Face of the Day

New Zealand First minister Shane Jones says future government funding for the Waitangi National Trust shouldn’t be given unless they “buck their ideas up” after what he described as a “circus” pōwhiri for Parliament.

National minister Paul Goldsmith says he doesn’t support the idea of restricting funding based on such a premise, while Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson described it as an “abuse of power” but didn’t call for Jones’ sacking.

Jones, the Minister for Regional Development and a known advocate for Northland, made the comments to journalists after he and other Parliamentarians were welcomed on to the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi – the group including Act leader David Seymour, who had his microphone taken from him twice by one Northland Māori leader during his speech.

NZ Herald