Peck Mark: Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Peck Mark: Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
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MARK PECK (Labour—Invercargill) 
: 
 May I just remind listeners that that was Katherine Rich No. 4 in the National Party which tends to suggest—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Hon David Carter 
: What number is this member? 
MARK PECK 
: I am No. 32 and dropping but who cares because at least when one is in the position where one has not been promoted one has nothing to be demoted from. 
David Benson-Pope 
: And he can win his seat. 
MARK PECK 
: And I can win my seat and I will continue to win my seat. Katherine Rich thinks it is fine to make gratuitous and insulting comments to us and then complains when they are made back. If she is going to make those sorts of remarks she has got to learn to take them too whether or not she is a female. She has to learn to take the heavy hits in this House when she decides to be churlish in the way that she is. She has got a lot to learn for No. 4. 
Hon George Hawkins 
: She’s hopeless. 
MARK PECK 
: I agree with my colleague that she is absolutely hopeless and reflects the dearth of talent on the National Party front bench. 
The Commerce Committee is a four-four committee and the bill was carried by majority. 
Steve Chadwick 
: That is great. 
MARK PECK 
: It is great. It means that the majority was sensible and the minority who frankly do not have enough spirituality amongst them to mount a seance simply could not get their heads around an issue that is really very straightforward. This particular bill should never have gone to a select committee. That is the truth of it. It should have been dealt with by way of a Statutes Amendment Bill but we are going through a period of time when the Opposition is a little bit concerned about people whose skin is a little bit darker than white and is starting to suggest that these people are not allowed to have spirituality. 
 Well let me tell members opposite that one of the things they have not yet learnt is that if one wants to look at the way the nation is developing the way they are playing their politics in the next 10-15 years they will find themselves with even fewer votes again. Our population is growing amongst Maori and Pacific Islanders and members opposite have to learn that. Pakeha have Santa Claus. Who believes in Santa Claus any more? 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The member has been talking for several minutes now—it seems like an hour or more—but he has not once attempted to address the bill. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member is addressing the bill. 
MARK PECK 
: Pakeha have Santa Claus which is something that nobody believes is real. I hate to say that to all those little people out there who are listening. In what way is that any different from taniwha? Can somebody tell me? For the likes of National and ACT to be so churlish that they cannot even begin to understand what spirituality is shows exactly why there is only one big party left in this country. The National Party members will have to learn to get their heads around some of those issues and to stop playing games about them. The issues of spirituality are the only issues in contention in this bill. Those issues are very important to New Zealanders. 
Hon David Carter 
: Name them. 
MARK PECK 
: I can tell the member opposite that I was fortunate to attend the opening of a court not so long ago. I was delighted to see that those who were involved in opening the court were quite proud of the fact that they could mihi that they could have a powhiri that they knew waiata and that they knew Maoridom. I am talking about middle-class New Zealand Pakeha males who were keen to show their affinity with Maoridom and the spirituality that goes along with that. The parties opposite have a lot to learn about the way this nation is developing if they think they will be able to form in any way at all something like a coherent Opposition much less ever be able to get themselves into a position to become the Government again. In fact Lord and taniwha forbid that they should ever be in a position to form a Government again because they just do not want to learn it. When we look at what went on today in question time when my colleague Tariana Turia was being put through the wringer about stuff they do not even begin to understand like the spirituality involved in this bill— 
Hon David Carter 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. We have now listened to this man for 8 minutes without him at any time referring to the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill. I suggest that you ask him to speak to the legislation before the House. He has not even mentioned it. [ 
Interruption 
] I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. A point of order should be heard in silence without chipping from that Jill Pettis. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Yes the member is right. Please be seated. 
Hon David Carter 
: Well deal with it. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member will be seated. The member has been addressing the bill. There is a contentious issue of spirituality in the bill. He has been addressing it. 
Hon David Carter 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. My second point of order is that during my point of order Jill Pettis incessantly chipped in and you said you would deal with it. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member had finished his point of order and I had ruled on it. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member will rise and apologise for— 
Hon David Carter 
: I will not. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member made a derogatory comment to the Chair. The member will rise and apologise. 
Hon David Carter 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. During my point of order the member was incessantly chipping in and you said it was after I had finished. It was not and I will not be apologising. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member will now leave the Chamber. 
Hon David Carter withdrew from the Chamber. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. You chose to expel the member who has just left but in fairness to him he did have a second point of order about his being interjected on during a point of order. That is a very serious matter. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member will be seated. I have dealt— 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: But you did not rule on that as I understand it. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I did rule on it— 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: You ruled on the first one— 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: No I ruled that he had finished the point of order when it happened. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: But you did not bring Ms Jill Pettis to check. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I have ruled on that point of order. Please be seated. 
MARK PECK 
: I can understand why the other side is a little bit sensitive about this because it has tried to make these particular issues around spirituality and culture a negative debate within our society. If those members opposite knew the number of people who have come up to me in my own electorate and said that it is about time the Opposition political parties grew up and celebrated the fact that as a nation we are bicultural—and actually multicultural in many respects—and respected the indigenous culture of this country it would make their hair curl. Our society has had enough of the splits and divisions that have been fostered by that side of the House. 
When we look at the other issues in the charter around which programming is put together we see that adding in this cultural and spiritual dimension will simply enrich what we have as a nation. I support it and the majority of the select committee supports it. 
I want to make one final thing clear to members opposite. We had only two submissions on the bill. We spent almost no time going over any substantial points in contention because nobody came along and said that what we were doing in this bill was the wrong thing to do. It is time members opposite grew up and became statesmenlike in this House and contributed positively to a debate on these issues within our society.