Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard
POINTS OF ORDER
Debates—Reading of Speeches
Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Labour): Point of order. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I apologise for the slight delay in this. Thank you for that ruling and we support that. There’s just one question I have about that, and that’s in regard to the reference to Minister’s first reading speeches. From memory, the Standing Orders Committee agreed that the introduction of legislative statements were in part to prevent the need for Ministers to read a speech.
SPEAKER: You’re actually quite right. That should have been the way it was put in that. With the indulgence of the House, I’ll have that corrected in the ruling. It was the purpose of those statements—that’s quite right. Thank you for that.
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister): Point of order. The time for Mr McAnulty to raise that was at the time it was being discussed. But since then you’ve moved on with the business of the House and we cannot go back in that way. I would have thought, with respect, that you’d have ruled him out.
SPEAKER: That is actually what the point of order process is about is bringing up matters that are to do with the order of the House, and that definitely was a matter to do with the order of the House.
Rt Hon Winston Peters: But he’s too late.
SPEAKER: Well, I tell you what, none of us are as fast as you. You’ve pointed that out to me many times. And I understand you’d still give me 20 metres in 100 yards and expect to beat me. So in this case we are now moving on.
