Indira Stewart vs Judith Collins on Breakfast

"Have you been in touch with the Pacific community? - Indira Stewart

 “My husband in Pasifika I talk to them everyday” - Judith Collins

In a spectacular heated shouting match on Breakfast TV1 this morning, the leader of the opposition and party spokesperson for Pacific Affairs launched a scathing attack on the Pacific journalists question line, insisting that ‘speaking to her husband everyday and being in touch with her Pacific contacts’ was an adequate response to the current Pacific Covid crisis. 

When asked by journalist Indira Stewart why she felt she was entitled to travel when thousands of other New Zealanders were staying home to prevent the spread of the deadly Delta variant of Covid-19, the National party MP lapsed into an angry tirade against the question line in a personal berating of the Pacific presenter: 

"Oh come on Indira this is ridiculous."

Watch the full interview below, click the square at the bottom of the screen to bring it up full screen - 

Collins has faced increasing criticism for flying to Wellington yesterday after National and Act refused to support a further suspension of sittings while New Zealand was in lockdown.

Indira put it to her that many other essential frontline workers had no choice but to carry out risky public roles, and the decision to travel to Wellington for a sitting that could’ve been done via zoom sent the wrong message. Collins reiterated that her work was essential and she was entitled to travel to carry out her role.  ‘Entitled’ seeming to be the word that encapsulated the ranting conversation. 

The interview continued with both parties talking over each other as Stewart tried to ask further questions on a range of subjects including the vaccine roll-out and her concern for the Pacific community where Collins replied with her now famous line that 'her husband was Samoan.’

Social media erupted this morning with viewers response to the outburst on air with the following: