Hodgson Pete: General Debate 
Hodgson Pete: General Debate 
[Volume:638;Page:8413] 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) 
: 
 If accountability is on the way back it may as well be on the way back from now. Let us hear the story told again. Dr Bierre appeared on the ticket of Citizens and Ratepayers and was elected in late 2004. He was elected as a Tory in late 2004. Within 5 months he was in to see the manager of funding and planning Dr Denis Jury saying that he wanted some money. He was on the board. Dr Bierre was in to see Dr Denis Jury within 5 months saying that he wanted some money. Dr Denis Jury said “No”. 
Then within another 4 months Dr Bierre was off to see his good friend Dr Paul Hutchison who told him to write him a letter and he would get in touch with Wayne Brown the chairman. That is exactly what happened. They had a conversation. Dr Hutchison told him to write to him. It was jacked-up. The correspondence was jacked-up between Dr Paul Hutchison and Dr Bierre. At that time Dr Paul Hutchison was the National Party spokesperson on health and at that time New Zealand was in election mode. None the less Dr Hutchison told Dr Bierre to write to him and he would write to Dr Wayne Brown and that is precisely what happened. Dr Bierre was running out of money. He was closing down his lab. He went to his mate Dr Paul Hutchison and Dr Paul Hutchison said: “That’s OK. You write to me and I’ll write to Wayne Brown.” 
 So he did write to Wayne Brown and when Wayne Brown got that letter he learnt for the first time what Dr Bierre was up to. He did not know. At that time Wayne Brown wrote to Dr Bierre and said: “Watch it. You may be in breach of two statutes.” He named the statutes. In the event the judge found that those are precisely the two statutes that Dr Bierre was in breach of—the two statutes named by Wayne Brown in July 2005. Then what happened was that Dr Bierre wrote back to Wayne Brown and said: “It’s OK I’m out of here. It’s OK I am mothballing my practice. It’s OK.” And the judge said of Mr Wayne Brown in effect: “You should not have believed him. In effect you should not have believed him. That is the mistake that you made Mr Chairman.” 
Those are the circumstances. If we are to talk about accountability and if accountability is on the way back then let us remind ourselves that the Tories are in this donkey deep. Let us remind ourselves that the running mate of Dr Bierre is one Jackie Blue—on the same Citizens and Ratepayers ticket. They are very good friends and one helped the other on election day later in 2005. That is a fact. Have we heard from Dr Jackie Blue in the last 8 days? Have we heard a whisper? She was on the board she is in this House and everyone in the National Party except Dr Jackie Blue has spoken up. Why might this be? That member has not yet said a word. What did she have to say about her time on the board? What did she have to say about— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. An accusation was made by Trevor Mallard about what sort of cut Jackie Blue got. Madam Assistant Speaker I would like you to either ask the member to withdraw and apologise or kick him out—one of the two. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: I ask whether the member said that. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I said: “Did she get a cut?”. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: I think that it is a suggestion of corruption. The member should withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: Thank you. 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: If accountability is on the way back then how is it that Wayne Brown—who is now despised by the National Party as something of this Government’s lackey and as something of the Minister’s mate—that very same person was appointed to the health system in 1992? For years under the previous National Government this same gentleman served that Government as he has served this one. How is it that Ross Keenan—who is now the bad man in the piece now someone who is another one of the Minister’s mates and now someone who is a lackey—was first appointed under the previous National Government? Where is the accountability? If accountability is on the way back then I heard nothing of that in Tony Ryall’s speech. 
How is it that the current National Party health spokesperson thinks that Dr Bierre is a bad guy when the previous National Party health spokesperson not only thinks that he is a good guy but also holds him in “personal high regard” and went off to Wayne Brown during an election campaign signing himself as the National health spokesperson and prospectively the incoming Minister—thank God that did not happen—saying that he needs to be considered? Where is the accountability there?