Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:625;Page:19874] 
4.  
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she stand by her response to question for oral answer No. 1 yesterday that “Leadership is about judgment and I have exercised mine in the interests of the Labour Party.”? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Deputy Prime Minister) 
 on behalf of the 
 Prime Minister 
: Yes she has exercised her judgment in the interests of the Labour Party and indeed of the country as a whole. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Prime Minister realise that many New Zealanders consider Mr Tamihere’s censure to be meaningless especially considering that he has been sent home on holiday—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Which members interjected during that question? Who interjected? 
Hon Annette King 
: I will own up to an interchange between the honourable member for Tauranga and myself. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Then will you both please leave the Chamber. You know the rules on this. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. First of all you should do us the courtesy of asking both parties. It was not an interjection; it was simply a statement to the Minister who has just resumed her seat as to what that sort of allegation will bring in the future in respect of her party. It was not an interjection; I was just telling her that if she ever did that again she would know what came next. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I ask both members please to leave the Chamber. I am conscious of the fact that the Rt Hon Winston Peters is to ask a question. He may come back for that question then leave again. 
Hon Annette King 
: I have a question too. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: And there is a question for the Minister of Health. She may come back to answer that then leave the Chamber straight afterwards. 
Hon Annette King withdrew from the Chamber. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters withdrew from the Chamber. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Prime Minister realise that many New Zealanders consider Mr Tamihere’s censure to be meaningless especially as he has been sent home on holiday without giving a public apology for his deeply offensive remarks about women and the Holocaust? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I think that if the member had been present in the Labour caucus he would have realised that it was not exactly the proverbial slapping with a wet bus ticket at all. Indeed I think if he had actually seen Mr Tamihere’s body language immediately afterwards he would have realised how shaken Mr Tamihere was by what the Prime Minister said. 
Judith Collins 
: Whose interests were better served by the exercise of her judgment in favour of Mr Tamihere: the Labour Party’s or those of the New Zealand women whom he referred to as “front-bums”? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Mr Tamihere apologised to the Labour caucus for those comments. He accepted that they were completely inappropriate. As the Prime Minister has said we shall move on from here in the light of Mr Tamihere’s subsequent behaviour. 
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith 
: When exercising her judgment on John Tamihere what made acceptable his comments on the Holocaust—comments from which he has refused to resile publicly? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The Prime Minister dissociated herself and the Government from those comments on Sunday well before the Labour caucus met. They are not acceptable comments. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Was it good leadership and good judgment to place her need for the Labour Government to retain office ahead of the needs of the many New Zealanders insulted by Mr Tamihere and how bad will it get before she takes some action on their behalf; is this just a case of mind over matter—she does not mind and they do not matter? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: No. Mr Tamihere’s remarks were deeply offensive and the Prime Minister made that clear. It is also clear that he has been under enormous pressure over recent months and his behaviour over the next few months will determine what happens going forward. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Has Mr Tamihere failed to apologise because the censure motion was drawn up by Dr Michael Cullen and there is a possibility that there was just one word in it that made it completely meaningless? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: No. The censure motion was not drawn up by Dr Michael Cullen. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Did the Prime Minister ever envisage in her wildest dreams that she would be using her judgment to defend someone who holds the views on women gays trade unionists and his own caucus colleagues that Mr Tamihere holds by saying that almost everyone likes him and that he is a valuable political colleague who gives 150 percent on a good day? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: As the Prime Minister says she is capable of infinite forgiveness in these matters but I would remind that member that a number of his colleagues unburdened themselves of a whole string of homophobic and anti-women remarks during a number of recent debates in this House. 
Rodney Hide 
: What sort of judgment has she been exercising when she has not bothered to find out just how John Tamihere benefited from the kickbacks that Mike Tolich has admitted to and is being charged for? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: That member has made many accusations under privilege that have been the subject of Serious Fraud Office and other inquiries and have been found not to have substance.