Summarised by Centrist
National MP Hamish Campbell has rejected suggestions that Te Pāti Māori are victims of political oppression following their three-week suspension from Parliament, calling the punishment a reasonable response to serious breaches of democratic norms.
“We don’t do pistols at dawn,” Campbell said on Chris Lynch Media. “It’s a careful, controlled debate where ideas should be debated. No one should be intimidated,” he said.
Host Chris Lynch described Te Pāti Māori’s public response as playing “victim” despite having “breached the rules of Parliament.”
Campbell said the issue wasn’t about identity or politics, but about the sanctity of the vote: “Every MP should be free to cast their vote. Interrupting that process crosses a line.”
Te Pāti Māori MPs disrupted a vote by crossing the chamber floor and performing gestures that included a gun symbol.
They refused multiple requests to appear before the Privileges Committee.
Campbell said the protest wasn’t spontaneous dissent but a coordinated disruption that challenged the expected conduct in a liberal democracy. He also noted that a Labour MP involved in the same protest apologised and avoided suspension – further evidence, he said, that the response was proportional and fair.
Labour MP Reuben Davidson called the suspension “disproportionate,” arguing previous penalties had never exceeded three days. He said the coverage had become a media “sideshow,” though he acknowledged that protest and spectacle had overtaken policy discussion.
