Drama is afoot in the world of Aotearoa politics, as one NZ MP has had to apologise after ragging on a colleague in the wrong group chat. Yes, there were multiple people who received the accidental message. Yes, there’s footage of them receiving it and reacting to it in real-time. Let’s fkn dive in.
Usually, when politics makes headlines, it’s because some evil wyrm from the deep below like Peter Dutton or Mark Latham has decided to enlarge the gap between the two lines on their face they call lips.
In NZ however, things are a little less… vehemently hateful.
Greens MP Elizabeth Kerekere is in hot water at the moment for calling Finance Spokeswoman and fellow Greens MP Chlöe Swarbrick a “crybaby” in a text sent to the wrong chat.
The chat in question? Oh, just a group chat of all the other Greens MPs. Nothing too incriminating, right?
The texts were leaked by the NZ publication Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
They were reportedly sent out while Swarbrick was speaking in the House about her Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Harm Minimisation) Amendment Bill.
“Sucks that her bill goes through during list ranking! Please Universe, pick my bill tomorrow,” wrote Kerekere in the chat.
“Omg what a crybaby”.
NZ Greens MP Ricardo Menendez then texted: “I think this is the wrong chat…?”
YIKES.
Following this, Kerekere swiftly sent an apology message to her fellow Greens members.
“Kia ora everyone,” she reportedly wrote.
“I wrote an inappropriate message on here which was not meant for this thread and I apologise to everyone here.”
The best part is, there is actually footage of Greens members receiving the text and reacting to it. Please watch the footage below and pay attention to the women at the back (Green MPs Golriz Ghahraman and Julie Anne Genter).
I mean… let’s look at that reaction one more time. This is CINEMA, baby.
In an interview with RNZ, Kerekere denied ever calling Swarbrick a “crybaby”.
“I didn’t call Chlöe a crybaby, and I don’t think I can comment on it, but I didn’t call her that,” she said.
NZ Greens co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson have released a statement about the whole drama.
“It is not what anyone expects from our MPs, all of whom work tirelessly to deliver positive change for Aotearoa,” they said.
“We have a long history of celebrating our individual and collective successes together.
“Dr Elizabeth Kerekere’s message appears to go against those values and will be looked into fully.”
Honestly, if only Aussie politics could be half as eventful as this.
