KEY POINTS:
The image of Trevor Mallard and Tau Henare rolling around the floor of Parliament's lobby fighting is not as comical as it sounds. For Mallard it is deadly serious.
Under severe emotional strain following the death on his father just over two weeks ago, the break-up of his marriage, and media interest in the start of a new relationship, Mallard snapped last night following goading from Henare - and thumped him.
(A short-arm upper-cut is how Henare described it.)
This was Henare's payback for Mallard's interjections in Parliament to Don Brash about Diane Foreman.
No one will be more disappointed or distressed about his behaviour than Mallard himself.
There are human and mitigating circumstances but they only explain what he did, they don't excuse it.
There has to be a punishment to fit the crime. He should not do anything rash like quit the cabinet or Parliament. That would be an overreaction. But he can't do nothing.
He should relinquish his sports portfolio, apologise to the House, and then take a decent break.
Nothwithstanding the waterfront stadium debacle, he has been a good and passionate sports minister. It is a job he loves and he is good at. He has to make a sacrifice of some kind.
Violence on the job is not compatible with fair play or any of the attributes with which good sportsmanship is attributed.
