Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick thinks people on the "left of politics" are "more willing to forgive", and says she would "stand up to anybody" who speaks ill of her fellow MPs, even Judith Collins.
The Auckland Central candidate canvassed her thoughts on politics and the abrasive culture that comes with it in an interview with Magic Talk's Ryan Bridge, who asked her why she hasn't engaged in "cancel-culture".
The term refers to withdrawing support - or "cancelling" - public figures or companies who have said something considered objectionable or offensive. It's been linked to pulling down statues of controversial figures, like the one in Hamilton.
Swarbrick said the reason she hasn't engaged in cancel culture is because it suggests people can't learn from their mistakes, and she explained how it doesn't fit with left-leaning politics.
"Somebody says or does something wrong and then you have what is kind of this abstraction where you go, 'OK, that person did or said something wrong so therefore that person is wrong'," she said.
"It's therefore what defines them and therefore by association anybody who is tied to that person has to cut ties. That becomes a kind of fall-out whereby the person who's done one thing wrong becomes alienated and isolated and isn't necessarily able to learn from that wrongdoing."
She added, "I just think, particularly on the left of politics, we are more than willing to forgive people who have done all forms of crime."
Bridge interjected, pointing to abuse Judith Collins has received on social media since becoming National Party leader.
"Are you? Look at Judith Collins' treatment by the left in New Zealand. Frankly, some of the things that have been said about her as a woman, as a mother and as a wife are disgusting."
"I agree with you," Swarbrick said. "I absolutely agree with you and I would stand up against anybody who is saying those things, and I haven't used any of those things against Judith."
Swarbrick said the public is often unaware of the good relationship some MPs have despite their different political ideologies.
"I actually think you'll find, interestingly enough, if you want to talk about the comradery behind the scenes, is that Judith Collins and Golriz Ghahraman - my colleague - actually have quite a good relationship," she said.
"Yeah, Judith actually stood up as well against people who were having a pop at Golriz on Twitter."
Collins defended Ghahraman in May last year after ACT leader David Seymour called her a "menace to freedom" in a row over freedom of expression.
"Please don't refer to Golriz in this way. I do not agree with almost anything she says but she is a person and it does not assist political debate to dehumanise her like that," Collins said at the time.
"So, there is a bit of solidarity in that respect," Swarbrick said. "But I do think it's really clear... that we're never going to patch these holes in our political discourse unless we're able to reach across the aisle, and I think I've done quite a bit of that over the last three years."
Swarbrick, who at 26 is currently Parliament's youngest MP and sits high at number three on the Greens' list, also talked about the pressures of representing the youth demographic in politics.
"I do definitely feel as though when you don't necessarily live up to the stereotype or the archetype of what a politician is supposed to look like or sound like or behave like, then you do end up being held to a different kind of standard," she said.
"But, all of that being said, I do feel at times that I've been underestimated, and that has its advantages."
She also discussed the misconception that she's "this kind of head girl" figure like Nikki Kaye, the current Auckland Central MP who Swarbrick hopes to replace.
Kaye was head girl at Corran School in Auckland's Remuera.
"I definitely am a nerd but I was a bit of a rebellious nerd. I barely scraped through with NCEA level 1, technically a high school drop-out," Swarbrick said. "Yeah, I was a bit naughty at school but have come around."
