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Te Pati Maori has met with an anti-racism group as the party figures out how to best respond to the latest racially charged outburst from MP Takuta Ferris. Mr Ferris criticised Labour for having "Indians, Asians, Black and Pakeha" campaigning for its candidate Peeni Henare in the Tamaki Makaurau by-election. RNZ political reporter Annneke Smith spoke to Corin Dann.
Te Pati Maori MP Takuta Ferris has doubled down on the controversial comments he made about race during the final days of the Tamaki Makaurau by-election. His latest social media post puts him at odds with his party's earlier apology, and was today roundly condemned by MPs from across the House. Mr Ferris posted on Instagram last week, criticising Labour for having "Indians, Asians, Black and Pakeha" campaign for its candidate, Peeni Henare. Those remarks prompted Te Pati Maori to clarify that its movement has always been for "the people", but in a further post, Mr Ferris has come out swinging at his critics. Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira reports.
Today on the podcast...Te Pati Maori winning all seven Maori seats in the upcoming elections, making them a significant power broker in New Zealand's government. Can winston peters stop them The fight for the 2026 election Pollster david farrar joins me on the podcast Get in touch with Duncan - duncan@rova.nz and join us on the socials. Website: https://www.rova.nz/podcasts/duncan-g... Instagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Labour's Willie Jackson is defending his party's volunteers during the Tamaki Makaurau by-election as they come under fire from a Te Pati Māori MP. Last night, Tākuta Ferris posted a video saying it's unacceptable for people of other ethnicities to campaign to take a Māori seat from Māori. It follows a similar post from last week. Te Pati Māori apologised for the first post - but have refused to answer questions today. Jackson says he's personally apologised to the volunteers hurt by the comments. "Basically, he's saying you've got no right to participate, this is just the Māori seat. Yes, it's a Māori seat, but these people want to help. They didn't come on to take over the Māori seat." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I have been wondering when the penny would drop and yesterday might have been it. There were two stories on Chris Hipkins' problems with the Māori Party. For all the energy the media wants to put into Chris Luxon and his future, the very obvious other side of the coin, if they ever wanted to explore it, lies in the very real issue for Labour in even coming close to putting together the numbers for a government. The genesis of the coverage came out of the Takuta Ferris post on all the "Asians and blacks" and other racist bile he managed to pedal in the lead up to last Saturday's debacle of a by-election. The Māori Party had to apologise, and obviously Hipkins had to face the growing reality that these folks are crazy and not remotely interested in being helpful, useful, or part of a coalition. Why this hasn't occurred to more in the media before now, I have no idea, other than to offer the suggestion it may just be a bit inconvenient for them and their agendas and its far easier to help build on the so-called demise of the Prime Minister. But yesterday we got there at last, through simple questions: how does Labour even begin to form a deal with the Māori Party? This is one for their coverage of the polls too. You will note polls are presented as simple centre-left/centre-right numbers. A collection of parties added up and the headline is formed from the result of the maths. In this week's Curia poll, there was to be a change of Government, apparently. But each time it involves the assumption, and what an assumption it is, that Labour and the Greens and the Māori Party are one group and no such thing has ever happened. Let me make this prediction right now: it never will. So add the numbers of likely groupings and you are left with Labour and, maybe, the Greens. Do they get to Government? No, they don't. So Hipkins, given it's his issue, not the Māori Party's, has to answer the very simple question: will you work with the Māori Party, and if so, how? What jobs do they get? What policies of theirs are you implementing? Given he can't answer that and, dare I suggest, won't, he needs to grow his party support to about 40%, which he can't, and won't, either. Which is why he is not winning the election next year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Prime Minister's surprised Labour lost in the Tamaki Makaurau by-election. Te Pati Maori's Oriini Kaipara won the seat over Peeni Henare by three thousand votes. The by-election was triggered by the death of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Total turnout was around 27.1 percent. Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking he thought Labour would trounce Te Pati Maori, as they've had no policies and have only been criticising. Luxon says he also felt bad for Peeni Henare with Chris Hipkins not showing up to the party. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's time to solve some of the world's problems now and today Ali Jones joins us to discuss voter turnout and what we can do to improve it. Local body elections are in October, but even more pressing is this weekend's Tamaki Makaurau by-election, and Labour and Te Pati Maori are already expressing concerns about low turnout.
