New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is requesting Speaker Gerry Brownlee "lay down very firmly what his expectations are" in the House after "theatrical behaviour" from Te Pāti Māori at the swearing-in.
He's wanting the Speaker to look at whether the oaths members of Te Pāti Māori took on Tuesday fulfilled the requirements of the Constitution Act. Section 11 says someone cannot sit as an MP until they have taken the Oath of Allegiance in a specific form.
The correct wording of the oath refers to Kīngi Tiāre. But instead MPs, including co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, said Kingi harehare.
While Waititi contended that harehare is another name for Charles, the Māori Dictionary says harehare can mean a "skin rash" or "eczema".
The controversy has caught global headlines, with some international media outlets saying the party was mocking King Charles III.
Jones on Wednesday said he didn't undermine the Clerk of the House who administered the oath and didn't immediately raise any objections.
"I'm sure that the Clerk of the House was confident that the intent was there. But it is arguable whether the term was taking the 'P-I-S-S' or whether it was a genuine thing.
"But my point of writing a letter to Gerry is there's a great saying, 'start as you need to go on' and if we're going to see three years of this kind of theatrical behaviour, I certainly don't want to see any more edible art or wearable art in Parliament."
Jones said he hadn't spoken to Waititi about his issue and noted that Waititi had said his uncle is called Charles and is referred to as Hare.
"He could be making that up on his feet, I don't know."
He said he wanted the Speaker to lay down his expectations on decorum and conduct in the House.
"If we're expected all to abide by the letter of the law, then it applies to Winston and I and everyone else."
Asked on Tuesday if there was another meaning to harehare, Waititi said: "I don't know."
"Those are the words we use on the coast."
Ngarewa-Packer said: "I am sure there are lots of meanings for lots of things."
Jones said at the time he was aware of the second meaning of the word.
"They are trying to make fun of the transliteration Hare, which if said as harehare is kind of a transliteration of Charlie, but it also means something objectionable."
He said the guts of the oath was addressed by the Te Pāti Māori MPs.
"But know this from me, I put my Māori language ability up against anyone in this House and when I detect that the language is being used for cultural bullying, they're going to meet a bigger bully in the form of Matua."
