Politics Live Blog - ongoing OLD

David Seymour, who will be deputy prime minister from Saturday, says a challenge from Māori activist Eru Kapa-Kingi for a charity boxing match is "primitive, immature behaviour".

“You can’t be very good at debating if you have to threaten violence. If Te Pāti Māori have good ideas, they should put them out and persuade people," he said. 

“The question for people adjacent to this crowd, is do they accept this behaviour? Do the Labour and Green parties want to be seen with a party that behaves this way? Does the University of Auckland want to have a lecturer who threatens politicians with violence because he is lost for words? It’s time for those institutions to stand up and be counted. Te Pāti Māori may be a lost cause but what about their associates? People deserve to know where they stand.

“Perhaps most importantly, what do the people who voted for Te Pāti Māori to take privileged seats in our parliament believe? If you voted for a Te Pāti Māori candidate at the last election, is this the kind of representation you want in your name?

“The irony is, I did grow up in the same hood as this young man. I went to Hora Hora kindergarten where I understand he did, and played rugby for the Hora Hora club. The kind of thuggish immature behaviour that he refers to is not how I remember my community then. We shouldn’t try to believe that he represents any community, just his own primitive immature behaviour.”

Kapa-Kingi said he wanted to fight Seymour because he had insulted his mother, Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, in the House. Seymour has participated in charitable causes such as Dancing with the Stars in 2018 where he twerked in a tight fluoro outfit and raised $50,000 for Kidsline. 

You can read Eru's challenge in the post below.