McNair Craig: Civil Union Bill — In Committee Procedure 
McNair Craig: Civil Union Bill — In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:622;Page:17608] 
CRAIG McNAIR (NZ First) 
: 
 If the Government is so sure the people of New Zealand want this bill it should put the issue to a binding referendum and stop being a Government for a minority. That is what New Zealand First believes and personally I say: “Stop being a Government for a minority within a minority.” Why is the Government not governing for the people and listening to what they want? I feel very strongly that this Government does not want to put this issue to a referendum because it thinks it would lose. But my colleague Brian Donnelly disagrees with me and I strongly disagree with him. I think that people on my side of the argument—those against the bill—would win this referendum. But at the end of the day at least Brian Donnelly and I will be willing to go into a polling booth and the people will have their say. One side will win and the other will lose but the matter will be put to rest. That is what I say as a member of New Zealand First who strongly and vehemently disagrees with my colleague as far as this issue is concerned. That is what I say about which way the vote will swing. 
But let us have that opportunity so the people of New Zealand can decide this issue instead of the Government voting on behalf of its own self-interest. The Government should stop pushing its own agenda and listen to the people for once. The arrogance ones hears from members opposite is quite amazing. They argue against a referendum. They are incredibly arrogant believing they know best. We hear that viewpoint speech in and speech out. “We know best. The people don’t know.” The Deputy Prime Minister who is also the Minister of Finance said that it was too dangerous to put this issue to the people. I am sure that Government members think the people of New Zealand are too thick. But they are not. They are very capable of making up their minds on issues like this. 
We hear a Government Minister and members of Parliament slagging the US administration and the people of that country. Mark Peck member for Invercargill basically said the people of the US were intolerant because they voted down the referendum put up by 11 state Governments to allow gay marriage and civil unions. They voted it down and this Labour Government wonders why it does not have a closer relationship with the United States when it knows the degree of sentiment within those benches. 
I oppose the bill but I do not mind this issue being put to a referendum because the people will get what they deserve either way. Whichever way they vote they will get what they deserve. The history books tell us that the nation of Israel told their God that they knew best. They wanted their own king to rule them rather than God Himself. In the end God gave the people what they wanted and the people paid for it later on. They had wars and the king who followed failed them miserably in many many ways. 
I say we should put this issue to a referendum because I believe that the people would vote it down. The Government does not want a referendum because it believes that the people would vote it down. The Government should rename the bill: “We don’t care about what you think because we will do what we want and push through our lefty liberal legislative agenda no matter what you say bill”. That is a long title but it is true. That is what this Government wants to do. It does not care what the people of New Zealand think. It just wants to ram through its lefty liberal agenda and it does not give a stuff. My view on the issue is the opposite of most Government members but I say this issue should be put to a referendum.