Wednesday, 24 August 2022

Volume 762

Sitting date: 24 August 2022

WEDNESDAY, 24 AUGUST 2022

The House met at 2 p.m.

Office of Speaker

Vacancy

CLERK: Honourable members, I wish to advise the House that the office of Speaker is vacant.

Message from Governor-General

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): Mr Clerk, I am requested by Her Excellency the Governor-General to inform the House that it is Her Excellency’s desire that the House should proceed to choose one of its members as its Speaker and, in accordance with section 12 of the Constitution Act of 1986, present that person at Government House at 4 p.m. today for Her Excellency’s confirmation.

Election of Speaker

CLERK: Honourable members, the House must now proceed to choose a Speaker. I remind members they are to participate remotely and proxy votes may not be cast. If members participating remotely want to make a nomination, please type “call” into the chat. Are there any nominations?

Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Chief Whip—Labour): I nominate Adrian Rurawhe for the office of Speaker.

BARBARA EDMONDS (Junior Whip—Labour): I second the nomination of Adrian Rurawhe for the office of Speaker.

CLERK: Are there any other nominations? There being no other nominations, I declare Adrian Rurawhe elected Speaker.

Waiata

SPEAKER-ELECT:

Kia whai korōria hōnore hareruia ki a Ihoā o ngā mano tūāuriuri whāioio.

Kī tonu te rangi me te whenua i te nui o Tōna korōria. Nō reira,

Tihei Mauri ora.

Kei te mihi atu au ki Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero te Tuawhitu me te kāhui ariki, tēnā koutou, rire, rire, hau Pai Mārire.

Ki a koutou, aku hapū, aku iwi tae atu ki taku whānau whānui, tēnei ahau e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou, tēnā koutou, nau mai, haramai whakatau mai rā.

Ki a koutou ngā mema hōnore o Te Whare o ngā Māngai, tēnei ahau e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou mō ō koutou tautoko i ahau kia tū hei Mana Whakawā o Te Whare o ngā Māngai.

Tēnei te mihi ake ki a koutou katoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kāti rā kia ora mai tātou katoa.

[Glory, honour, and hallelujah to the Lord God of the countless multitudes.

Heaven and earth are filled with God’s glory.

’tis the breath of life.

I acknowledge King Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII and the royal family, greetings, rire, rire, hau Pai Mārire.

To you of my subtribes, tribes, and including my wider family, I greet you: greetings, greetings, welcome.

To you, the honourable members of the House of Representatives, I acknowledge you for your supporting my election as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

I acknowledge all of you, thank you and be well, one and all.]

Honourable members—I’ll put my speech aside, I think—you do me a huge honour in electing me as the Speaker of this House. I want to thank every single one of you for the support that you have given me today, but also acknowledge the huge number of you who have encouraged me to take up this role. To you, the Prime Minister, thank you for the opportunity to take on this role, and to other members, as well, across the House who have given me that encouragement.

I think it’s really important that I state here today that I will carry on the long tradition of upholding the rights and privileges of this House. I think it’s important that all of those rights are upheld and acknowledged—rights and privileges like freedom of speech. You are all the voices of all of the people that you represent, and it’s important that their voices are heard. We may disagree with each other on both sides of the House, but it’s really important that those voices are heard.

I can say to the House that it’s my expectation that the House will hold the Government to account. I say to the Leader of the Opposition and party leaders that I will do everything to ensure that you have the opportunity to hold the Government to account. To the Government, I say to you, my expectation is that you will be accountable. There are a number of mechanisms by which that can happen.

I’ve had the huge honour since the end of last year of presiding over question time on Thursdays, probably something that has led me to this very day without me necessarily knowing about it. I have noticed a few things about question time that I think could be improved, and, unfortunately, they are numerous! However, some small things could happen—for example, the Government holding itself to account by asking itself questions; some of the answers to those supplementary questions need to be a bit shorter and more succinct. I think I would encourage Ministers—and it’s quite interesting and a little bit puzzling, actually, that the Government sometimes end question times with a significant number of unused supplementaries. I think some of those supplementaries should be used in this way: some of those answers should be cut down and be less speech-like and more succinct. You could achieve that by asking more supplementaries; failure to do so will see the Opposition receive more supplementaries to do it. That is one thing I can do; there are others as well.

I’m probably going to leave it there, I think—

Hon Member: Keep going, keep going.

