POINTS OF ORDER
The last week of a parliamentary sitting block is always a special kind of manic, with MPs desperate to land finishing blows on big issues before the break lets us all forget the scandals of weeks gone by.
This week was even worse, as Parliament was in urgency to pass the Ma¯ori wards bill, backing up the rest of the sitting calendar and select committees. This left everyone – MPs, journalists and staffers – hot and bothered.
Except for Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, who earns our first bouquet. He stayed completely in control at select committee on Thursday as Simon Bridges – a man who had called him a ‘‘wokester’’ days earlier – sarcastically asked if the police still arrested anyone in this country. Coster and Bridges have both been Crown prosecutors in former lives, meaning Coster easily gave as good as he got from Bridges, the pair interrupting each other willy-nilly. Most public servants would find a fight with a senior Opposition MP worrying but Coster came across completely calm, and refused to take the bait and criticise Bridges’ actions when asked afterwards. Sounds a lot like some advice National leader Judith Collins gave to her MPs just a month ago. Our second bouquet goes to National’s Nicola Willis, who had the foresight to ask a very simple question of Housing Minister Megan Woods in select committee: How many families have been housed by the $400 million shared equity housing scheme, first announced in 2017 but launched in 2020? The answer was 12, a number Woods decided to brag about. Willis almost got this story to span the week but it’s hard to get media oxygen when your colleagues create much simpler stories for reporters.
That’s what happened on Wednesday when Paul Goldsmith walked out of Parliament over a fairly low-stakes fight with Speaker Trevor Mallard. Bridges, who had nothing to do with the exchange but enjoys media attention, walked out too, calling Mallard a ‘‘t...’’ as he did, ensuring reams of copy. Mallard himself didn’t appear to be insulted by the language, and seemed comfortable letting the House get a bit icky himself, telling Willie Jackson off on Tuesday for ‘‘stimulating the Opposition’’. In terms of unfortunate statements, nothing really topped Chris Hipkins on Thursday suggesting that tourists from the Pacific weren’t going to go and spend money in Queenstown, a statement he managed to defend, reflect on, and apologise for in the space of about two minutes. Bridges’ taste for the spotlight earned him a clear reprimand from Collins, who told media on Wednesday that her MPs should attack ministers, not public servants. Bridges himself refused to accept this telling-off, however, telling journalists: ‘‘There’s only one person who can reprimand me, and her name is Natalie Bridges.’’ Judith, if you’d like, we can get Natalie’s number for you.