Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has insisted her electorate overspend was authorised, saying her office had an agreement to provide support to Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp (who passed away in June) while Kemp was unwell.
Party president John Tamihere flatly rejects that such an agreement ever existed.
In High Court filings, the party states there was no approval from Kemp for Kapa-Kingi to draw on Tāmaki Makaurau resources, and alleges Kapa-Kingi was on track to exceed her electorate budget by about $130,000.
Court documents support the party’s position. A screenshot of a text message from Kemp to co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer shows Kemp expressing alarm at the level of spending being attributed to her office. Kemp wrote:
“I can’t afford another transfer of $45k that’s just ridiculous and would mean they take $79k for five months for doing what,” followed by a screaming-cat shock emoji.
These communications provide the only direct evidence of Kemp’s position.
Yet Kapa-Kingi maintains that her staff were assisting Kemp’s electorate through mutual understanding, and that the party later reversed its position.
She has also alleged hostile behaviour and “highly offensive” remarks from Tamihere, including a threat of “utu.” The party disputes this, stating that Kapa-Kingi herself used abusive language at the same hui.
The dispute escalated into Kapa-Kingi’s demotion as party whip and the national council’s vote to expel her.
She challenged the decision, and last week the High Court reinstated her membership on an interim basis, finding significant questions about whether the expulsion process complied with the constitution.
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Centrist is a contributor to elocal Magazine.