Taking responsibility for one’s actions is not possible while also hiding behind excuses and blaming external factors. Taking responsibility is putting your hand up and saying “I made bad decisions and only I am responsible for them”. It is apologising to the victims of the behaviour unreservedly.

We have been told repeatedly that Golriz Ghahraman has “taken responsibility” for her actions. Just what she is taking responsibility for is unclear as neither she nor the Greens have admitted her guilt regarding three allegations of shoplifting under police investigation.

During the press conference held by co-leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw, Marama was at great pains to stress that they were not passing judgment on the veracity of the allegations. This jars with much of what the pair said in the rest of the press conference that centred around Golriz Ghaharaman being accountable and providing several excuses for her alleged shoplifting.

Recently, we are seeing mental health being used as a shield by powerful individuals to excuse bad, and sometimes criminal, behaviour. That is not to say that they aren’t experiencing poor mental health, but I question the degree to which the New Zealand public is being expected to excuse appalling personal decisions by elected representatives because they cry “mental health”.

It is evident that all is not well for the Iranian-born ex-Green MP. In my view, she has demonstrated a severe lack of judgment and recurring moral failings. From what she alluded to in her press release, she appears to have had some kind of mental illness or trauma that she has been dealing with for some time

The Greens’ co-leaders also offered up the stress of being a public figure, threats and abuse directed at Golriz, and the pressures of Parliament as justifications or explanations for her behaviour.

According to the Mental Health Foundation (MHFNZ) almost half of people in New Zealand will experience mental distress or illness in their lifetime. We all know people in our lives who suffer from depression, anxiety and more acute mental health disorders. Our health system is overwhelmed by demand for mental health services.

Antisocial behaviour and poor impulse control can be manifestations of various mental health issues. But overwhelmingly, any negative behaviour is turned inwards and affects the person themselves most. Most people suffering from mental distress or illness do not commit crimes, although it is true that a look inside our courts or prisons on any given day would reveal that mental illness is present in many of those going through the system.

One tradie takes their own life each week in New Zealand and one farmworker every fortnight. The generous salaries of MPs at least protect them from stresses associated with the cost-of-living crisis. Every industry has its own risk factors for health and wellbeing and mitigating those risks has rightly become a focus of businesses and employers in New Zealand.

Mental health can be a consideration in sentencing, but this should be about pre-existing conditions that are argued to have influenced the committing of the crimes. The mental distress caused by one’s criminal activity and dysfunctional behaviour becoming public and pursued by media is a consequence of the actions and should not be an excuse for the decisions that preceded it.

Naturally it is distressing to be facing these allegations and to lose a seat in Parliament and the respect of much of the public. Even knowing this appears to be self-inflicted distress, I still feel a great deal of empathy for former Justice Minister Kiri Allan and Golriz Ghahraman. They are hurting and will have to rebuild their lives and reputations again. It is possible to feel empathy for this while also expecting them to take proper responsibility for their actions.

The grace that seems to be expected from the public when politicians such as Allan and Ghaharaman allegedly break the law is unlikely to be extended to a mentally distressed tradie who nicks something. The single mother of three who is dealing with drug addiction and shoplifts from The Warehouse isn’t going to get “aroha” from the store.

Golriz is extraordinarily privileged. Her position, influence and financial situation make her better off compared to virtually every other accused shoplifter who goes before the New Zealand courts. She has friends writing newspaper columns excusing and deflecting on her behalf and cartoonists suggesting that her race and sex are the reason that no one saw her cries for help.

There was a collective groan in our office as we watched the Greens’ press conference and heard Marama Davidson plough into identity politics suggesting that Golriz is a “woman of colour” and that is some kind of excuse or mitigator. Since then, the Spinoff has posted:

“As we watch brown woman after brown woman succumb to ‘the pressures of the job’, it’s worth remembering that not all MPs have the same pressures”.

They are doing women, and women of colour, no favours whatsoever with this garbage. Attaching negative, antisocial behaviour to immutable characteristics, like sex and race, is an appalling idea and one that will inevitably backfire.

Allan drove while over the limit and crashed a government vehicle. She is facing charges associated with failing to accompany a Police officer. Tory Whanau has not committed any crimes but, in my opinion, has behaved in a manner not appropriate as mayor of Wellington. She has walked out on a restaurant bill and has been subject to several allegations of drunken and belligerent behaviour. Ghaharaman is alleged to have shoplifted three times and will likely face charges for some or all these matters.

These are individuals who made bad decisions.

The narrative that they are victims of identity and that they cannot cope with the pressures of their jobs opens up conversations that you would hope we would have resolved in 2024. The question will arise that if women and people of colour, and whatever other identity marker you want to include, are so susceptible and vulnerable to mental breakdowns due to the pressures of office, perhaps they shouldn’t be there in the first place.

This nonsense discredits and sells short every woman who has climbed to the top and works hard every day to not only do her job, but to manage the pressures associated with it.

Ghahraman does not find herself in her current situation because she is a woman or a refugee or an Iranian-born New Zealander. She is where she is simply because she is alleged to have, on more than one occasion, chosen to slip things in her bag and walk out without paying.

Life is hard. Having a job is hard. Being a public figure is hard. Many of us have lived through traumatic events. Most of us don’t shoplift.