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June 29, 2024 38 mins

This week, Paula's final guest of the season is broadcaster Ryan Bridge. They discuss the closure of Newshub and his move to Newstalk ZB, his wedding to his long-time partner, and get advice on dealing with negative feedback, the balance between a private and public life, and holding his own opinions.

Ask Me Anything will return in September. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
I am paul A Benett and welcome to the last
episode of season five of Ask Me Anything. One thing
I've learned in life is it's never too late to
learn something new.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
So on this podcast, I talk to people from.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
All walks of life to hear about how they got
to where they are and get some advice and guidance
on life's biggest questions. My guests, is looking a bit
nervous now worth Newshub entering it's last week. I've called
in one of their stars to chat about it. Ryan
Bridge started out in radio with Arin Zed. He's worked
on three's Current Affair show Story, hosted drive show.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
On Magic Talk before heading back.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
To News Hub.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Last year, he made the switch from host of Am
to spearhead the new seven pm show, But with the
unfortunate closure announcement that never came about, Ryan is now
hitting to news Talks Be to replace Kate Hawksby as
host of early edition. Ryan welcome, Thank you, Welcome to
your new place of work.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Thank you. It feels very weird to be here.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
I wasn't expecting to be starting a new job or
you know, going to a new office or anything like that.
So this is a weird thing, but a very exciting thing.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Good.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
That's what we like to hear. Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
My two roles for my podcast is I'm allowed to
ask you anything.

Speaker 4 (01:24):
Okay, Oh, just like that. That's okay, okay, good. But
and then I get to ask you something. Yeah, one,
I can ask you anything. Yeah, okay, I've been thinking
about this.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Okay, Okay, that's good. It's my least favorite. But I
like being in charge.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
And I call it the no judge zone.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Just so then we're just you know, we're just not
dissling on other people.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Okay, fair enough, because.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
It just too much of it aims so right.

Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, no, that's fine. I mean I spend most of
my career doing that. Yes, so let's take a break.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Do you cook?

Speaker 3 (01:59):
We're easy?

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Okay, No, not your thing, not my thing?

Speaker 4 (02:03):
Really might really care. My partner is a great cook, really,
so he does a lot of that. I do eggs.
I love omelets. I can do omelets. Okay, yeah, jalapeno
is a bit of sausage in there, tcharizza and some eggs.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Bob's your uncle.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
I love a good egg. Yep, love a good egg.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
If you were having the dinner party and bye anyone
alive or dead?

Speaker 3 (02:26):
Fantasy World?

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Oh gosh, here, come on, Well you must have been
asked that.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
Yeah, I suppose I have. I just don't think I've
ever had a good answer. Yeah, I mean I guess
you'd invite Jesus.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hadn't thought of that until Hither
your now new colleagues.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Did she say that to you? Yeah, I'd go Jesus.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
I think she Heither did just say as well, though,
that she wouldn't invite Barry because you just want Jesus
all to herself.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (02:56):
Probably Jesus. You'd have to go. I wouldn't Beyonce personally,
just to have her there.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah. I don't even know what i'd ask her, but
it'd be nice to have her at my house.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
She is a queen, yeah, come on, she is.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, it's very very impressive. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
How many people do invite to this party Jesus, Beyonce
and or maybe someone like Muldoon just for interest's sake,
you know, just those stories and all the bits that
you you didn't learn at UNI or you didn't read
in a book.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
You know, Because I was going to say, because you'd
have heard so much about him, but then around there,
that's right.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
It was well before your time.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, it was because how old are you? I was
just looking I'm thirty.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah, I just googled you. Yeah, I'm You're the same
age as my daughter.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Now that's a good thing. That's great. We will know
that I was a child mama.

Speaker 4 (03:48):
So yeah, that's true. You know we've spoken about that, Yeah,
we have. Yeah, so there, it's funny. There's a lot
of politics that we talk about that.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
I wasn't there for you know, yeah, and you sort
of just do rely on I mean that's why people
like you mentioned Barry Sober great to have around. Yeah, Troe,
you sit down, have a couple of beers with Barry Sober,
and you've learned more about New Zealand's political history than
you had read in any textbook, you know, or in
some university lecturer lecture.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
So people like that are invaluable to have around.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
So were you always interested in politics? I was, yes,
because that's always a bit weird.

Speaker 4 (04:23):
It is weird. It's sort of like what's wrong with you?
My grandma was very is, very into politics. She used to,
you know, rant and rave about all sorts of things.
And I think that's where I got my interest in politics.
And then I was about eight or nine and I
ran for class president.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yes, loser, but I want.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Don't say that, well, I want my greenson just random
and he won and he's nine.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
It's probably cool now, I don't know. Yeah, yea, I'm
sure you know. But yeah.

Speaker 4 (04:54):
So I've always been interested in it. I've always loved
the theater of it and have followed it from a
young age.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
Did you think you might go into politics?

Speaker 4 (05:02):
I did for a while. I used to actually, do
you know what? I used to do some volunteering for
the Labor Party when I was very young, And I
can remember one particular time. It was my job to
go in the shopping mall. This is in Pataparama on
the Company Coast. You know, when you're on a campaign
and sometimes you'll get supporters of the party to go

(05:23):
up and you know, interact with the leader.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah yeah, yeah yeahah make it look like that human.

Speaker 4 (05:29):
And so my job was to make Helen Clark look
human in this particular moment, and I had to go
up to her and say thank you for the interest
free student loans or whatever whatever the policy was. Ah,
interesting and I would have been still at high school
when I did that.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
I was a member of the National Party, but wasn't
looking at running or anything like that at that time.
And my first one was, as you say, trying to
make people look good. I gave a speech at one
of the common Princess as the guest.

Speaker 3 (06:01):
You know I did.

Speaker 1 (06:03):
This is the like we are.

Speaker 2 (06:04):
Normal because I'm a poor solo mum yea, you know.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
There is one I am the white rhinoceros.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
And back then very different politics now, which is fun.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
No politicians.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
There is such a range now and all the parties,
but then you know, back then, yeah, I was.

Speaker 4 (06:30):
I was the novelty either. Do you feel like people
it's not my podcast, I shouldn't as year, No, you
are allowed a bit like do you feel like that
was sort of thrust upon you? People were like, oh,
look there you go. You'll you know, that's your role.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah ah no, no not really. It was definitely my
area of interest, so I cared about it a lot.
I studied it at UNI, so I always say I
lived it, I studied it, and then I wanted to
change it. Yeah, so you know, so in that respect
it was fine. I mean you've got a bit sick
of telling your story, yeah, you know, and to be

(07:03):
fear it was used a little bit to humanize, yeah,
which is what you were saying.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
So when did you go off politics then? Well being
a politics.

Speaker 4 (07:13):
Yeah, I think at some point during my university days.
I remember I started doing a BA at Victoria University,
very typically with politics and.

Speaker 1 (07:23):
Social policy or whatever it was.

Speaker 4 (07:24):
And then I started a year how six months ago
I started to do a comments degree alongside it, and
that sort of opened my eyes to the guys that
I was made of there, like, don't just do that,
bea do this one too, because you'll actually learn something
about the real will yeah, which was really good advice.
And somewhere in amongst there, I realized that I didn't

(07:47):
want to be in I didn't want to get into politics.
I'm not here to change the world, but I did.
I'm fascinated by it, and I'm fascinated by the people
that want to do it. Yeah, and it's a great
little sitting on the sidelines kind of seeked to be
in the media.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
And do you think being gay might have played a part?
And you're not putting your hand up like that at
that time because you went out there, no, right, and
you went out to your family either.

Speaker 4 (08:10):
No, well, well I was out to my mum when
I was twenty twenty, okay, and then I made Mum
tell Dad when I was overseas subjec I can't do it.
You're going to have to do it. So she did that.
But so, yeah, so I was to my family. It
was also it was known a little bit earlier than
perhaps you know. But no, I don't think that played

(08:31):
in it at all.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
Now.

Speaker 3 (08:32):
You so you weren't worried about being judged.

Speaker 4 (08:35):
I mean I was, well, I was in terms of
being in the media, but it wasn't something that I
that came into my equation when thinking about whether I'd
go into politics or not.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Okay. That was more just like what a horrible thing
to do?

Speaker 4 (08:50):
You know.

Speaker 2 (08:51):
Yeah, And I'm not not not so much with sexuality now,
but you know, if you just look at the politicians
and what the scrutiny and the level of it that
goes on, it's just insane.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
And just how naff it can become.

