Brash Don: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Brash Don: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:621;Page:16440] 
5.  
Dr DON BRASH (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Can she confirm that the question of Hon John Tamihere’s conduct in stating that he would not accept a golden handshake from the Waipareira Trust and then accepting such a payment is a matter for “political decision” as asserted by the Acting Prime Minister; if so when will she make that decision? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I will determine Mr Tamihere’s future after consultation with senior colleagues and after Mr White QC has reported to me. Due process is being observed. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Will the Prime Minister make the simple political decision that John Tamihere has deliberately misled both her and the New Zealand public and should go; if not why not? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: As I have indicated in answer to a number of previous questions due process is under way. An inquiry is establishing the facts and then I will make a determination. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: What is her comment on John Tamihere’s confession of having received a golden koha and does she concede that a golden koha is in fact worse than a golden handshake because a golden handshake is paid when a person is restructured out of a job whereas John Tamihere’s $319000-gross golden koha was payment for leaving a taxpayer-funded trust voluntarily to become a Labour MP in her Government? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I am not going to get into the business of defining what a koha is and what it is not. I have set up an inquiry that will look at the facts report to me and I will make a decision. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Can the Prime Minister confirm that the question of John Tamihere misleading the New Zealand public is not a matter for the White inquiry and indeed is a matter that the Deputy Prime Minister has described as a simple political decision; if so can she tell the House why she is waiting to deal with this issue until the White inquiry is concluded? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: In fact the member does not represent the Deputy Prime Minister correctly. What the Deputy Prime Minister said was that after in effect the inquiry “considerations which flow from that may be more appropriately dealt with at a political level.” That is why I am saying that first we will have an inquiry establish facts and then we will make a decision. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Does the Prime Minister remember Mr Tamihere and Mr Clayton Cosgrove saying that if the Minister of Police were sacked they would resign; so why does she not do the country a favour by sacking Mr Hawkins and getting two free? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I have not been able to find any evidence that those statements were made either. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Does she condone Mr Tamihere’s actions in accepting a golden handshake from the trust when he publicly stated prior to the 1999 election that he would not do so; or is that the sort of thing one says when in Opposition but then ignores when in Government? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: No it is not and that is why I answered the member’s previous question by saying that prima facie I share his concern and I am establishing the full facts about the matter.