PM’s Press Conference Audio: No Maori Super Seats but Comfort on Smacking
By Spike Mountjoy
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Scoop Audio: Audio on Demand of NZ Prime Minister John Key's weekly press conference.
The Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues today rejected the idea of reserved Maori seats on the new Auckland
Council.
Key said Local Government Minister Rodney Hide’s ultimatum – that he would resign his portfolios if the seats were
included - was “a factor, but not the dominant factor”. He said the seats would be inconsistent with National Party
philosophy, and that such a policy, if it was to be implemented - which it is not - should be rolled out nation-wide.
Key said Rodney Hide and Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples should be able to find a solution which ensures the
council will engage with Maori, such as an advisory board or a standing committee.
The PM also announced measures to reassure parents they will not be prosecuted for giving their children a “light and
inconsequential smack”.
Key said the controversial law change has worked well so far, but he would look at changing it if this was no longer the
case. He added that any attempt to change the law would probably take up the focus of parliament for the next 18 months.
Key’s smacking comfort measures include:
• Regular police reports on how the law is working, including publication of statistics re: prosecutions.
• Changes to the way Child Youth And Family (CYF) follow up complaints - “if a parent lightly smacks their child
they won’t find themselves under full investigation from CYF”.
• The early release of a report on the law from the Ministry of Social Development, now due out in late September,
rather than the end of the year.
This decision pre-empts the findings of the select committee, which is due to report back soon.
The PM also discussed the Emissions Trading Scheme, and refused to say whether the SAS have been deployed to
Afghanistan.
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