SPEAKER-ELECT: In a way, I probably should go on, because this is probably going to be the last time I have the opportunity to speak! I cannot proclaim to be an expert on all the rules of this House. However, I believe that being fair is probably paramount. For me, if it feels like it’s out of order, it probably is, and if it feels as if it’s OK, it probably is. I hope that as a House, we can collectively come to those understandings. I think there is an opportunity for more robust debate, and that’s OK, but it has to be done by fairness. So that will be my role.

It would be remiss of me not to mention my immediate predecessor, friend, colleague, and mentor to me. I want to tuku atu te reo mihi ki a Trevor Mallard. [I want to express my thanks to Trevor Mallard.] I undertake to carry on his work, his mahi, to make this place a much better, family-friendly environment.

Nō reira, e tika ana kia tuku atu te reo mihi anō, nō reira tēnā rā koutou. Ināianei ka tuku ki a koutou te whānau, tuku mai tētahi waiata pai.

[Therefore, it is appropriate that I express my gratitude once more, and so, thank you all. Now I will leave it to you, my family to give us a good song.]

Waiata

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Mr Speaker-Elect, mā te Māngai o Ihoā te Māngai o te Whare e tautoko.

[The Mouthpiece of God will support the Speaker of the House.]

I begin with a phrase that will be close to home to you, Mr Speaker-Elect. Translated, it means: may the mouthpiece of Ihoā, the temple of Rātana, support and guide the mouthpiece of the House. I can’t think of a better way to sum up the proud history and mana that you bring with you into this role, something we are all now privileged to be the benefactors of.

It was a few years ago now, that I remember having a conversation with our Speaker-Elect about the possibility of taking on a role in the offices of the House. It was fair to say there was some hesitancy. In my mind, this was the first sign that you were perfect for the role. Since that time, the House has had the pleasure of seeing the many skills that you bring to this position, and I want to acknowledge the outgoing Speaker for the fact that he saw fit to ensure that you had the ability to sit in this House and preside over it and transition into the role that you now have. There will be an opportunity to pay tribute to the outgoing Speaker on another occasion.

While all of the skills that you displayed in this place during that time are valuable, I place great priority on your ability to perfectly balance a light touch and a firm hand. But perhaps the most prized asset of all in a Speaker is integrity, and that is the word that those closest to you would use to describe you as a person, and now as a Speaker. Perhaps one of your colleagues—Minister Sio—said it best when he described you as a gentle giant but also that you shouldn’t be mistaken for anything else but firm, fair, and very considered. Everyone across this House knows, or will soon know, that there is an honesty and conviction of belief that the Speaker-Elect applies to everything he does. I believe this House can be assured that there will be a fairness in the application of the Standing Orders and consideration of procedures that enables all parties and their views to be considered with openness, transparency, integrity, and—according to you—brevity, it sounds.

The Speaker-Elect also takes on this role having already demonstrated that he is a strong voice in Parliament for the people of Te Tai Hauāuru, for Māori, and for New Zealand, and, of course, it is historic that in taking on this position, he becomes only the second Māori Speaker. I know your grandparents Matiu and Iriaka Rātana and great-grandfather T W Rātana would be proud, just as your Labour whānau are proud. I can assure you we will remain proud, no matter how many occasions we may be reprimanded by you. Congratulations, and we wish you well, Mr Speaker-Elect. Kia kaha e te Mana Whakawā o te Whare.

CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition): Thank you, Mr Speaker-Elect. On behalf of the National Party, I would like to also offer you our warmest congratulations on your election to the Speakership.

We wish you all the very best for a role that we know will be challenging at times, but you have gained the experience to stand you in very good stead. You’ve been a member of this House for eight years and you’ve served faithfully as one of its presiding officers since the end of 2017, first as an Assistant Speaker through the last Parliament and then as Deputy Speaker. And now you’ll take up the mantle of becoming the 31st Speaker of this House and its second Māori Speaker.

Adrian, it’s not surprising you have been elected to this office, having come from your legacy of respected leadership across Māoridom, the Rātana church, and here in Parliament. And while this is only my first term, I have observed you closely in this House and I’m looking forward to seeing how you bring your combination of personal humility but also massive professional determination to ensure that this House and our democracy functions well.

Despite being the modest person that I know you are, I do genuinely hope you allow yourself a moment to reflect on all that you have achieved and contributed thus far, and I hope that you will properly celebrate this significant milestone with all your whānau and all your friends that are here as well, and really enjoy today. It’s really important.

