Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:648;Page:17325] 
10.  
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Is she aware of rule 2.81 of the  
Cabinet Manual 
 that states “To avoid creating or appearing to create an obligation gifts in cash or kind are not to be solicited or accepted from a commercial enterprise or any other organisation either in New Zealand or overseas.”; and does she advise her Ministers that having their lawyer solicit and seek funds for their personal legal bills avoids “creating or appearing to create an obligation”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I am aware of paragraph 2.81 of the  
Cabinet Manual 
. I would of course note that the manual is not a rule book; it provides guidance. I advise all Ministers to act in ways consistent with that guidance. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does the Prime Minister then believe that Mr Peters has found a way through paragraph 2.81 by having his lawyer Mr Brian Henry solicit and obtain funds for Mr Peters’ legal bills on his behalf and that as long as Mr Peters does not know who was putting in the $100000 he is still acting consistently with the  
Cabinet Manual 
? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I repeat that the  
Cabinet Manual 
 does not set out rules; it sets out guidance. Secondly the member has no basis for the allegations that he has just made about money for legal fees. Thirdly I point out that Mr Brian Henry has stated publicly now on at least two occasions that everything he knows about funding electoral petitions like this one he learnt when he was involved in the National Party electoral petition for Wyatt Creech after the 1987 election. 
Rodney Hide 
: Has the Prime Minister asked Winston Peters whether he knew that Mr Brian Henry was soliciting and receiving funds on Mr Peters’ behalf as Brian Henry has said he was doing and has she asked also on what date Mr Peters learnt that his legal bill had been reduced by $100000; if not why has she not asked Mr Peters those questions—is she concerned about the answers? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: No I have not asked those questions. The matter is clear to me. Mr Peters has advised me that he was advised late on Friday of the source of the money going to his lawyer. He had not known the source of that money before then. I believe that Mr Peters like other sensible party leaders keeps a great distance from the issue of soliciting funds. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Supplementary question Rodney Hide. 
Rodney Hide 
: I think I am out of supplementary questions Madam Speaker. I am happy to take another one. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The member can have tomorrow’s question today if he wishes. 
Rodney Hide 
: Let us have something to look forward to here in the House. I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Prime Minister is consistently and wilfully dodging the questions that Mr Copeland and I have been asking by saying that Mr Peters did not know about the source of the donations. My question specifically asked whether Mr Peters knew that money was being solicited—not the source of the donations but the fact that the money was being solicited. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have listened very carefully. The Prime Minister like all Ministers is required to address the question. However Ministers are not required to give the answer that members want to hear. The Prime Minister addressed the question. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: In light of the questions asked by Mr Rodney Hide did the Prime Minister hear an interview this morning with the former leader of the ACT party the Hon Richard Prebble and can she contrast the nature of the statements made by Mr Prebble with those made by Mr Peters on those matters? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I have certainly seen the transcript of the interview and I heard it myself. As I take it from the interview Mr Prebble was very careful as a party leader not to know of or be involved with the soliciting of donations for his legal defence costs. That seems to me to be pretty similar to what my understanding of Mr Peters’ position is. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does the Prime Minister believe—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The member will please be seated. As members well know and as I have explained in the past there is a market in supplementary questions. I have to be notified beforehand and I have been notified so Rodney Hide has an extra supplementary question. 
Rodney Hide 
: Thank you Madam Speaker and we can still look forward to another one tomorrow. Does the Prime Minister believe that Mr Peters knew that Brian Henry his lawyer was seeking funds to pay for his electoral petition against Mr Bob Clarkson and does she believe that Mr Peters knew that the bill had been reduced by $100000? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I cannot be expected to have any insight into those matters. What I do know is that Mr Henry has made it very clear that the way in which he has operated in respect of this electoral petition is exactly the way the National Party taught him to operate in respect of the 1987 one over the Wairarapa electorate.