Greens co-leader Metiria Turei has denied she was living with the father of her daughter in the early 1990s, after it was revealed they were listed at the same address on the electoral role.
It's been two and a half weeks since her admission that she lied about the number of flatmates she had while on the benefit, and Newshub has uncovered more questions about her living situation.
- Patrick Gower: Metiria Turei's political fraud is ripping off the New Zealand public
- 'I am Metiria': Beneficiaries share struggles with WINZ
- Verity Johnson: The only reason I want to vote is because Metiria Turei lied to WINZ
Ms Turei says she claimed a benefit between 1993 and 1998. The habitation index, an official public record of addresses collated from the electoral roll, shows Ms Turei listed at the same address as her daughter's father, Paul Hartley, in both 1993 and 1994.
She says it was a "mistake" she made when she was younger and they weren't actually living together.
"I was, however, enrolled to vote at the same address as him, which was in the Mt Albert electorate. A friend of mine was running as a candidate in Mt Albert in 1993, and I wished to vote for them," she said.
"I was the sole provider for my daughter. I was fully financially responsible for us both."
But Ms Turei did admit her mother, Janice, was one of her flatmates while she was defrauding Work and Income, however she says they were "financially independent" and just lived together.
When approached by Newshub earlier on Thursday, Ms Turei said she never misled Work and Income about her relationship status and wouldn't comment on who the flatmates were.
If she had been living at the same address as her baby's father she would not have been eligible for the benefit she claimed, the Domestic Purposes Benefit.
The index also shows that in 1996 and 1998 Ms Turei was listed at the same address as her mother.
At a meeting on Thursday, Ms Turei promised investigators she'll repay the money she defrauded from Work and Income.
It's now an anxious wait for Ms Turei to see whether she will face criminal charges. The Ministry of Social Development will be sending her a list of questions to answer, but there's no date set down for her next meeting with the investigators.
Newshub.
