Beehive Diaries
A revolt by Labour’s redheads delivers a win for National MP Todd Muller, Act MP Nicole McKee turns the guns into knitting needles, and MPs tell dog stories.
Monday The uprising of the redheads
News reaches Beehive Diaries that National MP Todd Muller’s bill to provide better consumer protection around sunscreen labelling prompted a rare revolt in the Labour caucus. Labour initially discussed opposing the bill and leaving sunscreen regulation to the Therapeutic Products Bill, but sun-sensitive caucus redheads had a different view. Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins led the charge, backed by whip Kieran McAnulty in the push for Labour to support the bill — and the reds won. As Muller put it: “a victory for the fair-skinned Celtics”. Also a victory, of sorts, for pale stale males.
Tuesday Guns into knitting needles
As MPs delivered tributes after the death of Prince Philip, Act MP Nicole McKee was passing the time by knitting.
Apart from the rather unfortunate association with the Tricoteuses, who knitted during public executions in the French Revolution, knitting in Parliament has a longish tradition. Former Labour MP Judith Tizard did it, former Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei then took up the needles. It is allowed under Parliament’s rules, other than by ministers chairing a debate. McKee later revealed she was knitting a hot water bottle cover.
Wednesday Air NZ debate
Act leader David Seymour’s urgent debate about Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s letter to Air NZ’s board provided Robertson with a chance to take pot shots at National MP Christopher Luxon. Luxon, the former ceo of Air NZ, sat there as Robertson took aim, ribbing him about leadership speculation and then over the regional routes that closed in Luxon’s time at the top.
A later debate delivered many mispeaks. Robertson claimed credit for finding the hole in National’s fiscal plan during the last campaign. That was actually his then advisor, Craig Rennie. Let the record show. Then National’s Michael Woodhouse suggested Labour MP Barbara Edmonds could become the first female minister of finance. Woodhouse might find that former National MP Ruth Richardson claimed that honour.
Release the hounds, Smithers
National MP Matthew Doocey’s bill to increase the penalty for people who kill police dogs caused some controversy, after Green MP Ricardo Menendez-March described them as “attack dogs”. Former police dog handler, National MP Mark Mitchell said talking about his dogs made him teary. Tissues at hand, he ran through harrowing stories about police dogs — including his own Czar — being injured in the course of duty.
Labour kicked the bill out, arguing the number of police dog deaths on duty (26 over 56 years) was too low to warrant it. However, it did not stop them sharing stories about their own less valiant dogs. Whangārei MP Emily Henderson: “My dog is wearing the cone of shame. He would not make a police dog. He is a very nervous labradoodle.”