The Labour MP just elected as Parliament's Speaker is promising to award the Opposition more opportunities to scrutinise ministers if the Government doesn't shorten some of the answers to questions it asks itself in the House.
Adrian Rurawhe, who has held the Te Tai Hauāuru seat since 2014, was elected Speaker by MPs on Wednesday, with no other MP standing against him.
His accession to the role comes after the resignation of Trevor Mallard, who is New Zealand's next Ambassador to Ireland. Mallard spent Wednesday's session in the House sitting up the back near rebel MP Dr Gaurav Sharma.
Following his election, Rurawhe went to Government House to be sworn in by the Governor-General at a ceremony attended by whanau, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins among others.
The Speaker acts as a type of referee in the House, meaning they have to make often-contentious decisions about who can speak, whether a question is valid, and if an answer addresses what's been asked.
Before leaving to see the Queen's representative, Rurawhe made a few remarks about what he envisioned his time in the role would look like.
"I think it's really important that I state here today that I will carry on the long tradition of upholding the rights and privileges of this House," he said.
"I think it's important that all of those rights are upheld and acknowledged, rights and privileges like freedom of speech. You are all the voices of all of the people that you represent. It's important that their voices are heard."
He promised party leaders "I will do everything to ensure that you have the opportunity to hold the Government to account". The Speaker-elect told the Government it was his expectation "that you will be accountable".
"I have noticed a few things about Question Time that I think that could be improved," Rurawhe said, to which he received applause from both sides. "Unfortunately they are numerous."
He gave the example of when the Government has one of its own backbencher Labour MPs ask it questions - something referred to as patsy questions. These can allow a minister to use their answer to boast about something the Government is doing.
Rurawhe said the answers to those questions "need to be a bit shorter and more succinct".
"It's quite interesting and a little bit puzzling actually, that the Government sometimes ends Question Time with… a number of unused supplementaries," he said.
"I think some of those supplementaries should be used in this way. Some of those answers should be cut down and be less speech-like and more succinct. You could achieve that by asking more supplementaries.
"Failure to do so will see the Opposition receive more supplementaries to do it."
That received applause from the Opposition benches. Supplementaries are the follow-up questions MPs can ask after primary questions. A certain number are allocated to each party.
Rurawhe said there were other things he can do to improve Question Time, but didn't share.
"I'm probably going to leave it there… in a way I probably should go on because this is probably going to be the last time I speak or have the opportunity to speak."
He said he can't "proclaim to be an expert on all the rules of this House".
"However, I believe that being fair is probably paramount. For me, if it feels like it's out of order, it probably is. And if feels it's okay, it probably is.
"I hope that as a House, we can collectively come to those understandings. I think there is the opportunity for more robust debate, and that's okay. But it has to be done with fairness."
Rurawhe had his first opportunity to lay down the rules not long after that speech when newly independent MP Dr Sharma used a speaking spot to again raise concerns about processes in Parliament. The new Speaker shut him down, saying that wasn't the purpose of Wednesday's contributions.
Dr Sharma was expelled from the Labour caucus on Tuesday after days of making bullying accusations against other MPs and alleging a cover-up culture within the party. All claims have been rejected by Labour and no evidence has been provided.
