My Right

The Primary Production Committee sat for several months, consumed an enormous amount of parliament’s time, and reported on 2 December 2003. Winston Peters produced no evidence to support those reckless allegations he had made, and he certainly did not table the “voluminous evidence” he had promised to table. He was as quiet as a lamb, with barely a whisper. Last night on television further allegations were made, and reference was made to a sworn affidavit. The functioning of this parliament and its processes was raised, and the programme focused on a former member of this House – perhaps one of the most savoury members who has passed through this House – a Mr Ross Meurant.

Hon Trevor Mallard: Unsavoury.

Hon Ken Shirley: Certainly unsavoury. It seems that a former member of parliament, Ross Meurant, was engaged by Siminovich Fisheries as an adviser and a lobbyist. Concurrent with that, of course – and a lot of people do not realise this – Mr Meurant was also hired by the NZ First party and paid for on its payroll; actually the taxpayers’ payroll through Parliamentary Services. We were told that Mr Meurant attended several meetings, together with principals of Siminovich Fisheries, and Mr Meurant’s former partner of some nine years, Yvonne Teresa Dossiter, swears that Ross Meurant met at the Siminovich’s olive farm following the infamous Kermadec restaurant meal, and the proposal was put that the payment of $300,000 to Meurant would be a good investment for the Siminovich business.