Dr Gaurav Sharma faces expulsion from the Labour Party after making several explosive allegations against the Prime Minister in an interview with Newshub on Thursday evening.
In the interview, the Hamilton West MP continued to allege bullying within Labour, called for an independent investigation into complaints against himself, and accused the Prime Minister of a "cover-up".
He also released a secret recording of a MP informing him of a Monday night meeting he wasn't invited to and that the outcome of a caucus meeting on Tuesday was predetermined.
On AM on Friday, Dr Sharma said he "may or may not" have more recordings. He also claimed the secretly taped MP has since told him, "good on you for doing it".
Labour continues to deny Dr Sharma's allegations and said in a statement on Thursday night that he has "repeatedly breached his colleagues' trust". He has also misrepresented conversations with others, it's alleged.
Newshub's live updates have now ended.
12:30pm - The Speaker's Office has announced former Auditor-General Lyn Provost was been appointed as the independent Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards.
This was a role established earlier in 2022 as part of Parliament's attempts to improve workplace culture. The Commissioner will investigate issues or complaints about MPs' behaviour that have not reached a resolution through already existing processes.
"Accountability has been an integral part of my public service work so far, and will be essential in my role as Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards to keep the power imbalances which are part of Parliament in check," Provost said.
MPs and anyone else on the parliamentary precinct will be able to escalate complaints to the Commissioner who is independent from all other agencies and parties.
"Members of Parliament come here to serve the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, but too many times this high-pressure environment has impacted those people working closest to our MPs," said Speaker Trevor Mallard.
"Establishing this independent role is one way we can provide oversight on MPs' behaviour, while not imposing on their duties as elected representatives of New Zealand.”
"It is important to create an environment where those who speak up are protected, but that we can identify any systemic issues in the workplace.
"To balance this, all complaints will be confidential, and the Commissioner can report to the House on individual complaints that are particularly serious, including naming an individual MP or MPs. She will also produce a report on the number of complaints received and their outcomes every year."
Provost was the Controller and Auditor General of New Zealand from 2009 to 2017 and served as Deputy Commissioner of New Zealand Police for eight years. She was the first woman to hold both roles.
11:50am - As the latest Gaurav Sharma issues played out, a new political poll was released this week that Labour's Michael Wood and National's Paul Goldsmith commented on during their Friday AM appearance.
11:20am - Newshub Political Editor Jenna Lynch asked Dr Sharma whether he was prepared to be expelled by Labour after speaking out again.
"Yeah. What I am repeatedly asking for is a fair trial and that is what I am focused on... it is a matter of principle."
He's yet to decide if he would compete in a by-election if he is expelled and the waka-jumping legislation is invoked.
10:40am - Dr Sharma was also on TodayFM on Friday morning. He continued to call for an independent investigation into bullying allegations.
The Hamilton West MP also said the Prime Minister had been misleading when she said the outcome of Tuesday's caucus meeting hadn't been predetermined by a meeting of MPs the night before. He has provided Newshub with a secret recording of another MP who told him that it was predetermined.
TodayFM host Tova O'Brien asked Dr Sharma if Ardern was a liar.
"What else does it add up to... You have a Prime Minister who wouldn't have told you there was a secret meeting then got caught out the next day when I found out there was a secret meeting."
Ardern has reiterated that the outcome was not predetermined. Labour has rejected Dr Sharma's allegations. No evidence has been provided by the MP to substantiate claims of bullying.
10:05am - During his interview with Newshub, Dr Sharma made a number of claims about how Labour was coaching new MPs on handling information it didn't want to get into the public's hands.
He said the intake of 2020 recently attended a workshop, where they received guidance on how to communicate with ministers.
"One was obviously, shut up, don't talk about anything. Not about this, but anything. Don't say anything for which the Prime Minister has to stand up and do a media stand-up. But also, how not to get an OIA'd issue, so how to talk to somebody without having a track record of it so nobody could track it down the road."
Dr Sharma alleges staff in the Prime Minister's Office wear two employment hats and pick which one they're wearing when they receive information.
"They said the staffing arrangements are done in a way that some staff work part-time for Labour Leader's Office and part-time for Prime Minister's Office and when they want to prevent OIA, they just sort of make it that this is Labour Leader's problem, this is not the Prime Minister's office problem and then they can get away with it."
Newshub asked Dr Sharma if he was comfortable with that.
"No, not at all. This is what I'm saying," he said.
9:35am - Speaking to Newshub, Peter Dunne said the Government will be "desperately clean to avoid a by-election" as Hamilton West is a marginal seat.
"They would probably lose it in a by-election. It wouldn't affect the stability of the Government, but going into an election year, it wouldn't be a good look."
Labour has 65 seats in Parliament, more than the 61 required. Hamilton West has swung back and forth between Labour and National for decades. It was held by National between 2008 and 2020.
Dr Sharma beat his National opponent, Tim Macindoe, 51.85 percent to 36.16 percent during Labour's landslide in 2020.
9:20am - Labour announced on Thursday night that the caucus would consider expelling Dr Sharma.
According to a statement from the Labour Leader, Jacinda Ardern, the caucus will "consider a motion to expel Gaurav Sharma from the caucus".
"Gaurav has repeatedly breached his colleagues' trust, and caucus was clear that should there be further breaches such as this then further steps would be taken."
9am - Former MP Peter Dunne spoke to Newshub Late on Thursday night.
"This is an ongoing trainwreck. There is revelation after revelation, day after day," said Dunne.
He said it is unclear where the situation will end up. Labour has offered mediation and had given Dr Sharma the opportunity to return to caucus in December if he improved his behaviour, Dunne said.
"If they truncate that, they could be accused of acting in bad faith. But they could equally say all the rules have been broken by Dr Sharma by going to the media and not turning up to the meeting and continuing to put up material. This is becoming a very messy and difficult situation."
Dunne said Labour need to consider the optics of expelling Dr Sharma.
"They denied there was a special caucus meeting on the Monday evening. They have now admitted there was, that Dr Sharma wasn't invited to. If they then throw him out because of the latest outburst, they don't know what information he has got."
Labour needs to be careful it doesn't look like they are being the bullies. But if Dr Sharma continues making allegations, Labour may have no option but to expel.
8:45am - Labour's Kieran McAnulty has rejected allegations Dr Gaurav Sharma has made against him. Listen to the full interview below:
8:30am - During Dr Sharma's interview with Newshub, he revealed five questions he has for the Prime Minister. They include asking her what she is "hiding that she doesn't want investigation" into his concerns or the complaints against him.
8:15am - Dr Sharma claimed on Newstalk ZB earlier that he knows of at least six Labour MPs who have been bullied by Kieran McAnulty.
The MP has provided no evidence to substantiate this and McAnulty has rejected claims he has bullied anyone.
Dr Sharma previously posted messages on social media he said were from other MPs. One said they didn't want to go into Parliament, another raised fears about their own mental health.
8:05am - In an interview with RNZ, Dr Sharma doubled-down on his allegations, especially that Ardern had made up her mind about his future prior to the Tuesday caucus meeting. Ardern rejects there was a predetermined outcome.
Dr Sharma said: "It's like organising a jury to sit down together with the whole court apart from the accused, and for them to meet up a day before and agree on what's going to happen. And then next day, presented as it is going to be a fair trial."
He also questioned the Prime Minister's credibility.
"This is about the credibility of a nation's prime minister, who every step of the way has been lying. Even this week, lying and saying there is no predetermination while she called the meeting, in which everybody was invited, except me."
7:50am - Appearing on AM, Labour's Michael Wood says Dr Sharma's claims are serious but no evidence has been provided and they are refuted. He says a mediation process has been offered to try resolve the issues. That would be a reasonable way to discuss these issues, but that has been clearly rejected, Wood says.
Wood says Dr Sharma saying he may have more secret recordings could show the MP has forgotten why he is in Parliament in the first place.
