Donald Rod: Urgent Debates — Ministerial Resignation—Member for TamakiMakaurau 
Donald Rod: Urgent Debates — Ministerial Resignation—Member for TamakiMakaurau 
[Volume:621;Page:16535] 
ROD DONALD (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 During the last urgent debate on John Tamihere on 19 October I said that whatever the outcome of the formal investigation Mr Tamihere has to live with having made a categorical public statement that he would not accept a golden handshake before the election and then proceeding to accept one after the election. I went on to say that ultimately he would be judged on the morality rather than the legality of his behaviour and that he should reflect on that as he made a political decision about his future. Mr Tamihere has reflected and I believe he has taken the honourable course of action. But he has taken it at least 2 weeks too late to rescue his political career. 
As I also said during that last urgent debate John Tamihere has been a role model to many people both Maori and Pakeha. He has let them down he has let himself down and clearly we now know that he has let down the Prime Minister. He should not have taken that payment. He should have consulted with the Prime Minister at the time—as we were clearly told today she would have advised him not to take that payment—and in the last 2 weeks he should not have disguised through various ruses the fact that the part of the payment that does not connect in any way with particular expenses salaries or bonuses was in fact a golden handshake. I believe he will now be judged harshly for his belated honesty and he has to live with that. 
I do not want to prolong Mr Tamihere’s agony any further except to say that whatever the outcome of the formal investigation I still think it is unacceptable for a member of Parliament to channel his or her election expenses through an organisation that he or she has worked for especially one that is significantly Government-funded and exists to help those who are very much the disadvantaged and poor in our community. I know that I would have found it immoral and unacceptable to do that myself when I was working at Trade Aid which is in many respects a similar organisation to the Waipareira Trust in that it relies on a degree of Government funding and also exists primarily to help those who are in the greatest need. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Like the Green superannuation fund. 
ROD DONALD 
: Well the Green superannuation fund is a totally separate matter but I am happy to talk about it at any time. 
In fact now that Mr Peters has interrupted me I will move to the second to last point I was going to make. Mr Richard Prebble on 16 October last year in his vociferous speech opposing the Members of Parliament (Pecuniary Interests) Bill which will in the interests of public accountably and transparency require all non-Ministers to make similar declarations to those that Ministers make said: “It is over to those who are promoting this bill to show why members of Parliament should make those declarations.” I think that today we have a very clear demonstration of why all members of Parliament should make those declarations. [ 
Interruption 
] It was before he was a Minister I say to Mr Hide. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: Why would it make a difference? 
ROD DONALD 
: Because he should have made the declaration before he became a Minister that he had received that golden handshake. 
In closing I say that this is a very sad day for this Parliament because our word is meant to be our honour and one of our members has admitted that he has not kept to his word. It is a very sad day for the Government because it has waited 2 weeks for Mr Tamihere to do the honourable thing which he should have done on at least 19 October and I would suggest some time prior to that—perhaps as far back as when Mr Winston Peters first raised the issue. Ultimately it is a very sad day for John Tamihere because I think this marks the end of his political career.