Following the actions of the Speaker of the House, co-leader of Te Pāti Māori Rawiri Waititi has submitted the attached
formal complaint regarding the actions of the speaker as the presiding officer in QuestionTime today.
“As a ploy to dodge the hard questions of why the Government has failed Maori in their vaccination plan; today, the
Government in the form of Minister Hipkins and The Speaker have colluded to vilify our Party and our people by dragging
the vaccination stance of ex Maori Party president Pem Bird into the chambers.
“This is a desperate attempt to distract from the Government's incompetence by defaming a Kaumātua and vilifying Maori
leadership.
“How would the Speaker have known who Hipkins was referring to without having had a sneaky conversation in the dark?
“It was only a matter of time before we would see the Government actively blaming Maori for low rates of vaccination.
Colonisation and racism is clearly alive and flourishing in the highest House” says Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri
Waititi.