Party co-leader James Shaw added that National MPs who want conversion therapy banned should have had the courage of their convictions and crossed the floor at the bill's first reading.
Shaw and co-leader Marama Davidson made their comments to media at the party's AGM in Upper Hutt today, which took place at the same time as the National Party's AGM in Auckland.
National Party leader Judith Collins used her speech today to outline the party's key areas of focus, while adding that "recognising the Treaty as a founding document" was a core party value.
Asked about this, Davidson said it was "a bit of a laugh and quite hypocritical" seeing as Collins had been claiming a Government's hidden separatist agenda based on a document that wasn't Government policy.
This week Collins also supported her MP Stuart Smith's call for a referendum on the country's name as "Aotearoa". Smith added that government departments should stop using "Aotearoa" until the referendum could be held.
Davidson said National's rhetoric was "dangerous" and she would continue to "call out any racism, any bigotry".
She said it was "hypocritical" for National to oppose the first reading of a bill banning conversion therapy.
Act had a similar position to National - supporting the bill's intent but with concerns about criminalising parents - but voted in favour of the bill to it to select committee.
"They [National] said on the one hand they're against conversion therapy," Davidson said.
"They didn't vote for it. Then they completely misunderstood or wanted to purposefully mislead what the bill would actually do.
"Why didn't they just support us at the first reading, instead of playing politics in a way that actually continues to harm people who are already struggling to be seen as valid parts of our families and communities? That's quite a despicable approach to politics."
Young Nats president Stephanie-Anne Ross told the National Party's AGM that the youth wing was disappointed in the party's opposition to the bill.
MPs including Chris Bishop, Nicola Willis, Erica Stanford, Nicola Grigg, Matt Doocey, Joseph Mooney and Mark Mitchell wore rainbow ribbons at the AGM to show their support.
After the first reading, Bishop suggested on Twitter that the way he had wanted to vote on the bill was hamstrung by a caucus decision.
Shaw said National MPs who wanted to support the bill at first reading should have just done so - even if that meant crossing the floor and potentially leaving an impression of a divided caucus just days before the party's AGM.
"They should have just had the courage of their convictions, because it's just so transparent that they're not united on this," Shaw said.
"They look like they didn't have any moral compass or any convictions."
Shaw said the National Party's lines this weekend on learning from past mistakes didn't make sense given the decision not to make any changes at the top; Peter Goodfellow has been re-elected National Party president, triggering David Carter to resign from the board.
"At a time when we've got a climate crisis, a housing crisis, a 30-year infrastructure deficit ... not to mention a pandemic on top of all of it, and they are just going down these weird rabbit holes, trying to trigger people into switching the vote back to them," Shaw said.
"I don't think anybody buys it. And I don't think it's good for the country."
He also criticised Labour for failing the hundreds of thousands of migrants on temporary visas, whose futures remain in limbo for over a year with no pathway to residency.
Those migrants should all be granted New Zealand residency, Shaw said.
"These are people who have actually contributed to the team of five million. They were part of that effort to keep everybody safe, they're paying taxes, they're part of their communities. That should be acknowledged.
"And this pandemic is not over yet. We've still got a way to play out, and it seems deeply unfair that we aren't including them."
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Yes yes, all well and good but we have been promised the sparkly new, reformed, honest, woke, and completely trustworthy National Party.
They've learned that hypocrisy, lying, appealing to the noisy minorities, snappy one liners without any follow through, hit and run politics is not what their evaporating base support want.
Let's see if they can change.
Personally I'd give it less than a week.
One week would align with the "most transparent Government in NZ history" claim I's guess.
Luckily as Jacinda says "her Government is the one source of truth" and everyone else's view can be disgarded.
If you honestly think the Nats are any worse than Labour you are fooling yourself, both parties are dishonest and Kiwi's shoudl start seeing both for what they are. The Greens and Paati Maori are more honest , they are however quite mad.
Well... I like to take a broader view.
I accept that all politicians are dishonest. An ability to convincingly misinform, mislead, outright lie and to fake sincerity is a prerequisite for the job. Even those we admired most in the past, John Key, David Lange, Norman Kirk, even Helen Clark were all very able and convincing at playing their roles. I also accept that the more honest a politician is, the more likely they are to be nut jobs, as per your example of the Greens and Paati Maori, and I would add TOPS and Advance NZ to that list.
I think at least half of the voting public would accept that assessment.
But we still need to vote for someone to run the country, anarchy would not be an answer, so its a matter of picking the best of a bad bunch with what's on offer. At the moment it's either Labour or National and in my opinion (and apparently the majority of NZer's) National is currently a cot case and needs time to sort itself out, and like her or hate her Jacinda and her team are doing a reasonable job.
I wondered what my dad meant with "Leopards don't change their spots". He also said "Never buy anything off a well dressed man. How do you think he got well dressed? By taking your money." And that describes the Natz - overdressed and dishonest - but secure knowing the media support them and older ones are mostly conservative. But they are dying.
Newer conservatives come as a right wing movement, prolific in all the anonymous emails that get sent saying lies about Jacinda. The farmers protest was driven on fear and scaremongering underneath. Sadly for farmers, the young voters are much stronger and Green. The climate protesters outnumber them.
Ok, so lets put the Natz in govt (with ACT). The first thing you need to do is look at the performance of them from 2008-17. Hospitals run down, schools closed, no wage rises, roads not built properly - yet 90 Billion borrowed. Some of that went to the EQs. But even that was handled appalling.
But it is the attitude of the conservative voters in NZ, like it is their right to govern and anyone else can't. The voters don't want you Natz. Disband and restart - with policies and ethics and decent MPs.
Mmm. Pot calling kettle?
Oh GM! How dare you say that! Sir Bill English was a fantastic Finance Minister! He will tell you that himself! Just look at the surplus! He got a knighthood for something I am not sure of for goodness sake! You know the thing they abolished and then brought back. Now Sir John key has two! One from us one from the Aussies! I call him twice a knight Johnny now. Awesome or something. Long live ANZ and kiwi with the laser eyes flag!