We know that you will bring integrity, you’ll bring balance and mana to the office of the Speaker, and we look forward to working constructively with you in the interests of fairness and upholding the dignity of this Parliament. And that is why we have never seen a need to propose an alternative candidate.

Can I also acknowledge the Rt Hon Trevor Mallard and his contribution to Parliament over three decades as both a member and a Minister. I think it’s safe to say that he and I are fairly different. I’m the newcomer from outside this place and he’s the inveterate parliamentary scrapper. On the one hand, I think you’ve made this place much more family-friendly, and personally I have to say I found you very generous with your time, explaining the protocols of this place to all of us as new MPs in the class of 2020 and myself personally.

But it is also well known that National has disagreed strongly with you on many of your actions and statements over your time as Speaker, and that you have lost the Opposition’s confidence. But we would like to still acknowledge your service and we are looking forward to seeing you put your renowned tact and deft diplomatic skills to good use in your new role, and we wish both you and the Irish nation very good luck.

Mr Speaker-Elect, congratulations to you once again. We wish you all the very, very best, and we are looking forward to working with you.

Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader—Green): Mr Speaker-Elect, thank you. I first want to turn and farewell a man who has held down one of the hardest jobs in Parliament. As Speaker of the House, Trevor has demanded better for us all here in Parliament, not just in the Chamber today but fighting for the living wage for cleaning and catering staff, valuing their mahi and their right to live better lives; making this place much more family-friendly; and for dogs—hear, hear—[Applause]—thank you, Prime Minister. But also he’s not been afraid to hold us to account, playing a key role in the Francis Review, the interventions which were absolutely necessary to ensure that this would become a safer place to work for us all. He has called the Government out on late parliamentary written questions and he’s pushed hard for the accountability of Government at select committees. He’s steered the precinct through the challenges of the COVID pandemic, setting up a virtual Parliament—hooray!—and operating with just skeleton staff here onsite.

I’d like to recall one of my favourite memories of Mr Trevor Mallard. Here in the House, when I was a new MP, he graciously slipped me a note from the Clerk’s staff after I’d been here for a small wee while, saying, “Marama, Marama, you’re a strong speaker”—chur for that, by the way—“but you don’t need to read from your notes. It would be really good if you could allow more freedom of speech in your debate in the House.” In your honour, Mr Trevor Mallard, I’ve made sure that I would read every word of my speech, in your part, today. By the way, Mr Mallard, I had been in the House for two days when I got that note from you.

Mr Mallard, farewell and good luck, and thank you for your incredible work.

I turn to you now, e te Speaker-Elect. Ki a koe, Adrian Rurawhe. What a day for you; what a day for Te Ao Māori. It was really beautiful and special to catch up with you, Mr Speaker-Elect, in Tokoroa on Friday to talk about the honour it was for your people, for Taranaki, for your whānau, for Rātana Pā, for the ones you love the most; as were the words that you put in your powhiri this morning.

I note that there are, I don’t know, 400 and something rules that you already have confessed not to know individually and expertly, but, my goodness, Mr Speaker-Elect, those rules are nothing compared to the challenge that was laid to you at the pōwhiri today for upholding kaupapa Māori tikanga in this House. I wish you the best of luck in trying to align that accountability, that only a speaker of Māori would understand in that job. I know and I can say with every confidence that having that lens of kaupapa Māori tikanga in this place would be better for all of us. So I welcome the expertise that you bring into this area.

I did want to acknowledge the history and the legacy that your whakapapa brings, not the least your grand-uncle Haami Tokouru Rātana, grandfather Matiu Rātana, and so many more. Mr Speaker-Elect, it is with aroha and pride that the Green Party welcomes you. Kia ora.

DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Kia ora, Mr Speaker-Elect, he mihi nui mō te pōtitanga o te wā.

[Mr Speaker-Elect, I congratulate you on your election.]

I congratulate you on your election. The role of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is an extremely important one, even at the best of times, and, sadly, these are not the best of times. As we’re reminded, from the early 1970s to about 15 years ago, the world flocked to democracy. And yet, over the last 15 years, we’ve had a democratic recession—countries move away from it—and that’s a dangerous backdrop for New Zealand. Our only chance of influencing the world is by setting a good example. Depending on how we act in this House, we can be a beacon of democratic light at the bottom of the world, or we can instead be just another example of why democracy is in recession around the world. Your new role as the leader of this Parliament gives you more opportunity to influence the development of our democracy than any other single New Zealander. It’s not for you, but for the institution. As Speaker’s ruling 16/1 says, “It is the duty of the Speaker to uphold the authority of the Chair, and that authority is not the authority of the individual who happens to occupy it, but of the House itself.”

