Listen
Gaurav Sharma claims he has evidence of widespread bullying in the Labour Party but is reluctant to pass it on in case he breaches privacy.
The Hamilton West MP told Checkpoint that no-one stood up for him at the Labour caucus meeting today that resulted in a vote that saw him expelled.
The lack of support was what he expected.
"If people have to message me to tell me that they're being bullied then, obviously they don't have that trust in the party and the caucus and they don't want to, I guess, be made an example like I have been."
He denied that he has refused to provide his evidence of bullying to Checkpoint - he wanted to sit down with RNZ rather than provide the evidence for privacy reasons.
"I've got the evidence. That's what I'm saying. You know, if you want to see the evidence, I'm more than happy to show you.
"Obviously I want to protect people's privacy and at the end of the day these colleagues have to come out and say themselves that they've been bullied."
Dr Sharma said bullying within Labour was commonplace.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
"A lot of people have gone through it. Whether you are a senior colleague, whether you are a junior colleague, whether you're male, female, Pākehā, non-Pākehā, across the board people have experienced it and it's not always from the same person as well... it's different people."
Sharma said he was yet to make up his mind whether he would remain in Parliament as an independent MP and repeated his frequent calls for an independent investigation into his claims - a demand that has been rejected by Labour leader Jacinda Ardern.
"I don't have a deadline for that [his future]. I've literally just found out the outcome of this meeting. So, you know, it's going to take me time to reflect on these things. My question remains, will there be an independent investigation regarding the claims I've made and any independent investigation regarding any claims that have been made against me."
The MP denied that he had bullied any of his own staff, and said those who had left had done so because they had been on short-term contracts or had found better jobs.
Asked repeatedly to provide the number who had resigned, he refused, repeating his call for an investigation so that any claims could be explored.
"That's why I'm saying let's do an investigation on me where I can present my facts, and anybody who's made claims can put their facts together."
What Ardern said about Sharma's expulsion
Sharma's expulsion was confirmed in a statement from Ardern, who said it would take effect immediately.
"The caucus also voted to refer the matter to the New Zealand Council of the Labour Party for them to consider any further disciplinary action," she said.
Her statement went on to say: "When Gaurav went public about his staffing issues 12 days ago our response was one of concern. We attempted to offer support and find a way to resolve his concerns. We offered mediation and a pathway back for him.
"Despite providing an opportunity to resolve his issues and to rebuild trust he has repeatedly demonstrated that he no longer wishes to be a member of the caucus. His consistent and ongoing breach of the caucus rules has resulted in the complete loss of trust by his fellow Labour MPs."
She said Labour's whips and the Parliamentary Service had sought to resolve staffing issues within Sharma's officer for more than a year, but rather than accept the issues raised or the need to take steps to address them he had "consistently contested the process".
"As a Labour team we remain committed to ensuring that Parliament is a positive place for our staff. We have however highlighted to the Speaker areas where we believe that the new procedures under the Francis Review could be improved, and asked that he consider whether these recent events could be a case study to help improve these processes.
"There are definitely things to be learned from this episode, but none of it justifies the recent behaviour of Gaurav."
Sharma had been suspended from the caucus last week for what the party referred to as repeated breaches of trust.