Paraone Pita: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Paraone Pita: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:634;Page:5547] 
7.  
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Foreign Affairs 
: What has been New Zealand’s response to reports of North Korea conducting a nuclear test? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs) 
: 
 Madam Speaker—[ 
Interruption 
] I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I have not even got to start my answer before one or two impertinent members over there call me by my first name and given how junior they are they should not be doing that—let alone the other Standing Orders we have in this House. Could you possibly ask them to desist so that we can get on with what is a very serious matter and answer this question? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would members please restrain themselves so that we can get through question time with members being heard. I call the Rt Hon Winston Peters. 
David Bennett 
: Spiderman! 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Now the bald one is at it again. Madam Speaker when you were making that ruling he started again. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Will the member please be seated. I will just remind members of the rules. In fact interjections are permitted; barracking is not. Members are to be respected. They are to be heard when they both ask questions and answer questions. Would those members who persistently interject in that way please be on notice that they will be asked to leave the House if that disruptive behaviour continues. Would the Rt Hon Winston Peters please address the question. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Now Judith Collins decides she will join this— 
Judith Collins 
: Point of order Madam Speaker. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Sit down! I am on my feet. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would you both sit down and we will start again. A comment was made by Paula Bennett. I did not hear a comment from Judith Collins. There may have been a mishearing—[ 
Interruption 
] Yes I am sorry Ms Bennett but you did make a comment—I saw you and I heard you. I ask members for the last time to please put themselves under control so that we can get the Minister to address this question. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. There they go again. With respect this is a serious matter and I think they should be required not to break the rules of this House. Lockwood Smith is doing it right now—he has no right to be talking when a point of order is being made. If that is going to go on I do not know why there is seemingly a special set of rules for those members who speak in unison—at least 10 at a time—when serious questions are being asked and answered in this House. You have already told those members twice and they started back again—Lockwood Smith in particular and he cannot deny it. He is meant to be a member who has been around here for a time. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I do not need any more comment on this. This is becoming—[ 
Interruption 
] Please be seated! I ask members to please refrain. Mr Peters members are entitled to interject when questions and answers are being given. They are not however entitled ever to use unparliamentary language. I did not hear any unparliamentary language. So would you please— 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Point of order. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have not finished. I would now like—unless there is a totally new point of order—the Minister to address the question. We have almost forgotten what the question is. Now a point of order from Nandor Tanczos—and it had better be a point of order. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. My point of order is just to ask you to clarify that you will be applying the same rules to Mr Peters whose interjections I have had since the beginning of the session. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Yes of course. So would the Minister please address the question. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. With respect if that was the view of the member who has just resumed his seat then he should have said so then and not made some contemptible attempt to get even now. That is what the Standing Orders state—raise it at the first instance. Now I will get on to the answer. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Thank you. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: New Zealand utterly condemns North Korea’s claims of having conducted a nuclear test—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Judith Collins 
: Oh come on! 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the member please restrain herself. We need the answer to this question. Mr Peters would you please continue to address the question. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I am very happy to continue but in the way that these members deserve. If they want a free-for-all they will get it. But we have rules in this House and those members should be abiding by them. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: They are abiding by them at the moment. But would the member please address the question. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: New Zealand utterly condemns North Korea’s claims of having conducted a nuclear test. 
Sandra Goudie 
: Point of order Madam Speaker. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: We now have another point of order. I am sorry Mr Peters would you please be seated. 
Sandra Goudie 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Was this a question for Mr Speakers Madam Speaker? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I do not know what the member is saying. 
Sandra Goudie 
: I beg your pardon Madam Speaker. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: If members want to make interventions please consider them before speaking. Now would the Rt Hon Winston Peters please address the question. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: That has been the precise origin of the problem! Such action is inconsistent with the behaviour expected of a State seeking security under guarantees from the international community. Overnight New Zealand’s disarmament ambassador at the UN conveyed those views during the general debate of the UN General Assembly’s first committee on disarmament. 
Pita Paraone 
: What measures might New Zealand take against North Korea? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: We will not be taking National’s traditional measure of sending a boat or a plane—the Carter position from down south. New Zealand supports a firm international response that addresses North Korea’s unacceptable behaviour while avoiding further deterioration of the situation. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: What does that mean? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: What it means is what I said. If the woodwork teacher could keep quiet for 5 seconds maybe his colleagues would be better informed. What it means Mr Brownlee is that the Government is taking a responsible position and not the five different positions the National Party has had in the last 5 years. [ 
Interruption 
] We will not have it over by lunchtime—[ 
Interruption 
] No it will not be over by lunchtime but we are working closely with others— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: What about an answer? What does the third position mean? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the member please restrain himself to enable the question to be addressed. 
Pita Paraone 
: Point of order— 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I have heard— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would both members please be seated. I am tempted to say: “Let’s go back and start again.” Members this is an important issue so please enable the Minister to address the question on what is to be done. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: A firm position is not the shoehorn with which he gets himself into his seat every morning. We are working closely with others to identify actions that will deliver an unequivocal message to North Korea that it must stop its nuclear weapons programme and return to the six-party talks—a position I discussed last night with the Secretary of State from the United States. 
Darren Hughes 
: Has the Minister received any reports or advice on firm positions on nuclear testing from any other organisations in New Zealand? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Not in the context of political parties other than to say that it was my understanding that every political party in this country supported New Zealand’s present non-nuclear position but there is one party that cannot make up its mind and keeps changing it every campaign. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Minister has addressed the question but he has told us how serious this matter is. Why can he not tell us what he is going to do? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order.