Winston Peters called a National MP a "twit" before the Speaker stepped in during questions over the Meka Whaitiri saga in Parliament today.
National's deputy leader Paula Bennett asked Mr Peters if "the Government has apologised to the victim" that Labour's Ms Whaitiri allegedly assaulted.
"Can I just say that the victim is not known to me, the report is still confidential and the delay on it being released is to protect the alleged victim," Mr Peters began his answer.
Mr Peters was then interrupted by an interjection from an unseen National MP on the other side of the House which he took exception to.
"I am answering the question in the way a lawyer would, not the way some twit would like you," he shot back.
Speaker Trevor Mallard then called for order. He didn't make Mr Peters withdraw and apologise, but asked him to take care not to draw the Speaker into the debate by having to call for order.
Earlier today a draft of the report into the alleged Meka Whaitiri incident was leaked to the NZ Herald causing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to announce an inquiry into the leak's origin.
The prime minister told media in New York that they were trying to protect the employee in the situation. (Source: Other)
Ms Ardern said the fact that she stood down Ms Whaitiri as a minister indicated her response to the report.
"Obviously, the fact that I have stood the minister down demonstrates that I was not satisfied with what I received in the report," she said.
"The moment that I got the report I made my decision, and people will assess that meant I was not happy with what I read."
The Prime Minister did point out that her decision was based on Ms Whaitiri contesting only some of the details in the report.
"The minister did continue to contest what was contained in the report so I do need to point that out, but there were elements that were uncontested and that’s the basis also on which I made this decision," she said.
The staff member claims that Ms Whaitiri had grabbed her hard on the arm and took her outside when she saw that Ms Ardern was speaking to the media.
"It (the grab) was hard and it scared the living daylights out of me," the staff member said, according to the leaked draft.
"I wouldn't say 'yelled' but she did raise her voice to me and asked me if I knew what I was doing in my job, and did I realise I'd missed a media opportunity and that that was embarrassing to her because it was her electorate."
Ms Whaitiri was backed by the Prime Minister to continue in her role as an MP.
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