Peters Winston: Fisheries Amendment Bill (No 3) — In Committee 
Peters Winston: Fisheries Amendment Bill (No 3) — In Committee 
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Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 Is it not typical of the National Party that it would attack someone when he is not here—not when he is here but when he is not here. Let me tell members about Mr Heatley at the recreational fishing conference at Onerahi up north recently. He got up—[ 
Interruption 
]—no it is in the bill. He said at the meeting that kahawai should be in the quota management system. That is what he said. He also said something else. He said to all these fishermen: “If you’ve got any problems see me.”—like he was going to be the next Minister. Do not make me laugh! He will never be a Minister of anything. We do not have boys becoming Ministers. As for the attack from Nick Smith well he is a resounding success of course in that he does not understand the law. He does not understand for example that the commitment made by the United Future party is not part of the law and cannot now be anything other than a usurping of rights already given. And they are rights given by his leader over there Mr Dunne and the National Party over here. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: No. That is not true. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Yes it is true. Of course it is true. Who wrote the 1996 Act? Who was in power in 1996? Nick Smith cannot even remember yesterday. That is why of course he was done over when he went to court. He made a fool of himself. He tried to sell himself as a paragon of virtue when it comes to free speech. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: That’s right. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: He would not know what free speech was and he showed it when he was beaten in court. Then he pleaded: “Would everybody come to my aid?”. Well have I ever done that? I have had more court cases than he has had hot dinners but I have never had the lack of fortitude to plead to poor Joe Bloggs to help me out. As for the Selwyn Cushing case which he did raise I ask who won in the High Court. Well I did. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: Who is about to lose? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: The guy over there called Ken Shirley who cannot even afford a lawyer. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: There is a point of order on the floor and I was just about to indicate to the member that he should speak to the bill. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: [ 
Interruption 
] I find it somewhat extraordinary that only 5 minutes ago Mr Peters was saying that I could not talk about such matters because they were outside the Standing Orders and now he is including them in his speech. I just ask for a little bit of consistency from the member for Tauranga. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: There is no point of order. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: The difference between my case and Mr Nick Smith’s case is my case has barely started and I will win. His is over and he lost. Therefore it is no longer sub judice. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: We have all had our fun. I am asking the member to come to the bill please. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I tell the Committee that taking on the National Party is like taking candy from a baby. The reality is they cannot make these attacks. I tell members what the trouble was and I will give the answer in respect of this bill. Some of us can recall the background to this bill back in 1992 with the Sealord’s deal and the arrangement with Maori. Every member of the National Party supported that bill but one. They have tied up every other Minister of Fisheries ever since and they have the effrontery and arrogance and absolute stupidity to take on the one National member who said: “I will not sign out that bill.” 
Brian Connell 
: Who was that person? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: That was me. Winston Peters member for Tauranga. That was me. If members look at the  
Hansard 
 they will see it there. I want to ask the young member from Ashburton whether he feels ashamed to have around him people who cannot remember yesterday whose DNA blood and culpability are written all over the legislation yet they have the audacity to come along here and of all things attack the one and only innocent party.