The House - What's In A Name?

The House crawled through legislation under urgency last night as MPs focused on words, Maori and English and their place in names.

Business completed yesterday was:

- The Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions - Special Portability Arrangement) Amendment Bill - third reading;

- The Local Government Law Reform Bill (no2) - second reading;

- consideration of the select committee report on the Sale of Liquor Amendment Bill;

- Child Support Amendment Bill (no.5) - third Reading.

But it was the committee report on the Child, Youth and Whanau Services Bill that led to the question first posed by William Shakespeare - "What's in a name".

The latest reorganistion of CYPFS was meant to lead to the new name of the Child, Youth and Whanau Services.
Committee Chair, Joy Quigley, pointed out that some groups including Te Puni Kokiri thought the word Whanau was misplaced in the title.

MPs, in particular leapt to the cause. Derek Quigley (ACT) sat in his chair in disbelief and finally rose like a bear baited to say the MPs were being precious.

He extolled the virtues of a living language that took words and used them in new contexts and pondered over how someone had to work hard to keep up with the latest derivatives.

Dr Quigley was given short shrift by Labour MPs who argued that Maori had to be protected.

The other major debate in the House last night was whether Youth was a pejorative word.

The debate has continued along similar lines this morning.

ENDS

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