Trevor Mallard is punishing Simon Bridges for defying his ruling last month to remove attack ads using Parliament TV footage featuring MPs without their permission.
The House Speaker ruled on Tuesday that the Leader of the Opposition will have a maximum of five supplementary questions - or follow-up questions - each day in Parliament this week.
Mallard said the National Party will retain its full allocation of supplementary questions so other members can make use of them.
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"The restriction will be for one sitting week for each working week that the advertisements have been online in contravention of the ruling," Mallard said.
"If they are not down by 5pm Friday this week, then the Leader of the Opposition's allocation of supplementary questions will reduce by one more next week and then again each week going forward."
The Speaker's ruling follows his announcement last month that using edited Parliament TV footage featuring MPs without their permission must be removed by 5pm on Friday, September 27.
It followed a complaint to the Speaker by Junior Labour Whip Kieran McAnulty who pointed out that political advertising by National had included Parliament TV footage used without the permission of MPs.
The rules of Parliament - or Standing Orders - state that use of Parliament TV coverage "must not be used in any medium for political advertising or election campaigning (except with the permission of all members shown)".
The video referred to in the complaint was published by National, and used footage of Labour MP Deborah Russell discussing the "intellectual history behind wellbeing".
It focuses mostly on Dr Russell discussing Greek mythology and concludes with Assistant Speaker Ruth Dyson asking her to get back on topic.
By the time 5pm came around on September 27, National MPs defied the Speaker's ruling by sharing the Deborah Russell video on their social media channels.
That way, Bridges wouldn't take all the blame if he was called before the Privileges Committee - sort of like Parliament's court.
But the Speaker did not refer it to the Privileges Committee, even though that is in his power.
"I have relatively few tools available outside referral to the Privileges Committee or naming a member for grossly disorderly conduct," Mallard said. "I do not intend to exercise either of these options."
Bridges wrote to the Speaker last month arguing that the video of Dr Russell "does not attack or criticise the Labour Party or the Government".
"All the video does is draw the attention of viewers to the explanation provided by Dr Russell. In doing so, it offers no further commentary than Dr Russell's words."
The Standing Orders Committee - which reviews or considers rules of the House - has previously removed a ban on using Parliament TV footage for "satire or ridicule".
Mallard has now recommended the committee meet to review the current matter.
He said any new advertisements that breach the rules will result in a further reduction.
Newshub.
