Donald Rod: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Donald Rod: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:627;Page:21959] 
4.  
ROD DONALD (Co-Leader—Green) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she stand by her statement that she “wouldn’t be seen dead” in Zimbabwe; if so why? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes because Zimbabwe is a nation in deep crisis making it inappropriate to visit at this time. 
Rod Donald 
: Does the Prime Minister believe that the resolution passed overwhelmingly by this Parliament today is a clear directive to the Black Caps not to play in Zimbabwe and would that therefore get New Zealand Cricket off the hook without penalty; if not why not? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: No it is not a directive. The motion passed called on New Zealand Cricket to abandon the tour and it called on the International Cricket Council to take a more enlightened attitude to countries where there are gross human rights abuses. That does not amount to a directive in the terms understood by the International Cricket Council. 
Rod Donald 
: Does she still regard my Zimbabwe Sporting Sanction Bill as “Mugabe-style legislation” in the light of the Russell McVeagh legal opinion that confirms that my bill does not infringe the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act or restrict any individual’s freedom of passage; if so why? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Two wrongs do not make a right as I said earlier in the discussion on the motion that the House has adopted. I note that the legal opinion obtained by the member appears to assert that New Zealand Cricket as a legal person may not enjoy the rights of a natural person but even if it did the legal opinion believed that the proposed restrictions would be a reasonable limit on the right to leave New Zealand. I cannot agree with that. The Government is opposed to the passage of legislation as proposed by the Green Party which would seek to direct New Zealand Cricket threaten its funding and revoke recognition of it as a national sporting organisation if it toured Zimbabwe. 
Rod Donald 
: Does she believe that the Electoral (Vacancies) Amendment Bill which the Green Party supported and which passed through all stages under urgency without select committee scrutiny was more important than stopping Robert Mugabe from treating our sporting heroes as pawns in his obscene power game; if so why? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: There is no correlation between the two. Plenty of bills are passed in this House under urgency. It so happens that the Government believes that the bill proposed by the Greens which would purport to direct New Zealand Cricket and place upon it considerable sanctions including financial penalties if it did tour is wrong. 
Keith Locke 
: Does the Prime Minister have any concerns about the safety of the Black Caps if they do visit Zimbabwe; if not why not? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Personally I do have concerns because Zimbabwe is in deep crisis. One cannot rule out a country in such a crisis being a danger to people like cricketers who visit and who can end up in the wrong place at the wrong time or in a place where there are violent demonstrations. Personally I consider it unwise to go.