Her question in the House was laughed at by members of the Government before Luxon said he wanted to make sure the children currently in emergency housing getting a shot at securing a state house when current tenants weren’t living up to their responsibilities.
Luxon did however congratulate Swarbrick on her ascension to the co-leadership, taking over from James Shaw.
Both Winston Peters and David Seymour gave Luxon easy questions so he could further make his point that state housing tenants had responsibilities to uphold and that the Government wanted to ensure people treated each other kindly.
Speaker admonishes Police Minister
Police Minister Mark Mitchell has been admonished by the Speaker of the House for sticking the boot into the previous Labour Government while facing questions from Labour’s police spokeswoman Ginny Andersen.
Andersen strove to prove the Government’s latest pay offer for police was worse than what had been offered under Labour in September, saying the current Government’s offer had been deemed a “slap in the face” by Police Association president Chris Cahill.
The association and police met this morning in the latest round of negotiations.
Mitchell maintained that it wasn’t and Finance Minister Nicola Willis aimed to back him up by asking him to confirm the current Government’s offer contained more funding.
Mitchell went about answering by criticising the former government’s offer before he was quickly pulled up by Speaker Gerry Brownlee as it was against the House’s rules for the Government to use its questions to attack the previous government.
Hipkins’ fiscal holes interrogation
Labour leader Chris Hipkins is trying to interrogate the Government on its reported fiscal holes, including asking whether Peters was correct when he agreed with a report of a $5.6 billion hole facing the Government.
Hipkins continued to highlight examples of how revenue-raising or cost-saving measures proposed by National prior to the election did not line up with current estimates.
Luxon refused to entertain Hipkins’ questioning line, saying he would not let Hipkins lecture him on economics and cited how the previous Labour Government increased spending and took on more debt - something Luxon said he would not do.
Sitting next to Luxon, Peters has in front of him a two-pack of Superwine biscuits which is an obvious reference to his recent comment that Hipkins would get drunk off one wine biscuit - part of the pair’s war of words following Peters’ State of the Nation address on Sunday.
It’s unclear whether Peters brought them himself or was given them.
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa honoured
In a rare move, politicians have honoured Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s ongoing legacy as she turns 80.
Members from each party in Parliament have delivered a short speech to honour the world-famous soprano. A waiata was also sung.
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith gave the first speech, telling those in the House of his memories of the singer performing at Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding and feeling proud of the Kiwi connection.
Labour MP Willie Jackson heralded Te Kanawa’s support of te reo Māori within the arts, noting that he and Te Kanawa are related.
He also cheekily encouraged Te Kanawa to get in touch should she ever want to enter politics, noting that Labour had some ground to make up in the Māori electorates, which they almost completely lost to the Māori Party in the 2023 election.
Te Kanawa appeared to be enjoying the speeches, regularly smiling and nodding.
Act leader David Seymour remarked on stories of Te Kanawa’s skill in pheasant shooting with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Noting that Jackson had just offered her a Labour membership, Seymour joked Te Kanawa would be more suited to Act - a party that advocated for strengthened firearm possession rights.
”I’d hate to think what [Labour] would tax you,” Seymour added, prompting laughs around the House.
