McNair Craig: Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill — Referral to Health Committee Procedure In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
McNair Craig: Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill — Referral to Health Committee Procedure In Committee 
[Sitting date: 15 October 2003. Volume:612;Page:9227. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CRAIG McNAIR (NZ First) 
: 
 I want to— 
Paul Adams 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. Has not New Zealand First already had two calls before a return call to United Future? 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am looking at the proportionality of those speaking. New Zealand First is roughly half the size of the National Party therefore it is within its proportionality to get this call. I have noted that the member is seeking the call. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. You will notice when you look at proportionality that the Green Party has not spoken once in this debate. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member is absolutely right. I am sorry; I missed the member. But I will certainly make sure that that is rectified next time. I apologise. 
CRAIG McNAIR 
: First of all I look over at the other side and I want to thank my party and my leadership for being allowed to be in a party that can actually exercise its conscience. I am very glad and proud to be in a party in which I can exercise my conscience either way on an issue as important as this. Unlike some other parties and certain bills such as the prostitution legislation the great abstainer Ashraf Choudhary—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Running commentaries are out of order. Members should look at Speaker’s ruling 51/5(3). 
CRAIG McNAIR 
: Unlike in other parties where at the last minute members have pressure put on them on bills like the prostitution legislation and where they are not actually allowed to express their freedom of vote I am very proud to be in a party that allows us to do that. Earlier on I voted for all pieces of this legislation. However as I thought about this bill—and this was a decision I came to by myself with my own conscience—and as I thought about what it did—[ 
Interruption 
] No there was no leaning on me and that is why as I said I am proud to be in a party that allows me to exercise my conscience. As I looked at this bill I realised how selfish I was and I had to ask myself the question: who am I to impose my view? 
 I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. It is amazing—this is the first time in this Chamber that I have not been able to hear myself talk. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I have called the members to order and I ask them to desist. This debate appears to be rather raucous and I have noted that—and I have noted the members who have made the most noise. 
CRAIG McNAIR 
: I notice that running commentaries as you said earlier were going on and on. You actually did not pull the members to order in what I believe was a reasonable amount of time. I ask you to be more decisive on that if that is all right just as a suggestion. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I take on board what the member said and I am looking at someone very close to him. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. There is a very very clear Standing Order in this Chamber that members cannot move from their seat in order to interject on a person speaking at a closer proximity. I would have thought there was a very immediate corollary to that which says that a member cannot move from his seat so he can be closer to the people who are interjecting on him. This member has moved closer to the interjectors and is now complaining about them. I think that if you want to be fair you should make him go back to his seat and let him then resume his speech so that the members interjecting are not found to be closer to him. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I thank the member for his fine contribution. The member is entitled to sit in any seat that has been allocated to his party. He is entitled to do that. I have ruled on it and I am not taking any more points of order unless it is about something different. 
CRAIG McNAIR 
: I should not impose my will on other people because I have never really been an avid smoker. I have smoked a cigarette here and there and I probably have to admit that I have inhaled tobacco smoke. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Was it cannabis? 
CRAIG McNAIR 
: No it was not cannabis. We have listened to different people speaking in this Chamber especially the Green Party members. Sue Kedgley who is sitting close to me spoke about different smoking toys that she sees at $2 shops and places like that. As she was talking about that I thought: “OK maybe you have a good point people shouldn’t be selling those kinds of smoking toys in $2 shops and all that.” But then I thought back to the many articles that I have read about different MPs in the Green Party. One particular MP who has a half ownership in a shop does not mind selling organic P. One can buy organic P bongs or different things. 
Simon Power 
: What are bongs? 
CRAIG McNAIR 
: They are devices that people use to inhale certain kinds of drugs. I started to think of the word that we talk about outside the Chamber—inside the Chamber it is called the “h” word. The Chairperson knows about it; it is in the Standing Orders. I also started to look at the research on this whole issue because research has been talked about a lot in this debate. It is very important that we listen to what the so-called experts—Action on Smoking and Health—are saying about second-hand smoke.