Barry Soper: ZB senior political correspondent on Takuta Ferris' apology after Privileges Committee report

Not everyone's happy about an apology from Takuta Ferris last night, delivered in Māori.

In September, Te Pati Maori MP said describing MPs as 'masters of obscuring the truth' wasn't calling them liars.

The Parliamentary Privileges Committee called that a contempt - and recommended he apologise.

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Shane Jones called for a second apology in a language 'most Kiwis understand'.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barry Soper.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
Hello, good afternoon, Andrew Um.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Please accept my ah uh you know adaham, I yeah,
you know what I'm saying. You know what I means.
I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, well I well do. And certainly that's what Takout
Ferris said the dead of light night last night, when
the Privileges Committee basically said to him he had to
apologize for being in contempt of Parliament. Now you'll remember

(00:37):
he blatantly lied himself about whether he had called MP's
liars when he's giving a speech last September, and we
played it yesterday. But he did, apparently last night say
in Mardi that he apologizes, and that was missed, of
course by many, and that infuriated New Zealand first Shane Jones,

(00:58):
who told Parliament was again contemptuous by delivering the apology
only in Maldi. Get a load of the Jones fury.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
This member beats to a drum where he believes he's impervious,
he's beyond any of this criticism because he's blessed with
some pure non muggles. Mildi blood. Shame on you for
bringing your own people into disrepute. Shame on your leaders
for not insisting you show faka iti, you showed humility.

(01:30):
There is no honor in this arrogant No honor in
this childish, no honor in this contentious display of disregard
for what it means to be a parliamentarian.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
You know. And Jones was furious, genuinely I think. I mean,
he's very theatrical in parliament. But just a few minutes ago,
Katuta Ferris, I should say Takuta Faris. I should get
it right because I'll be told off about that. But
a few minutes ago he was on his feet in
the debating chamber. He said that apologizing and Maori means

(02:06):
much more to his people than it does in English. Now,
in fairness to him, we do have two official languages
in New Zealand. We have three.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Well, sign language, he could have done it, and if
he done it in sign language, I would have asked
for an English translation as well. You know, I just
think that we've got three official languages.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
And he knows, I know, he knows he is being arrogant.
He knows he was pushing the boundaries and there's nothing
that can be done about it. But it's the sheer
arrogance that will go with him through his parliament.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Can I to say to mister Ferris, It makes me
think that perhaps he went his sincere in your apology,
because you're actually being cantankerous and being obtuse. Yes, so
there we go, Kenneth Papermill. Where are we at?

Speaker 2 (02:49):
Well? Interestingly this afternoon, now you know people had sort
of I think forgotten a bit about Pearl Kinleith. Two
hundred and thirty mill workers were about to lose their
jobs there next year the machine stopped working. I remember
covering disputes there in the early eighties when they went
on a three month strike. You probably don't.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Know, no, I remember well.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
I remember Jiggs was a federational labor trouble.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Downmill, down mill, it really was.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
And so and I've stopped in Penrose the recycling plant
that stopped in December. Two hundred and thirty workers will
lose their jobs next year. And so there seemed to
be some hope though for the Kinleith workers in Parliament
this afternoon, when Labour's Willie Jackson was asking the Employment
Minister Louise Upston to expand about what Winston Peters had

(03:38):
told workers last year. I listen and see what you think,
does she.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
Agree with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters who told workers
at the Kinleath mill last year that Kinleath Miller is
the lifeblood of the way Cuttle and that targeted government
intervention is sometimes necessary to ensure the survival of a
business and a community. It is so can the workers
of Kinleath Mill have confidence that their jobs and livelihoods

(04:06):
are secure?

Speaker 5 (04:07):
Mister speaker, I always agree with the Deputy Prime Minister
and I know very well how important the Kinleath employment
is in that community. And that is why as a
government we are looking at options.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
Ah.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Now that's fascinating, isn't it.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
Well, why why are they looking at options? Look, it's
a private market, is it. They've got markets in China
they've collapsed. It's a private business. It's none of the
government's business. We're in a very fisty mood today, Andrew.
The thing is, you know, when you look at and
having covered that dispute, kinlead Tako is totally depend on
yes on that mill.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Although you could say that Matara down near where I
come from, they had a paper mill down there, They
had a freezing works down there. They were closed down.
The close the town hasn't closed down, but you know, Kinley,
that's fairly isolated, and I was talk so I don't
know what the government's going to do, but you know,

(05:06):
we wait and see you certainly that's the indication that
we got.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Well, I know that in the area now they're actually
shipping an unprocessed logs straight to make your port, and
Kui rail and is working along with the port to
make that easier so that we can actually have some
mills and have some more work in Tacoa. Nobody wants
Takaroa to die, but you can't artificially infleet an entire
sector that has collapsed.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
Well, it sounds as though the government's about to do
something though. If you listen to Louise upstairs.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
Okay, Barry, now, remember you're talking about Heather tomorrow and mccon.
Oh okay, because I'm getting texts the whole time from people,
go what's happening with Heather? So you're telling me everything
tomorrow for forty five Okay, no worries Andrew.

Speaker 5 (05:46):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news Talks.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio,