Winston Peters has been kicked out of Parliament by the Speaker while standing in for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Peters, the Deputy Prime Minister, was given his last warning by Trevor Mallard, the House Speaker, and was ordered to leave after "he continued to argue".
"He clearly didn't listen to my discussion before, he repeated something, he withdrew and apologised, and then continued to argue afterwards," Mallard said.
"He will leave the House."
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Peters had been arguing about a line of questioning by the National Party's education spokesperson Nikki Kaye who was inquiring about when the Government will deliver its policy for learning support coordinators.
Peters said: "With respect to the primary question on the issue of the value of supporting teachers, does the Government intend to rectify the grievous wrong done by the previous government and restore pay parity for teachers?"
Mallard interjected, telling Peters: "The Deputy Prime Minister has just heard me rule out an area of questioning down exactly that line", referring to a stern stance he had just taken against Kaye.
"For him to continue it, is just not showing the sort of leadership that one expects from the most experienced Member of the House."
Peters stood, withdrew and apologised. But he then stood and claimed paid parity for teachers "was destroyed by the previous administration, it having been put in there by a former government of which I was a member".
Peters declared: "This is politics and people need to hear it."
Mallard then told Peters to leave the House.
The Speaker had already given Peters a warning in Parliament on Tuesday when he told him he was on his last warning and walking on thin ice.
His hard line against Kaye also indicated that Mallard was in no mood to be challenged. He had told Kaye off for asking a supplementary question he said was not related to her primary question, to Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin.
Kaye had asked Martin if she stood by her statements regarding learning support coordinators. She asked Martin: "Is she confident that she understands the value of supporting teachers?"
Deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis, standing in for Martin, said "yes".
Kaye then asked: "Isn't it correct that zero new learning and support coordinators have been recruited under this policy eight months after the Prime Minister's promise and announcement?"
Davis replied: "Decisions around the recruitment of learning support coordinators will be made in due course."
Kaye then asked a supplementary question: "How can she say she values support for teachers when she got into a Facebook fight with a principal when she said teachers are effectively being greedy and are only interested in their pay packets?"
Mallard told Kaye her supplementary question did not relate to her primary question, despite her telling him she "worded that question very specifically".
Mallard assured Kaye: "I listened to it very carefully."
Newshub.
