Green MP Tamatha Paul refuses to apologise for misleading speech on property
Green Party MP Tamatha Paul is facing calls for an apology after making false claims in Parliament regarding property purchases by National MP Grant McCallum. Paul has refused to retract the statement despite evidence that the claims were incorrect.
Why it matters
The dispute underscores the tension in political discourse regarding housing affordability and the integrity of parliamentary debate.
The Green Party is refusing to apologise after one of its MPs made a false claim about a National MP in the House, with a clip of the comment racking up more than one million views.
National’s Northland MP Grant McCallum is requesting an apology from Green MP Tamatha Paul after she incorrectly claimed he had bought a house in Wellington to take advantage of an accommodation allowance given to MPs.
In a heated general debate speech last month, Paul took a swing at MPs who she said had bought property since the Government’s changes to property taxes this term.
The interest deduction rules were reinstated in 2024 after Labour phased them out over the previous two terms. Landlords can claim 100% of the interest incurred on residential property mortgages as a tax expense. The Opposition has often described the reintroduction of the deductions as “tax cuts for landlords”.
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