrant worker he could continue working in her husband’s bike shop despite that being a breach of his visa conditions.

Other migrant workers complained of unpaid wages, with Tana still being involved in related decisions despite her resignation as a director and shareholder in 2019.

In line with the Party’s commitment to natural justice and collective decision-making, Darleen was invited to an urgent caucus meeting on Saturday, 6 July, to present her perspective alongside her lawyer and an additional support person.

“Darleen spoke to the Caucus and was given the opportunity to answer questions from MPs. She then left the meeting to allow her colleagues to consider the report’s findings.”

The Caucus was unanimous in agreeing to request her resignation from Parliament.

Green Party Co-Leader Marama Davidson expressed deep disappointment in Tana; “We are deeply disappointed that Darleen Tana has not been forthcoming about very serious breaches of Green Party kaupapa, and has not acknowledged nor taken accountability for the impact of her behaviour on others.”

Davidson added, “We have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the Green Party kaupapa. All our MPs agree to our collective values and standards, and Darleen has clearly fallen short of them.”

Swarbrick said “our preference as Co-Leaders has always been for full transparency and the release of the report, but we also recognize the need to follow good practice around privacy law.” The Party has contacted all parties named in the Executive Summary of the report regarding their privacy interests, with the intention of releasing the summary as soon as practicably possible.

Responding to a Green Party announcement that Darleen Tana has been asked to resign, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: “Public funds were used to pay for the report, and so the public have a right to see what’s in it. It’s as simple as that.

“Taxpayers have also been on the hook for Tana’s salary to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars as this investigation dragged on for month after month. The public need to know why the facts took so long to dig up, so taxpayers’ money won’t be wasted like this again.

“Ms Swarbrick claims the Greens punch well above their weight in holding the powerful to account. Now’s their chance to put their money where their mouth is and let the public hold them accountable.”