New Speaker aware of need to improve House question time
WELLINGTON: Te Tai
Hauauru MP Adrian Rurawhe was elected as Parliament’s new Speaker yesterday and National Party leader Christopher Luxon said his party would support the election and not put up anyone to stand against him.
Mr Rurawhe, a Labour MP, was nominated by the Government as the new Speaker in Parliament at 2pm after Trevor Mallard’s resignation from the role took effect at 1.45pm.
Mr Rurawhe thanked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for allowing him to take the role.
‘‘I will carry on the long tradition of upholding the rights and privileges of this House . . . like freedom of speech,’’ he said.
‘‘We may disagree with each other . . . but it’s really important that those voices are heard.’’
He confirmed the Opposition would have the opportunity to hold the Government to account.
Mr Rurawhe said he had noticed a few things about question time that could be improved, which was applauded by many of the Opposition.
‘‘Unfortunately, they are numerous.’’
He said the questions the Government asked of itself needed to be shorter.
He said answers should be more succinct.
Mr Rurawhe noted he was not an expert on all the rules, but said ‘‘being fair’’ was paramount and he would use his own radar to establish what was and was not acceptable.
He said there was the opportunity for more robust debate, but it had to be done with fairness.
He referenced Mr Mallard as his predecessor and committed to continuing his efforts to make Parliament a ‘‘familyfriendly’’ environment.
Ms Ardern said she placed priority on Mr Rurawhe’s ability to use a ‘‘light touch and a firm hand’’ when acting as Speaker.
She believed the House could be satisfied he would act fairly.
She noted he was the second Maori to hold the role, and that it would make his whanau proud, as well as his Labour Party family.
The first was the late Sir
Peter Tapsell, who held the role between 1993 and 1996 under Jim Bolger’s National government.
Mr Luxon gave Mr Rurawhe a warm welcome to the role, saying it was not surprising he was elected to the role given his legacy.
‘‘I think he’s got good characteristics of good leaders that I see. One is he carries himself with personal humility and low ego, but has massive determination to make sure
Parliament and democracy functions really well.’’
Greens coleader Marama Davidson wished Mr Rurawhe the best of luck upholding kaupapa Maori tikanga within Parliament, despite the challenges that entailed.
Act New Zealand leader David Seymour also congratulated Mr Rurawhe on his election.
Mr Mallard will stay on as a backbench MP before leaving in
October to prepare for his new role as New Zealand’s ambassador to Ireland.
Mr Rurawhe was nominated without challenge and upon confirmation, was greeted with a standing ovation by all MPs.
He said it had been ‘‘a bit overwhelming but a real honour’’ to become the Speaker after serving as assistant and deputy for the past five years.
His top priority, he said, would be to continue Parliament’s ‘‘familyfriendly environment’’ as well as enabling robust interrogation of the Government.
Asked how he would differ from Mr Mallard, Mr Rurawhe said his approach would be informed by his past experiences.
‘‘I’ll bring my life story with me, my way of doing things, my experiences, which include being a chair of my iwi for 10 years, which is a challenge in itself and I learned a lot of skills,’’ Mr Rurawhe said.
He noted it was possible he would allow a more freeflowing debate in the House than had his predecessor.
‘‘I think that could happen but it needs to happen in a way that still maintains the rights and privileges of the House — it can’t be just a freeforall for its own sake.’’
He was formally sworn in by the GovernorGeneral, Dame Cindy Kiro.
It is an informal convention for a newly elected Speaker to feign an unwillingness to do the job, and pretend to resist when the Government whips escort them to the Speaker’s chair, although Mr Mallard did not follow that tradition himself.
It dates back to the times the Speaker reported the views of Parliament to the monarch in the United Kingdom — and risked punishment if the monarch was displeased. — The