Dr Sharma needs to put more evidence on the table before moving towards an investigation, Wood says.
National's Paul Goldsmith would only say it's an unclear situation. Whether there should be an investigation is a matter for the Prime Minister, he says.
7:40am - Dr Sharma has told Newstalk ZB he hasn't heard from Labour leadership since he made his allegations on Newshub on Thursday night.
7:35am - Labour minister Michael Wood and National MP Paul Goldsmith will be on AM at about 7:40am to discuss Dr Sharma's latest allegations. You can watch that on Three or in the video above.
7:30am - Here's Dr Sharma's AM interview if you missed it:
7:15am - McAnulty tells AM he hasn't bullied anyone. He took his job as Chief Whip "incredibly seriously", especially when issues were raised by staff. But he also wanted to support MPs with mentoring and coaching. He says it's a difficult transition for MPs to enter Parliament.
"We wanted to be a supportive environment," McAnulty says, but issues from staff were taken seriously. "I refute all the allegations that have been made."
He is not one to raise his voice, McAnulty says after Dr Sharma claims he shouted at him. He also disputes allegations Dr Sharma has made against others.
An independent investigation is a decision for the Prime Minister, he says. All documentation has been provided to "those who are interested in this" and he says no grounds have been found for an investigation.
McAnulty wouldn't say whether he would welcome an investigation.
7:05am - Labour's Kieran McAnulty will be on AM at about 7:12am. He will be speaking about flooding, but will also respond to Dr Sharma's claims. Dr Sharma claims McAnulty was among the Labour Whips who bullied him, but McAnulty has denied those claims. Dr Sharma is yet to provide evidence to substantiate his allegations.
7am - This is the statement Newshub received from a spokesperson for the Prime Minister following the interview with Dr Sharma on Thursday:
"On Tuesday the Caucus suspended Gaurav on the basis of repeated breaches of trust. This latest example of releasing and misrepresenting conversations with his colleagues reinforces that decision and will be discussed by caucus.
"As the Prime Minister said on Tuesday we anticipated Gaurav would continue relitigating matters in this way. He has still not responded to our communications about entering into mediation, instead using the media to make his points."
We also received this statement from the Labour leader on Thursday night:
"The Labour Caucus will meet on Tuesday to consider a motion to expel Gaurav Sharma from the caucus.
"Gaurav has repeatedly breached his colleagues' trust, and caucus was clear that should there be further breaches such as this then further steps would be taken."
6:50am - He went to the Prime Minister's Office in December last year, Dr Sharma tells AM. The Chief of Staff called him and there were frustrations that Dr Sharma put his concerns in writing as it was possible they could be discoverable under the OIA, he says.
Dr Sharma "may or may not" have more secret recordings, he tells Ryan Bridge.
He released one with a MP to Newshub on Thursday night. He has had a conversation with that MP since and claims the MP said to him "good on you for doing it".
6:45am - Speaking on AM, Dr Sharma says for the last year-and-a-half people within Labour haven't wanted to listen to his claims and deflected them.
His concerns about bullying began when he raised issues with a staff member, he says. Instead of helping resolve that, Whips suggested Dr Sharma was the "problem" and he was brought into last-minute meetings without personal support. He would be shouted at in those meetings, Dr Sharma alleges. It was a manipulative tactic, Dr Sharma says. These incidents happened repeatedly, he says.
A 'whistle-blower' complaint Dr Sharma made to the Parliamentary Service was then passed on to Labour, revealing his identity, the MP alleges.
6:35am - Dr Sharma will appear on AM at about 6:40am - you can watch that on Three or in the video above.
6:30am - Kia ora, good morning, and welcome to Newshub's live updates for Friday. We will be following the fallout of Labour MP Dr Gaurav Sharma's explosive allegations against the Prime Minister and his party on Thursday night.
If you need a reminder of Dr Sharma's latest claims - and the Prime Minister's Office's response - here is Newshub Political Editor Jenna Lynch's report.
You can also watch an extended cut of Lynch's interview with Dr Sharma here.
