August 24, 2023
Waititi faces censure for shaming without naming
Parliament’s speaker Adrian Rurawhe is considering whether Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi has breached a name suppression order.
In a supplementary question yesterday, Mr Waititi referred to a case before the courts, sparking an objection from ACT leader David Seymour.
Parliamentary privilege protects MPs from court action for remarks made in Parliament’s debating chamber, but it’s against Standing Orders for MPs to refer to matters that are before the courts or suppressed by court orders.
Breaching those rules could result in an MP being censured by the Speaker or being referred to the Privileges Committee, which could find him in contempt of Parliament.