New Zealand’s speaker babysits MP’s newborn during a debate
New Zealand's parliament had a special guest on the chamber floor, and it was none other than a newborn baby.
The country’s parliamentary speaker Trevor Mallard cradled the one-month-old son of lawmaker Tāmati Coffey while presiding over a debate and it doesn’t get any better than that.
The speaker even tweeted about the adorable incident.
New Zealand’s parliament had a special guest on the chamber floor, and it was none other than a newborn baby.
The country’s parliamentary speaker Trevor Mallard cradled the one-month-old son of lawmaker Tāmati Coffey while presiding over a debate and it doesn’t get any better than that.
The speaker even tweeted about the adorable incident.
“There are times when I can be vaguely useful,” Mallard told Reuters and added that he tries to help take care for lawmakers’ babies whenever possible.
The baby was cuddled by his father in the debating chamber on Wednesday when the speaker offered to hold him instead; hardly surprising as Mallard is the one who relaxed rules in 2017 to make parliament more child-friendly.
“About a dozen MPs have had infants in a parliamentary baby boom, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last year became New Zealand’s first premier to take maternity leave and the world’s second elected leader to give birth in office”, reported Reuters.
Mallard is a political veteran, and a father of three adult children, with six grandchildren.
“What I’ve found is that it adds to the positive atmosphere of the workplace. When there’s a baby to be carried in.. there’s a fair bit of competition to do the job,” the speaker added.
Meanwhile, one member in our own assembly session held in Balochistan was asked to leave because she bought her six-month-old along. It’s high time that our own Parliament members learn from speakers like Mallard and make such platforms more parent-friendly.
