Turia 'deeply saddened' at resignation of Darren Hughes

Co-leader of the Maori Party and MP for Te Tai Hauauru, Tariana Turia, has spoken tonight of her sadness at the loss to Parliament of what she has described as “one of the most genuinely nice members of Parliament”.

“I have always believed that this young man had the potential to lead our country into the future” said Mrs Turia.

“He always impressed me with his incredible enthusiasm for political life. He has been a talented member of parliament fully immersed in the responsibilities of effective representation whether as a member of caucus, of select committees, in the House or as a Minister (of Statistics and Associate Social Development and Employment; 2007-8).

“I have seen him in many situations with tangata whenua, particularly within the rohe we shared as electorate MPs (Otaki/Te Tai Hauauru).

“I do know how much our people liked Darren because of his respect for them and the culture. He was proficient in the formal situations of powhiri in te reo. In fact he was one of the few MPs who took the time to pronounce te reo correctly and for that quality alone he was admired”.

“Darren was very bright and capable and commanded respect from all parties in the House in his role as Labour Whip”.

“Many people will be so disappointed today, most of all because we have a special fondness for Darren as such a likeable person”. "

This is a sad loss for Parliament".