As reported yesterday, five candidates of the DemocracyNZ party tendered their resignations over the weekend.
Four of them, Dr. Matt Shelton, Lee Smith, Kirsten Murfitt and Steve Cranston released a statement this morning outlining the reasons for the resignations. The statement was shared on Murfitt’s Twitter account.
DTNZ has reproduced the statement in full below.
It is with deep regret that we, being Matt Shelton, Kirsten Murfitt and Lee Smith, have resigned as candidates and members of DemocracyNZ. This follows its board firing fellow candidate Steve Cranston on Saturday, 17 June 2023, after he informed other candidates of the need to address a number of issues. The aim of our desired meeting was to achieve:
- full transparency of the members of the board and leadership.
- change in party culture to stem the outflow of good people;
- a plan to delegate more responsibility and grow the party infrastructure; and
- clarity on, and unwavering commitment to, policy principles and post-election strategy.
The next election is historic, and truly will determine the future of our nation. We lack confidence that the party’s leadership recognises the serious jeopardy and urgency of NZ’s situation.
We all feel an intense responsibility to those who donate their hopes, money and time.
We are all known in the freedom community for standing for truth, and we asked for reassurance that the party will deliver on its’ founding principles. We did not receive any such assurances prior to our resignation, and the dismissal of Steve Cranston has further elevated our concerns for DemocracyNZ.
We assure you that the decision to leave has been extremely hard. We have continued to campaign for months even as we tried to resolve the issues. Unfortunately, the Board has been unwilling to address the issues raised and make the changes that many of the candidates and volunteers are asking for.
We took a considered approach to date, writing three letters to the leader, dating back to 19 February 2023 followed by several meetings in front of board members. We also tried to organise an in-person Hui with all the candidates and board to team build and work through issues. We had arranged a venue and sponsorship of meals. While Matt King initially agreed to this, the leadership supervened, and the Hui was cancelled.
Between us we have extensive experience in governance, business, law, management, and political candidacy, and we brought to bear a pragmatic, reasonable and patient approach to helping DemocracyNZ achieve its stated aims. Without going into detail our concerns revolved around:
- members of the board and a shadow leader which were not disclosed to us prior to us signing up as candidates;
- the board’s recent proposal to remove the entrenchment of the Bill of Rights from DemocracyNZ’s policy. The mechanics of the Bill of Rights policy were the concept of a former judge;
- the hemorrhaging of experienced and motivated members and volunteers due to the culture of DemocracyNZ. Many of those that have left the party are bitter about the way that they have been treated and going out of their way to damage DemocracyNZ’s brand;
- the systemic issues that threatened the party and the board refuses to address and resolve these issues. We have been told that the board will no longer be transparent with its decisions and that if we do not like the way the party is conducted then we should resign. The culture of the party does not give us confidence that the party will be successful at implementing changes if we are taking into parliament.
We do not agree that the issues we identified were normal, and they risk the party’s ability to grow and deliver. We have learnt, if we didn’t know already, that politics is a cut-throat business, but it is a recipe for disaster for us if DemocracyNZ operations and culture are not congruent with the promise of a genuine new and exciting political party and breed of politician.
We worked incredibly hard promoting a party that we believed in.
We will pay back any funds that we have spent from the donations which are held with DemocracyNZ. We will pay these funds into DemocracyNZ’s bank account. If you wish to request a refund of your donation, we suggest that you contact the party directly.
We will continue to work tirelessly to represent and protect the people, especially those who have been rendered voiceless. We will consider all options – political, legal, community etc. – to reclaim our beautiful country for our descendants, and the control of our destinies, in the face of radical ideology.
We thank all the volunteers that have given their valuable time to support us.
Matt Shelton, Kirsten Murfitt, Steve Cranston and Lee Smith.
Starting to look like just another mainstream contender to this voter. Oh well moving on to the New Conservatives….
This definitely sounds like the ‘Old Boy’ aspect at work, and probably a Masonic influence there as well!
It’s also right out of the Communist Red Book and the rules in the Talmud for orchestrating strife , disruption and then destruction of the associated groups.
Just look at how the Invercargill General Manager behaves towards their duly-elected young Mayor Ben…disgusting!!! And yet, the GM has been allowed to stay on with the Invercargill Council despite the severe and unprofessional behaviours of bullying, rancor towards the voters and ratepayers, and has blatantly violated the Human Rights of his previous victims, going so far as to go overseas to intimidate witnesses.
Similar scenarios have played-out with Jamie Lee Ross and Billy TK and their political party merger / coalition in the last election! The MSM never gave them or any other Third Political Party any air time in the last election as required by law and Broadcast Standards…!
Winston Peters has been getting the shaft from MSM for years, and the MSM are quick to aggravate any small problem into a larger one. And yet, no Super Coalition is being talked about or entertained.
