Therese Arsenau

Price of DoC's 'luxurious dunnies' irks Nick Smith – National MP Nick Smith says he will complain to the Auditor-General about a $245,000 Department of Conservation toilet block he says cost the same to build as the average family home and was "too flash".
Dr Smith said the toilet… [NZ Politics]

It is hard to conclude otherwise that this is a case of extreme waste by a government department. DoC has spent $245,000 on a dunny when just down the road at two similar locations the Nelson District Council spent $65,000 and $56,000 building dunnies.

Still it is not like they have never does this before. It semms that DoC has a penchant for expensive dunnies. 

There were some excellent quotes in the house today.

[quote]Hon Dr Nick Smith: Actually, the Government's policy on climate change is bloody useless. Will the energy strategy provide the substance of how Helen Clark's promise of carbon neutrality is to be achieved-or was the Prime Minister's statement just a bold exercise in spin doctoring, to take public attention off the pledge card and Taito Phillip Field's shenanigans?

And here is Parekura Horomia hopelessly out of his depth.

Hon Tau Henare: Why did the Minister tell the House on 22 November that Te Puni Kōkiri's expenditure on contractors and consultants has decreased, when Te Puni Kōkiri's annual reports from 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 show an increase of expenditure on those consultants by up to 67 percent?

Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA: I understand that the use of consultants and contractors is a lot less than it was in that member's time as Minister, and it is comparable with that by other organisations. It is not true that it has increased.

Some interchanges occurred next then this pearler from Tau Henare.

Hon Tau Henare: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I know that you could argue that the Minister addressed the question, but it is like asking how tall the palm tree is and getting the answer that it is Tuesday. The answer bears no relevance to the question.

Later Nick Smith and Ruth Dyson have a cracka t each other

Hon Dr Nick Smith: What credibility should the House give to claims made by Bob Harvey, the Mayor of Waitakere City, when the High Court found his conduct in respect of the Resource Management Act and Whangamata to be quite unreasonable and the Minister who has made the assertions has a conviction for drinking and driving, which is something Mr Groser has never had?

Madam SPEAKER: I am wondering where ministerial responsibility lies in that question. Would-

Hon Dr Nick Smith: Point of order-

Madam SPEAKER: I am genuinely seeking to know.

Hon Dr Nick Smith: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. You allowed Ruth Dyson to get to her feet and make accusations about the personal conduct-

Madam SPEAKER: No, she was asked for a report.

Hon Dr Nick Smith:-which has nothing to do with ministerial responsibilities-of Mr Groser in his application to build a house in Waitakere City. For you to allow that, then to say: "Oh!"-but for me to somehow question the credibility of Bob Harvey, who we all know is a Labour Party hack- [/quote]

Today in parliament, while the government was under the hammer over the power crisis, Nick Smith asked this absolute pearler.

[quote]Was the Minister, in stating on National Radio this morning that the answer was to get more engineers in charge—and noting that he is a former teacher and that Mr Parker is a former lawyer—indicating his support for a change of Government, so that I and my associate Phil Heatley, who are both engineers, might be able to be put in charge?[/quote]

Ohhhh the hits just keep on coming. 

She is at it again in Question time. Speaker Wilson has a habit of uttering inanities. Is it any wonder Nick Smith can't take it any more?

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As I said, if we wanted only factual questions and factual answers, then we would change the Standing Orders.

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Please clarify that Madam Speaker….Is it ok to have non-factual answeres i.e. total fabrications?…it would appear so from your rulings.

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I do not really need any assistance on this matter, but I thank the member. I make two points in my ruling. First, members are, of course, answerable only for comments they make in the course of their responsibilities as Ministers or Associate Ministers. Second, I point out that many members have several capacities.

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So, Madam Speaker, you are now letting Ministers abrogate their collective Cabinet responsibility through their blatant obfuscation in Question Time.

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Hon Dr Nick Smith: Does Dover Samuels, the Associate Minister for Economic Development with responsibility in the delegations for policy development, agree with Dover Samuels, a former Far North District councillor, who has extensively criticised—

Madam SPEAKER: I am sorry, but the member is repeating the question.

Hon Dr Nick Smith: I made it absolutely plain that I am asking the Minister, in his role as an Associate Minister for Economic Development.

Madam SPEAKER: If the member stopped there, he would be all right.

Hon Dr Nick Smith: The delegations make plain—

Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. The member is now being deliberately obtuse. He has been warned twice as to the impropriety of his question. He cannot make that comparison. The question is out of order.

Madam SPEAKER: I have ruled on this matter. It is the comparison that is out of order. It is not the substance of the question.

Hon Dr Nick Smith: That is a farce.

Madam SPEAKER: Would the member please leave the Chamber.

Hon Dr Nick Smith: This is just a farce.

Madam SPEAKER: You may well say so, but you will be out of the Chamber. Please leave now.

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Nick Smith is right, it is a farce. This government is completely and utterly morally bankrupt.

Speaker Wilson then goes on and allows Steve Maharey to lie to parliament, seeking his word that he withdrew and apologised to Bill English…patently he did not, he only Withdrew…the silly bint even asked him twice to apologise, yet she seems to have suddenly contracted Benson-Pope Memory Syndrome.

This Speaker is without any lingering shred of doubt the worst Speaker New Zealand has ever been inflicted with.

I know drug fucked wrecks that could do a better job than her.