It was a sometimes unedifying Question Time during which NZ First leader Winston Peters had to withdraw the use of the phrase “retard comment” and Te Pāti Māori interjecting with the phrase “what blood quantum are you?” in response.
After Question Time, Te Pati Maori co–leader Rawiri Waititi said both Peters and NZ First MP Shane Jones had accused Te Pāti Māori of talking about “blood quantum” in the past.
“What we were doing was throwing it back at the person who actually uses blood quantum–ing tactics in the House, which is Winston Peters," he said.
“But in actual fact we never talk about percentage of blood quantum. But he uses it all the time. So to have NZ First accuse Te Pāti Māori, the only indigenous and tangata whenua party in this Parliament, of using blood quantum–ing is a bloody farce.”
Peters said his dismissal of a comment about “ongoing colonisation” by Ngarewa-Packer as “a retard comment” was warranted because it had been a “a stupid racist comment.”
Asked if he knew what “retard” meant, he said it had many meanings.
“When you do it on a vehicle, you just slow the vehicle down. It’s got many meanings and you’ve got the wrong one here.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa–Packer said they had decided to start calling out Peters for using derogatory words.
“Every time we stand up to do something, he stands up and abuses. I think we’ve had the words ‘idiotic’ and then ‘disgusting’ – another word we have seen used to demonise and abuse people. So we had to take the Deputy Prime Minister to task. We’ve watched it go on for months and months.”
Ngarewa–Packer defended their own use of the word “racist” about the government.
“We won’t stand back on the fact they are part of a coalition that is repealing every transformational policy and legislation that has been put in to address inequities.”