Chris Bishop: Leader of the House on the continuing debate around the punishment for Te Pāti Māori MPs

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. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Parliament returns to day to the business of the Maori
partying their privileges sanctions when we left it. Of course,
in Adduman had been called so the budget could get
its day in the sun. Chris Bishop's the Leader of
the House, of course, and he's with us. Morning, Good morning.
The debate. Is it going to be any less messy
now that we've had a couple of days to cool down?
Or are we just going to have one hundred and
twenty three people saying one hundred and twenty three different
things moving amendments and then one hundred and twenty three

(00:20):
people saying something different.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well, let's wait and see them. Let's hope. So I mean,
I just want the debate over and done with. Franklin,
I think it's time to get back to some real
issues facing the country. We know we need to deal
with the issue, but let's face it, this is a distraction.
We've got an economic economy that we need to start
growing again, and so my hope is that we can
deal with the issues swiftly at parliaments afternoon.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Will there be filibustering? Do you reckon? Well?

Speaker 2 (00:44):
I suspect that there will be a bit of it
from Labor and the Greens. I mean they say they
are not going to, but who knows. I mean, one
thing is that I moved on Tuesday that we Parliament's
meant to finish at six o'clock on Thursday, so the
debate would stop if we hadn't voted, and so I said, well, look,
let's just keep going onto Thursday night and Friday if
we have to, because we just need the issue dealt with.
And Labor and the Greens are not supportive of that,

(01:06):
so we're sort of It tends to indicate that they're
going to have a I don't know, I think plavorit
of politics with it, which is a bit frustrating.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Okay, what I'd understand about Labor, Why are they busy
defending the Marory Party? I mean, what what's it to them?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, that's really a question for them. I mean, at
the end of the day, these guys are all peas
and a pod, Labor, the Greens to party Maria, and
they're going to line up together and raise taxes and
you know, put the economy into recession again. So they're
all there are all much of a muchness in some
some senses. So and I think, you know, Chrisipkins knows
that ultimately, if he gets some numbers together, it'll have
to be with the married party. So and I think

(01:40):
that prospect should scain is illinder.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
What surprised me? I thought I knew what was going on,
But this prove I thought the Privileges Committee was the
court of the House. They made a decision. It is
what it is. It's not like you get to debate
a court decision regularly. How is it we get to
have a debate. What's the point of the Privileges Committee
if you second guess them?

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, the standing orders provides that once the you know,
the committee has just decided, it gets endorsed by the House. Now,
in the ordinary course of events, the Privileges Committee is
unanimous or near unanimous, and then it all just kind
of sails through and everyone kind of agrees on it,
and it all goes away. You know, I think about
duty engenter to vandom all on those things other committees

(02:19):
in the past. This one's a bit more, a bit
different because you know, basically, the dividers the governing parties
want her, you know, are pretty you know, it is
admittedly a severe punishment twenty one days and uh, you know,
Labor and the Greens and party Mary obviously you know
basically want to slap on the you know, sleep with
a wet bus ticket. So and it's sort of hard
to meet in the middle. Not on either side will give.

(02:41):
So you know where are where we.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
Are, Okay, we'll see how it done. Pol's appreciate Leader
of the House Chris Bishop with us this morning.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
For more from The Mike Asking Breakfast, listen live to
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Speaker 1 (02:50):
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