Mark Ron: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Mark Ron: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:645;Page:14193] 
RON MARK (NZ First) 
: 
 On behalf of New Zealand First I will raise an issue that has been debated heavily. I wonder whether people have noticed that New Zealand First has just let the two old-hat parties talk their heads off on crime. We have certainly noted with interest the words that have come out of the mouths of particularly John Key and National Party members in the last few weeks. We have heard a lot of words about the problems of youth crime and the way that political parties in particular the National Party are going to deal with these problems. 
What concerns us is that it is election year. We have heard all these words before in other election years and they are just that—only words. Take John Key’s words for example: “Don’t look to us for hand-wringing about the importance of the so-called social bonds on offer through criminal gangs”. That is what John Key said. So what do we make of these words spoken by Judith Collins on national television on  
Eye to Eye with Willie Jackson 
 where she said: “Kids get involved in gangs because they are looking for fathers; they are looking for someone who cares about them; they are looking for someone who actually gives them some structure in their lives and is not romanticising it. Basically the gang is a new home.” One of those statements was from a tough guy and the other statement was from someone who stood in the House just a few minutes ago and tried to portray a tough guy image as well. But in actual fact there is a huge contradiction and that is the dilemma that the voting public and the media have to deal with. There are words and more words there is no consistency and there are absolute flip-flops and hypocrisy coming out of the mouths of people who want the public to vote for them. 
New Zealanders do not need words; they need action. They need action now and I do not mean the kind of action shown in the photograph I am holding up. This photograph of John Key and Tame Iti shows a number of things. First I have to tell Mark Sainsbury of Television One when he has got over his nice little lovey-dovey documentary about Tame Iti that this is the man who on national television smashed a taiaha over the head of another man whilst he was being interviewed. What does John Key think of him? He thinks he is a good mate. This is a man who has a whole range of criminal convictions behind him including misuse improper use and illegal use of firearms. What does John Key think of him? He thinks he is a good chap to cosy up to. What is the message that John Key is sending the wider public when the public know that this man faces a raft of serious allegations when this man knew the men who were making such statements as “It’s good to kill a Pakeha.”? What sort of message is that I ask Mr John Key? I tell Mr John Key that it is totally inconsistent with his tough message on law and order. 
Keith Locke 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. There are ongoing court cases and it appears that Mr Mark is trying to bring information from people involved in some way in those court cases—rightly or wrongly accurately or not—into this debate. It is right against the Standing Orders to say that somebody who knew Mr Iti—and so on. 
RON MARK 
: Speaking to the point of order I say in response that every word I have just uttered is already in the media. The words pertain to old charges—old convictions—that have been well publicised and are well known. They have no impact on the current charges—in fact we do not even know what charges he is currently facing—and they have been well canvassed in this House. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: I caution the member to be careful about things that are before the court. 
RON MARK 
: That is the point. New Zealand is sick and tired of seeing certain parties coming to the election hustings on the back of big law and order policies and of certain other people hiding these criminals these gangsters and their thugs behind their skirts like the Maori Party seems intent on doing these days backed up by Mr Locke and the Greens. Mr Key talks about putting those people in the army. Well hello! In 1996 New Zealand First negotiated into the coalition agreement with National the expanded use of the Limited Service Volunteers and who opposed that at every turn? 
New Zealand First has a very clear message to this House and to the public. We have had enough of gangs and our view has been consistent over 13 years. We believe there is enough law now for the police with the right priority directives from the Government to get to work tonight and start locking up people. We in New Zealand First do not care how full the prisons are; we want gangsters—be they young gangsters or young thugs bashing people with baseball bats—off our streets. We believe people have a right to that degree of safety that they have been consistently promised. New Zealand First means to launch an all-out war on gangs lawlessness crime and young thugs and we will do it one way or another. But we will do it because we will have the backing of the public who know the hollow rhetoric that they hear from one side of the House and the insipid weakness that they see on the other. Make no bones about it; gangs have something to fear here.