KEY POINTS:
Parliament's Speaker, Margaret Wilson, wants to ensure an incident in which a journalist was stopped by police from covering Chinese officials at the Beehive is not repeated.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen waded into the row saying the journalist was removed from a photo opportunity on Monday night because he was creating a disturbance.
But footage shows Wellington-based journalist Nick Wang was stopped from doing his work at a meeting of Dr Cullen and a Chinese vice-premier by a Diplomatic Protection Squad officer acting on instructions from a Chinese official.
She told him it had been brought to her attention that he was a member of Falun Gong - a spiritual movement which has suffered persecution in China - and could cause trouble.
He was also spoken to by a uniformed police officer based at Parliament and told he was not welcome at the event, and that the Chinese were likely to cancel the event if he stayed.
Wang is an accredited member of Parliament's Press Gallery.
He also had permission from Ms Wilson to film the proceedings and at one point he was told by the uniformed officer that had been rescinded when he believed it could not have been.
Wang wants an apology for being stopped from attending the photo opportunity journalists had been told about in a media advisory from the Government.
Senior members of the Press Gallery met yesterday the Speaker to seek the apology, and also an assurance they will not be stopped from doing their work around Parliament.
Ms Wilson said she was "disturbed" by the incident and would be writing to the Chinese Ambassador. She said circumstances sometimes warranted restrictions, but that should be raised with her in advance.
"No such arrangement was suggested and Mr Nick Wang correctly assumed he could cover the events," she said.
Ms Wilson said she would seek a meeting with the Commissioner of Police to agree protocols and ensure there were no more such incidents.
The photo opportunity was a meet and greet session between Dr Cullen and Chinese vice-premier Zeng Peiyan. Wang was covering the event with cameraman-editor Tony Clark. Both men work for New Zealand Asia TV and Capital Chinese News, a New Zealand-based Chinese language newspaper.
Dr Cullen said there had been a misunderstanding and Wang was removed "after he got upset". "I think it's unfortunate that Wang got himself overly wound up on that matter."
He said due to the large Chinese delegation and media, space in the eighth floor meeting room of the Beehive had been an issue.
Prime Minister Helen Clark assured journalists that Wang was not removed at the direction of the Government.
Press Gallery chairwoman Marie McNicholas was called after the Chinese delegation protested at the journalist's presence.
After watching the footage, she said Wang had appeared reasonable. McNicholas said Ms Wilson had assured the senior journalists who met with her that her office was not involved with Wang's removal or had rescinded his permission to film the event.
Green MP Keith Locke said press freedom in New Zealand must be upheld, and he was concerned the Chinese delegation had threatened to cancel an official ceremony if Wang remained there to take photographs.
"That is clearly political pressure from a foreign power on our Parliament and it can't be accepted," Mr Locke said.
"The police should be above politics."
When the Chinese vice-premier arrived at Parliament yesterday he was greeted by a protest of a few Falun Gong members.
He was also confronted by the sight of a Tibetan flag, held up by Mr Locke and Green MPs Sue Kedgley and Nandor Tanczos.
- NZPA
