Points of Order — Questions for Oral Answer—Imputations in Respect of Persons Outside House

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Kia ora tātou. I just wanted to check with you about a matter that actually happened yesterday, and I accept that it should have been raised at the time. However, additional knowledge has come to pass since then. Yesterday in question time Clare Curran raised a number of questions in respect of the appointment of the chief executive officer of the Māori Television board. The question was to the Prime Minister, I think, and it talked about the confidence of the Prime Minister in the board in respect of the appointment of a chief executive officer.

During question time she put into the public arena by way of Parliament a number of pieces of information about Mr Paora Maxwell and his former employment, so at the time I assumed that an appointment had been made, but I have since found that that is not the case and that there has been no appointment to the position. The statements that she has now put into the public arena may well influence the appointment of a chief executive officer to the Māori Television Service, so in this point of order I ask what guidance there might be, bearing in mind that the ramifications of that information being in the public arena may well influence the outcome of an appointment of a chief executive officer, and whether there are any consequences—such as an apology, perhaps—from Ms Curran for putting it into the public arena, bearing in mind that that may well jeopardise future employment for that particular person.

I do not believe there is anything that I can do as Speaker, in that that question was raised yesterday. It was, in fact, a question to the Minister of Finance, as a shareholding Minister. The questions were in order; the answers were in order. The ramifications of those questions and answers are now something that must be dealt with by Māori Television, perhaps, but I do not believe that there is anything that this House can do to assist. If the member believes that there was any deliberate misleading, there is certainly an avenue available to him, and if he is unsure of that remedy, he is welcome to talk to me after question time.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think the normal avenue for misleading has now passed, but I think that if Mr Maxwell feels that there have been any inaccuracies, he has the ability to seek a correction.

That is certainly true, and that is available to Mr Maxwell, if he so thinks.