With the political corpse of Judith Collins buried face down with a stake through her heart, Gerry Brownlee can finally be honest

I’ve never wanted to kiss another man on the lips before, but when I read that Gerry Brownlee wanted the way Te Pati Māori MPs were punished in the wake of the Haka to be reviewed, I have to admit to wanting to give him a smooch…

The haka begun by Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke during a vote on the Treaty Principles Bill in November 2024 resulted in the suspension of three MPs from Parliament for an unprecedented length of time – three weeks for Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, and a week for Maipi-Clarke. It was outrageously disproportionate to previous suspensions, but was recommended by the Privileges Committee, which was chaired by Judith Collins.

As Speaker Gerry Brownlee said yesterday: “The suspension of members in this term for as long as three weeks therefore represents a change in the House’s practice.”

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The Standing Orders Committee recently recommended that a framework for reaching recommendations for punishing members for contempt be developed, and one of Brownlee’s last actions in the 54th Parliament was to refer that recommendation to the Privileges Committee.

“For the public to have confidence in the House’s disciplinary procedures, it is important to avoid perceptions that they may be arbitrary in their operation,” he said.

…Previously to Te Pati Māori’s haka, Sir Robert Muldoon was punished by the Privileges Committee in 1987, for three days, yet Te Pati Māori were punished with an unprecedented 3 weeks.

That level of disproportionate punishment made Israel look reasonable, but now the political power of Judith Collins has been buried face down with a stake through her heart, Gerry can acknowledge the disgracefully disproportionate punishment she meted out was deplorable.

Prior to Judith Collins disgraceful abuse of power, the kaupapa of the Privileges Committee was always to make decisions unanimously, which it had until Judith Collins went rogue over the haka.

It is fitting as this Government closes that one of its worst extremes were shown the contempt it deserved.

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