Labour's Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Peeni Heare is standing by a comment that he'd repeal the gang patch ban. He agreed with the notion at an event on Wednesday night. Now, this is despite Chris Hipkins saying no, no, that's not true, we're not going to repeal the gang patch law. Peeni Henare told RNZ he was asked his personal view on the issue, which is informed by whanau experience. He understands that differs from the Party's view, but when an audience member at the Waatea-hosted debate at Favona asked the Tāmaki Makaurau candidates, will you repeal the gang patch law if you come into government, yes or no? The Te Pati Maori candidate said yes. Henare could also be heard saying aye. No wonder Labour is staying schtum and not releasing any policy yet. They don't have any. Individual Labour MPs have reckons, but they all seem to have different divergent reckons. For the record, Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins told me they would not be repealing the gang patch ban when he was in studio a couple of months ago. KW: Are you going to bring back gang patches? CH: No. And y'know, I think it's one of those things where it hasn't ultimately y'know, changed the nature of gang activity. Gang business is still booming. They're still selling more methamphetamine than ever. But what it has done is people feel a bit safer with not seeing patched gang members walking down the street. So no, absolutely not. But Peeni Heare says he personally wants to see the law repealed. Presumably he wants to see the gang patches back out on the streets and the roads and in our neighbourhoods. And that would surely, surely be a backward step. Remember what the Police Commissioner, Richard Chambers, had to say about the banning of gang patches when he was in having a chat last week: "I'm very, very proud of my staff across the country who have embraced the new legislation, the wearing of gang insignia, and I'm not sure how many it is now, but I think it may be over 700 prosecutions for the wearing of insignia that has helped us to address the gang issues. And in fact, whilst the gang insignia is one aspect, the reality is that gangs are responsible for a very high and disproportionate number of other serious criminal offending. So we're addressing that too, and we have thousands of additional charges that have been presented to the court because as we go about our police work, and we may well be policing things like patches, then we inevitably are dealing with other things as well. And I look at that. “So I know that there's been a lot of commentary about gang numbers and stuff like that, but the reality is my teams across the country are focused on holding gang members to account. And I'm very, very proud of their hard work. And I think we would all agree that that legislation has definitely gone extremely well, and the compliance level is something that I'm very, very pleased with.” Chambers says the gang patch ban has actually helped police to do their job, and I simply do not see how wearing patches enhances the lives of the gang members. Anecdotally, we've heard from people who say that without the patches, they feel safer. You don't have to staunch up, live up to the branding on your back. You don't, quite literally, have a target on your back. Rival gang members kill each other. Not all of them, but you are at risk. If you're wearing a colour or a gang patch that a rival gang member does not like, then you're at risk. Without that target on your back, you can just be you. A father, a son, a footy player, a worker. What possible good can come of repealing the gang patch ban? How is it going to help anybody? If this is an example of where Labour's at policy wise, then you'd have to say that the coalition government, with all its faults and missteps and imperfections, definitely deserves another three years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I asked on Friday how anyone could vote for Labour given the latest Treasury report into their irresponsible spending of taxpayer money that came out last week. That irresponsible spending that contributed greatly to the recession, the high mortgage interest rates to unemployment - when so many of the same people, those people who made so many stupid decisions are still there, how could anyone, I asked, think that Labour should get another crack at government? The answer is quite a few of you think they should. The latest Taxpayers Union Curia poll that came out yesterday shows that if an election were held on Sunday, the result would be a hung parliament with the centre right bloc gaining 61 seats and the centre left block getting exactly the same - 61 for National, for ACT, for NZ First, 61 for Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Maori. Labour's up two points, National's down 2 points. It's only a poll - and we all know the Winston Peters dictum, the only poll that counts is the one that counts on election day. But it is a clear indication that when you campaign on fixing the economy, ‘hang on, help is on the way, we're here now, the grown-ups are in charge,' then you have to actually fix it. Things have to change. Cost of living remains voters' most important issue. Closely followed by the economy, then health and employment. All of those hang around the economy, hang around pulling the right levers to get things cracking again. Your average hard-working Kiwi is exhausted and tired of being told that things are coming right, that the ship is slowly turning around and heading in the right direction. So, this latest poll may be