Speaker’s Rulings — Te Reo Māori—Simultaneous Interpretation in the Chamber

Members, the House is resumed. The Business Committee yesterday, essentially, convened for a discussion on the use of te reo Māori in the House during oral questions. I want to reiterate the right of every member to use any official language of New Zealand in the House.

To ensure that members do hear the interpretation of anybody’s contribution, it was agreed at the Business Committee yesterday that the interpreters will take around about 15 to 20 seconds’ pause while they begin that particular translation. I think this will assist members in using the earpieces that are currently provided. There’s also some investigation going on into the quality of the earpieces we’ve got. Quite clearly, moving forward, we’re going to need better—I see all the heads nodding; that’s great. It’s like being back in the classroom—it’s fantastic. Quite clearly, we’re going to need to have a better audio system available to members.