NZ First has pulled its support for a bill that makes parliamentary under-secretaries subject to the Official Information Act because they don't want to agree with ACT leader David Seymour.

NZ First has added a new party policy to its list - voting the opposite to ACT leader David Seymour.

In a weird twist of events on Wednesday night NZ First pulled its initial support for the Official Information Act (Parliamentary Under-Secretaries) Amendment Bill purely because Seymour had decided to vote for it.

It passed its first reading in October after United Future leader Peter Dunne and the Maori Party broke ranks with National and ACT to get the Labour bill over the line.

DAVID WHITE / FAIRFAX NZ ACT leader David Seymour was the target of much sledging in the House on Wednesday.

Seymour, who is under-secretary for education and responsible for charter schools labelled it a "silly bill" but rather than lobby members to oppose it he decided to vote for it as well.

READ MORE:

* Seymour will vote in favour of 'silly' bill

* Bill to bring Seymour and charter schools under OIA passes first reading



The bill is designed to make under-secretaries subject to the OIA but Seymour claims it's a "stunt bill" targeting him.



Speaking in the House on Wednesday night NZ First MP Denis O'Rourke said his party was "comforted" by the fact Seymour initially opposed the bill because he "always gets things wrong".



NZ First MP Denis O'Rourke

Parliament TV NZ First has pulled its support for a bill that makes parliamentary under-secretaries subject to the Official Information Act because they don't want to agree with ACT leader David Seymour.

"So by supporting it we thought we must be getting it right."



But Seymour's voting in favour of the bill at its second reading meant NZ First had to have a "re-think" and now "feel strongly that we must oppose it," O'Rourke said.



That is despite the fact he said the bill was "completely unnecessary".



But the sledging of Seymour didn't stop there with O'Rourke saying the "appointment of a wet-behind-the-ears first term MP as an under-secretary" shows how unnecessary the bill is.



"We in NZ First can't actually bear the thought of David Seymour as a genuine minister of the crown".



Earlier in the evening Seymour had also criticised the bill as being "completely pointless" and awkwardly carried five ring-binders of OIA requests into the House to prove he was already being transparent.



He said he supported the bill because he had "far better things to do" than waste his time persuading his colleagues to vote against it.



Seymour even tried to table some of the OIA requests he had already responded to as under-secretary, but was stopped by Speaker Chester Borrows, who said they were widely available on the internet.



"I can't even table this document because it's on the freakin' internet," Seymour exclaimed.



The bill, which was expected to pass unanimously, has made it through its second reading with only 12 votes opposed - those of the NZ First caucus.

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