Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 19 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8609. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
8. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by his reported statement in relation to the film  
Argo 
 that “I think it’s disappointing but I don’t think we want to go too far on these things”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Does his statement “… I think we’ve made our point and we should probably move on.” mean that truth does not matter for the Prime Minister when New Zealand’s international reputation and standing are at stake and that his close ties to Hollywood outweigh his responsibilities to uphold New Zealand’s international reputation? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No as I said when I made the actual original statement that the member is quoting from the next bit that I went on to say was: “New Zealanders know the role that our diplomats played.” etc. etc. trying to help. But let us be honest this was a fictionalised movie; it was not a documentary. Having now had this debate raging for a while the only tragedy of the movie is that it did not have subtitles because if it did then when the bit came up about New Zealand Winston Peters could have stood up in the movie and held up his sign— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Given that the Prime Minister saw fit to give Hollywood $67 million of taxpayers’ money from New Zealand— 
Hon Members 
: Argh! 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: They are not too happy now are they? Just groans now. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Would the member please ask the supplementary question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Well given that the Prime Minister saw fit to give $67 million of hard-earned taxpayers’ money to Hollywood and his mates what measures will the Government take to restore New Zealand’s international reputation of courage not cowardice in the light of the  
Argo 
 misrepresentation? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I as Prime Minister of New Zealand am on the record as saying that it is disappointing that this was portrayed in this way. Ben Affleck himself has basically said that he acknowledges those things. But this is a Hollywood movie and I hate to say to the member but if he wants to apply the same rigour to his own statements as he expects Hollywood does to fictionalised movies— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The last thing we want is a lesson on truth coming from that man— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! That is not a point of order. The member asked a very political question and he got quite a political answer back. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Will he consider making a posthumous acknowledgment of the New Zealand diplomats who at great risk to their lives aided Americans in the 1979 Tehran hostage crisis; if not why not? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No. It is a Hollywood movie. The member is being a bit precious. I do not know whether he has ever spent a good Christmas holiday reading a book and then— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That question was not about a movie. It was about the brave actions of New Zealand diplomats in 1979 and whether they will be given an award—nothing to do with the movie at all. Now please ask him to address the question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The right honourable Prime Minister. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: As I said no. It was a fictionalised movie not a documentary. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Thank you.