Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 07 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6356. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
8. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How can he have confidence in a Minister whose role model for young New Zealanders includes making derogatory remarks about David Beckham and swearing in an educational environment? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Well I would reject one of those terms anyway. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Which one? I have asked him a very clear question on notice. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Prime Minister does not have to in his answer indicate which one. The member included more than one issue in his supplementary question and the Prime Minister answered and that is all he is obliged to do. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Let’s hear from “Precious”. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Well we do not want to hear from “Dopey” do we? How can he have confidence in a Minister who by making derogatory and insulting remarks about David Beckham an internationally renowned sportsman—perhaps the most well-known soccer player in the world—on 2 November in Dunedin has tarnished New Zealand’s international reputation and image? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The member is relying on hearsay from someone in a private conversation I was in. I suspect actually that if Mr Beckham heard the entire length of the discussion I had he would actually feel quite good about it. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How would Mr Beckham be expected to feel good about being called I think it was bat scatology—to use the polite term in this House—and having a Prime Minister treat him that way after he spent thousands of hours in charitable work including in New Zealand—[ 
Interruption 
] Mr Speaker can I actually ask this question rather than— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! [ 
Interruption 
] Order! The member will resume his seat. The National benches will come to order. It is unhelpful to make that amount of noise. The member is entitled to ask his question and I want to be able to hear it. The Rt Hon Winston Peters may start his question again. 
Hon Paula Bennett 
: I’m not sure he’s got one. Has he got one? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Mr Speaker there you are. There is somebody leaking verbally more than her department. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! That is not helpful either. The member will resume his seat for a moment. Can I appeal to the Attorney-General to look after the Minister on his right please. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: What does it tell the Prime Minister about the character of that Minister that despite Beckham’s giving thousands of hours to charity work including in New Zealand and including to that Minister’s son he goes behind his back and says a thing like that? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The member is making an assumption he just simply should not make. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Prime Minister—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I must be able to hear this question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Yes or no did he not say at a meeting with schoolchildren that David Beckham was as thick as bat—and you know what the rest was. Is he denying it now? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Categorically I did not say that no. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Would—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I must be able to hear the—[ 
Interruption 
] No look I say this time to the benches on my left that the Speaker cannot arbitrate in these matters or chair the House if he cannot hear. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Would the Prime Minister not think it reasonable for the rest of the country and this House to conclude that someone who rises in this House and outside in the public and flat-out lies should be fired from being a Minister? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: As I have said on numerous occasions the quote was a hearsay comment. If you are asking me the exact words that that member said—did I say that David Beckham was as thick as bat-whatever—the answer is categorically I did not. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Supplementary question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I believe the right honourable gentleman has had all supplementary questions available today. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have asked then five supplementary questions. The Prime Minister has denied saying that— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Can I complete my point of order? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is quite clear there is not a point of order coming here. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How can you be clear about that? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The member will resume his seat. The member must make clear what the issue of order is. The member has some options. He could seek leave of the House I guess to ask a further supplementary question but he cannot litigate the answers because he has run out of supplementary questions. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think if you or the clerk checks his notes you will see that you have allowed me to ask a question again. I think he has got the numbers wrong here. I am on my fifth question now. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Both my assistant who records the number of questions asked and I who also record the number of questions asked have separately recorded five supplementary questions. I apologise if we happen to be wrong—I most sincerely apologise to the member—but I cannot see how we could both be wrong on that. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know it is very late and you do not like this happening but the Labour Party will give one of its supplementary questions to the Rt Hon Winston Peters in order for him to ask the question about whether the “shit” word was used or not. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The member did not help his case with that and he knows that is out of order—that he cannot do that at this stage. If questions are to be transferred it must be done properly and I am not going to have a point of order used in that way especially in that manner. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. If it helps in terms of clarification—I am reluctant to swear in Parliament but if the member is asking me whether I used the word “batshit” I did not. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have been granted an extra question by another party and I am grateful to it. I wish now to put that question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member should know that under the Standing Orders members cannot be granted questions once question time has started. We must be advised prior to the commencement of question time if questions are transferred from one party to another. Those have been the standard procedures for some time. But if the member wants to seek leave to ask a further supplementary question the House is perfectly at liberty to grant that. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: In the interests of finding out what the Prime Minister did say against what everybody said he said I seek leave to ask the Prime Minister what he did say. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No no no. That is not the way it goes at all. The leave the member is seeking is to ask a further supplementary question. I take it the member is doing that. Is there any objection to that course of action? There is objection. Question No. 9 Melissa Lee. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! That matter has been dealt with. I have called Melissa Lee.