Peters Winston: Crimes (Match-fixing) Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: Crimes (Match-fixing) Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19767. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (NZ First):As everybody knows New Zealand First lives in the real world. New Zealand First recognises—Alfred Ngaro: Which world is that one Winnie?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: We will tell you shortly; just be patient. I know it is going to be good and I know it is going be relevant to the National Party but you are going to have to be patient. We recognise that national threat assessments are warning of the increasing risk of crime syndicates and individuals targeting Australasia for sports match-fixing. What is match fixing about? It is about paying someone to underperform. It is about paying someone to not do their job and to actually put in an inferior performance. There have been high-profile match-fixing cases in Australia and unless we address this practice and take it seriously match fixing will significantly damage the integrity value and growth of New Zealand sport and our reputation as a nation.We agree that the Crimes (Match-fixing) Amendment Bill will address match-fixing risks and that those risks are real. We have the Cricket World Cup coming next year and we have the FIFA U-20 World Cup here next year so it is pretty important that we get on top of this legislation now. We know that of course match-fixing worldwide is dynamic and it is a fast-developing area of law globally in terms of what countries are seeking to do.Although we support this bill we consider that it does not go nearly far enough because match fixing in sport is bad and must be stopped but match fixing in politics is much worse—match fixing in politics is much worse. We have heard Judith Collins talk about integrity and issues like that. Match fixing undermines the very core of our democracy. It pays people to underperform and not do their jobs. It pays people like Goldsmith to pull down his hoardings in Epsom—to pull down his hoardings in Epsom. How National members can possibly talk of integrity and get up in this House and extol the virtues of what they are doing is simply beyond any rational reasonable New Zealander. Match fixing in politics stinks. It is corrupt. It goes to the very character of our society and it is being condoned by the National Party members today because they are its main proponents.Needless to say one party in this Parliament has never done that and never will. For 21 long years and 21 to come we have stood on our own. We have never taken money off people like that for any political purpose. They can make allegations but I fought a court case you recall on an electoral petition and Nick Smith fought a defamation case right? Did he ever declare it? No he did not. He told Parliament this and yet Margaret Bazley the registrar told me in a letter which I am happy to table that he never did declare it. In short Mr Smith you deceived Parliament so do not sit there thinking you can get away with that fraud and deceit today.Hon Members: Oh!Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh yes that is true. I have got Margaret Bazley’s letter. Do you want to see it? If you do see it and I am telling the truth will you promise to resign? No you will not.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! The member is far wide of the intent and the principles of this bill. This is about sport crimes and match fixing so I ask the member to come back and relate to the principles of this bill.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I have never left those principles. I am saying that match fixing stinks and it stinks at all levels of society. It stinks if somebody fixes for example nomination forms or scholarships for a certain family to go to university and denies more talented families the chance. All those things are rotten. They corrode society.At its highest level we have got match fixing in politics. So how can you possibly say to the sportspeople that this is wrong this cannot go on we are going to stop it and yet condone it in your own business or your own profession? Pray tell me that Mr Ngaro. Mr Mitchell can you possibly tell me that? And for the faint embarrassed voice from down in the South Island of Jacqui Dean why are you smiling? Does Jacqui Dean believe that rorting the system cheating the system is right? Jacqui Dean comes from an electorate where people down there believe in the law. They have got principles. Why is their MP out of step? Why does she think it is a laughing matter to match fix?Jacqui Dean: Because you’ve got your grumpy face on.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Ms Dean do not try to shout out—you know just opening your mouth and letting the wind blow your tongue around. We need a better performance from you than that. In fact there are only 7 weeks to go and it is quite possible that member will not be here. We know that we will be. For example if you come down to Kelston Hall on Sunday 10 August at 1.30 p.m. you will see what show time looks like as we launch our campaign. To anybody who hears that out there will you please tell your neighbour especially if you are in west Auckland. Come down yourself. It is free you are welcome it will be enlightening.There we will be talking about sports match-fixing but particularly we are going to be talking about political match-fixing because if the principle is wrong for sport then it is wrong for politics. How can the National Party say one thing about sport and match fixing and yet be its main guilty proponent when it comes to the big issue of democracy in our country? It is just wrong.Hon Damien O’Connor: Lead by example.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Yes the Labour member from the West Coast Mr O’Connor is right. He says: “Why don’t they lead by example?”. But then there is an old saying—Hon Anne Tolley: Why don’t you win a seat?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh yes. Here is the Minister of Police. “Lead by example”—that struck a nerve did not it? Now she starts shouting. This is someone who jacks up and match fixes the crime statistics.Hon Members: Oh!Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well she has. She got caught doing it. This is what she said when she got caught: “It’s not happening but if it is I am going to investigate it.” All in the same sentence—“It’s not happening but if it is I am going to investigate it.” Now you try and rationalise or make logic of that statement.Hon Anne Tolley: Get on with it.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh yes I know that the member is embarrassed. I know that the Minister of Police is seriously embarrassed because it is all about the old saying: he who pays the piper calls the tune. It is bad in sport and it is revolting in politics.It lowers the standards of this once-great democracy. Can you imagine Keith Holyoake or people like that condoning this sort of thing? He would be rolling in his grave. But then again there are some members there who have never heard of Keith Holyoake. They have never heard of him. They do not know what he stood for. Mind you he was a nationalist. He did believe in putting New Zealand first. He certainly did believe in putting New Zealand first and not trying to buy a result. That is why he was our longest-serving National Prime Minister and boy I think you guys are in trouble this time because you ain’t going to make it. I know what the National Party’s latest polls say. I know what they say about New Zealand First and you cannot match fix those. [Interruption] Oh no no no Mr Smith. You are going to be seriously concerned because there is one thing that is going to happen—match fixing in sport or whatever—in these 7 weeks. Every week we are going climb and every week you are going to be more and more nervous and the match fixing will not save the National Party. What a tragedy!Mind you National members could disown their practice. They could say: “Put the hoardings up Mr Goldsmith. Put them up in Ōhāriu. Campaign real hard for the National Party.” But no they will probably make that fatal mistake of thinking that everything of value can be bought. Well it cannot.