1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:01,800 Speaker 1: Together due to see Ellen. 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:04,880 Speaker 2: So the Maori party's internal battle has finally gone to court. 3 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 2: This is, of course, the case of mariey Amin or 4 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,480 Speaker 2: Kapa Kinga, who's fighting her expulsion from the party. News 5 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 2: Talk z'b political reporter Ethan Griffiths has been in court 6 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 2: today and is with US High Ethan Hi Heather. Now, 7 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 2: this whole thing centers on the claim that she misused 8 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 2: her funds. 9 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:20,799 Speaker 1: Did she well, I guess that's kind of the one 10 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty three thousand dollars question. Really, it's something 11 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 1: that Cappa Kingy was focused pretty intently on as she 12 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: sat in the back of the courtroom today. Now, evidence 13 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,639 Speaker 1: today shows that Carpakingiy was on track to overspend her 14 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: parliamentary budget by that amount. She essentially had to borrow 15 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: money from the next year's budget to make up the shortfall. Now, 16 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: her lawyer, Mike Colson claims the party leadership that expelled 17 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: her for that reason misusing party funds. The key thing 18 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: here is that Carpa Kingy's side claims they weren't party funds. 19 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: They were for her parliamentary office, i e. She'd get 20 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: the money if she was in the party or an 21 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: independent On the other side, lawyer for the party, Davy Salmon, 22 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: says the court shouldn't waste its time on quote linguistic exactitude. 23 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: She misused the fund's full stop and still hasn't explained why. 24 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: And look, all of that's kind of pedantics around the 25 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: meaning of words, right, But the big piece of evidence 26 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: to come out of today's hearing is get this. The 27 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: party co leader's own account was over budget by forty 28 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,039 Speaker 1: two thousand dollars at the same time. So Kapa Kingi's 29 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 1: lawyer says, that's deeply ironic and proves you cannot classify 30 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 1: this as misuse. 31 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 2: And the other allegation is that she brought the party 32 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:26,559 Speaker 2: into disrepute. 33 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: How yeah, well, this is the second leg of the expulsion. 34 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: There's the funds and then there's this. Kappa Kinge's lawyers 35 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: say this entire leg relies on one comment she made 36 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: to the media where she said, and I'm paraphrasing here, 37 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 1: she was trying not to focus on the party's dysfunction, 38 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: so claiming the party was dysfunctional essentially. Her lawyers say 39 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: that the party's also trying to hold her responsible for 40 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: her son's comments. You'll remember this is Edu Kappakinghi, the 41 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: party's form and vice president, who came out on social 42 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: media calling the party's leadership dictatorial. Now, Kappa Kinge's lawyers 43 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: say that she's not remotely responsible for her son's comments, 44 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: and even then the disrepute bar is too high for 45 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: it to count. But the party's lawyer, Davey Salmon, on 46 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: the other hand, compared Kappa Kenny to get this Francis 47 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: Urkitt from the nineteen ninety BBC drama House of Cards 48 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: and his famous quote, well you can think that, but 49 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: I couldn't possibly comment. Essentially, he was saying that this 50 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: was politics. While Kapa key didn't make the comments herself, 51 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: she didn't come out and reject them either. 52 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 2: Amazing, Hey, Ethan, thank you very much. Appreciate it, mate. 53 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 2: Ethan Griffith's News Talk ZB political reporter. 54 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplassy Allen Drive, listen live to 55 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: Newstalk ZB from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 56 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.