Labour's Pacific members want Field to go

Taito Phillip Field

Taito Phillip Field - now considering whether to resign as an MP - took another blow yesterday when a leading party figure said Labour's Pacific wing wanted him out.

Labour's Pacific Islands vice-president, Hola Taue, criticised leaders for not consulting its Pacific council over the issue.

Ms Taue also backed the allegations of Siniva Papali'i, Mr Field's former electorate office worker. Ms Papali'i was "telling the truth", Ms Taue said.

The comments create new damage for Labour on one level, but might prove useful if the party does cut the MP loose.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has said that part of her reticence about taking a harder line on Mr Field was caused by concerns about a Pacific backlash.

The Labour leader is treading carefully because she knows Mr Field could leave the party and stay in Parliament as an independent MP - Labour's worst fear.

He was at Parliament yesterday but did not go to the party's caucus meeting or the debating chamber. Instead, he remained in his office for most of the day, working on a statement to refute allegations against him and inferences he believes were mistakenly taken from the Ingram report.

On the advice of Labour colleagues, Mr Field - who says he is considering defamation action - did not deliver that statement last night.

Mr Field refused to comment publicly yesterday. But his lawyer, Simativa Perese, who on Monday said his client intended to remain the MP for Mangere, changed tack, indicating he was considering resigning.

"When your boss says - and people are interpreting that the boss is telling you - to go, you don't make a decision about resigning on the spot."

Ms Taue said Mr Field had embarrassed the Pacific community and "should just put his cards on the table ... and go".

Pacific Island people in the party could replace him "quite comfortably".

"It's a big conflict of interest what he has done," she said.

Ms Taue said the party's Pacific council members supported her, and the party's Pacific members were concerned that leaders had not consulted the council.

Ms Taue said the Labour Party would win any byelection in Mangere.

Mr Field's Mangere electorate office secretary, Elizabeth Jones-Ataonga, said yesterday the office had received "a lot of positive calls, mostly in Samoan".

And she cited an informal Radio Samoa talkback poll yesterday.

Host Eddie Taualapini said he asked callers to say whether Mr Field should resign. Of the 55 who called, only four wanted the MP to go.

THE OPTIONS FOR LABOUR

* Field resigns from Parliament immediately and Labour wins resulting byelection in Mangere with new candidate.
Rids Labour of Field, though Labour is not keen on a byelection. Field unlikely to oblige.

* Field announces he is retiring from politics at the next election, but says he will remain a Labour MP until then.
Labour could probably live with this. Would be acknowledgment by Field that he be punished for improper behaviour.

* Field announces he is retiring from politics at the next election, but then immediately quits Labour and becomes an independent MP.
A double-edged sword. Labour gets rid of Field - but loses its one-seat parliamentary majority on legislation. Labour would need support of an additional minor party, either the Greens or the Maori Party, to pass legislation, alongside partners NZ First and United Future. A recipe for paralysis.

* Field remains a Labour MP, but seeks and fails to be re-selected as the party's Mangere candidate.
Would mean Labour is stuck with Field until the next election one way or another.

* Field remains a Labour MP, but fails to be re-selected as the party's Mangere candidate and becomes an independent MP until the election.
Labour stuck with Field for another year or longer - and then struck with problems passing legislation.

* Field expelled from Labour Party and becomes an independent MP.
Would put plenty of distance between Labour and its disgraced MP - but again at the cost of losing its one-seat majority.

* Field decamps from Labour and joins another party.
Ditto.

* Field censured by Labour and not re-selected, but remains a Labour MP until election.
Would put a bit of distance between Labour and Field. But, as punishment goes, it might be viewed by voters as too little too late.

- additional reporting: Simon Collins, Paula Oliver and John Armstrong