Wigram MP Megan Woods and Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey have gone head-to-head in a heated debate over Christchurch’s rising cycleway costs, pharmacy competency rules, and proposed changes to citizen arrest powers.

The discussion began with the controversial cost blowout of the Antigua Street cycleway, a project initially budgeted at $3.9 million but now requiring an additional $1.2 million. Doocey criticised the council’s financial management, saying ratepayers were “quite rightly disappointed” by continued cost overruns.

“It’s blowout after blowout,” Doocey said. “Where’s the optionality? Where are the discussions about making savings instead of just accepting cost increases?”

He pointed to additional elements, such as tree planting, that had been added to the project, calling it a distraction from core spending priorities.

“Before we know it, it’s not just a cycleway—it’s trees and other nice-to-haves,” he said. “Meanwhile, frustrated commuters are stuck on Lincoln Road in Addington, asking why money keeps being diverted away from essential projects.”

Woods, however, defended the cycleway, arguing that it was more than just a bike path and was part of a broader infrastructure upgrade near the Metro Sports Facility.

“This has always been more than a cycleway,” she said. “It includes roading improvements and public space outside Metro Sports, which will be a great facility for the city.”

She acknowledged the concerns over cost but warned against delaying the project.

“Nothing is cheaper than it will be today when it comes to infrastructure,” she said. “Delaying it will only cost more in the long run.”

Doocey remained unconvinced, arguing that Christchurch residents wanted better financial discipline.

“This council needs to be laser-focused on cutting costs and reducing rates, not adding to them,” he said.

The debate then shifted to the Pharmacy Council’s new cultural competency standards, which require pharmacists to demonstrate knowledge of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori health models, and perform waiata tautoko (Māori support songs).

Doocy slammed the requirements, calling them “barriers” that distract from core healthcare needs.

“No one disagrees with cultural competency,” he said. “But when you start inserting vague commitments like ‘honouring the treaty,’ it allows groups to interpret things in an ideological way. It creates barriers instead of removing them.”

He accused professional bodies like the Pharmacy Council of being out of touch with frontline healthcare workers, saying practitioners are the ones raising concerns, not politicians.

“Pharmacists want to get on with their jobs, not be bogged down by ideological frameworks,” he said.

Woods pushed back, dismissing the criticisms as overblown.

“I went and looked at the competency standards,” she said. “One of them simply asks pharmacists to explain the relevance of Te Tiriti to healthcare. That’s hardly radical.”

She argued that health disparities between Māori and non-Māori—such as a seven-year gap in life expectancy—made cultural competency essential.

“When we talk about health outcomes, this isn’t ideology—these are real-world consequences,” she said. “Māori are dying younger than non-Māori, and we can’t just ignore that.”

When pressed on whether pharmacists should be required to understand Māori health models, including Te Pae Mahutonga, which is linked to the Southern Cross constellation, Woods admitted she wasn’t familiar with the model but defended the broader principle.

“Pharmacists should understand the different cultures walking through their doors,” she said. “That’s part of providing good healthcare.”

Doocey, however, maintained that these types of bureaucratic requirements were driving professionals out of the sector.

“We need professional bodies to be focused on solutions, not increasing barriers,” he said.

The debate became more heated when Woods accused the National Party of walking away from its historical commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi.

“Once upon a time, the National Party used to say ‘honour the Treaty’ too,” she said. “Jenny Shipley, Chris Finlayson, and past National governments all recognised its importance.”

Doocey denied that National was abandoning the Treaty, instead arguing that Labour’s interpretation of it had become divisive.

“The problem is that under Labour, broad commitments like ‘honouring the Treaty’ have been hijacked by ideologues in professional bodies, creating unnecessary bureaucracy,” he said. “We need to be removing barriers, not adding to them.”

Woods fired back, saying the real issue was health outcomes, not political point-scoring over the Treaty.

“We have a seven-year life expectancy gap between Māori and non-Māori,” she said. “That’s the debate we should be having—not getting caught up in these sideshows.”

Doocey hit back, saying Labour had six years to fix the system and had left it in worse shape than ever.

“Your government had six years to fix this, and instead, the legacy we’re debating now is one of increased bureaucracy and ideological distractions,” he said.