Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 21/11/23

You can get away with being the first white bloke to win an electorate – but don’t try making a joke about it

No news to pass on from the Beehive website today, sorry. But we have noted how quickly political reporters can swarm – and inflict their sting – after one of them was alerted to something a newly elected MP had said on Election Day.

The result has been a spate of reports which have taken at least some of the media’s focus away from the coalition negotiations and on to happenings in the Upper Harbour Electorate several weeks ago.

RNZ headlined its report from Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch:

New National MP Cameron Brewer celebrated victory for ‘stale, pale males’ after defeat of Sri Lankan-born rival

Uh, oh. It looks like RNZ has exposed a bloke with racist and sexist proclivities.

New National MP Cameron Brewer has apologised for a “poor attempt at humour” after celebrating the return of “stale, pale males” in his election night victory speech, having ousted Labour’s Vanushi Walters from Upper Harbour.

In a recording of the speech leaked to RNZ, Brewer can be heard declaring himself a “glass ceiling breaker” to laughs from the crowd.

“I’ll be the first male MP for Upper Harbour,” he says to cheers. “Stale, pale males are back!”

An audience member shouts in response: “Stale, pale, male!”

McCulloch proceeded to focus on the race-gender mix in National’s ranks:

The comments come as National faces scrutiny for a lack of diversity in its new caucus, and follow a public commitment from leader Christopher Luxon to improve representation.

Almost 70 percent of National’s caucus this term are men, and 80 percent are Pākehā.

The Upper Harbour electorate had been held by Walters – New Zealand’s first Sri Lankan-born MP – since 2020, and before that, National’s Paula Bennett since the seat’s formation in 2014.

McCulloch does not disclose who (if anybody) has taken offence at the remarks brought to RNZ’s attention.

Someone at the function at which Brewer had spoken?

But it was a small private function held at the Massey Rugby Football Club at Moire Park in West Harbour.

Moreover, the contentious remark perhaps was a joke that might have landed with a small bunch of party supporters, but has not travelled well.

Contacted by RNZ, Brewer said the remarks were intended to be funny and self-deprecating but accepted they were unwise.

“If anyone is offended by this comment, of course, I apologise… I don’t want to be the subject of distraction,” Brewer said.

“In my defence, it was a private function, but nonetheless, it was a silly thing to say. It was clearly a poor attempt at humour, and it’s something I wouldn’t say again.”

Brewer told RNZ he was disappointed the speech had been leaked and regretted that his “minor offence” could have poorly reflected on him or the National Party.

“It was an exciting election night victory. We were all a little bit excited. And hence, my speech possibly went off the core message of gratitude.”

The experience – it seems – has been instructive:

“It’s a lesson for a first-term MP that even if you’re in a private function, cracking jokes, you’ve just got to be ultra careful as to what you say.”

He should have learned this long ago, of course, because his business has been in communications and he has worked as a press secretary for former ACT leader Rodney Hide, former Auckland Mayor John Banks and former Opposition leader Jenny Shipley.

The joke that backfired at least has provided the rookie MP with a platform to declare his backing for Christoper Luxon and for National’s diversification aspirations.

Brewer said he “absolutely” supported his leader’s stated drive to improve diversity within the National Party.

“That is something I clearly support, if you look at all my work in local government, in and around business advocacy [and] community leadership in different roles over the last 20 years.

“I’ve helped as many candidates as I can, all around Auckland, of various ethnic heritage and backgrounds.”

RNZ noted that Luxon…

… has talked at length about the need for National’s caucus to more closely reflect the make-up of New Zealand, sending a direct message to party faithful last year that he wanted them to front more diverse candidates.

Despite that, Upper Harbour’s local members selected Brewer as a candidate ahead of the four other contenders on the shortlist, all women, including now-ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar.

Perhaps McCulloch should also have scolded Upper Harbour voters

At the 2020 general election, Labour’s Vanushi Walters (17,573 votes) took the seat from National (its candidate, Jake Bezzant, won 15,181 votes).

A report on the Spinoff at the time enthused about Parliament’s improved diversity:

Vanushi Walters moved to New Zealand as a five-year-old from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and this month replaced the retiring Paula Bennett as Upper Harbour’s electorate MP. Calling her first week “extraordinary”, the human rights lawyer says having a more diverse parliament is showing that New Zealand is becoming a more inclusive place.

“There’s a quote that goes, diversity is being asked to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance. To take that metaphor a little further, belonging and equity is having a seat at the table.

“I’ve always felt I belonged, having called New Zealand since 1987, but becoming a member of parliament will, I hope, help me ensure that others both from ethnic communities and from Upper Harbour feel their voices are heard.”

At this year’s election, Cameron Brewer won the seat back for National with 21,498 votes – a majority of 11,192 over Vanushi, who won 10,306 votes.

Oh – let’s not forget that the seat was first won in 2014 by National’s Paula Bennett, a Māori and a woman who became deputy Prime Minister.

She held the seat in 2017.

Cameron Brewer accordingly was the first white male to win the seat last month.

It was trying to jest about this accomplishment that his plunged him into the headlines today.

Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton