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The green deputy Ricardo Menéndez March has issued an extensive statement that reveals the details of the trip abroad that saw him miss the first week of Parliament.
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Ricardo Menéndez March traveled to Mexico for a “serious family matter.” Source: 1 NEWS
Menéndez March traveled to Mexico to care for his sick parents and also traveled with his partner back to New Zealand.
The Greens say that Menéndez March and his partner did not need to travel together from Mexico to obtain the visa, since “visa-exempt countries do not need to travel together.”
He waited 24 hours before making a statement on Facebook.
When 1 NEWS asked questions about his partner, they did not return calls.
Menendez March’s full statement can be viewed here.
Part of his statement says:
“Leaving New Zealand and returning to my homeland of Tijuana Mexico was not an easy decision and many have understood the seriousness of my personal circumstances and have shown compassion and empathy.
“The Green Party has always stood for truth and transparency. That is why I am going to go into detail (as much as my family feels comfortable) about why I made the difficult decision to return home.
“Before I became a Member of Parliament last year, due to the poor health of my father and my stepmother, I had booked an urgent flight home to take care of my parents.
“My stepmother has had a breast cancer diagnosis that she has been battling for several years, recently had an aggressive relapse, and has been given six to twelve months to live.
“For several years since the death of my biological mother, she has been a vital part of my nuclear family. During the pandemic, my father underwent major surgery (with lasting effects), and the person who had cared for them had got seriously ill and couldn’t take care of them.
“The pandemic itself has taken an incredible toll on his health and finances.”
Menéndez March went on to say that he received the blessing of Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson and party whip Jan Logie before leaving on December 13 of last year.
“Meanwhile, since June of last year, my partner of many years and I have been trying to get a visa for him to live and work with me in Aotearoa.
“After a couple of attempts, and after a change in the process for people from visa-exempt countries, he was granted an invitation to apply for a visa on December 3.
“On January 11, my partner received a visitor visa from New Zealand for six months.
“This aligned, very fortunately, with the time period in which he was looking to return to Aotearoa New Zealand,” March wrote of his partner.
Judith Collins from National told the media today that she would not have allowed her deputies to travel.
Menéndez March had asked for a special exemption for a place at MIQ and it was rejected.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Green Party co-leader James Shaw were contacted by the Executive Director of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Carolyn Tremain as part of the policy without surprises.
Tremain said he called them to determine if there was “any information that we were missing that could influence the outcome of the application.”
“As a result of these two conversations, I felt comfortable with the decision to reject the application.”
Shaw said it was a “very serious family matter” for Menendez March to travel.
“He did not receive special treatment, he went through the exact same process as anyone else who did the same.”
Menendez March was able to secure a spot without a special exemption and will end the isolation administered this weekend and is scheduled to be back in Parliament on Tuesday.
