August 10, 2017
Turei work must continue
Green Party candidate Jack McDonald says he's devastated by the resignation of Metiria Turei, but the party needs to continue the work she started.
Ms Turei stepped down yesterday as co-leader and from the party list as the scrutiny continued into her time on the domestic purposes benefit in the early 1990s.
Mr McDonald says she will eventually be considered as one of the most important Maori leaders of her generation for putting child poverty on the national agenda.
But putting out her personal story of how she broke the law while exposed her to a witch hunt with racist and sexist overtones.
He says many Green members are expressing shock and despondency at her departure.
"Her message and our message to them is now is the time to fight, now is the time to take our country back. Metiria is going to continue fighting alongside us. She just feels that for the sake of her whanau and the sake of the party, the best way to do that is no longer as co-leader," Mr McDonald says.
He says the Greens tend to drop in the polls whenever Labour picks a new leader, and the way to claw back that support is to keep talking about its policy to end poverty by lifting the minimum wage, lifting benefits, ending benefit sanctions and building a culture of compassion at Work and Income.
Copyright © 2017, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com