Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick has apologised in Parliament after accusing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of telling a "demonstrable lie".
She made the remark in the House last Wednesday after the Prime Minister responded to a question from Greens' co-leader Marama Davidson by saying the new Government was "not weakening our actions on climate change".
Despite the Speaker at the time providing Swarbrick with the opportunity to withdraw and apologise (accusing another Member of lying is against the rules of the House), she didn't. Outside of the House, when speaking to media, she also wouldn't apologise and said she was willing to work through the consequences of her comments in order to "keep the focus on the climate crisis".
But there was a change of tune from the MP late on Wednesday night when she stood to make a personal explanation.
"I made comments intended to challenge the content of the Prime Minister's answer to oral question number one. I can understand how this statement could be interpreted to be a personal reflection against the Prime Minister.
"It was not my intention to make a personal reflection on the Prime Minister in this House and to that effect, I apologise to this House. I recognise that should have happened at the time."
The personal explanation came while the House was in urgency on the third reading of the Government's legislation to expand 90-day trials to all businesses.
Speaking to media on Thursday, Swarbrick said she wanted to keep the focus on the climate crisis.
"We know this Government's policies are intent on pouring oil and gas on the climate crisis. As I have said many times before, I am here to do this job in order to tell the truth and to keep the focus on the climate crisis, that means maintaining by the laws of the house."
Asked why she didn't apologise last week, but did this week, Swarbrick said there had been consistency in her statements in terms of wanting to "follow the processes of the House as is necessary to keep the focus on the climate crisis".
"I think that this is a place with some pretty interesting and arcane traditions, but we abide by those in order to do our job."
She said she "had had discussions with many within these buildings" about her comments and apologised "at the earliest possible convenience based on the advice that I had from the Clerks of the House."
ACT leader David Seymour was first to raise the remark last Wednesday. He called it a "serious accusation to make of any Member".
After the incident, deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters warned the matter could end up before Parliament's powerful Privileges Committee.
At the time, Swarbrick defended her comment by saying she "speaking to the content of the policies as put forward by this Government and the fact that the content of those policies are a lie".
"If the inference is that therefore the minister or the Prime Minister are a liar, that wasn't the statement I was making, but I was pointing out it is demonstrable on the evidence that the undertakings from this Government is completely contrary to our climate commitments."
Swarbrick said last week that she came to Parliament "to tell the truth and the Government's policies are active climate denialism".
