Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

MP Kiri Allan gives wrong speech on freedom camping bill in Parliament

Thomas Coughlan
Thomas Coughlan
Political Editor·NZ Herald·
30 May, 2023 11:08 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Justice Minister Kiri Allan was given the wrong speech to read. Video / Parliament TV

Labour Cabinet Minister Kiri Allan read the wrong speech at the third reading of a freedom camping bill in Parliament last night.

She re-read almost word for word a speech given at the Self-contained Motor Vehicles Legislation bill’s second reading.

The bill is not Allan’s, but belongs to Tourism Minister Peeni Henare, who was not able to be in the House. Allan was roped in to speak on the bill at the last minute and Labour whips gave her the wrong speech to read.

National MPs Joseph Mooney and Simeon Brown spotted the error and noted Allan’s speech referred to potential changes that would be made to the bill in the Committee of the Whole Stage, which had already been and gone.

Allan told the Herald she was “handed the wrong speech”.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“I understand the whips have provided some further information about what happened and I’m pleased the Bill was able to pass,” Allan said.

Labour’s chief whip Tangi Utikere took responsibility for the mistake.

He said Government Whips “co-ordinate Minister’s speeches in case Ministers are unable to give their speech on their Bill”.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“In this case Hon Kiri Allan was in the House and gave a speech on behalf of Hon Peeni Henare who was unable to be present. Unfortunately, she was handed the wrong speech, ultimately this is the responsibility of the Whips Office and is our error,” he said.

“This had no impact on the passage of the Bill through the House,” he said.

Justice Minister Kiri Allan was given the wrong speech to read. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Justice Minister Kiri Allan was given the wrong speech to read. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Shadow leader of the House Michael Woodhouse said the episode was “embarrassing” and “incompetent”.

He said the episode was indicative of Labour “starting to fall apart”.

“The minister read a speech talking about making amendments to the bill. She should have realised it was the wrong speech, the wrong reading,” he said.

This is far from the first time MPs have read the wrong speech in Parliament.

In 2010, an almost identical mix-up occurred when duty minister Jonathan Coleman gave the wrong speech on a tax bill on behalf of Revenue Minister Peter Dunne.

The speech was two years old.

In 2020, when the Government introduced and passed the wrong piece of legislation, creating a multi-billion dollar loan scheme that it expected to announce a short while later.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Premium
Bay of Plenty Times

Former city councillor's gold-trading business collapses

19 Sep 06:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Absolutely nuts': Hailstorm hits ahead of school holiday 'atmospheric river'

19 Sep 06:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

20-minute free parking approved for Tauranga city centre and fringe zones

19 Sep 01:52 AM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Premium
Premium
Former city councillor's gold-trading business collapses
Bay of Plenty Times

Former city councillor's gold-trading business collapses

Liquidators say unsecured creditors are owed more than $300,000.

19 Sep 06:00 PM
'Absolutely nuts': Hailstorm hits ahead of school holiday 'atmospheric river'
Bay of Plenty Times

'Absolutely nuts': Hailstorm hits ahead of school holiday 'atmospheric river'

19 Sep 06:00 AM
20-minute free parking approved for Tauranga city centre and fringe zones
Bay of Plenty Times

20-minute free parking approved for Tauranga city centre and fringe zones

19 Sep 01:52 AM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP