This article was first published on RNZ.
Te Pāti Māori members have voted to suspend MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, according to Waatea News.
The Māori radio station is reporting that a National Council hui was held last Thursday, where members passed a resolution to suspend the Te Tai Tokerau MP.
The resolutions were: that the Te Tai Tokerau Electorate Executive be reset by way of a Special General Meeting, on the basis that “the Electorate Executive is no longer functioning in accordance with party requirements and the kawa (constitution),” that Kapa-Kingi had “seriously breached” the kawa, that she be suspended, and that the National Executive develop and recommend the most appropriate process to implement her suspension and report back to the National Council.
According to Waatea, the resolutions were passed by the members present for Tāmaki Makaurau, Hauraki-Waikato, Waiariki, Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, Te Tai Hauāuru, while Te Tai Tonga abstained.
RNZ has contacted Mariameno Kapa-Kingi for comment.
A party spokesperson told RNZ the matter was currently before the National Council and remained an internal party process.
“All proceedings are guided by our Kawa (constitution), which was developed by the founders of our movement. We await the outcome of the Council’s proceedings and findings. No further comment will be made while these processes are underway,” the spokesperson said.
The party’s National Council is comprised of the party president, John Tamihere, and two co-vice presidents (one male, one female), the two co-leaders, Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, all of its MPs, and up to four council members selected by each electorate.
The National Executive is the party president and two co-vice presidents, and the two co-leaders.
The party currently only has one vice-president, Fallyn Flavell, after Mariameno Kapa-Kingi’s son Eru stepped down from the role earlier this year.
Lance Norman, the party’s secretary and treasurer, and party general manager Kiri Tamihere-Waititi serve as ex officio members of the National Executive, without voting rights.
All decisions made by the National Executive need to be ratified by the National Council at its next hui.
Last week, Kapa-Kingi hit back against accusations she had overspent her office budget.
The party released documents to members suggesting Parliamentary Services had warned the MP she was on track to overspend her budget by up to $133,000.
Kapa-Kingi said her allocated budget had been “adjusted” while she took on extra staff to support the late Takutai Tarsh Kemp, the MP for Tāmaki Makaurau.
She also criticised party leadership for sharing the budget reallocation publicly without context.
The MP also lost her job as party whip, after the party decided she was not seen enough at huihuinga in her electorate, and needed to focus on next year’s election campaign.
By Giles Dexter of RNZ.
