Former NZ Green Party MP Charged With 4th Shoplifting Offence

Former NZ Green MP Golriz Ghahraman speaks to students during the Olympic Refugee Sport Day at The Trusts Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on June 19, 2018. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Former Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman has been charged with a fourth count of shoplifting from an Auckland clothing store last year, says the New Zealand Police.

In response to media requests, a police spokesperson today confirmed the 43-year-old lawyer and former Green Party justice spokesperson will face another charge of theft in relation to an incident in Newmarket on Dec. 22, which was reported to them in late January.

The charge sheet shows Ms. Ghahraman accused of stealing a navy cardigan valued at $389 (US$240) from upmarket retailer Standard Issue, mirroring the previous charges made in December. These relate to the theft of $695 worth of clothing from Wellington’s Cre8iveworx store on Oct. 22 and nearly $10,000 in clothing items from Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby on two separate occasions on Dec. 21 and 23.

The charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of seven years if convicted.

Ms. Ghahraman resigned as an MP on Jan. 16. Through a statement, she said she had stress had led her to “act in ways that are completely out of character. I am not trying to excuse my actions, but I do want to explain them.”

She added, “I have let down a lot of people and I am very sorry. It’s not a behaviour I can explain because it’s not rational in any way, and after medical evaluation, I understand I’m not well. The mental health professional I see says my recent behaviour is consistent with recent events giving rise to extreme stress response, and relating to previously unrecognised trauma. The best thing for my mental health is to resign as a Member of Parliament and to focus on my recovery and to find other ways to work for positive change in the world.”

Human Rights Work

Ms. Ghahraman came to New Zealand as a child refugee from Iran after seeking asylum with her family. She studied for a legal degree at the University of Auckland before completing a Master of Studies degree in International Human Rights Law with distinction from the University of Oxford.

In New Zealand, she worked in the areas of justice reform and refugee rights.

Focusing on human rights atrocities and women’s empowerment, Ms. Ghahraman has also been involved with the United Nations in trials prosecuting war crimes in Rwanda, Cambodia, and The Hague.

However, in 2017, her ties to Rwanda’s leaders of genocide were exposed when she helped defend Joseph Nzirorera, who was charged with crimes against humanity and others accused of similar actions.

She was selected as a Green Party list candidate in the 2017 general election, gaining a seat after an increase in the Green Party’s vote, and retained it after the 2020 election. In 2023, she re-entered Parliament after being ranked seventh on the Green Party list.

Ms. Ghahraman has been involved in high-profile spats with other MPs and was once described as a “menace to freedom in [New Zealand]” by ACT Party leader David Seymour.

In 2017, Ms. Ghahraman spoke about former U.S President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13769 saying:

“I wouldn’t travel to America right now. I wouldn’t want to face what people are facing—held in handcuffs and being interrogated by security forces, ... I wouldn’t want that [border detention] for anyone.”

Ms. Ghahraman has not yet entered a plea, and was due to appear in the Auckland District Court on Feb. 28 for her first appearance but will now appear on March 20.