Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16811. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First)to the Minister of Justice: Does she stand by all her statements regarding Oravida Ltd because she asserts they are true?Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Justice):Yes to the best of my knowledge. If I make an error I face up to it. I correct it and I apologise.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If her explanation yesterday for the circuitous route to the airport—that is she did not know where she was—is true then why did she say on 4 March that she just popped into Oravida to have a cup of tea on the way to the airport; which statement is true and which one is false?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Of course they are both correct. To use the term “pop in” is not a statement of fact; it is an opinion. But I can tell that member—Hon Member: It’s called a colloquialism.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: It is a colloquialism. But I can tell that member that not only did I speak with the China Executive Leadership Academy in Pudong for about 2 hours I also had a meeting with the Shanghai Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission plus there was a lunch attended by many guests. Then there was a call on the Director-General of the Shanghai Justice Bureau. The only other choice was either to go to the airport or to go to Oravida and then to the airport. It was always planned that if there was not time we would not bother going to Oravida.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can she stand by her statement about Oravida “They were not affected by the whey powder. They’re the first exporters of fresh milk from New Zealand to China and this was not affected by Fonterra.” when close friend and Oravida director Julia Xu said just before the Minister’s trip to China that “It was having a very negative impact on Oravida and that the way to fix it was the Government perhaps could do a little more to engage in more bilateral talks to remove some of the tests on measures the Chinese Government have put on.”; which of these two statements is true and which is false?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Of course what it does show is that I had very little knowledge of Oravida’s business and I should have had more.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why did she not inform the Prime Minister in her letter requesting permission to travel to China that she would visit Oravida and meet with the directors of Oravida on three separate occasions?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Well when I sought permission to travel I did not know that I would be popping in to see Oravida or meeting with it on any occasion.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well that being the case why did she following her trip to China neglect to report to Cabinet and the Prime Minister in her Cabinet travel report that she had visited Oravida met on more than one occasion with its directors and that she had had dinner in Beijing with amongst others a senior Government border and customs official?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I accept that what I should have done is not rely on the precedent set by the right honourable member Winston Peters on his travel reports and I should have put down every single little thing.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can she expect New Zealanders to believe her when she has made so many demonstrably contradictory statements and behaved like this—Oravida’s milkmaid? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the Minister could address the first part of the question which is relevant.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Well I just say to that member that I have never lost $100000 put into my lawyer’s trust account like—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. First of all the Minister’s answer is not on the question. The second thing is that it is going to lead to disorder because that member now knows and so does that whole party over there that the original allegations were deceitful and dishonest in the extreme.Mr SPEAKER: The difficulty I have in assisting the member on this occasion is the way he framed the question particularly with his visual aid at the end. He was already leading the House into disorder.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can I have an answer to the question?Mr SPEAKER: I will allow the Minister if she wants to add more to the answer to do so; otherwise I will consider that the Minister has answered.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: How can you get past $100000?Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is a point of order and it will be heard in silence.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raised with you a point of order on the first answer to that fifth question. Now she has directly offended again. The offence is no more improved by the repetition and I want you to order against her doing that.Mr SPEAKER: And I have no intention of doing so. As I said to the member—[Interruption] Order! If the member wishes to stay for the balance of question time—[Interruption] Order!