I would suggest that the candidates who resigned go immediately over to either the Outdoors and Freedom Party, or over to New Zealand First and announce their candidacies there, with the alternative third parties agreeing to a ratified and codified Constitutional Bill of Rights.
ALL Political Parties and NGO’s have Deep State Operatives (DSO’s) embedded in their ranks- even the Churches have them!
One just has to identify who they are, and navigate around them.
If the problems continue, then they have to be confronted perhaps with lawyers and warned, or given the chance to resign.
If they don’t resign, then they can be censured at various levels as outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order, and Due-Corporate Processes.
This situation may also show where the founder of DemocracyNZ’s true intentions lie; splitting the vote so that National can win, thus insuring the Globalist WEF Ops continues under their brand name, just as it has with Labour…!
Once a National Party member, always a National Party member, irregardless of the orchestrated strife that causes a Political Party to lose it’s candidates and split from what would have been a viable voting option.
SUPER COALITION…nothing else will suffice!
This is definitely the work of the Masonic Old Boy Network, especially when the entrenchment of the Bill of Rights was ignored;.
The Hiram Abiff Two-Ball Caners want to remove any and all rights so that their agendas can go forward unfettered, under the watchfulness of the ‘All-Seeing Eye’ of their globalist ‘Illumined’ WEF / NWO plan.
Seems as though a ‘Shadow Leader’ (a Masonic ‘Match-Pin Maker’) who was not made known due to the lack of transparency confirms a ‘Secret Handshake Agenda’. (Well, I’ll be Mah-Hah-Boned…!)
Quite frankly, the departing DemocracyNZ candidates should go over to either the Outdoors & Freedom Party where Dr. Shelton and O&FP Co-Leader lawyer Sue Grey worked together to make their concerns about the vax data known during the Covid hoax, or-
Approaching Winston Peters with a coalition of the O&FP w/ NZ First may prove viable, but there isn’t much time left. Winston will need to be flexible, open-minded and not stubborn, and will need to listen to the alternatives, as this could be our last election here in New Zealand, IF we even get to October 2023…!
(See Scott Ritter’s video ‘2023 is our last year…’ on YouTube)
Thank you for staying true to your beliefs Dr. Matt Shelton, Lee Smith, Kirsten Murfitt and Steve Cranston! We will support you where ever you go. please do find a home, we need you all and thank you 🙂
Well they just ruined that party before it even got going.
No, the unannounced and secretive ‘Shadow Leader’ who was not made known to the corporate body ruined it.
Many infiltrators (ie Police Intelligence, Government Secret Services, Freemasons, etc.) often wander into an organisation unnoticed, and they keep a low profile in those ‘selected to be spied on’ organisations.
In some cases, the actually subvert the work of the oprganisation, while pointing the finger at those who are innocent of committing a crime, corporate malfeasance, or financial incompetence.
The New Conservatives, New Zealand First, and the Outdoors and Freedom Party need to go to work NOW to form-up either a hard coalition, or a Political Party merger, and it needs to be done ASAP!
So who is this shadow leader then?
Democracy means you get to have a say it doesn’t mean you get to have your way, not that a political party is in any way a democracy. Maybe it’s a good thing this has happened now as it appears they may all lack the art of negotiation and compromise, vital skills needed if they are to achieve anything. Disappointing that such talent has decided to leave, what chance do they really have of affecting any change if they aren’t even in the room. Or will they appear as candidates elsewhere?
Really? the only reason you are a party is because you said you would entrench the Bill of Rights and then you try to quietly back out of it moments before an election? Matts taking one for team Blue.
“…not that a political party is in any way a democracy. …” This is, when pondered in its possible implications, a most profound fact.
Those that have left may feel they are standing true to their conviction but how do they expect to affect any sort of change if they aren’t part of the conversation To achieve anything in politics as a minor party you need to be willing to compromise, maybe they don’t have the stomach for it after all
Where has Labour compromised? except for now where they are throwing out bribes left right and centre so they can hold on and rape us all later, that kind of compromise? mate you have Stockholm syndrome.
So you think all politicians are Cucks to who?
I’m confused….they say they began raising their concerns from at least as far back as Feb 19 but their candidacies weren’t announced until Mar 19 Something doesn’t add up
Disappointing that such a great talent has decided to leave but need to be admired to stand up for their believes the stood for. Oh well Democracy Nz you lost my vote
Same, never really fully trusted them, the mask has finally dropped.
Strange. They were looking quite promising too. Shades of Collin Craig. Doing so well until he was undone by a honey trap.
Matt says that there are leaks. It certainly would appear that some other organisation has infiltrated his party and is destroying it from the inside. Shadow leader?