You have the opportunity to ensure that every New Zealander’s vote counts. You can ensure that the representatives they elect into this House can use their privileges to hold the Government accountable through the mechanisms of this Parliament. I’m very encouraged by what you’ve already said, Mr Speaker. But, unfortunately, it has to be said, you are starting from a low base through no fault of your own. I think it’s fair to say that we’ve had our own democratic recession over the last five years, and you’ve already alluded to some of that. I think we can get some useful tips about what not to do from the last five years, and I share these out of a sincere effort on behalf of the ACT Party to support you in doing your role, rebuilding the mana of your Chair and this House.

We think that you should allow more discussion on the rules of Parliament. For reasons I don’t understand, but best known to him—perhaps under-confidence about the rules, or a lack of humility—your predecessor would not allow discussion of the rules in this Chamber, instead asking that they happen behind closed doors in his office. That’s a great shame, because it meant that instead of having tutorials for new members, instead of having a forum to ventilate frustrations, and growing the sophistication of our rules over time, we weren’t able to engage with you about the Standing Orders and how they are interpreted. I hope that you will reverse that change.

As you’ve already alluded to, I think it’s important to have some equality between Standing Orders 390, that’s the content of questions, and Standing Orders 396, that’s the content of replies. Because if you read those two Standing Orders, they’re nearly identical. They are mirror images of each other. But we simply have not seen that in the tolerance of questions and the tolerance of replies over the past five years. I really hope that you will look at those two Standing Orders and uphold them equally.

We should allow more urgent debates. An urgent debate takes 90 minutes of the House’s time. For the last three sitting blocks, the Government has taken up to four hours in extended sitting. So we’re able to have an extra four hours a week, but we don’t have 90 minutes to discuss important events, because so often it’s ruled not to demand the urgent attention of the House. Well, I think, for example, $2.1 billion spent by the taxpayer buying a bank that 6 percent of people have their mortgages with is something we could find 90 minutes for, and I hope that you’ll start a new tradition of publishing not only your rulings on whether we have an urgent debate but also the letter that came along.

I think it’s important—and I’m sure you will do this, and I have great and sincere hope for you, your personality, and mana—that you’ll rise above partisan politics and treat members with grace and respect. You know, when I was a sole and relatively junior MP, I was treated so badly by your predecessor that often senior members of his party came up to me and apologised for him. You’ll face a similar dilemma with Gaurav Sharma, someone who you may have voted to expel from the Labour Party on Monday. You’ll be responsible for upholding his rights tomorrow. And that is a very important distinction that brings into sharp relief the difference between being a partisan politician and the Speaker. I have great confidence that you will do that well, on behalf of the people of New Zealand.

In difficult times, breathe. People look to this Parliament for leadership, for a calm hand on the tiller. When crises strike, we’re here to support you. Don’t jump the gun. We want to see this Parliament’s mana enhanced. All together, you have an important job at an important time with much damage, sadly, to undo. ACT members are committed parliamentarians. We have often been deeply saddened by the way this important institution has been run down over the last five years. None the less, we view today as a new day, and we stand ready to give you every assistance and support in your leadership of this great House. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori): Tēnā koe, ki tētēkura ki tētēkura. Kei te tū ahau ki te mihi ki te whakanui i tō tū hou, ki te whakatika i te kōrero i mua i a tātou.

[Greetings. From one fern frond, another one develops. I stand to acknowledge and celebrate your new role, that of maintaining standards of debate for all.]

It’s a huge honour to be here and to rise on behalf of Te Paati Māori, to rise on behalf of the people, the whānau of Te Tai Hauāuru, to congratulate you, e te tungāne, and to congratulate your whānau, your iwi, your hapū on your election as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Before anything else, I mihi to you as a whanaunga, who sat there patiently and humbly listening to kōrero that wasn’t about you. This moment is about you. We’ve waited a very long time to be here, so I acknowledge you. I acknowledge our whakapapa. I acknowledge our whanaungatanga. I acknowledge your whānau, who have fought, who have committed, who have sacrificed for you to be here today. I acknowledge the deep, strong connection and immense pride of te iwi Morehu here today. Your mahi has consistently demonstrated why you have been elected as Speaker. I remember when you were CEO of Ngāti Apa and you humbly showed that you can indeed, despite all concerns, cross the spheres of rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga to advance kaupapa as tangata whenua.

