Labour's Michael Wood believes some comments made following the resignation of Trevor Mallard as Speaker were "graceless" but recognises the long-time MP hasn't always got things right.
Mallard resigned as Speaker on Wednesday after nearly five years in the position. While he's worked to make Parliament more family - and dog - friendly, his tenure has also been plagued by controversy and attempts by National to force him out of the role.
News of his resignation was welcomed by the Opposition.
"It was time for him to move on a year ago and it's all very well to hold a baby in the speaker's chair and say what a great guy you are, but what message does it send to the children of New Zealand when Jacinda Ardern rewards bad behaviour?" said ACT leader David Seymour.
Mallard has been appointed New Zealand's next Ambassador to Ireland, prompting National's Christopher Luxon to wish "the Irish good luck".
Speaking to AM on Friday morning, Wood said some comments have been "graceless".
"Trevor has been a real character in the Parliament. He hasn't got everything right, but beneath the exterior, he has been a really compassionate Speaker. He has made a huge contribution in terms of making Parliament a more family-friendly workplace. He has been normalising having children and babies there," Wood said.
"When you talk to people behind the scenes, he's been a compassionate person to many people. He has got into his scraps over the years. He's a rugged politician, but I think when someone comes to the end of a 40-year career, you can say thank you and acknowledge that."
On Thursday afternoon, the Office of the Speaker issued an apology to former deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters after he received a Parliament trespass notice. That followed his brief appearance at the anti-mandate protest earlier this year.
While the apology was sent after Adrian Rurawhe was elected Speaker, Mallard was in the role when the trespass notice was issued. The former Speaker also faced scrutiny during the protests for turning on sprinklers and blasting loud music at the occupiers.
AM host Ryan Bridge put it to Wood that Rurawhe was having to apologise on behalf of Mallard.
"I think that is a sign of Adrian just getting on with the job and getting things set up for his tenure. Trevor would be the first person to acknowledge that from time to time he has made errors."
The apology on Thursday came after Peters took the issue to the High Court. Mallard was also involved in legal action earlier in his reign as Speaker over comments he made about a parliamentary staffer. About $330,000 of taxpayer money was spent settling the dispute.
National's Erica Stanford told AM all of the costs weren't ideal.
"If we got Adrian to apologise for everything Trevor Mallard had done in the past, we would probably be here a little while."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern first announced Mallard's intention to retire while making a Cabinet reshuffle back in June.
"After the 2020 election Trevor told me he wanted to transition out of the role of Speaker over the course of this term to allow someone else the opportunity and to take on new challenges himself," Ardern said.
"He has worked closely with Adrian for that purpose. He will leave the chair in mid-August and take up a post in Europe from early 2023. Trevor will be the third of our five most recent Speakers to represent New Zealand abroad in a diplomatic posting."
On Wednesday, Ardern said she was still confident Mallard was the appropriate pick for the ambassador role.
"Trevor Mallard has had a more than 30-year career in politics. You don't spend that amount of time in this place without having a huge depth of understanding about New Zealand's priorities."
A 1News poll in June found just 17 percent of people approved of Mallard's handling of his job as Speaker, almost half disapproved, and the rest didn't know.
