Points of Order

CRAIG FOSS (National—Tukituki) Link to this

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Yesterday I took offence at accusations made in this House by the Rt Hon Winston Peters that were designed to discredit my integrity.

DAIL JONES (NZ First) Link to this

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker.

GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) Link to this

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. First, let me inform the House that it was quite unclear what Mr Peters was alleging yesterday during question time. Subsequent to question time, after getting hold of a transcript from the television service, it became clear exactly what Mr Peters had said. At that point, a staff member from the National Party circulated material in the gallery to make it abundantly clear that Mr Peters had got it wrong. Mr Foss has just returned to the capital, having been away from Wellington. This is his first opportunity to raise this matter. I do not think it is unreasonable—[ Interruption]

DAIL JONES (NZ First) Link to this

In the first instance, Mr Foss was given leave yesterday to make a personal explanation, which he did. Mr Brownlee seems to be unaware of that fact. In the second instance, Mr Foss is wrong in what he has been saying, because I have in front of me a Companies Office search for Cynotech Holdings Ltd that indicates that Craig Foss is the holder of 2,524,750 shares. Further along in this Companies Office record there is reference to three people who held shares, and that might suggest that those three people were trustees. That is the usual way in which one implies that there might be a trust. But as it stands on the Companies Office register, the Rt Hon Winston Peters is absolutely correct. There is only one person who holds the shares, and there is no indication that those shares are being held on the part of a trust. Of course, the Companies Office register does not say that one is a trustee of a trust. So all we need from Mr Foss is an explanation to say that he is the sole trustee of this trust, and that he has a beneficial interest in this trust, and then the matter would be at an end. As it stands, there is clearly an ambiguity. I would just ask Mr Foss to clarify that he is the trustee of this trust, because we know that trusts are not disclosed on the Companies Office register. That would end the matter.

CRAIG FOSS (National—Tukituki) Link to this

I took offence at the allegations made yesterday. I refuted them yesterday in a personal statement made when I tabled a document in the House. I am still offended by the allegations made yesterday, Madam Speaker. I ask that you require the member to withdraw and apologise.

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) Link to this

I think the member has got himself into a bit of difficulty now, because if he made a personal statement yesterday and was seeking an apology, he should have sought it from Mr Peters straight away. He should not come back into the House now—in the middle of question time—and raise another point of order. Apparently, in the light of recent discussion, he was, in fact, using a trust to cover his owning 2.5 million shares—not an insignificant amount. We have had very many accusations flying across this House over the last week or two about things being held in trusts.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) Link to this

The allegations that I made went with the documents, and Mr Dail Jones has clearly explained what those documents say. We are prepared to give Mr Foss a chance to clear up the ambiguity referred to, but he does not want to.

GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) Link to this

If New Zealand First members are so clever at working out for themselves Mr Foss’s arrangements around these matters, and my noting also that Mr Foss did make a declaration on his pecuniary interests register, why do they know so little about themselves?

DAIL JONES (NZ First) Link to this

I seek leave to table the first two pages of a Companies Office search for Cynotech Holdings Ltd.

GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) Link to this

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I need to call to your attention our observation that when Mr Foss first attempted to raise this matter, you stopped him mid-sentence on at least two occasions inside a minute. But Mr Jones, who completely ignored the convention that one does not go back over matters raised in a personal statement, was allowed to drone on for quite some time without any interruption whatsoever. In fact, it was only when an interjection was made during the point of order that he finally shut up.

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) Link to this

Clearly, what Mr Jones was referring to was the nature of the allegations made about what Mr Peters was supposed to have said. He was presenting documentary evidence to support Mr Peters’ claims; he was not, in fact, questioning the statement made by Mr Foss.

CRAIG FOSS (National—Tukituki) Link to this

I seek the leave of the House to table a document that outlines the major shareholding of Cynotech Holdings Ltd. It is its annual report 2004, which lists the members of the Foss Family Trust as shareholders—a publicly listed company.