Maori Party to seek leave to change Paid Parental Leave Bill vote

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, May 29th, 2014 - 14 comments
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Karol posted last night on the farce that occurred during debate on Sue Morony’s Paid Parental Leave Bill.  National obviously wants to kill the bill but in a way that makes it look like it is not doing so.  Unbelievably it refused to allow to Te Ururoa Flavell leave to attend his first grandchild’s birth.  Lovely symbolism, refusing someone leave to attend a child’s birth to kill a measure that would allow that child’s parents greater state support.  The Maori Party may be part of the coalition but no leeway was allowed.  Trevor Mallard’s indignant response to the refusal was perfectly appropriate.  It took a cell phone call from Flavell to Carter to obtain the necessary leave.

Then National chose to exercise the Maori Party’s proxies by voting against the bill.  You can imagine Labour’s response to this.

This morning Flavell has indicated that the recording of the vote was an “administrative error”.  From Stuff:

[C]o-leader Te Ururoa Flavell confirmed today that their apparent change in vote at the second reading last night was an “administrative error”.

He said discussions would be held today to find out where the vote went wrong.

“Suffice to say that it was a mistake and we’re going to look to rectify it,” he said.

But you have to wonder how National got things wrong.  Did National mislead Parliament?  Or did Sharples buckle under the pressure and change the Maori Party vote?

I understand that the Maori Party will seek leave to change its vote.  It will be interesting to see if National blocks this leave.

It may be that Labour’s motto “Hey John Key, don’t veto me” is going to take on a new meaning.  Tune in to Parliament at 2 pm when I presume the request will be considered.

Update:  And Flavell has applied for and has been granted leave to correct the vote.  Sue Moroney’s bill is set down for committee stage.

14 comments on “Maori Party to seek leave to change Paid Parental Leave Bill vote ”

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  1. ianmac 1
    29 May 2014 at 1:15 pm

    Did National believe that their move would pass by un-noticed? Weird.

  2. weka 2
    29 May 2014 at 1:46 pm

    Ianmac, nact most likely thought the Mp would roll over. Their arrogance is astounding.

  3. alwyn 3
    29 May 2014 at 1:58 pm

    It is quite likely that the Maori Party simply got it wrong in what it told the National party as to how to cast their vote.
    It wouldn’t be the first time of course would it? Both the Green Party and New Zealand First stuffed up the way they meant to vote on Cunliffe’s no confidence motion on the budget and they both managed to support the Government.

  4. infused 4
    29 May 2014 at 2:00 pm

    I heard they ticked the wrong box in haste.

    The conspiracy theories were good while it lasted though.

    • Colonial Viper 4.1
      29 May 2014 at 2:07 pm

      Hmmmm, well OK. My idea that the Mp used their absence as a face-saving way of backing the Tories doesn’t look like it holds water at this stage.

    • blue leopard 4.2
      29 May 2014 at 2:15 pm

      …And the person who read the vote out had no idea what the Maori Parties’ stance was?….just bureaucratically read the words?

      …. and if they did have an idea of the Maori Party’s stance, why didn’t they mention any conflict in what they knew and what they were reading, even when a point of order was raised questioning what they had just read out as the Maori Party vote?

      Who needs thinking, intelligent people to run a country when you can have such mindless obedient automatons that this government is full of.

    • mickysavage 4.3
      29 May 2014 at 2:54 pm

      Flavell has tweeted this but why did National try and refuse him leave to have his proxy vote count?

      • ianmac 4.3.1
        29 May 2014 at 3:27 pm

        And Q 10 by Grant to the Minister of Justice about Corruption had Grant’s question ruled out of order when he asked if it was corruption for Ministers to force the MP to reverse their vote. It does raise a question of course just how did the MP vote get “blocked.”
        (After Question time Trevor asked how a question of Privilege could be lodged but the topic was not clear. Trevor and Speaker will have a chat.)

    • freedom 4.4
      29 May 2014 at 3:25 pm

      Today’s question time suggested a lot more went on than ‘administrative error’

      Guess we wait & see how how desperate the Government’s points of order become, to see how much truth there is to the serious allegations of bullying that were made.

    • Kaplan 4.5
      29 May 2014 at 4:48 pm

      I can’t believe that national didn’t question it. they new damn well it was wrong.

  5. Ed 5
    29 May 2014 at 5:48 pm

    We can expect further delaying tactics, but English has indicated that if the bill is passed he will over-ride the will of parliament anyway – through a questionable standing order; which No Right Turn posted on last year:
    http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/financial-veto-and-constitution.html

    Has this analysis been refuted? Does the standing order need changing? Or is this yet another “Attack on Democracy” by this government?

  6. ianmac 6
    29 May 2014 at 7:43 pm

    On RNZ News this evening, Grant said that last night Peta Sharples came back into the House to correct the “mistake” 10 minutes after the vote. He was met by several Ministers who urged him out of the Chamber and into the lobby where Tony Ryall, the Minister of Police and and a couple of others persuaded the MP Leader that because it was part of the Budget, they said, the vote could not be changed. So the Peta walked away.
    Grant came out to see what had happened and went to ask the Peta for the story and Peta told him. When Grant tried to raise it in the House the Speaker ruled him out of order.
    The above is to the best of my oldish memory and I heard it only once but if true it is pretty serious!

  7. Jrobin 7
    30 May 2014 at 2:58 am

    Gross behaviour from the bullies and anti family party. National by any other nae would smell as rotten…..