Politics on sidelines

There were snipes, barbed comments and echoes of Maurice Williamson's ministerial resignation as Parliament's politics came to town yesterday.

Nine members of the local government and environment select committee flew in to Dunedin to hear southern views on proposed changes to earthquake-prone buildings.

Incumbent MPs of all political stripes were gathered at one table, while former cabinet minister-turned-city councillor David Benson-Pope looked back at them.

It was not long before politics began to creep in, starting with Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan's request for balance to ''Minister'' Maurice Williamson.

That prompted a quick ''no, no - I'm not a minister'' from the National MP, who lost his ministerial role.

Mr Williamson - whose past portfolios included responsibility for the Bill - grilled Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull over his criticism of it.

Among several politically loaded questions, New Zealand First MP Andrew Williams really rumbled the room when he compared the debate to the leaky home disaster.

Amid a chorus of complaints from National MPs, Mr Cull sat back, eyebrows raised, and grinned.

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