Face of the Day

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has started his speech saying The Treaty Principles Bill is “a stain on this country”.

To applause from the crowd, he said: “This is a grubby little bill born of a grubby little deal.”

Speaker Gerry Brownlee then interrupted the speech, warning the public gallery that any further noise – even applause – would see the public gallery of parliament cleared out.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer told the crowd, “kia kaha”.

Hipkins said National and NZ First could not claim to be on the right side of history just by voting against the bill today.

“They lead nothing, they stood for nothing,” Hipkins told the government benches.

Stuff