Questioning of the Prime Minister in Parliament on Tuesday descended into a exchange between David Seymour and the Speaker about what the phrase "donkey drop" means and a plea not to be trespassed.
Seymour asked the Prime Minister during Question Time what Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson was meaning when he said last month that "democracy has changed". He made that comment while discussing the notion of co-governance.
"This is a democracy now where you take into account the needs of people, the diverse needs, the minority needs," Jackson had told TVNZ in April. "It's not the tyranny of the majority anymore, that’s what co-management and co-governance is about. It’s nothing to fear."
Jacinda Ardern replied to Seymour's question by saying it was important New Zealanders have greater access to democracy and that "improvements to our system" have ensured a more diverse Parliament.
She then made a jab at Christopher Luxon, who this week said National's Tauranga by-election candidate would bring diversity to his party as "he's really well educated". There were loud interjections and laughter as the Prime Minister spoke.
As Ardern finished her remarks, Seymour made a point of order. Despite that and Speaker Trevor Mallard standing up, Ardern didn't sit down which the Speaker reminded her to do.
The ACT leader said it was "unnecessary and unparliamentary" for Ardern to be "attacking" National in response to his question.
Mallard replied by saying "there's a bit of discretion around donkey drops when they come from the Opposition".
"There's more room for the Prime Minister to respond in a wider manner," he said.
Seymour asked the Speaker to "humour us" and "explain what you mean by donkey drops".
Mallard explained that a donkey drop is "an old-fashioned expression about, sometimes in cricket, like a lollipop; an easy throw; something which can be dispatched to the boundary".
"That's what's been delivered on occasions in this House by both the Government and the opposition."
MPs could be heard laughing and making loud noises throughout the Speaker's explanation, but Seymour wasn't amused.
"I am sorry, how does it help the order of this House for you to describe a serious question about a minister of the Crown describing the nature of democracy as, what did you say, a whole lot of insults towards the question? How does that help you doing your job?"
Mallard said he wasn't trying to insult Seymour but that the Epsom MP's question was "quite wide and therefore there is an ability to have a wider response to it".
"I'll also say that when there is loud interjection, the ability of the Prime Minister to respond to that is something which is quite clearly allowed in the Speaker's rulings," the Speaker said.
"If the members don't want that sort of response, they should be careful with the degree, the volume and the, frankly, the lack of wittiness of their interjections."
Seymour protested that he was the "victim of loud and unwitty interjections" and asked for more questions. Mallard said Seymour was "almost certainly being disorderly" and would consider taking questions off him.
"Well, Mr Speaker, I hope you don't trespass me," Seymour replied - a reference to the trespass notices issued to former MPs Winston Peters and Matt King, who visited the anti-mandate protest at Parliament earlier this year.
Mallard could be seen laughing, before standing up and saying "my rights within here are pretty much absolute".
Not to let the exchange end, Seymour said that was untrue as the Speaker had to follow Parliament's standing orders - essentially the rules for in the House.
Mallard got back up and said Seymour was right.
"If the member reads the standing orders, he will know that I am responsible for order, deciding what's disorderly and especially deciding what's grossly disorderly, which includes members who were deliberately being disorderly as the member was."
Trespass notices were sent to attendees of the protest at Parliament earlier this year, banning them from entering the precinct for two years. Among them are former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and former National MP Matt King.
"New Zealanders should not put up with this type of totalitarian behaviour from the Speaker - nor should the Prime Minister or Parliament," Peters said earlier on Tuesday.
Ardern has spoken to Mallard about the trespass notice and encouraged him to meet with representatives of Parliament's political parties to come to a consensus on how to handle the issue.
The ACT leader's questioning of the Prime Minister eventually got back onto track, with Seymour asking about the Government's plan on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Earlier in their exchange, Seymour asked Ardern about her recent comments on a wealth tax. There was confusion on Monday when the Prime Minister refused to rule out implementing a wealth tax while leader, despite having said that before. At her post-Cabinet press conference on Monday, she said she had no intention of introducing such a tax "this term".
She said in response to Seymour's question that she stands by her statement that a wealth tax won't happen while she's Prime Minister.