an expression of exhaustion and dissatisfaction. It may just be an indication that more people are starting to agree with Greens Co-leader Chloe Swarbrick that capitalism's cooked. The Greens held their AGM over the weekend and Swarbrick urged the party faithful to build the parties fan base. She wants them to be talking to miners and factory workers and farmers to people who are fed up with politics and the two main parties and who are looking for alternatives, alternatives to the main parties and alternatives to capitalism. She also says she wants to have more say in the next government, she and Marama Davidson want to be the ones calling the shots, forming the government and deciding the policies. Chloe's put herself up as finance minister in the next coalition government. And if you want to see what that looks like the Greens, unlike Labour, have put up their economic policies to be scrutinised. They have put up an alternate budget. What this latest poll says is that Green supporters should take heart. People are tired, they are fed up, they can't see the status quo helping them. National, Labour, whatever, they're interchangeable. They're hard workers, they're good citizens, and they're still not getting ahead. The only way they can see a future for themselves and their families is by leaving the country. Does that mean they're ready to put the Greens in the driver's seat? Well, according to this latest poll, they're willing to put Labour there, so surely it's not such a great stretch of the imagination to see the Greens getting the votes they need to call the shots in 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Te Pati Maori said they have filed urgent proceedings in the High Court after allegations Maori have been removed or shifted off the Maori roll without their consent. A number of voters have posted online to say their electoral enrolment details have been altered or are not there at all. It comes on the eve of local election enrolment cutoff and ahead of sweeping electoral changes promised by the government.
Te Pati Maori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp is being laid to rest at Opaea Marae near Taihape. Political reporter Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira spoke to Corin Dann.
The sudden death Tamaki Makaurau MP, Takutai Tarsh Kemp has devastated her family, friends, community and she is being mourned across the political arena. Friend and Te Pati Maori president John Tamihere spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
There'll be a by-election in Auckland in the coming weeks, following the death of Te Pati Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp early yesterday. She was 50 and had been battling kidney disease. Kemp's body has arrived at Hoani Waititi Marae this morning, where she will lie in state for mourners to visit, before her tangi on Tuesday. Newstalk ZB's Jason Walls told Ryan Bridge it's almost certain Labour's Peeni Henare will run for the seat, and would be likely to win. He says Te Pati Maori would need to find a new candidate and would be hard pressed to find someone with better name recognition than Henare – unless John Tamihere himself ran. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Labour's leader says Te Pati Māori should focus on the issues most New Zealanders care about. Parliament last week voted to hand down the harshest suspensions in history to three MPs over a haka performed during the Treaty Principles Bill vote. Labour's Willie Jackson and Adrian Rurawhe argued the punishments were too harsh, but also suggested the Party could compromise or say sorry. Chris Hipkins told John MacDonald housing, health, and education are the main things Māori around the country raise with him. He says that Te Pati Māori made their point around the haka, but he thinks people want to see them get back to debating the big issues now. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The divided nature of our politics has been spotlighted once again. A fiery debate has seen Te Pati Maori’s leaders suspended for Parliament in the harshest punishment ever handed down to a politician. It was a vote made along party lines – with the Government parties voting in favour of the Privileges Committee recommendations, and the left-bloc voting against. And that split was highlighted once again by two polls with conflicting results showing who will win next year. Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to discuss the latest in politics – starting with a scandal that has hit the Prime Minister’s office. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week parliament took the unprecedented step of suspending both Te Pati Maori leaders, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Rawiri Waititi for a record-setting 21 days.
Parliament has been debating the proposed punishment for Te Pati Maori MPs who stood in front of ACT MPs and performed a haka in protest of the Treaty Principles Bill during its first reading. The proposed suspension is 21 days for the co-leaders, and 7 days for Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. Last month's debate was cut short and delayed when Chris Bishop moved to postpone it until after the Budget. Political reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owen.
In today's episode, Te Pati Maori co-leaders and one of its MPs are beginning their suspension from Parliament after unprecedented punishments against them were confirmed, we cross the Tasman for the latest from Kerry-Anne Walsh, and Nathan Rarere previews the weekend's Super Rugby and NBA finals.
