I think there's two different issues, expulsion from the Party being potentially separate from the invocation of party-hopping. I'm not sure you have to challenge the first in order to preserve the right to challenge the second.

The proportionality of the House just improved!
The index of disproportionality was 2.70% before this expulsion. It just dropped to 2.65%.
Also, realistically, from a Party Hopping perspective, is there a reason to file now instead of waiting for the letter giving you 21 days to respond?

I don't know, but I refer to the line that cancelled a TV show during its first episode quite a bit.
(It was "Get that sh*t off the air".)
The first* episode of 'Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos' was replaced half way through with a 'Cheers' repeat.

This is the clearly correct way, as no-one can mistakenly believe you bought a new bag in store.

Prequel is "Nothing"

In the scheme of things 9 million dollars isn't a lot. Bit sure as shit ain't nothing. Its 9 million dollars somehow spent on getting Michelin to review some restaurants. How does that even work. It cost the crown 9 million dollars to get some restaurants reviewed. wtf. Honestly, how is that 9M.

This would appear to interfere with access to Parliament (eg to ask your local MP to present a petition to the House) so someone should complain to the Privileges Committee? Maybe they can ask their local MP to raise the issue?

There's probably more than one. E.g. www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/stewa...

I know Rawiri Waititi hasn't had one in the ballot since February 2024 (his Goods and Services Tax (Removing GST from Food) Amendment Bill was drawn, voted down at first reading, and hasn't been replaced in the ballot). But could be some with a longer drought. Brownlee might be the technical answer?

Chance of being plucked from the ballot vs chance of being plucked from the ballot in the first year are going to have different numbers.

Malcolm Tucker was not the Chief of Staff :-)
He was Communications Director, so his West Wing analogue would have been Toby.

Ooh, can I push you into writing a story about the MPs (especially the opposition MPs) who clearly think New Zealand law is perfect and needs no updating or changing because they almost never have a members bill proposal in the ballot?

In a year. Bill proposals stay in longer than a year.

Odds aren't that small. Under half, sure, but I want to say its something like 40%?

I would dispute the assertion that members bills are used by any party to allow MPs to advance legislation outside the party hierarchy. Every party requires caucus sign-off.

tbf Cuomo also has many more votes than Eric Adams received in 2021.

This would be a bigger deal if Cuomo hadn't also won more votes than the entire population of any of the 4 smallest states.

Even if the phonecall was originally clearly made to him as e.g. the local MP, if that information was then used by him as a Minister, he would also hold that information as a Minister (same as if another local MP passed it to him).