Henare Tau: General Debate 
Henare Tau: General Debate 
[Volume:671;Page:17765] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Anybody who clapped for that speech from Shane Jones has to be off the planet. After the troubles Labour has gone through in the last week we would have expected the leader and deputy leader to be on their game up front in the general debate. But who do we have? First of all we had the Hon David Cunliffe and we have to be very careful about how we spell that. Then we had David Parker the quiet one. I remember when I was a lad listening to the wireless on a Sunday morning and hearing the story about quiet ones. Then we had Shane Jones. I always thought Shane Jones would make a great leader of the Labour Party. I asked myself whether we really want Phil Goff to go or whether we want some new leader. I thought to myself that it would be a scary thing to have a new leader going into an election. We would not know who we would have. Well I tell members this: bring it on. Let us have Shane Jones let us have David Parker and let us have Mr Cunliffe from New Lynn even though he lives in Westmere that real posh place of Auckland. 
I want to go even further. I want to go even further and it is about the waka. It is about contemporary art not the sort of art that we all know Mr Jones likes to watch. It is not that sort of contemporary art. It takes leadership to see beyond the sort of stuff we are hearing from Shane Jones—actually the “Three Amigos”. Those members are the “Three Amigos”. When I think of the contemporary art in this country I think of guys like Shane Cotton and I think of guys like Parekowhai who are brilliant artists. Then I hear from Shane Jones who wants to go backwards instead of going forwards. I tell members something that we should all put out: come the Rugby World Cup if we ever see Shane Jones or any one of the Labour caucus having a free beer inside that really nice waka well I will be damned; I will come straight back here and tell the nation that they are a pack of hypocrites— 
Hon Shane Jones 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Having suffered an invitation to sit before for using the word “hypocrite” I ask you to please invite the member to withdraw that term. There was nothing hypocritical about what I said and I will be there as a Golden Oldies Rugby Festival player. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I was listening very carefully to what the member was saying. He did not actually call anyone a hypocrite; he said that if—if—certain members were to have a drink in this waka he would come back down here and accuse them of being hypocrites. He has not done that so I cannot really call him to order. He did not accuse anyone in this House of being a hypocrite. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Thank you Mr Speaker for that. I say that I will come back here and maybe I will not use the word “hypocrite” because that might be a bit too harsh but I will certainly tell the nation what these guys got up to. They have not supported anything to do with the Rugby World Cup. This is the one opportunity this year in a year of heartache that we have to celebrate this nation and all we hear from the “Three Amigos”—the “Three Amigos”—is nothing short of a traitorous act on our nation. We should be proud of our nation. We should be proud of our culture. I apologise if I have ruffled anybody’s feathers— 
Hon Rick Barker 
: Point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I do not think I need any assistance. Members must not accuse another member of being traitorous. On this occasion I think the member has gone too far. I ask him to withdraw that comment. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I withdraw and apologise. It is not on. Maybe members opposite would have got to their feet earlier if I had not helped them. It is like this: support our nation support the Rugby World Cup and support our people. This is about all of us in this country—Maori Pacific Island Pakeha you name it whatever we have in us. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: We’re all in the same boat. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: We are all in the same waka. I realise why some members across the way do not want to be part of the game why they do not want to play the game but it is time for us to get on board with each other and play the game together.