In his first Question Time as Prime Minister yesterday, Christopher Luxon said his new Government had not committed to a referendum on the Treaty principles bill.
Asked about the Treaty principles legislation, Luxon appeared to suggest National would not allow the Act Party’s Treaty Principles legislation to proceed beyond select committee.
He said a bill would be supported to select committee, as said in the coalition agreement, but “that’s as far as it will go”.
Luxon appeared to be speaking about Act’s Treaty principles bill. He may also have been speaking about a NZ First Treaty principles bill, although National has promised to pass this through all stages.
Meanwhile, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer yelled across the House to NZ First MP Shane Jones to join the party, after he attacked her co-leader Rawiri Waitit’s headgear, worn on Wednesday, describing it as looking like a “muttonbird”.
“Come and join us if you’re so obsessed with us,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
At the outset of Question Time, Labour opted for a pop quiz tactic with the new National Government - with some success.
Opposition leader Chris Hipkins nearly had his first question gazumped by a surprise debate on the new Government calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, which Hipkins thought would happen later.
Hipkins raised this in the House, expressing his concern that the Government had decided to move a debate on the ceasefire today, trumping his question on the same subject.
He fought back, however, asking Luxon whether he could tell the difference between things like a ceasefire and a humanitarian pause. Luxon, apparently not knowing the difference, did not address the question.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters bailed Luxon out, coming to the rescue with a supplementary question, whether the Government had put its name to a recent United Nations statement on Gaza. Luxon answered in the affirmative.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.