Points of Order: Normality returns, with Kelvin Davis back in charge – Stuff

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to journalists, on Tuesday morning, after returning from almost two weeks in the US.

Stuffs bureau of political reporters share diversions and observations on hive life in their weekly column on the peculiarity of Parliament, Points of Order.

OPINION: Theres an unwritten rule at Parliament, where politicians usually fall quiet when their boss walks into the room. But after almost two weeks of the prime minister being away, Labours senior MPs were perhaps getting used to ruling the roost.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern not-so-subtly shunted deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis away from the cameras on Tuesday morning, for her first stand up with reporters on home soil since returning from the US.

Davis was sharing kind words about Speaker Trevor Mallard, after a 1 News poll found he had just 17% public support. To be fair, 35% of people didnt have an opinion on the fairly niche role of Speaker of Parliament. But then, 48% disapproved of his performance.

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I get on well with him, Davis said, with Ardern hovering in the wing. As he prepared to expand on these pleasantries, Ardern hinted that it was time to wrap things up. Sorry, or not, she interrupted, stepping in front of the microphone stands.

Not to worry, just a few days later Davis was actually in charge. For the first time since pre-pandemic days, Davis was acting prime minister - but only for a day.

Office of the Australian Prime Minister

Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern take a selfie on Thursday night, in Sydney.

Ardern and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson jetted to Australia on Thursday, to meet with its newly elected Labor government. With both of them gone, Davis spent Friday as the countrys technical prime minister. The last time that happened was during the Ardern-Winston Peters government.

More frequent international travel is one of the main signs Parliament is returning to business as usual, if anyone knows what that means any more.

Opposition MPs are getting back into the business of calling for resignations. Watch out Mallard, and Police Minister Poto Williams. The debating chamber is livening up, with ministers firing back and more backbench MPs coming along to jeer or cheer.

Politics isnt all about Parliament. Sometimes, major announcements occur at sites such as a funeral home in Masterton.

The Budget, now almost a distant memory, is generally marked by showy announcements and a roadshow for Cabinet ministers to tout their wares. But, we found out this week, an audience of about 50 people at a funeral home in Masterton were lucky enough to have their own, private Budget announcement last month.

GCSB boss Andrew Hampton gave a speech to the Wairarapa branch of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs on the night of the Budget and mentioned his colleagues at the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) had received funding for foreign interference work.

This, in itself, isnt a surprise. But, given there was no listed spending for this in the Budget, it was interesting enough to follow up: How much money went to this?

In typical fashion for intelligence matters, the response was all signal and little substance. Neither the agencies or Intelligence Agencies Minister Andrew Little wanted to say.

Little said he approved Hampton mentioning foreign interference funding, as it reminded everyone the Government was committed to protecting the country from such threats. By everyone, he presumably means the 50 people in the audience at Mastertons Rosewood Funeral Home.

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Points of Order: Normality returns, with Kelvin Davis back in charge - Stuff