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How an awkward message accidentally sent to the wrong group chat has left a major political party in turmoil
- NZ Greens MP posts message to wrong chat group
- It called finance spokesperson Chloe Swarbick ‘a crybaby’
- MP Elizabeth Kerekere was responsible for the mistake
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The New Zealand Greens are in turmoil after everyone’s worst nightmare: a message sent to the wrong groupchat.
Greens MP Elizabeth Kerekere has shone a light on party infighting by calling finance spokeswoman Chloe Swarbrick a ‘crybaby’ in a group message to Greens MPs and staff.
Ms Kerekere deleted the message after another Green MP, Ricardo Menendez March, pointed out the mistake, saying ‘I think this is the wrong chat … ?’
She then apologised.
‘Kia ora everyone. I wrote an inappropriate message on here which was not meant for this thread and I apologise to everyone here,’ she wrote.
Radio NZ, which broke the story on Thursday with leaked photos of the messages, then reported Ms Kerekere denied sending the message.
Greens MP Elizabeth Kerekere has shone a light on party infighting by calling a colleague a ‘crybaby’ in a group message to Greens MPs and staff in a massive group chat
Greens’ finance spokeswoman Chloe Swarbrick is pictured
‘I didn’t call Chloe a crybaby and I don’t think I can comment on it but I didn’t call her that,’ she told Radio NZ.
The episode is all the more embarrassing as two Greens MPs, Golriz Ghahraman and Julie Anne Genter, were caught on a parliament broadcast reacting to the messages while Ms Swarbrick was speaking.
The pair openly gasp at the message, with Ms Ghahraman covering her mouth with her hand in horror.
Both Ms Swarbrick and Ms Kerekere were absent from Question Time on Thursday, with Ms Swarbrick telling news outlet Stuff she was ‘focused on my work’.
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Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said she and co-leader James Shaw were disappointed and that ‘the message looked to be mean and not with good heart’.
Ms Kerekere was told to stay away on Thursday.
‘We suggested that it would be in everyone’s best interests if she would not be here at the office today,’ Ms Davidson said.
‘We’ll be fully investigating. We are taking this really seriously,’ she told journalists.
‘On the face of it, the content of the messages appears to not be at all in the vein of working together and celebrating each other’s successes.’
Chief whip Jan Logie has been asked to lead the internal probe.
The farce comes at an awkward time, with Greens grassroots members deciding the all-important list ranking for MPs ahead of the October election.
List rankings are pivotal for MPs from minor parties, as their election is only guaranteed if they get a high list ranking.
Ms Kerekere’s mistaken message referenced that process and the fact Ms Swarbrick had a private member’s bill debated on Wednesday.
‘Sucks that her bill goes through during list ranking! Please Universe, pick my bill tomorrow,’ one message read.
A follow-up text read, ‘OMG what a crybaby’.
In draft list rankings decided by party hierarchy, Ms Swarbrick was placed at three and Ms Kerekere at four – up from nine last election.
Ms Kerekere, a first-term MP from Gisborne, lost her COVID-19 portfolio last year after breaking isolation rules to catch a flight when a household member had the virus.