On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 6th of June, the farce in Parliament over the Te Pati Māori MPs is over and we can finally get back to fixing our country. The Super Rugby playoffs begin this weekend, so we need to catch up with the table topping Chiefs ahead of the only Kiwi derby in this round. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson celebrate Newstalk ZB's and the Mike Hosking Breakfast's success at the NZ Radio Awards. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Satisfaction the Privileges Committee stood its ground over Te Pati Māori's viral haka in Parliament. The harshest sanctions in Parliament's history have been handed down, with co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi suspended for 21 days. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke's been suspended for seven. Privileges Committee Chair Judith Collins told Mike Hosking the committee was almost universally appalled by the demonstration and six months' worth of hearings. She says the committee's work was worth it, and it's about time Parliament realised the public is appalled by the antics. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Well that was as chaotic as you'd expect. I caught the first half of Parliament's debate on the haka-gate: Winston Peters went full attack dog, Willie Jackson fought back, Waititi brought a noose into the chamber, and Adrian Rurawhe, former Speaker and Labour MP, had the most sensible and respectable take of the debate. I've had the pleasure of interviewing him a few times. He's a humble, quiet and observant sort of guy. He's quick to a smile and enjoys a good argument. Not that you could hear it in the House yesterday. Loads of interjecting. Lots of noise. Adrian gets respect because he shushed his own Labour colleagues while he was up on his feet. He made two decent points. 1. The Privileges Committee is meant to be bipartisan. The fact this punishment was not, is a bad thing. Why? Because now it's open season, governments —of any persuasion— can weaponize its punishments against their political opponents. This is not a good thing. As he points out, this was the government punishing MPs, not the Parliament. Which it ought to be. Herein lies the problem with Parliament these days - there is no agreed standard of behaviours that's universal to all MPs. Getting physically up in somebody's grill is considered okay by some. The House is meant to be about what comes out of your mouth, not how close another MP is to it. 2. Rurawhe scolded the Māori Party for not apologising for their bad behaviour. He spoke of his cousin Dame Tariana Turia. She never skipped a vote, worked hard for her people and spoke on every bill before the House. The question really is whether Te Pati Māori actually wants to be in Parliament or whether it wants a separate one. If it wants the latter, which its website says it does, and doesn't turn up half the time or gets suspended for breaking rules, you've got to ask yourself why they're there in the first place. All in all, aside from Adrian's wise words, there's a few hours wasted the House won't get back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Parliament's picking up where it left off last month, debating proposed sanctions on three Te Pāti Māori MPs. The Privileges Committee's suggested Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer be suspended for 21 days, and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven. The three had performed a haka during a vote on the Treaty Principles Bill last year. Leader of the House Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking he just wants the debate over and done with. He says we need to deal with the issue, but it's a distraction from the need for economic growth, and he hopes it's dealt with swiftly at Parliament this afternoon. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The opposition parties - Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Maori - would be in a position to form a government if an election was held today. Labour is in the lead on 33.2, with National in behind on 30.7 points, the Greens get 11.6, and New Zealand First is on 9.1 percentage points, while ACT has 6.6 and Te Pati Maori is on 5.5 percentage points. That gives the coalition government 57 seats, not enough to govern, while the Opposition parties would have 63 seats allowing them to form a government. Political editor Jo Moir spoke to Corin Dann.
The post-Budget RNZ-Reid Research poll reveals the Opposition parties - Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Maori - are in a position to form a government if an election was held today. Political editor Jo Moir spoke to Corin Dann.
The much-anticipated debate surrounding the punishment for Te Pati Maori has been abruptly cut short - after a surprise vote from the coalition to delay it till next month. The unexpected development came after opposition parties threatened to effectively prolong the debate for hours on end in Budget week. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch filed this report.
