Source: Radio New Zealand
Green Party candidate for Māngere Michel Mulipola. Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
The Greens are defending their candidate for Māngere, saying now he has been selected he will be expected to meet different standards of behaviour.
Michel Mulipola was recently confirmed as the Green Party candidate for the South Auckland seat of Māngere.
Social media posts have surfaced showing him ripping up the New Zealand flag, calling police ‘pigs’, and a member of the coalition government as a “piece of s***”.
Former Labour MP Peeni Henare was also ordered by leader Chris Hipkins two years ago to remove reposting of Mulipola’s art depicting ACT leader David Seymour with faeces coming from his eyes, and depicting Simeon Brown as a baboon’s bottom.
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said Mulipola had a history as an advocate exposing unfairness.
“He is a strong, outspoken advocate and has spent a lot of time exposing racism, injustice, unfairness for the communities he represents,” she told reporters.
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson. RNZ / Mark Papalii
“As an independent person, as a creator and an artist. He speaks and represents his communities and the South Auckland experiences for communities who have been undeserved for decades and decades.”
He would be expected to meet higher behavioural standards as a candidate, she said.
“As a Green candidate, he knows that we have a standard of approach and language … he is aware that as a Green candidate, we have a different approach. He wants to focus on highlighting how this government’s decisions have harmed Māngere and what the Green solutions are for people.”
She said she had not seen the video of Mulipola ripping up the New Zealand flag, but it was not “an approach that the Green Party would take”.
In New Zealand, destroying or damaging the New Zealand flag with the intention of dishonouring it is an offence, leading to a potential fine of up to $5000.
Davidson said she knew it was considered serious in law, but “I’m personally not attached to our flag, so I’m not passionate about the flag”.
She expressed a disinterest in changing the law to remove penalties, however, saying she had other things to focus on.
ACT Party leader David Seymour said the Green co-leaders defending Mulipola were encouraging a path towards political violence.
Act Party leader David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii
“How are Chlöe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson a good fit for Parliament when they defend that sort of behaviour on the basis that if you feel disadvantaged or if you feel angry, then anything is justified?
“That’s their argument… that’s the path to political violence, when you say ‘my feelings trump any kind of discipline that I might apply so our society can work together’.
“I think if somebody is going to say that someone is a POS, the least you can do as a party leader is say, yeah, actually, we don’t accept that as candidates.”
Labour’s leader Chris Hipkins said he had not looked at all the comments in detail, but it was the sort of language he would not condone or support.
“I would have an issue with that if any current politician was expressing those things.
“I accept people will have said things in their pasts, you know, in their previous lives, people are allowed to grow up, people are allowed to change their minds, they’re allowed to moderate and so on – but if they’re currently held views of people standing for Parliament I would have a problem with that.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he respected the flag, but it was a matter for the Green Party.
NZ First leader Winston Peters said it was “pretty much like the Green Party, they’re a disgrace”.
“The party of [former Green co-leader Jeanette] Fitzsimons and others in the past is totally gone,” he said. “It’s an utter disgrace and the language is shocking, just revolting in the extreme.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
