Source: Radio New Zealand
Shane Jones. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Shane Jones has apologised after making a jab at the Finance Minister’s weight loss as the coalition ructions shift gears into personal attacks.
The argy bargy between National and New Zealand First first kicked off on Wednesday morning when Winston Peters told RNZ’s Morning Report it would have been “wise” for the Prime Minister to have told him about the motion of confidence vote he was planning to call in National’s caucus meeting on Tuesday.
Christopher Luxon survived the vote but the New Zealand First leader called his decision to even have it a “bad move”, “unprecedented” and suggested it would “have consequences”.
A short time later, National’s deputy leader Nicola Willis told RNZ that Peters was “mischief-making” and that the “risk” with New Zealand First was that the party had a “track record of going with Labour”.
Luxon added to that on Newstalk ZB’s The Country a short time later saying Peters was the person who had put Dame Jacinda Ardern in charge of the country and described New Zealand First and Peters’ own belief system as “anti-immigrant”.
New Zealand First’s deputy leader Shane Jones has gone much further on Thursday, telling reporters on his way into the House that the back and forth between the two parties was simply the “bump and grind of politics”.
When it was put to him that Willis had doubled down on her comments, despite Peters making clear his party would not work with Labour, Jones got personal.
“I dunno, maybe it’s an outcome of losing too much weight, I don’t know,” he told reporters as he walked off to Question Time.
RNZ put that comment to Willis, who had headed off to catch a flight. She said she did not want to comment.
Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon. Samuel Rillstone/RNZ
But just an hour after making the remark Jones was back in front of reporters apologising.
“I owe an apology to Nicola Willis, it has been reported that my remarks were not in keeping with what one would expect from a senior parliamentarian.
“I shall be very mindful in answering questions in the future that they don’t have an unnecessary hurtful impact on my colleagues,” he said.
Jones has also personally apologised to Willis, which she has accepted.
It’s the second apology she’s received in 24 hours after Willis took offence to a comment Labour leader Chris Hipkins made in the House on Wednesday afternoon.
Hipkins, during a point of order, said, “I think she may be having a few issues. She may need some medical help”, after Willis made a loud groaning sound.
Willis demanded an apology, which prompted Hipkins to be asked to withdraw the comment, and then outside of the House the pair crossed paths with each other in front of reporters, and Willis again asked for an apology.
Hipkins later in the day got in touch to personally apologise, which she also accepted.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
