PM on haka punishment: 'If they want to muck around, so be it'
Photo:
Screenshot
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has flatly rejected the possibility of watering down the proposed punishment for three Te Pāti Māori MPs.
He says his party accepts the unprecedented recommendations by the Privilege Committee, which Speaker Gerry Brownlee has called "very severe".
MPs are preparing for what could be a long debate tomorrow night, when Parliament's Privileges Committee report comes up in the House for discussion.
The committee last week proposed suspending Te Pāti Māori's co-leaders for 21 days for their haka during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill.
MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who instigated the haka but subsequently expressed some contrition, faces a seven day suspension.
The Speaker last week stressed the need for MPs to give the matter "due consideration" before
confirming the punishment
: "A proper opportunity for debate must be provided before the House arrives at a decision."
Brownlee also pointed out that the recommendation could yet be amended.
But addressing media on Monday, Luxon told RNZ he was not open to any concessions, and he supported the determination of the Privileges Committee.
"We have a Privileges Committee that's empowered to make those decisions and determine what's the appropriate punishment."
Asked whether all National MPs were comfortable with the length of the recommended suspension, Luxon said: "Yes, our caucus position is really clear."
He said he had not discussed the matter with his MPs as that was not necessary. "We know our position."
Luxon said it was ultimately up to the opposition whether to drag out the debate, but he suggested "reasonable minded New Zealanders" would disapprove.
"Frankly, if they want to muck around, so be it."
Watch the full post-Cabinet press conference here:
Also speaking on Monday afternoon, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said his MPs would discuss their strategy as a caucus tomorrow morning.
"Unlike the prime minister, I'm not going to unilaterally cut my caucus out of any conversations on this, I do want to hear from them first."
Hipkins expressed some discomfort with the prospect of filibustering - intentionally prolonging a debate - saying he thought there were "far more important" matters to debate.
But he also said the proposed sanction was a "massive escalation" on the previous harshest punishment - just a three day suspension.
"No government has ever used its majority to suspend its opponents for 21 days in New Zealand's history," Hipkins said.
"It is the sort of action you'd see from a tin-pot dictatorship, not a thriving democracy."
He said Labour had contacted National to offer a conversation about reaching a more "appropriate and proportionate sanction".
"I'm taking it from the prime minister's comments at his press conference just now that they're not interested in that conversation."
A spokesperson for the Green Party told RNZ: "We are going to be scrutinising this decision to the highest degree."
If the debate is still continuing when the House rises at 10pm on Tuesday, the Speaker will decide whether it takes precedence over members' day on Wednesday, or is adjourned until the next sitting day after the Budget, in early June.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter
curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
'Way too much flip flopping' on resource management law
Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Labour leader Chris Hipkins says his party will make changes to the coalition government's new Fast Track regime if elected next year, but will not completely scrap it. Labour's Taranaki-King Country branch published a Facebook post last month which suggested the party would repeal the government's Fast Track legislation. The post said that commitment was one of the biggest "takeaways" from a Hamilton East Labour dinner attended by Hipkins and MPs Kieran McAnulty and Arena Williams. After enquiries from RNZ, the post was deleted. Speaking on Morning Report , Hipkins said the party had yet to set out its intentions for the Fast Track regime. "We haven't actually said that [we'll repeal it]," he said. "I've said that we'll make changes to it and we'll set those out before the election." Hipkins said he believed there had been "way too much flip flopping" on resource management law and infrastructure priorities and Labour would not continue that. "One of the things that I will do is make sure we don't simply stop projects that are underway because the previous government... started them," he said. Speaking later at Parliament, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told reporters the government was doing everything it could to get infrastructure projects up and running to help support the construction sector and wider economy. "What we've done is got rid of a lot of the red tape by trying to crash through the system with the Fast Track legislation," he said. "We're moving everything we can: planning laws, accelerating investment in infrastructure, real projects happening." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
More than 700 Ministry of Education staff to test new partial strike pay-docking laws
File photo. Photo: Unsplash More than 700 Ministry of Education staff working with children with significant learning needs will put the government's new partial strike pay-docking laws to the test. The legislation - which passed last month - means employers can again deduct workers' wages, including for industrial action that doesn't amount to a full strike. NZEI Te Riu Roa is the union representing the service managers and field staff including speech therapists, physiotherapists, behaviour support specialists who undertook a two-hour strike last Tuesday, which led to a reduction in their pay packets. They plan to continue industrial action by working to rule, with service managers to work no more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week and refusing to assess new requests for support; and field staff working a maximum 7.6 hours a day, 38 hours a week, not taking on any new cases. NZEI in a statement said it was filing a court injunction to try stop the ministry from docking 10 percent of their wages. Member and speech language therapists Conor Fraser said the ministry should not be taking punitive action and instead invest in learning support specialists. "It is an overreach for the ministry to dock 10 percent of specialists' pay for a month when we are doing our contracted hours. The law is clear that employers should not dock pay when a strike involves a refusal to work overtime," he said. RNZ has sought comment from the ministry. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Labour questions need for government consultation over what chores farm children can do
"It's pretty common knowledge if an egg is covered in poo, you don't lick it. Wash your hands afterwards, what's the problem?" Labour's Kieran McAnulty said. Photo: Connect Images via AFP The Labour Party is ridiculing the government's consultation over what chores children can do on family farms, describing it as a solution in search of a problem. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister [ Brooke van Velden] has announced the start of consultation with the agriculture sector on the rules surrounding children collecting eggs or feeding small animals. In a statement, van Velden said the government was proposing making it clear that children could safely take part in "light chores" on family farms - but she expected higher-risk activities involving heavy machinery would remain off-limits. Farmers had told her they wanted the law to recognise that the farm was both their workplace and home, she said. But Labour's Workplace Relations and Safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said the government was focusing on a non-existent problem. "Kids are part of the farm life. I've taught in a rural area [and] it's really important that we encourage the kids to be active in the farm life," she said. "Parents will... make certain that their kids are safe, it's not something we should be looking into." Labour's Kieran McAnulty also questioned the rationale and said he "wouldn't have thought" it was an issue. "It's pretty common knowledge if an egg is covered in poo, you don't lick it. Wash your hands afterwards, what's the problem?" he said. "This sounds like a similar situation to these kindy kids getting hit in the head by an apple. I don't think either of those scenarios have ever been raised with anyone." National ministers, questioned about the announcement on Monday morning, also seemed somewhat bemused by the announcement. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon framed the move in the context of wider consultation on health safety to prevent over-compliance. Northland MP Grant McCallum said he suspected most farmers would not have considered the issue to be a problem but encouraged farmers who felt differently to get in contact with his party's rural caucus. "The thought that farmers can't take their kids out into the farm and help them with chores is just ridiculous." Chris Bishop said he doubted the government would be regulating the collection of eggs and watering plants: "I can't say I've ever collected an egg from a hen house myself. I'm an urban boy, but you never rule anything out - all sorts of things happen in this job." Tama Potaka told reporters many kids enjoyed collecting eggs, particularly with their "nanny and koro". "I suggest that when they do that, they make sure they don't get clucked or plucked," Potaka said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
