Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 01 May 2012. Volume:679;Page:1772. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
5. 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Land Information 
: On what date did Hon John Banks lobby him on behalf of the application of Kim Dotcom to purchase property in Coatesville and how did Mr Banks communicate this lobbying? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON (Minister for Land Information) 
: 
 Around the middle of last year by phone. 
Grant Robertson 
: Did he keep a written record of Mr Banks’ lobbying on behalf of Mr Dotcom; and if not does he not think this would have been a transparent thing to do? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: No. 
Grant Robertson 
: Why did he initially take a different view on Mr Dotcom’s character to own the Coatesville property and was this related in any way to the lobbying by John Banks? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: I took the original view because that was the advice of the Overseas Investment Office—that Ministers should approve it. As the member will know the process is then for Ministers to seek further information—clarify some things that we needed to—and in the end there was only one decision taken and that was to decline the application. 
Grant Robertson 
: Were any of the matters Mr Banks brought to his attention in his lobbying relevant to his initial decision? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: No. 
Grant Robertson 
: Did Mr Banks indicate the nature of his relationship with Mr Dotcom when he lobbied on his behalf including whether or not there had been any political donations made by Mr Dotcom to Mr Banks? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: Mr Banks said that Kim Dotcom had been a good friend to Auckland City and had paid for a very large fireworks display. He made no further comment. 
Grant Robertson 
: Was he aware that Mr Banks told Mr Dotcom that Maurice Williamson and Mr Banks were “good friends” and why does he think Mr Banks would mention their friendship as a relevant factor? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: No. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How does the Minister explain the chronology whereby the fireworks display and the cheques and the thankyou were 6 months apart or was Mr Banks clairvoyant as to what was likely to happen on that occasion? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: I do not think I have any responsibility for that question whatsoever. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In the previous answer he put at issue why Mr Banks had talked to him about this patron of Auckland who had arrived from overseas. At the time he mentioned that there was the question or discrepancy that I have previously referred to between the cheques and the fireworks display which were about 6 months apart. Surely the Minister can see the discrepancy in that and that is why I am asking that question. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The Minister raised the matter of the fireworks display in his reply. It does not go any further with supplementary questions. It departs from the principal question in the way that the member asked the question. Would the member like to restate the question so that I get an understanding of it. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Since when has it been the case that you cannot widen a question if the Minister puts at issue a certain subject which he did which was the fireworks display? Why are you saying we have got to go back to the principal question for the parameters when that is a new ruling? 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: It is not intended to be. That is why I have asked the member to restate the supplementary question so that I might gauge it again. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: If the Minister thinks that Mr Banks at all points of conversation and engagement with him was acting with integrity why is there such a gap between the fireworks display which was one of the issues Mr Banks said was the reason for Dotcom being a big supporter of Auckland and the cheques and the thankyou note which came 6 months later? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: That has nothing to do with my responsibility— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I accept the Minister’s response. 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: I do not know what he means by the cheques. I do not even know what cheques he is referring to. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Grant Robertson 
: Noting that the Coatesville property is in the Helensville electorate did the Minister have any letters of support or other representations from the local MP on behalf of Mr Dotcom? 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: No.