7. RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does she stand by her reply to question for written answer No. 414 (2006), “On 9 December 2005 a VIP car transporting me was hit from behind in Ponsonby Road.”, when asked “Has the Prime Minister’s motorcade been involved in any accidents in the past 12 months; if so, on what dates, where and what are the details?”, and how many cars were involved in the accident?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Deputy Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes. The information I have suggests three cars were involved: the one that stopped suddenly, the car the Prime Minister was in, and the car behind her, which ran into the car the Prime Minister was in.
Does the Prime Minister remember her campaign promise given in Taranaki – King Country: “We will restore public accountability, openness, and honesty.”; and does she believe her reply to that question met the standard that she promised to the people of New Zealand?
Did the Prime Minister believe that she could get away with telling Parliament and the people of New Zealand that her car was hit from behind, and failing to say that the car that hit her from behind was part of her own motorcade, the VIP police escort, and that in fact her car was shunted into the car in front; if not, why did she not actually provide the detail of the accident?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
The VIP car the Prime Minister was in was hit from behind. The information about that car is now still in the public arena, but it is not the normal practice to identify Diplomatic Protection Squad cars, which of course was the designation of the car following her. It is somewhat exaggerated, I think, to describe two cars as a motorcade.
Was the Prime Minister a little sensitive about her motorcade, given that it could not negotiate Ponsonby Road without incurring an accident, and that the Prime Minister had just been telling the people of New Zealand that she was quite safe and so were the public of New Zealand when she was travelling at 170 kilometres per hour through the South Island?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
The indications I have are that the car in front of the VIP car stopped suddenly. Why that happened, I do not know. The VIP car stopped suddenly. As the member may or may not be aware, a Diplomatic Protection Squad car follows very closely upon a VIP car. The Diplomatic Protection Squad car was unable to stop in time, and so rear-ended the Prime Minister’s car. There was no front-end damage to the Prime Minister’s car, and the occupants of the car in front of the Prime Minister’s car were checked for injury. There were no injuries reported.
Hon Rick Barker
Madam SPEAKER