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The Spinoff
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: Te Pāti Māori gets the last laugh
Te Pāti Māori rises from the ashes of the government's pride to get its say in the budget debates – before having to go back to the dog box. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. The public gallery was closed for Tuesday's question time. All this talk of filibustering and Te Pāti Māori must have sent a chill down the speaker's spine, keeping him awake all hours of the night with a dreadful anxiety over the decorum in the chambers. Were those Māori plotting against him? Hath none any respect for this institution? It's easier to close the door on the possibility of a haka in the public gallery than risk being turned into the butt of the joke simply for saying 'no, don't do that'. But the privacy did work out nicely for one senior minister, who needed only worry about the vultures circling above in the press gallery benches – but he tries his best to act like he doesn't care what they think of him, anyway. Winston Peters, as the MPs milled around and took their seats, scrolled his X account in silence, and watched the video of himself that went viral earlier that day, in which he met a fellow geezer who likes saying naff and bollocks just as much as he does, and realised there are still people out there who can match his freak. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RNZ (@radionewzealand) If a closed gallery wasn't enough of a flashing red warning sign of Gerry Brownlee's lack of patience, his interruptions during oral questions as an attempt to defuse any landmines along the way should have been enough of a hint. Finance minister Nicola Willis kicked off oral questions with patsies from National MP Cameron Brewer, and as she was laying it on thick, her mind naturally wandered to the MPs on the opposition benches and their failures. In not so many words, Brownlee basically said: 'no, don't do that.' When Peters, minister for rail, fielded questions from his NZ First colleague Jenny Marcroft, it gave him an opportunity both to promote a $600m investment from the upcoming budget to rail upgrades, and slam the Green Party's alternative budget. It was alarming, Peters declared, to see a proposal to build light rail in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington to the tune of $11bn – only for Brownlee to remind the deputy prime minister that a supplementary question cannot be used as ammo against another party. Peters, well aware of the rules of parliament as he had just last week described it as a 'House of Chaos', returned to his notes with a lack of sincerity, but appeared to get a kick out of the charade: 'If they want an education, pull into the station,' he finished. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer was ninth up in oral questions, asking the prime minister about recent comments made about Māorification with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking, and his sentiment that 'where we see it, we call it out'. Well, Luxon replied, that isn't quite what I said, and said media outlet has since corrected my comments – but I do still have issues with a stop-go sign being in te reo Māori. They bickered and Luxon ummed, ahhed and stuttered, until Rangatira Peters (that's what Matua Shane Jones calls him) rose for a supplementary to save the day. 'In the question on the issue of 'Māorification,'' he asked the prime minister, 'would it be 'Māorification' if every Thursday I went down and got myself a suntan?' It was equal parts cringe, offensive and hilarious to the opposition benches. 'You're embarrassing yourself, geez,' Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa Kingi called. 'It would help,' Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi joked. It was enough to get Peters booted out of the House altogether. 'I'll be back, don't you worry,' he warned the speaker. 'That's something everyone has noticed through your whole career,' Brownlee replied. Following question time, the MPs (Peters included) were straight into the debate over Te Pāti Māori's suspension, delivered by the privileges committee. The chair of that committee, minister Judith Collins, told the House that never in her 23 years in parliament had she seen such a 'serious incident'. There were plenty of cutting remarks, but the only interjections from Te Pāti Māori's benches were corrections to Collins' pronunciation of their names. The day's circus was all for nothing. After Labour leader Chris Hipkins left his left bloc allies in the lurch with no plans of filibustering but a whole lot to say about democracy hanging by a thread, minister Chris Bishop – after his party had promised there would be no concessions for Te Pāti Māori – set an adjournment motion until June 5. The mythological filibuster never came to fruition. Speaker Gerry Brownlee will have to close the public gallery again in a few weeks. But, the silver lining: it all ended just in time for Te Pāti Māori to walk outside, see their few hundred supporters perform a haka, and relish in having – at least for now – the last laugh.
The Spinoff
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Winston Peters is right about parliament's declining standards
Winston Peters is right about parliament's declining standards of decorum. But the rot didn't set in last week. This has been a years-long process, and one MP in particular has been at the heart of the decline. Winston Peters couldn't hide his distress as he heard the word 'cunts' being read out by Act deputy leader Brooke van Velden during question time last week. He buried his head in his hands, stared at his tie, and seemingly willed himself to physically or mentally dematerialise. Later he'd call the moment another milestone on our march to a decorumless democracy. 'This is becoming a House of Chaos,' he wrote on cyberbullying service X. 'From relaxing the dress standards in our House to now having utter disorder and the worst of offensive words uttered in question time – no matter which side of opinion you're on – and with no reaction or repercussion. How should we politicians expect the people of New Zealand to view us all now?' Peters has a point. New Zealand's parliament often resembles the sandpit on a particularly out-of-control day at kindy. There are screams, insults, rude gestures and the occasional dust-up. If there's one thing to nitpick in his post though, it's the timeline. This decay isn't new. It's been setting in for years now, and one MP in particular has been at the heart of the decline. Van Velden isn't the first to quote other people's insulting epithets in the House. Nor is she the only one to use an offensive and derogatory term. This MP once grilled former prime minister John Key in the House on whether he'd called footballer David Beckham 'thick as batshit'. In 2024, he was ordered to withdraw his statement, and later called out by the IHC, after accusing Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer of making a 'retard comment' in parliament. The same year he was criticised for lowering parliamentary standards and failing to meet expectations of decorum after instructing Labour and Green MPs not to 'shout like a sick idiot'. This MP's most venomous and decorum-compromising barbs are usually delivered directly, in the form of personal insults. In 2012, he was kicked out of the House for calling National MP Gerry Brownlee an 'illiterate woodwork teacher'. Brownlee has been a regular target. In 2018, the MP told speaker Lockwood Smith to ' throw fatty out ' after Brownlee interjected in a debate. Other National MPs have found themselves on the receiving end of the MP's rancour. He repeatedly mocked Simon Bridges' New Zealand accent in parliamentary exchanges, feigning confusion about an industry called 'moining' while answering a question on oil and gas exploration in 2018, and telling the National leader he'll answer questions on China but not 'Choyna' in 2019. The MP also called Brownlee, Chris Finlayson, and Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox an ' unsightly trio of drama queens ' after voting against Treaty settlements in 2018. But no single politician has been savaged as much as David Seymour. In 2020, the MP called the Act leader a 'political cuckold' during a testy exchange in parliament. It was a toned down reimagining of earlier work. The MP referred to Seymour as a ' cuckolded puppet' in the House in 2017. He's called Seymour a cuck so many times some news organisations have stopped counting individual incidents, with The Guardian simply saying it has happened 'many times'. This is all to say nothing about the allegations of xenophobia. He joked that ' two wongs don't make a white ' during a campaign launch. He told Green MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez they should 'show some gratitude' for being in New Zealand. He inexplicably complained there were too many delicious Asian restaurants on Dominion Rd. Last week, the MP stood before reporters and told them that Labour leader Chris Hipkins is a 'sausage eater who doesn't know what a woman is'. Reporters pressed the MP on those comments, given he'd just been outspoken about parliament's declining standards of civility. In response, Winston Peters clarified that he meant Hipkins was a 'sausage roll eater'. His quest to restore parliament to its previous standards of decency and respect continues apace.
The Spinoff
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Parliament braces for showdown over suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs
Today's debate on whether to suspend three MPs involved in last year's haka protest could be one of the most dramatic in recent memory, writes Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. A dramatic start to budget week This afternoon, MPs will gather in the House for what is set to be an explosive parliamentary debate. The motion: that they endorse the privileges committee's recommendation to suspend three Te Pāti Māori MPs for performing a haka during the reading of the treaty principles bill last November. If it passes, party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer will be suspended for 21 sitting days, and MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven. All of them will be barred from participating in Thursday's budget debate, one of the most significant days in the parliamentary year. Speaker Gerry Brownlee has described the proposed penalties as 'very severe and unprecedented'. Since parliament first sat in 1854, no MP found guilty of contempt has been suspended for more than three days – a fact Brownlee pointedly emphasised when introducing the report to the House on Thursday. A historic shattering of unanimity As Newsroom's Marc Daalder observes, 'unprecedented' has been the word of the week – and for once, it may be accurate. Privileges committee reports 'for many years have been accepted by all parties, including those whose members have been criticised or censured,' he writes. This time, there is a strong perception among critics that the government is acting undemocratically by, in effect, using its majority to remove several members of the opposition from the House during a key period in its sitting calendar. That feeling has created a deep fissure between the two sides, and set the stage for today's potentially dramatic clash in the House. The public gallery will be closed but a protest is planned for parliament's forecourt, RNZ reports. Among the issues likely to be brought up in the debate is a significant error by committee chair Judith Collins, who told Morning Report the actions of the Te Pāti Māori MPs last November obstructed Act members from exercising their right to vote. 'That is not true,' writes Phil Smith for RNZ. As the smallest party in parliament, TPM always votes last – after Act. 'Whatever the reason for the untruth, the claim suggests that Collins may have a more jaundiced view of the MPs' actions than is reasonable,' writes Smith. 'Did she fundamentally misunderstand the MPs' actions during the investigation (which would cast the committee findings into doubt), or did political or other prejudice make those actions appear worse than the evidence showed?' Could a filibuster save the MPs? Last week Brownlee said the severity of the recommended penalties 'mean it would be unreasonable to accept a closure motion until all perspectives and views had been very fully expressed'. According to Newsroom's Daalder, it was a carefully worded statement that left the door open for an American-style filibuster, in which opposition MPs could talk out the clock to delay a vote. If the debate kept going past Wednesday, the Te Pāti Māori MPs would be able to remain in the chamber for budget day. Yesterday the PM ruled out any compromise, so a deal between the two sides for a shorter debate is unlikely. Labour is expected to decide this morning whether to support such a filibuster. Nicola Willis has warned the public is 'sick of the circus', and Labour will be wary of looking like an 'agent of chaos to middle voters who want some sobriety restored to politics', writes Daalder. Still, the temptation to throw a wrench into the government's most high-profile week may prove hard to resist. Was the punishment fair, or a step too far? Former Labour MP Louisa Wall is among many who say the committee's verdict was excessive. Writing in The Post (paywalled), she calls the process 'disproportionate, procedurally flawed and democratically dangerous', arguing that the haka was a legitimate expression of dissent, not intimidation. In The Spinoff , Andrew Geddis says the committee's unquestioning acceptance that the haka was intimidatory to other MPs 'seems a bit out of touch with contemporary New Zealand understandings' of tikanga, and also with the concept of the House being a place for 'robust debate'. Even Brownlee seemed uneasy last week, reminding the House that 'the motion may be amended' and making clear that the matter is 'not an all-or-nothing decision'. Whichever way the vote goes, today's debate will mark a defining moment for parliamentary discipline – and for Māori political expression.
