Here's a message to Winston Peters - do your job and clear up the mess around Brendan Horan.
It is simply not good enough that Horan is "stood down from Parliament" - or in other words, at his Mount Manganui home kicking back and enjoying the sun on full pay.
Yes, that MP's package of more than $140,000 plus all the perks is a nice little earner for the former professional lifeguard and weatherman - especially when you don't have to do anything for it. Lucky for some.
It is Winston Peters' responsibility to sort this out.
Yes, Horan has been caught up in a family feud over his mother's will.
That could be viewed as a personal issue - whereby Horan should be left to sort it out on his personal time and keep doing his job.
But by standing Horan down, Peters has elevated the issue to a public one.
Remember Peters was told about this two months ago - and has done absolutely nothing about it.
He says he's got no evidence from Horan's siblings proving the allegations about missing money from the mother - but neither has he got any evidence from Horan disproving it.
But Peters only acted to stand Horan down when the story broke on Sunday.
That's because he doesn't like the publicity - given Winston Peters' elderly constituency, he certainly does not want to be seen to be propping up an MP who has been dipping into his elderly mother's money.
Horan is Peters' responsibility: he came in off the NZ First list on Winston's coat-tails.
Peters' standing down of Horan and repeated refusal to express confidence in him was a serious blow for Horan.
It was very un-Winston - you would usually expect a spirited defence and attack on the media.
It has created doubt and uncertainty around Horan.
Peters must clear that up immediately - and that surely means Horan must get Peters incontrovertible proof he has done nothing wrong.
Brendan Horan's unusual Parliamentary contribution
Because he has been stood down by Winston, Brendan Horan can't make a contribution to Parliament - like the rendition of the national anthem below.
Horan's a real entertainer - so we have included a couple from his back-catalogue too:
source: newshub archive
