Brownlee Gerry: General Debate 
Brownlee Gerry: General Debate 
[Volume:621;Page:16320] 
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) 
: 
 That was the angry young man of the Labour Party the Minister of Justice—the man who presides over a justice system that has led this country to the point whereby if one rings 111 one gets a taxi. 
I want to respond to the challenge he laid out before us. The National Party thinks this is a great country and has confidence in the business sector. It does believe that New Zealanders are innovative creative and capable of growing the economy. The National Party knows that what New Zealanders prize above all else is a Government free from corruption. That is what is right at the heart of the issues surrounding John Tamihere. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member knows he cannot accuse a member of corruption. The member will withdraw and apologise. [ 
Interruption 
] I remind the whip that I am on my feet ruling on a point of order. When I am ruling on a point of order there will be silence. The member will withdraw and apologise. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I have ruled on this point of order. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: You have made a mistake Madam Speaker and I want to point out why. The member said that the National Party knows that what the country wants best is a country free of corruption. Which part of that did he personalise or for that matter collectivise in respect of the Labour Party? 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Madam Speaker as I am sure you heard—and maybe the member was momentarily distracted—the member then went on in the next sentence to associate John Tamihere with those comments. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: That is absolutely correct. The member—[ 
Interruption 
] Please be silent while I am ruling. The member will withdraw and apologise. 
GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I withdraw and apologise. It does not matter what the nice conventions of Parliament might be New Zealanders are asking themselves what the issue is about John Tamihere. What are the questions raised about a payment made to him and the claim by the chairman of Te Whanau o Waipareira Trust that it was made to him in the expectation that he would “do things for them”? I know I cannot say the word that should describe that sort of activity but New Zealanders will draw their own conclusions. 
I want to know when John Tamihere will stand up in the House and defend himself. When will John Tamihere come to this House the highest court in the land lay out the evidence that blows these charges out of the water and get on with life? I make the prediction that he will never do that because he cannot. This is a man who has gone around the countryside talking to young people in particular and proclaiming the need for him and his colleagues to show leadership aspiration and a direction towards the future. At the same time as he has been trying to act in that magnanimous way we know that he has been creeping around the back doors of his previous employer and trying to drag out a huge payment in order to do great things in Parliament for the Waipareira Trust. 
The Waipareira Trust sold assets to pay out John Tamihere. This is an organisation set up to help some of the most depressed people in this country and it had to hock its assets to give its former chief executive a big payment so that he could come to Parliament and do more things for it. If the unusable word that Mr Mallard has taken such exception to cannot be applied to Mr Tamihere in the House let me assure members that it will be applied by many others outside the House. 
As long as Helen Clark supports John Tamihere the allegations swirling around him will be laid at her feet as well. This is a Prime Minister who will arrive back in the country later this week fresh from the “Lady Di” experience on the seat in front of the TajMahal. She will try to say that she is still the leader of a Government that is full of integrity that sets the highest standards and that demands absolute purity from all its Ministers. As long as Helen Clark takes that line she will be damaging herself her Government and this country as well. 
Members opposite make a big noise and say that this is wrong. They stand up and say it is OK for Mr Tamihere to go out to the public and say: “I will not take a gratuitous payment.” then spend 3 years making sure that he gets it spend 2 years sitting on top of it without having paid the tax on it and file several ministerial accountability forms without making that disclosure. Helen Clark said: “It’s all OK.” Well people will make up their own minds about that. The moral mandate for the Labour Party to say that they are there for the poor for the oppressed and for those who are suffering hard times in New Zealand has gone. As long as John Tamihere remains in the Labour Party ranks Labour members’ ability to speak on behalf of the downtrodden in this country has gone because everyone will know and everyone will ask the question: “How much has he been paid to do this?”.