We have always appreciated your grace, your mana, with which you operate as a leader. You prove that political progress, career promotion—in fact, elections—don’t have to be about aggression, being ugly. Instead, you act with humility and dignity, just as your tūpuna did. This is a huge day for Te Ao Māori. Your elevation to this role is only the second time, as our Pirīmia said earlier, that one of our own people has been in this position, one of the highest democratic roles in the country, and I recognise everything that it has taken to get you here. We tautoko your nomination, your selection, your election.

This historical significance of today should not be understated. Nā Tītokowaru me ngā Poropiti te ara ki te Rere a Kāpuni.

[Tītokowaru and the prophets led the way to the sacred waterfall of Rere a Kāpuni.]

There is a path that was predetermined before your arrival, that is predetermined for all of us, and the significance of our mokopuna as Māngai, being elected as Speaker of the House, aligns with the tohu we are seeing. We are positive, we are optimistic, we are seeing a revival of our reo, our tikanga. We’re seeing a recognition of Matariki. We’re seeing a drive for constitutional transformation that points to the birth of an Aotearoa hau. We are seeing the kotahitanga of tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti that truly lives up to the vision of Te Tiriti, a Treaty-based nation in the South Pacific. I don’t want to take away from what it is that you will have to do in deed in Te Tiriti and tikanga. I look forward to seeing what it is that you will bring into the House.

Finally, as the member least to be kicked out in this party, I want to apologise to you for other things that may happen that I have no control over—you can’t see me, eh, Rawiri. But I also want to take the moment to remind us that we all have big mahi here, as those too in a party that has some of the largest Māori electorates to get around—as you too know—and we will do our darnedest to serve our people outside and inside of the House, and that’s open for critique from those who don’t know what it’s like to whakawhanaunga, to turn up at kaupapa, to turn up to tangi, and to get judged whether we’re in the House or out of the House.

For you, e te tungāne, e te Māngai, we commit that we will serve and we will work to the best of our ability and control to bring the dignity and decorum that you require in this House, and we will always be available for the moments that perhaps we need to be picked up on as well.

Nō reira, e te āhuatanga o tā tātou tūpuna ngā mihi aroha kei a koutou, kei a koe. Kia ora koutou katoa.

[Therefore, I acknowledge the characteristics of our ancestors that you express. Be well, one and all.]

RAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori): Pere atu taku pere ki te Hauāuru, ko Ua Haumēne ko Mere Rikiriki, ko Tohu Kākahi, Te Whiti o Rongomai.

Ko Mere Rikiriki, ko Wiremu Rātana.

Tōia mai, Te Hauāuru, ki runga Pōneke, Te Kooti Rikirangi. He hōnore, he korōria, he maungārongo ki te whenua, he whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata katoa, āmene.

E Ihoā e te Karaiti me te Wairua Tapu kia tau anō hoki ō manaakitanga ki runga i tētahi o tātou Māngai i tēnei rā.

Inā anō hoki te whetū mārama ka ara anō ki te uru e Ihoā e tō mātou Atua.

Nō reira kia tau anō hoki ō manaakitanga ki runga i a ia, ki runga i a tātou i tēnei rā kia tāria anō hoki ai te whakatutuki i ngā mahi kei mua i a ia.

Tēnei anō hoki e inoi ki tō mātou Atua te hunga kei roto i tēnei Whare, te hunga kei waho e whakamoemiti atu kia whakataiapangia tēnei o tātou i tāu mana whakaora hei ārai atu ngā whakawainga o te ao a te kikokiko, a te Rēwera, a te upoko ariki, a te kiriweti me te porohae, a te whiu a te tangata i runga i tō mātou Atua ki runga i a ia kia noho ko koe te Atua kei mua, kei muri, kei tētahi taha, kei tētahi taha o a ia i ngā wā katoa.

Tēnei anō hoki mātou te inoi atu ki a koe, i runga i te ingoa o tāu tama Ihu Karaiti ko tō mātou kaiwhakaora.

Ko koe te Atua e ora ana e mana ana i ngā tau mutunga kore, korōria ki tō ingoa tapu, āmene.

