The investigation costs against the suspended Green MP Darleen Tana amount to 43,000 US dollars

The ongoing investigation into suspended Green MP Darleen Tana has cost taxpayers $43,000 and is expected to rise.

A Green Party spokesman confirmed that the independent investigation, launched on March 14 and led by lawyer Rachel Burt, had exhausted $43,000 in parliamentary service funding available to the Green Party office.

Tana was suspended after allegations of migrant exploitation were made at her husband Christian Hoff-Nielsen’s bicycle company. At the time, Hoff-Nielsen denied all allegations of exploitation and said that Herald: “This is not news, there is no news.”

The investigation lasted nine weeks and it was unclear when it would be completed.

In conversation with Newstalk ZB This morning, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick indicated she would have preferred the investigation to be completed now. However, she said the issue is close to being resolved.

She wouldn’t give an exact date for when Burt would report, but said the matter was “fairly advanced.”

Swarbrick confirmed that the money for the investigation came from the party leader’s office budget. When speaking to Newstalk ZB, she was not aware of the exact costs and did not comment on the number.

When asked why the investigation had not yet been completed, Swarbrick pointed out that his scope had been expanded after new allegations became public through media reports.

Swarbrick acknowledged that discussions were taking place within the party about its response to the possible outcomes of the investigation, but declined to elaborate, saying natural justice was the top priority.

She stressed that Tana is innocent until proven guilty, but acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations. The exploitation of migrants was a key issue for the Greens and was strongly condemned by their MPs.

“This goes to the core of who we are as Greens, so we want to deal with it properly,” Swarbrick told Newstalk ZB.

Last week, Tana reached an unpleasant milestone: she was absent from Parliament for as many days as she has this year.

Parliament sat for 15 days before it was suspended. The end of the last block of meetings last Thursday marked the 15th day of meetings since her suspension.

Tana received her full salary during her suspension and, like all other MPs, would benefit from a retroactive pay rise recommended by the Remuneration Authority.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based in Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018 and is responsible for sports and health Lawyer of the North in Whangarei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, about Covid-19 and crime.