Beehive Diaries: The real reason ‘pigeon English’ was added to a National poster, a hairy moment for Kiri Allan, and does Chris Luxon or Chris Hipkins win the week?
Chris Hipkins opens the Pandora's Box he inherited.
Chris Hipkins opens the Pandora's Box he inherited.
A reader from Katikati sheds light on National’s “pigeon [pidgin] English” poster:
Amanda from Katikati wrote to us in response to a story on Tuesday about a National Party poster at a Katikati market in April.
The poster asked people to put a sticker next to theissue that matters most to them, ranging from the cost of living and law and order to health and education. Somebody had handwritten in two extra categories - “co-governance” and “pigeon [pidgin] English.”
A National Party poster at a Katikati market in April 2023.
There was confusion about exactly what the reference meant, with speculation ranging from bilingual road signs to government department names, the Aotearoa or New Zealand debate, or just te reo Māori in general.
Amanda reported she went to the markets on the day, saw the poster and asked one of the people on the stand about the addition.
“Her explanation was that someone had expressed their concern with Māori words being used in English-speaking programmes such as the news - for example “across the motu” or “grieving whānau’.”
Local Coromandel MP Scott Simpson had wisely been reluctant to explain the sign, sticking to saying only that he understood a volunteer added the two extra categories at the request of members of the public, that it was “inappropriate” and would not happen again.
Yet another week in which Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ own performance was marred by a brouhaha involving one of his ministers – this time allegations about minister Kiri Allan’s behaviour toward public servants and staff in her office, dating back more than a year.
The Allan matter broke while he was in China, yet another issue popping out of the Pandora’s box left over from the Ardern era.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon with Northland candidate Grant McCallum and a mob of meeting attendees in Kerikeri. Photo / David Fisher
National leader Chris Luxon had a mixed week: he came into it after a strong performance and meaty policy announcement at National’s conference, marred only by the lack of background information on the key policy announcement, which restricts judges’ discretion to reduce offenders’ sentences. He ended it with a public meeting in Kerikeri.
He fell into the trap of knee-jerk politics in two instances: first by ruling out using the ageing NZDF Boeing aircraft for his own international travels, and secondly in his tactics during Tuesday’s question time – an exchange which was little more than a blatant attempt to try to humiliate Acting PM Carmel Sepuloni. It was a baffling approach from Luxon, who claims to dislike gotcha politics.
Hipkins lost this award last week as a result of Michael Wood’s resignation cancelling out his own efforts.
This week the calculation is a bit different – Hipkins was in Prime Minister mode rather than leader mode over in China, on a visit of significance to New Zealand. China is the trickiest – and among the most important - international trip any Prime Minister faces. That is especially the case at a time of heightened unease between China and Western countries – requiring a PM to be both a careful diplomat and a strong salesperson for New Zealand.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo / Nathan McKinnon
By all accounts Hipkins handled it very well – no small feat for a novice in foreign relations when the comparisons are former PMs Jacinda Ardern, John Key and Helen Clark. It was a jam-packed schedule and it benefited New Zealand.
Hipkins is the Chris of the Week.
A hairy moment for Kiri Allan:
Justice Minister Kiri Allan had to front for the justice select committee on Wednesday morning, after speaking to media twice about allegations of issues with her office working environment and squaring off against National MP Simeon Brown at an earlier select committee.
Because she came into it straight out of a mental health break and heartbreak after the ending of her relationship, a bit of discombobulation was possibly to be expected - she introduced Justice Ministry deputy secretary policy Raj Chhana as “Raj Nahna” - who was former PM Jacinda Ardern’s chief of staff.
Raj Nahna with former PM Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Derek Cheng
Chhana quickly corrected her with a smile, noting that his hair was not quite as good as Nahna’s. A mortified Allan apologised and assured him he had great hair as well.
Nahna was renowned for his luxuriant head of hair - the topic of an anecdote in Ardern’s valedictory speech: she told of a senior European political figure (former EC president Jean-Claude Juncker) admiring Nahna’s hair to the extent of putting his hands in it to tousle it.