The chair of the Privileges Committee wants Labour's Leader to apologise. Chris Hipkins told TVNZ Judith Collins had publicly condemned “uncivilised behaviour from indigenous people” in relation to Te Pati Māori's actions. Judith Collins told Mike Hosking she never said that. She says it's entirely wrong for him to have said that, and she's called on him to apologise and apparently he's going to think about it. The debate on the proposed punishments for the three Te Pati Māori MPs was moved to June 5 - to leave this week free for the Budget. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 21st of May, Privileges Committee Chair Judith Collins discusses the adjournment of the vote regarding the suspension of the Te Pati Māori MPs. Mike digs into what exactly it is that Winston Peters doesn't like about foreign business investors being allowed to buy houses that are priced out for the vast majority of New Zealanders. Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen do Politics Wednesday and discuss gifts to MPs, the debate, or lack thereof, in the House, and the Budget. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chris Hipkins needs help. For the life of me I have no idea why he is wasting his time defending the Māori Party. He says their punishment is too harsh. Problem 1: Is he doing it because it's seen as anti-Government? In other words, despite him saying he wasn't going to bark at any passing car, he barks at any passing car. Problem 2: This reinforces the general view that the Labour Party are soft on people who break rules, and consequences should always be watered down. Problem 3: He is the leader of a major party, and the major parties represent, you would have hoped, a bipartisan view that behaviour and rules and etiquette are to be adhered to in a place of national leadership. Problem 4: The Māori Party are nothing but trouble and you want, as a centrist, to stay well clear of them. They don't like Parliament, they don't believe it should exist and, if it does exist, they think they should have a separate version for themselves. Hipkins is like some tragic, legal aid boot lawyer who defends the hopeless for the sake of it. There is no upside, and yet in Budget week he has bought into the narrative, yet again, that some poor saps have been hard done by and it's all not fair. He somehow has to be on the side of the victim. Problem 5: Say whatever you want about the Privileges Committee, but it is Parliament's long-standing court, and his party is a part of it. It seems odd, and undermining, that you're willing to partake in the process then bag it when it reaches a conclusion. Problem 6: A few of his own members were part of the original crime on that infamous day when things went dramatically to the pack. So maybe he feels like a hypocrite, given Peeni Henare fell on his sword and the others were too belligerent to do so. Problem 7: New Zealanders want, like, and demand standards, so he is on the wrong side of this. Problem 8: When we aren't wanting improved behaviour, we wouldn't mind the big players in the political game concentrating on the big issues, like the mess economically we are currently in, as engineered by the bloke who is busy barking at passing cars. The Greens and the Māori Party are minor players and not serious. Labour are supposed to be serious. So how about you give it a crack? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Mark Mitchell joined Mike Hosking to delve into some of the biggest political stories of the week so far. Mike's got the register of Pecuniary Interests, which lists the gifts MPs received between February 1st of 2024 and January 31st 2025 - so the three of them discussed some of the entries on the list. They also discussed debate, or lack thereof, in the House, and what might else might be coming out of Budget 2025. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Well, that ended up being a fizzer, didn't it? I mean, wow, here we were. We were expecting this big debate over the Māori Party punishments to drag on for days, if not weeks, and overshadow the Budget - and the blinking thing didn't even last an hour. It got postponed to next month. What happened was, in retrospect, very simple and very obvious, just a move from the Government. It came to the Government's turn to talk about it - and up pops Chris Bishop, Leader of the House. He says - hey, I move it gets postponed, and guess what, it gets postponed because the Government has the majority in the House, so they simply voted for that, and there we go, clear air for the Budget. Most relieved, I would say, would be the Government, because it means that they do get clear air for the Budget on Thursday. Most bummed out, I would imagine, would be the Māori Party - who'd even gone to the effort of organizing a protest on the full court of Parliament. So basically, what's happened is we put this thing to bed for a few weeks because of a checkmate move from Chris Bishop. But while we've got this pause, can I just make an observation? It's quite remarkable how quickly this has gone from being a thing about the deliberate flouting of rules consistently by a party doing it as part of a PR strategy to being a thing about the National-led Government using parliamentary process to banish MPs they don't like, thereby turning us into a "banana republic". This is the kind of reportage that I'm reading at the moment. Suspending the Māori Party MPs threatens democracy. It is a drastic step that looks, on the face of it, undemocratic. Those are two different articles, by the way - it seems to be a theme that's emerging. But hang on a minute here, because it's going to take a lot to convince me that this is the case of a heavy-handed Government silencing innocent dissent - because I haven't forgotten how we got here. I haven't forgotten that the Māori Party planned to disrupt Parliament that day. They planned to disrupt it - and then they carried out that plan. I haven't forgotten that Debbie Ngarewa-Packer pointed her fingers in the shape of a gun at another MP and that the Māori Party refused to turn up to the Privileges Committee when they were asked to - and when they were supposed to. I haven't forgotten that that the Māori Party refused to apologize and accept they've done anything wrong and that the Māori Party then leaked the recommendations of the Privileges Committee, which is against the rules, and that the Māori Party co-leaders have said that they will do this again - most likely with the Regulatory Standards bill. I haven't forgotten any of that stuff. And it's remarkable to me how quickly people want to turn this into a bad Government story instead of a bad opposition story. And it's also remarkable to me how quickly people have forgotten what this party did to end up here today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Greens say their approach to today's debate over the unprecedented suspensions for Te Pati Maori members will be scrutinising the penalty to the highest degree. The Green Party's Ricardo Menendez March spoke to Corin Dann.
