Labour MP Poto Williams and Willie Jackson have met and agreed to find a way forward following her open criticism of the new candidate for the Labour list.
In a statement released today, by Poto Williams the spokeswoman for families and sexual violence said they “had a robust and honest conversation” about the concerns raised last weekend.
Williams took to Facebook following the announcement of Jackson’s nomination at Waitangi saying that, “I was a vocal opponent of Mr Jackson's comments during the 'Roast-Busters' incident and I do not believe that his attitude towards victims of sexual abuse match what I expect of a member of the Labour Party. Especially a member of our caucus.”
However after meeting with him today she appears to have softened her view,
"I would like to acknowledge the work of MUMA and its Violence Free programmes and I look forward to visiting them and seeing the work they do for our community.
Having spoken with Willie, I believe his apology is genuine. He realises he still has more to learn about the issues of sexual violence. In that regard I hope to help him increase his understanding and our conversations will continue. I welcome that opportunity and Willie is keen for that to occur. We are committed to working together on this."