Metiria Turei must resign

Metiria Turei must resign as an MP immediately because of her admitted abuse of the welfare system in the 1990s and her abuse of voters’ trust during the past weeks.

“New revelations this evening prove Metiria Turei has abused the trust of not just the welfare system, but also the voters from whom she asked for sympathy,” Mr Seymour said.

"Voters can’t be represented by someone they can not trust, and the Greens can’t campaign while being led by an admitted, repeated liar who may be facing a number of charges by election day.”

“She must resign. She has let down all the genuinely struggling New Zealanders she claimed to represent with her self-centred ego trip. Even when she claimed to be ‘coming clean’ to promote the Greens policy, she was actually taking sole parents and hardworking Kiwi families for a ride.”

Ms Turei told voters two and a half ago that as a sole parent on a benefit, she lied about having flatmates so she could claim a higher accommodation supplement.

It has now been revealed that during part of her period on the DPB, Ms Turei was registered on the electoral roll as living with the father of her child, in a house he owned, therefore, she was not eligible for the benefit at all.

“Remarkably, her defence is to claim she was merely committing electoral fraud by admitting she lied about her residence, not a further welfare fraud, in order to vote for a friend,” Mr Seymour said. “She has also admitted that one of her ‘flatmates’ was her own mother while she over-claimed the accommodation allowance.”

“We are only on day one of the Ministry of Social Development’s investigation. She has to resign now and apologise to the honest working Kiwis and sole parents she has let down time after time.”

ENDS

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