Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:610;Page:7904] 
4.  
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she have confidence as Prime Minister in all the members of her Cabinet? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How can she have confidence in someone who said: “I think that to blame new New Zealanders for a crime wave is absolutely ridiculous. What the figures out this week show is that there is not a crime wave.” when those from the highest level of the Chinese Government were saying that crime was a serious problem amongst its international students living in New Zealand and this was all happening right under her nose? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I certainly endorse what the Minister said but I also note that it has come to the attention of the Chinese Government in Beijing that some Chinese students here are getting into trouble which reflects badly on their people. 
Hon Bill English 
: Why does she have confidence in the Minister for Land Information who has decided to continue with his erroneous assertion that one-third of all beaches are privately owned—a contention that she herself has said is wrong? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: It is very important to be clear about definitions of what is a beach and what is not. The member seems to be somewhat confused because he wants only the wet beaches to be for the public not the dry beaches that belong to his mates. 
Stephen Franks 
: Why would she trust her own judgment when she selected a Minister of Statistics who either cannot tell the difference between one-hundredth and one-third or does not care about the difference between the truth and falsehood and how does the rest of Cabinet feel having to rely on a Minister of Statistics so plainly disqualified? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I am not sure the member could have done any better with long division on the spot in answering a question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I call the Hon Bill English— 
Rodney Hide 
: Not in that Cabinet anyway! 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There is a member about to leave early— 
Rodney Hide 
: Well I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the member will be seated. He will not excuse himself for interjecting when I had already called another member to ask a question. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member had better have a good point of order or he goes. 
Rodney Hide 
: I have a very good one. In the last question Trevor Mallard interjected and you did not rule him out of order. In this question the Prime Minister interjected and you said nothing—and you heard them because they are right beside you. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Well that is inaccurate. 
Hon Bill English 
: How can the Prime Minister have confidence in the Minister of Immigration who has approved of her own chief executive investigating whether she is part of the scandal of lying in unison over the Zaoui immigration case? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The present Secretary of Labour took office on the very Monday of the week when these allegations were made. Nobody comes to it with a cleaner pair of hands than he does. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: In respect of Cabinet membership how can the Prime Minister have confidence in someone who does not believe judges front-line senior police sergeants and senior overseas Government officials—particularly from the largest-populated country on earth—and does not seem to know that visitor and immigration crime is serious and namely that person is herself? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I take seriously the concern that the Chinese Government has about some of the pranks and crimes its young people get up to and we have undertaken to work with the Chinese Government on the issues of pastoral care that are arising out of a very large number of overseas students coming to this country from the People’s Republic of China—coming I might say to the immense benefit of towns cities and districts throughout New Zealand. 
Hon Bill English 
: Given the success of Dr Brian Edwards in increasing her confidence in the performance of the Minister of Maori Affairs does the Government intend to continue to pay Dr Brian Edwards and Judy Callingham to provide media training for Ministers including the Minister of Broadcasting? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: This is not a matter that falls under the Ministerial Services budget. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek leave to table numerous answers in this House from the Rt Hon Helen Clark and her Minister of Police Mr Hawkins all denying the aspect of immigrant and visitor crime and one in particular that points out that kidnapping is not a student crime. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table those. Is there any objection? There is.