Minister has his reply down pat

OPINION: Not to be left out of the Greens’ controversial war on patsy questions in Parliament, New Zealand First yesterday produced the anti-patsy.

For a moment it looked as though a second governing party was going to cause its own Government to have a harder time in the House. The Greens are giving the bulk of their questions to the Opposition. Now, here was NZ First asking an uncomfortably tough series of its own minister, Shane Jones, about nestfeathering.

Mark Patterson asked the regional development minister if it was true he’d actioned a series of wharf, airport and roading improvements in Northland because he himself lived there. He stopped short of paraphrasing National’s charge, that Jones was using public money ‘‘to pimp his ride’’. But there was confused facescrunching both sides of the aisle. Why draw further attention to the fact that several of the upgrades are less than 5km from Jones’ home, and will undeniably help him personally?

Patterson even asked if Jones might think about moving to another district now so as to spread this apparent policy of improving his own ‘hood.

To everyone’s relief, these turned out to be patsies in wolf’s clothing. Jones had his customarily flowery answers ready to the ‘‘false and scurrilous allegations’’. Dismissing the personal convenience of the air, sea and road upgrades, he said he regularly walked the 4.5km span of those projects – ‘‘as should be evident to anyone,’’ he added, indicating his ample figure.

The projects had been identified as necessary by Far North mayor John Carter and Far North Holdings director Murray McCully, he continued – not needing to remind Parliament that both were senior National Party grandees. He had complied with their prioritisations because he did not want ‘‘to be capricious’’ and trifle with Northlanders’ feelings. He added slyly, ‘‘That has improved my popularity’’.

That Southland was next for Jones’ regional development spending did not impress National’s Paul Goldsmith, who asked whether Jones could understand why people were querulous when he toured the country in helicopters and ‘‘handed out cash like Pablo Escobar’’?

Speaker Trevor Mallard ruled this question out, and another asking why Jones didn’t fly ‘‘Ron Air’’ – a dig at Defence Minister Ron Mark’s use of military transport. But Opposition leader Simon Bridges reminded MPs that eight ministers flew to the recent opening of the new Chatham Islands’ wharf, despite all having voted against it when in Opposition. Between Government and Opposition, it seems, there is such a thing as pier pressure.

❚ Political commentator Jane Clifton is married to the Speaker, Trevor Mallard.