[My bell rings in the West where Ua Haumēne, Mere Rikiriki, Tohu Kākahi and Te Whiti o Rongomai reside.

There is Mere Rikiriki and Wiremu Rātana.

To those from the West, welcome, to Wellington, here is Te Kooti Rikirangi. Honour and glory to God, peace on earth, goodwill to all people, amen.

May the blessings of the Lord God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit also be upon this Speaker of ours today.

The bright star has risen again in the west, oh Jehovah, our God.

May your blessings be upon him and upon us all so that the tasks set out in front of him can also be completed.

Thus, we inside this House as well as those outside pray that he may be protected by your healing powers, to ward off worldly temptations and the devil, against self-importance, impatience and jealousy, and those who chastise our Lord, so that you, Lord, may surround him on all sides at all times.

And we pray to you, in the name of your son Jesus Christ our saviour.

You are the God who lives and rules for eternity, may your name be glorified, amen.]

He Korōria hareruia

Ki a Ihoā o ngā mano

Ki te kāhui ariki wairua

Ko te Māngai e tautoko mai

Te Ārepa

Te Ōmeka

Tautokotia mai te rōpū nei

Piri Wiri Tua

Hāmuera

Ka puta ka ora e

[Glory hallelujah

To Jehovah our God

To our spiritual guardians

With the Mouthpiece in support

The Alpha

The Omega

Please support this group

The Campaigner

Samuel

By them we shall survive]

E te Atua whakatuwheratia mai ngā kūaha o te tika ki a mātou ō pononga i tēnei rā mā mātou anō hoki koe e whakamoemiti, e whakakōroria ki tō ingoa tapu, āmene.

[Dear Lord, open the doors of righteousness to us, your disciples, on this day so we may praise you, glory to your sacred name.]

Dr GAURAV SHARMA (Hamilton West): Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou e te Whare. I just want to join everybody, first of all, in congratulating you as the new Speaker-Elect and, hopefully, the Speaker. When you gave your speech, it was really refreshing to hear about fairness, to hear about bringing value to the House, and changing some of the issues that are present in the House. It almost seems like you should be an independent, rather than aligned with any side!

In the last 1½ years, there have been quite a few changes. I was sitting on that side, and the gentleman sitting next to me was in the Speaker’s Chair, the former member of Parliament for Hamilton West. I just want to acknowledge Mr Trevor Mallard, who is now leaving as the outgoing Speaker of the House.

Some of the people today mentioned integrity and transparency in their speeches. I just want to say that two weeks ago, I contacted the former Speaker, and I went to talk to him about some of the issues I was having and whether I could get legal support in my case. But the Speaker said, “Well, you know, if you raise anything about a Labour colleague—any challenges—it would be the end of your career.” And then the Speaker ended up going to the Labour whip’s office right after that to tell them that I had actually laid a complaint against the party and the whips. I just want to—

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: Point of order.

Dr GAURAV SHARMA: I’m just stopping there.

I just want to say, Mr Speaker, I hope—

SPEAKER-ELECT: No, no. I stand; you sit. Kia ora. That is not the purpose of this debate. You’re raising issues that this House is not dealing with at this moment. If you have nothing further to add to what you’ve already said—if you indicate to me—have you finished?

Dr GAURAV SHARMA: No, but I won’t touch that point. I just want to say—

SPEAKER-ELECT: No, no. So you’re not finished?

Dr GAURAV SHARMA: I’m not finished.

SPEAKER-ELECT: Yeah, well, sit down, then. I will interrupt the member again if he goes off track. This is about the newly elected Speaker.

Dr GAURAV SHARMA: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I just want to say that I hope that you would be a neutral person as the Speaker of the House and would show the fairness that you’ve talked about and will listen to all members from across all sides. That’s all I hope for and wish for. Once again, I just want to congratulate you on your new role as the Speaker-Elect. Thank you.

SPEAKER-ELECT: Tēnā anō tātou katoa. Thank you very much for your kind and generous words. I will try to live up to everyone’s expectations, which is probably a dangerous thing to say out loud, given that there’s probably 119 expectations quite contrary to each other. However, I do stand and greet you all. Thank you very much for having the confidence in me to be the Speaker of this House. Nō reira, we’ve already had one waiata—let’s have a waiata to finish things off properly.

Waiata

SPEAKER-ELECT: The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow.

The House adjourned at 2.41 p.m.