David Fisher: Banks in sparkling form on Budget - amid Dotcom jokes

MPs John Banks (left) and David Parker flank economist Dominick Stephens at the post-Budget lunch yesterday at the Maritime Museum. Photo / Supplied

There are no cabbage boats at the Maritime Museum.

And yet Act leader John Banks is here, speaking at a business lunch on the Budget.

It seems, as he has maintained, he did not arrive by "cabbage boat". Instead, he marched into the lunch hosted by accountancy firm Grant Thornton and gave a sparkling speech about the Budget.

When the crowd of 120 clapped approval, he smiled and said: "Please don't give me a gift basket."

For Mr Banks, there was no getting away from jokes at his expense about Kim Dotcom, the German-born internet tycoon who donated $50,000 to his 2010 mayoral campaign and later gave him a $1000 gift basket. A police inquiry into the donation is under way.

The formal session began and ended with a Dotcom joke. Mr Banks was introduced as "New Zealand's second best known personality - after our visiting German".

Between times, Mr Banks was a seasoned professional trying to get Act's view on the Budget out from under Dotcom's giant shadow.

But it could have been worse.

He was meant to be sharing a stage with Labour MP Shane Jones.

Mr Jones was stood down from his portfolios on Thursday after questions over his giving citizenship to a party donor who moved here from China with two identities while wanted on an Interpol warrant for a huge fraud. Mr Jones, who was Associate Immigration Minister at the time, stands by his decision.

It had promised to be a giant collision of tortured egos. Mr Jones, for so long the next big thing, was to share a stage with Mr Banks, who stands against all things big - touting smaller government, smaller taxes, less red tape - except for German political donors. Finance spokesman David Parker stepped forward.

The crowd seemed a more natural fit with Mr Banks, who had done business in their town for 40 years. There were accountants, economists, business leaders and opinion formers.

Yet Mr Banks spoke and the crowd seemed to find Mr Parker fascinating. Mr Banks spoke and they laughed. Mr Parker spoke and they listened. National Business Review editor Nevil Gibson declared there was "good thinking" going on inside Labour. "That was a compliment, by the way," he added.

Westpac chief economist Dominick Stephens, after hearing Labour's finance spokesman talk about tax reform, said: "I was starting to like the sound of that."

Mr Banks followed: "Economists are people who are great with figures but don't have the personality to be accountants like you."

Mr Parker, though, said the Budget was a clear sign of the coming contest between young and old. The Government got it wrong, he said. Keeping retirement at 65 while boosting class sizes was working at the wrong end of the ledger.

The pair fielded questions - very few - then swapped opinions on political donations. Both agreed there was no room for anonymous donations. "It's not a crack at John," Mr Parker said. For Mr Banks, it was not a theme he wanted to expand on.

After lunch, the crowd were urged to get back to their busy lives. Mr Banks, asked for an interview, bolted.