Female MPs refuse the back seat

The HOS reports on how three female MPs walked out of an official visit to a CYF office, after a kaumatua attacked them for refusing to sit in the back.

It is outrageous that an official Government Department would insult MPs like this. It would be different if this was a marae, but this department is voted funds by Parliament and is ultimately accountable to it. The MPs did absolutely the right thing in refusing to put up with this PC nonsense.

To make it even worse there had been an agreement with CYF that there would be no powhiri and no seating. The MPs concerned had made it clear they didn’t want one and would not sit at the back if there was one.

So what we have is a Government Department which went out of its way to insult and abuse said MPs, reneging on the agreement not to have a powhiri.