On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 20th of May, millions are being invested into rail and tax changes for foreign investors – where is the Government getting the funds from? Parliament is voting today on the punishment for the three Te Pati Māori MPs. White Lotus star Murray Bartlett and Schitt's Creek star Annie Murphy are on to talk their roles in the new season of Nicole Kidman's ‘Nine Perfect Strangers'. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A former Speaker of the House has been worried Parliament's standards have been slipping over the past few years. It comes as the Privileges Committee report on Te Pati Māori's behaviour during last year's Treaty Principles Bill vote, will be debated and voted on this afternoon. It proposes a 21-day suspension for the party's leaders, and a seven-day suspension for MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. Former Speaker Sir Lockwood Smith told Mike Hosking a decision to close the public gallery is wise. He says this will be a test for Speaker Gerry Brownlee because his judgement will be critical. Smith says it's up to him to make sure this debate, which will be watched by many, shows Parliament to be a better place than it's been in the last couple of weeks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The debate around the Privileges Committee and their decision for the Māori Party MPs starts today. It's set to be a long-winded and largely pointless exercise. If you can be bothered, get a read on where each of the parties stand. Why? Because you will find that some parties don't agree with the committee and think the so-called punishment is a bit hard. The Prime Minister was asked about this yesterday at his post-Cabinet press conference. In fact, they were the first questions asked, which was sad and yet again a reminder of how the Press Gallery is not really interested in the news of the day, and perhaps even the good news of the day. The good news of the day came from the Finance Minister, who was standing next to the Prime Minister at said conference and had been busy up to the question bit outlining some new tax treatment for investment and payments for start-ups and businesses looking for a bit of relief around rules and paperwork. That got scant coverage, despite the fact these are the very sort of issues, ideas, and polices that will drag this beleaguered economy out of the quagmire it is currently stuck in. As regards to the Privileges Committee, for the record, the Prime Minister stood firm on the ensuing debate, and whether or not by bargaining away the decision it could expedite what could be days of time wasting. Why this matters is because standards matter, and standards in this country have become embarrassing. What the Māori Party did was farcical, as well as embarrassing. Their punishment was not because they were Māori, or because what they did was Māori, it was because they broke the rules, and rules count or should count. Because when they don't, people like the Māori Party and to a lesser degree the Labour Party and the Greens, bring us all into disrepute. Believe it or not, there are large swathes of this country that find what has been happening at our highest level of leadership to be completely and utterly shocking, as well as embarrassing and needless, and we are more than over it. By asking whether Government can plea bargain it away so we can skip a lengthy, boring debate is systematic of the problem itself. "Why deal to it, when we can ignore it or water it down?" If those who think this is all okay want to debate it and remind us what mediocre looks like, that's on them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Judith Collins calls for “civility” in Parliament after suspending three MPs and attacks on female MPs. Collins praised Act MP Brooke van Velden for standing up for herself after using the c-word. Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi face 21-day suspensions without pay. Parliament Privileges Committee chair Judith Collins is calling for “civility” in the House after the decision to suspend three MPs without pay and attacks on female MPs. Collins said she was proud of Act MP Brooke van Velden for “standing up for herself” yesterday when she stirred major controversy by using the c-word in the House while attacking Labour for not condemning a column that used the word “c***” against female ministers. Yesterday, her committee's decision was handed down to three Te Pāti Māori MPs after last year's controversial haka. The committee recommended 21-day suspensions for co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, saying they should be “severely censured”. Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer face a heavy censure. It also recommended a seven-day suspension for MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke. Collins told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking this morning the suspension also meant the MPs would go without pay during this time. She confirmed the suspension would be carried out consecutively. Collins said the committee had been “collegial” through the six-month-long process and only butted heads in the end when it came to handing down the penalties. “Even [the Green Party and the Labour Party] are differing from each other. “It's a very severe penalty compared to what has been awarded in the past, it's not only a suspension from the House, it's a suspension of salary. “But then, we haven't seen that level of behaviour before.” She said the