'Oh, come on': ACT's Paul Henry divides MPs over 'shoot Hipkins' line

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has slammed ACT candidate Paul Henry for saying he would shoot him in an on-air radio game of "shoot, shag, marry", but the Prime Minister says he doesn't think New Zealanders would take much offence. Henry, the controversial broadcaster who is standing as an ACT list candidate at November's election, was asked on Radio Hauraki this morning who he would shoot, shag or marry out of Luxon, Hipkins and NZ First leader Winston Peters. "I mean, you know, you've got to shoot Hipkins, haven't you?" Henry said, before he added, "it's got to be Winston. I'm shagging Winston." In a statement, Hipkins said Henry should have known better. <a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/player/newsclip/paul-henrys-radio-comments-add-to-debate-over-political-rhetoric"><b>Paul Henry's radio comments add to debate over political rhetoric - Watch on TVNZ+</b></a> "With political leaders around the world actually being shot and killed, Paul Henry should know better. New Zealanders expect leaders who take their responsibilities seriously, not treat politics like a circus audition," he said. Asked whether the language was appropriate, Christopher Luxon distanced himself from the row. "I don't think New Zealanders would take tremendous offence from that. Not all New Zealanders," the Prime Minister said. "I think that sounds like an issue, frankly, for Chris Hipkins as the leader of Labour and the leader of ACT, David Seymour, to talk through. It's got nothing to do with me." Seymour defended his candidate, saying the game was a joke and Labour knew it. "They know Paul doesn't have any intention of doing anything to Mr Hipkins, unless they also think he was serious about shagging Mr Peters or marrying Mr Luxon, which I'm sure they don't," Seymour said in a statement. "Their manufactured outrage is tiring. People want politicians who are real, not ones that pretend to be outraged when we all know they're really not. "Paul is 100% authentic, and I suspect that's what's getting to Labour." Labour MP Ayesha Verrall, speaking on Newstalk ZB, went further than her leader and called the remark a death threat. "There are countries around the world where the price of participating in politics is violence, and we don't want to be one of those countries. "So Paul Henry needs to pull that back." Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni said the remarks were "highly inappropriate" and that Henry, of all people, should have seen the trap. "You have to wonder whether or not he's auditioning to become a Member of Parliament or for some new TV series," she told reporters. "He's a professional TV personality. He should understand that there is a way of pivoting away from questions ... It is a game that is played in, you know, those types of game situations. But politics is not a game." Senior National minister Chris Bishop was dismissive when asked about Verrall likening the comment to a "death threat". "Oh, come on. I mean, look – we've all played that game, flat parties in our 20s. You know, maybe after a couple of too many drinks," Bishop said. "It's obviously not literal. It's a game, as I think most people know. It's a bit weird for a guy in his 60s to be playing it on Hauraki, but you know, that's over to Paul." Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she had not seen the comments, adding: "That doesn't seem like a sensible thing to say." The row lands the same week Australian PM Anthony Albanese apologised for saying he would "shag" Kylie Minogue during a similar game on a podcast. NZ First's Napier candidate Stuart Nash quit last night over calling a National MP the laziest he'd come across after she took maternity leave. Henry, who has said he is standing because he does not believe New Zealand can survive a left-leaning government, appeared to sense the trouble coming. "You know they say no publicity is bad publicity," he told the radio show. "I might not come back here again."