ACT leader David Seymour has been kicked out of Parliament after calling deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters "grandpa".
In the absence of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Mr Peters answered questions on her behalf, most of which were around the possibility moving to Alert Level 1 sooner.
"Why has the deputy Prime Minister failed to persuade her to move to Level 1 immediately?" Mr Seymour asked.
"On behalf of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister is one of the most persuasive people I’ve met," Mr Peters replied, drawing laughter from the House.
"I’ll answer the question, sunshine, when I get to it, alright.
"The reality is we belong to a coalition where cooperation and debate and discussion, sometimes heated, nevertheless leads to better decisions. Not some discoordinate one-man band where the leader and supporter is the same person."
Mr Peters has been pushing for an earlier move to Level 1, going against the Prime Minister's plan.
The timeline will be announced on Monday.
Mr Peters was given a warning by Speaker Trevor Mallard for the 'sunshine' remark, deemed not appropriate for the House.
"It’s alright grandpa," Mr Seymour retorted following the warning.
The response prompted an objection from NZ First MP Tracey Martin and resulted in speaker Trevor Mallard striking out the question.
Mr Seymour objected, telling Mr Mallard, "you frequently allow other members to ask their question even after cautioning them about their conduct".
He called it "grossly unfair and undermines this House being able to hold the Government to account".
The exchange ended with Mr Seymour being ordered to leave the House by the Speaker.
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