committee's decision would be tabled today before it was voted for on Tuesday. She said she expected it to pass. On Brooke van Velden's use of the c-bomb in the House yesterday, Collins said she was proud of the Act MP for standing up for herself and the other women in the House being attacked. “I would say to Brooke, that I wouldn't have used the word myself but I did feel that she did stand up for herself and all the rest of us and I am waiting for someone of the left persuasion… one MP, just one, to come out and say it's not okay to attack someone just because you are not okay with what they do." She called reading the language in the column, which was written by Andrea Vance and published in the Sunday Star-Times, one of the “lowest points” in Parliament she has seen in her 23 years of service. “That and what happened on the 14th of November in Parliament. “It's just the sort of behaviour towards each other that is despicable.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Treaty Principles Bill has been defeated at its second reading. National and New Zealand First voted against the bill, as they indicated they would. Labour, the Greens, and Te Pati Maori also voted against the bill. The only party to vote in favour of the bill was ACT. Political reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owen.
It's been another big week in politics - Greens MP Tamatha Paul went under fire for DJ'ing anti-police anthems at a Wellington festival, while her colleague Benjamin Doyle received backlash for his social media posts. Meanwhile Te Pāti Māori are planning their own version of the Privileges Committee meeting after refusing to attend a hearing over the haka protest. Senior Political Editor Barry Soper wraps the political week with Ryan Bridge. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Three MPs from Te Pati Maori say they will refuse to attend a hearing with Parliament's Privileges Committee tomorrow because their - quote fundamental rights - are being ignored. Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer plus Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke were summoned to face the committee over their peformance of a haka at the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year. Maori News Journalist Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira spoke to Lisa Owen.
The Privileges Committee will meet with or without Te Pati Māori. The party's refusing to front up for alleged threatening behaviour towards David Seymour during last year's Haka in the House. Co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi —along with Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke— have all been separately summoned. They say they haven't been allowed to appear together, at a time their lawyer can attend. Constitutional Law Expert Graeme Edgeler told Mike Hosking the committee will meet regardless. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 2nd of April, New Zealand has abandoned its bid to host the America's Cup after the Government denied funding. NZ Rugby have sorted out their advertising stoush with Ineos, and we seem to have done alright out of it. So where to next for the All Blacks brand and company? Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell have a spirited discussion about the Greens, the Māori Party and the ferry deal on Politics Wednesday. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
David Seymour's responding to a post evoking him as needing trimming like a lawn. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi re-shared his partner's post showing him cutting the grass. The caption read: 'I told him to behave as though every piece of grass is a David Seymour. The lawns are getting a good effing hiding.' Seymour says that's objectionable - with its suggestion of attacking a person you disagree with. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Super Rugby: 7/10 Good start, good rugby, no one knows who is going to win and the crowds were okay. Jannik Sinner and tennis: 3/10 For a sport that I assumed didn't want to look shonky, it's got a very WWE vibe about it these days. Farmers: 9/10 At over $10 in dairy and regulation driven by reality, not fairy tales, it's no wonder they are feeling good. Bootcamps: 6/10 The report spoke well of the pilot. Pity the media didn't cover more of the report, as opposed to the Labour Party pile on. Debbie from the Māori Party: 1/10 When you are that detached from the world in which you are allegedly serving, and on holiday while you're displaying your ignorance, you've got to wonder. Mind you, as Rawiri Waititi so eloquently, and yet incorrectly, put it, it could be a hatch job. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There's controversy over a New Zealand MP taking part in an anti-government protest in the Cook Islands. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has taken part in a rally against Mark Brown's government over its new strategic partnership with China. The deal will see the countries cooperate more on trade, investment, and tourism, with China providing a $4 million grant for future projects. Labour's Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking it's not something she would do, but different things do it for different people. She says that if she wants do go and do that and she's not breaking the law, then alright. National's Mark Mitchell agreed, saying that if he was travelling on personal business he wouldn't join a protest or interfere with the internal matters, but Ngarewa-Packer has chosen to inject herself into this situation, and that's up to her. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