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
'We have to have rules': Luxon on Te Pāti Māori haka
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon won't say whether the suspension of Te Pāti Māori's co-leaders for three weeks is an appropriate punishment. Parliamentary debate of unprecedented suspensions handed down to three Te Pāti Māori MPs has the potential to bring the House to a grinding halt ahead of Thursday's Budget. The committee handed down 21-day suspensions for Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and a seven-day suspension for MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. The committee said the MPs were "acting in a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the House" after performing a haka during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill. The proposed suspensions will be debated in Parliament on Tuesday, which could take a few days. If the debate is still running come 10pm Wednesday, it would be picked up on the next post-Budget sitting day, which would be June 3. The three Te Pāti Māori MPs remain full MPs until a decision is made, which means, if debate is drawn out, they would still be able to participate in Budget day. Parliament's Speaker Gerry Brownlee, who is also a National MP, said a proper opportunity for debate on the committee's recommendations must be provided. "In my view, the severe recommended penalties placed before the House for consideration mean it would be unreasonable to accept a closure motion until all perspectives and views have been very fully expressed," Brownlee said. Otago University Law Professor Andrew Geddis said as the Privileges Committee report is contentious in terms of what it is recommending and was agreed to by a bare majority, the Speaker has allowed debate to carry on for as long as it needs to. "We haven't seen anything like this before but then again, we haven't seen a Privileges Committee report like this before," Geddis said. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wouldn't say whether the suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs was an appropriate punishment. However, he said breaking Parliament's rules was a big deal and "we have to have rules". "I've seen it reported in media that it's [the issue] is about haka and waiata in the Parliament, well that actually happens often. It's actually about not following the rules of Parliament - disrupting the vote, leaving you're seat... not engaging with the Privileges Committee," Luxon said. "I think it's really important that the rules are upheld because we've got to be able to discuss difficult and emotional subjects in Parliament and debate them. But we've also need to make sure it doesn't degenerate into absolute chaos in the Parliament." The government still holds a majority so when Parliament votes next week the coalition parties are likely to confirm the committee's recommendation, but Brownlee's move gives an opportunity for all parties to have their say on the matter and change the punishment if there's a change of heart. Labour's Kieran McAnulty asked if Brownlee would consider allowing the final vote on the report and the punishment - which could be amended - to be a personal vote rather than on party lines, but Brownlee said no. Risk of opening future floodgates - law expert Geddis said there was concern about the precedent the punishment could set. "There's a risk that if this gets adopted, it kind of opens the flood gates in the future for governing majorities... to use their power in the Privileges Committee and the House after to get rid of Opposition MPs who they think are misbehaving, or they don't like," he said. "I think the Speaker is worried that that precedent, irrespective of how justified it is in this case, could open flood gates in the future." He said in Fiji, government MPs have routinely suspended Opposition MPs for the entire length of Parliament. "We're not, obviously, going to jump straight to that, but that's the sort of concern I think he [Brownlee] will have in the back of his mind."
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Privileges Committee Report On Te Pāti Māori's Haka To Be Debated, Voted On Next Tuesday
The Privileges Committee report on Te Pāti Māori's haka last year will be debated and voted on next Tuesday, with Parliament's Speaker calling the proposed punishment "very severe". Gerry Brownlee told the House a 21-day suspension for Te Pāti Māori's leaders for leading the Treaty Principles haka last year would be unprecedented. "This is an important debate, and one I'm sure members will want to prepare for," he said. "It's a recommendation at this point, as the House hasn't yet dealt with it. These punishments recommended by the committee are very severe and are unprecedented in this Parliament." Since Parliament first sat in 1854, no MP found guilty of contempt had been suspended for more than three days, he said, and unlike in those times such punishment would now carry a significant financial penalty. "The committee's recommendation therefore represents a significant development in the practice of the House. A proper opportunity for debate must be provided before the House arrives at a decision." He said the report was agreed to by the committee by a slim majority, and the Speaker by convention protects fair treatment of minority views in Parliament. "The effect of the recommendation would be to deprive members of a minority party of their ability to sit and vote in this House for several days. As this report states, the Speaker has a duty to protect the rights of members of all sides of the House. "I intend to honour that convention by ensuring the House does not take a decision next week without due consideration. In my view, the severe recommended penalties placed before the House for consideration mean it would be unreasonable to accept a closure motion until all perspectives and views have been very fully expressed." While Parliament automatically gets the opportunity to debate a Privileges Committee report, it is unusual for the Speaker to advise Parliament that it is likely to be a long debate MPs should prepare for. It will also mean an opportunity for the report to be accepted but for the punishment to be amended. Brownlee pointed that out specifically. "The motion may be amended, and an amendment is not required to reflect the recommendation ... it is not an all or nothing decision." The government still holds a majority so when Parliament votes next week the coalition parties are likely to confirm the committee's recommendation, but Brownlee's move gives an opportunity for all parties to have their say on the matter and change the punishment if there's a change of heart. Labour's Kieran McAnulty asked if Brownlee would consider allowing the final vote on the report and the punishment - which could be amended - to be a personal vote rather than on party lines, but Brownlee said no. It will be a busy week in politics, with the Budget also being delivered on Thursday.
