Mark Ron: Address in Reply 
Mark Ron: Address in Reply 
[Volume:628;Page:444] 
RON MARK (NZ First) 
: 
 Firstly Mr Deputy Speaker I congratulate you. I can think of no person in this House more worthy of the position than the Hon Clem Simich. It is interesting that the National Party did not nominate you as Speaker but I say well done and congratulations—it is about time. 
I also congratulate the new members in the House and in particular all the new list MPs. Is it not amazing the number of people who have sat in this House in their pious and pompous manner as supposedly “Group A” MPs—in being constituency MPs—criticising and slandering Green members and New Zealand First members because they were list MPs but ignoring the fact that the Deputy Prime Minister and deputy leader of the Labour Party is himself a list MP? Many of those people are now having to eat humble pie and accept their new status as list MPs also. I hope they do not struggle too hard on the reduced budget. I hope they do not struggle with the increased workload as they meet the expectation of their being constituency MPs for the whole country. A man once told me that a constituency MP was the only real type of MP and that man Mr Tau Henare now also sits here as a list MP. I congratulate him and welcome him to the club. 
I congratulate Nathan Guy. It is good to have a farmer’s voice in the House. Unfortunately we have had to put up with National MPs who have described farming in their own words as a sunset industry that has had its day. Maurice Williamson Lockwood Smith and David Carter all saw farming as a sort of backwater industry that had seen its best years. I welcome Nathan Guy to this House. It is good to hear a strong farmer’s voice. 
I say to Bob Clarkson: “Enjoy your stay mate. See ya later; you’ll be gone.” I congratulate John Hayes on the article— 
Bob Clarkson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Deputy Speaker— 
RON MARK 
: The member should sit down; he does not have a point of order. He should learn the rules. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I will deal with matters like that from the Chair. 
RON MARK 
: I know but he is so new.  
Bob Clarkson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Deputy Speaker. The member has his facts wrong. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. 
RON MARK 
: Speaking to the point of order I hope that I have not lost that time from my speech. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: No absolutely not. 
RON MARK 
: I emphasise again that members must learn the rules. There was a good article in the  
Sunday Star-Times  
about National’s John Hayes 
.  
He should just 
pay the lady her money and get on with being an MP. Clearly there will be an investigation into Mr John Hayes’ dealings in the Wairarapa and as a born and raised Wairarapa boy I can tell the House that many long-standing National Party people are gravely concerned. National was warned. 
Moving right along I thank Maurice Williamson. He gave a speech about National’s road transport policy that was directly stolen from New Zealand First. The policy goes back to Bill Birch and the National Party team. When New Zealand First—and Tau Henare fought with us—fought to get that very same transport policy enacted what did National members say? They said that it was unaffordable and could not be done and now they claim that it was their idea. All I say to National members is that they should sit back and watch the ride. 
They can watch New Zealand First put into place initiatives that they envy. We will have 1000 extra police on the ground and a review of the home detention system. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I say to Mr Henare that that was a running commentary which is not acceptable. 
RON MARK 
: He is still a new boy—a little rough around the edges and going to get rougher. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not want to have a go at your ruling but if the barrage is continuous at a member of the House surely there must be some leeway for that person whomever it is to reply. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: No there is not actually. But your turn for debate will come. 
RON MARK 
: He did not know the rules then; he does not know the rules now. Yet National members laud him as someone who will lead them on to nirvana. I say to Mr Henare that he is a good man but he has to learn the rules he has to brush up and—[ 
Interruption 
] People like the elderly statesman down the back—the short-time MP—will have to learn the rules as well. 
We in New Zealand First will progress the review on home detention bring on stream more police and review youth offending. And I have a message for Mr Sharples. He had a great maiden speech but he needs to understand that the reason Maori are in jail is that they break the law. As Maori we have to accept that we have a culture of violence that starts in the family. Any man who accepts within his family a man who would beat women beat his wife beat his children and abuse and assault people is condoning and promoting violence. That man is the very man who contributes to the high incarceration rates of Maori—not my colleague David Carter not Brian Donnelly and not Michael Cullen. Maori themselves need to accept their responsibility for their culture of violence. I would have thought that Don Brash would be saying that now as opposed to hongi-ing Hone Harawira.