You have to read it to believe it and even in reading it, it might well be you still can't believe it. A report, one of a number of investigations now underway, has reported back on whether personal Census and Covid intel collected at Manurewa Marae was misused for electoral purposes. It's important to point out that this particular report didn't have it within its scope to find out whether the marae did anything shonky. That's still to come. The marae, if you recall, was managed by Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who was also a Māori Party candidate, and she went on to win the electorate by a handful of votes. What this report does find is proof, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that even when you stack the public service full of people the way the Labour Government did, they are still incompetent. The head of Stats NZ is going. He won't be reappointed. Each of the departments looked into —Stats NZ, Health New Zealand, and the Ministry of Health— have all been found hopelessly wanting. It was a combination of not really having any oversight on information that may, or may not, be protected and that may, or may not, be inappropriately used, plus when concerns were raised still doing nothing about it. "High trust models" were in place. Remember the golden Ardern and Hipkins days of high trust models? It basically confirms the Public Service Commissioner's findings last week that the public service isn't fit for purpose. It has too many meetings, there are too many departments, we need a few gotten rid of, and if you designed it today it wouldn't be like it is. There are no safeguards, no regard for privacy, and the issues around privacy in the report shows it's just a litany of uselessness. Remember the alleged skullduggerous part of whether the Māori Party used some of this intel to help their election campaign? That outcome is still to surface. It's bad enough as it is. If they get pinged, it's a full-blown scandal. At least one head has rolled, but you can't make this stuff up. It's gliding on, it's worse than most would have thought and it's not even over. The worst may well still be to come. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On today's episode, Maori Development Minister Tama Potaka's new-look Waitangi Tribunal has been labelled a "whitewash" by Te Pati Maori, just days after US President Donald Trump's inauguration - the back again leader has already vowed to pull out of the Paris Agreement and as he puts it "drill, baby, drill", the Israeli military has confirmed they killed 10 Palestinians in the West Bank city Jenin - just days after the ceasefire deal took effect in Gaza, and the potential new owner of the Whakapapa ski field has expressed interest in operating the famous Chateau Tongariro hotel.
Whanau, friends and colleagues of Dame Tariana Turia are gathering at Whangaehu Marae near Whanganui, to pay their respects ahead of her burial tomorrow. The co-founder of Te Pati Maori died on Friday after earlier suffering a stroke. Whanau kaimahi Tamahaia Skinner spoke to Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira.
On today's episode, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins is sceptical any option to replace the inter-island ferries will end up costing less than his government's iRex project, Parliament has rushed through legislation designed to prevent any greyhound owners from killing their dogs, after Tuesday's announcement that racing will be banned, Te Pati Maori says it expects rules will change to accommodate haka in Parliament, the murder of United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in the US has sparked a huge reaction on social media, and after years of declining results for teenagers in international maths and reading tests it is time for New Zealand's adults to hang their heads in shame.
As the dust settles after yesterday's hikoi on Parliament, Te Pati Maori has turned its attention towards the Speaker - accusing him of overusing his powers. It comes as the coalition parties call for tougher consequences for rule-breakers within the debating chamber - following last week's haka by Hana Rawhiti Maipi Clarke. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch reports.
When Maori tikanga and the rules of Parliament clash; Te Pati Maori's extraordinary display of protest yesterday - interrupting the first vote on the Treaty Principles bill - has highlighted the distance between the two. When called on to cast Te Pati Maori's vote, its MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke instead launched into a haka, ripping a copy of the legislation in half. She was joined by other opposition MPs and onlookers, prompting Speaker Gerry Brownlee to temporarily suspend Parliament and clear out the public gallery. Now, coalition members are calling for decorum, while others say yesterday's scenes are part and parcel of the debate. Political reporter Lillian Hanly reports.
Back home where the contentious Treaty Principles Bill has had its timeline accelerated - meaning the prime minister will be out of the country during its first reading. The bill will be made public tomorrow - eleven days earlier than signalled - and then debated in Parliament a week later. Te Pati Maori claims the coalition is trying to stymie the bill's opponents - but the government says that's nonsense, deputy political editor Craig McCulloch reports.