Parliament's longest-serving MP Nick Smith accused the government of being a "Nazi establishment'' in the House last night as he was removed from the chamber by the Serjeant-at-Arms.
Long-standing National Party MP Nick Smith. Photo: Rebekah Parsons-King
Earlier in the day during Question Time, Smith - who has been an MP since 1990 and is known as the father of the House - was made to leave the chamber by Speaker Trevor Mallard after claims he was bias towards the government.
Once ejected an MP isn't allowed to return until the Speaker says, but it's understood Smith came back into the House on at least two other occasions during the evening, and it was on his third return that Deputy Speaker of the House and Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe asked him to leave.
This was after Labour's senior whip, Michael Wood, raised a point of order with Rurawhe that Smith was in the chamber when he shouldn't be.
Smith demanded to know what time he would be allowed to return - the House was sitting in urgency last night through till midnight and resumed again at 9am this morning.
"When you send us to prison, we're told how long [we're there] for," Smith told the House.
The Serjeant-at-Arms - a non-political officer responsible to the Speaker - was called by Rurawhe to escort Smith after he repeatedly spoke back from his chair rather than leaving.
As he exited Smith was heard yelling, "what sort of a Nazi establishment is running the place, seriously".
National leader Todd Muller said the comment was unacceptable and had relayed it to Smith.
"There is no excuse, but there is a huge amount of frustration that whenever we seek to really test the government in terms of their competence we seem to find all these roadblocks," he said.
Muller said Smith had entered the House because he wasn't told when he was allowed back in.
A history of being removed
Smith has a history of being asked to leave the House and has a particularly strained relationship with Mallard.
Last year Mallard suspended Smith from the House - a move he said left him "gobsmacked" at the time.
Being named in the process of ejection is a serious censure that includes a suspension from 'service of the house' for 24 hours.
Smith's pay was docked and he was removed from chairing the Justice Select Committee the next day.
It's understood it was the first time since 2006 that an MP had been named by the Speaker - and that was also Smith.