Speaker 4 (09:08):
And this is partly our fault in the media, right,
Like we chase these silly little angles and then people
get you know, so focused on one silly little thing
and then three weeks later a minister's gone and you know,
the media has got a scalp and I don't know
how productive is that?

Speaker 1 (09:25):
And do you want to be in the middle of that?
You know what I mean? Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (09:30):
Well, so on there, let's talk about your new show
when you're going to be doing that? So how exciting?

Speaker 2 (09:39):
So you are joining I think when this goes out,
it'll be in about a week's time. Yes, yes, so
that sounds about right back to the early mornings.

Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yes, how are you feeling about that?

Speaker 4 (09:50):
Oh? You know, I thought I was sort of done
with them. I thought I had them behind me. But
this is a fantastic opportunity because it's first up five
o'clock in the morning, it's till six o'clock in the morning,
it's right before Mike Hoskins show. There are a lot
of people listening to news talks that be at that time,
and it's a it's a great opportunity for me to

(10:10):
really grow a different side of my broadcasting skill set.
You know, big things for me are what's happened overnight?
People want to know straight up, you know, what's happened
while they've been sleeping all around the world. It'll have
a business focus because a lot of our business leaders
are up at that time and tuning in, and a
lot of our farmers and agricultural workers, et cetera. So

(10:32):
it's going to have that kind of bent to it.
I hope that it's going to be a fast Pacey
listen to this and you've got everything you need to
know for the morning, and then you know, off you go.

Speaker 2 (10:43):
Well, let's just deal with a few things that I
think might come up. Yeah, you like Mike.

Speaker 3 (10:48):
Hoskin is going to come into the studio after you.

Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yes, I'm told he is.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Oh my goodness, So do you do you eat at
your desk?

Speaker 1 (10:59):
That? So? I do? I normally would have musically.

Speaker 3 (11:02):
You need a little bit of a snack?

Speaker 1 (11:03):
Right here?

Speaker 3 (11:04):
Are you? Untidy?

Speaker 1 (11:05):
I have been known to be the untidy one in
the office.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
Oh m g okay, have insited in me really thought
this properly? Will you vacuum before he comes up? Well,
you won't have time.

Speaker 4 (11:17):
I won't have time. When would I be doing that?
You know, I'm doing interviews and whatnot. Presumably, Yeah, and.

Speaker 2 (11:22):
Then the and the little breaks that you could, so
you don't really get breaks.

Speaker 4 (11:27):
He's a freak of I have heard. Yeah cleanliness, it
likes to vacuum. I mean, I will be as clean
as you know. I'm not going to eat at the
in the studio, Okay, I'll eat at my desk.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
You know, have some music at my desk. Well, I'm doing.

Speaker 4 (11:41):
Preparation, Okay, that's all right. Yeah, I wouldn't eat in
the studio just because of all the equipment. It's probably
you know, you break.

Speaker 3 (11:49):
Something, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
And then there's you know, a few of them have
speculated that you might if the HOSK decides he's retiring,
you might be in the maximn't even started the job
and giving you a promotion.

Speaker 1 (12:01):
I know, how's that? Well?

Speaker 4 (12:02):
A lot of people have mentioned ways that I could
potentially knock him off.

Speaker 1 (12:06):
You know, do you put some.

Speaker 4 (12:08):
Gym something in his cup of tea, like settle down.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
Because I think he'd have quite a low gym tolerance
because he doesn't have any because he doesn't tolerate gyms.
It's kind of like they say, with your kids, let
your kids blind. The dude builds up their immune systems.

Speaker 4 (12:25):
Don't worry here's safe from me. I'm here to do
one job and one job only.

Speaker 3 (12:30):
So it's one week to go for everyone at Newshub.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
And you know, as a fan, I've been watching a
show and hearing you know, it's sort of played out publicly, right,
I mean, how is everyone feeling though?

Speaker 1 (12:41):
Behind the scenes. Yeah, I'm keeping in touch.

Speaker 4 (12:44):
I'm not going into the office myself, so I'm not
I don't have my finger on the pulse of the newsroom,
but I obviously have many friends, close friends who are there.
I think it's been such a long process now that
there is a sense of almost relief that it is
coming to an end, because because it's it was inevitable

(13:05):
that it.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
Was going to happen. But it's hard.

Speaker 4 (13:07):
I mean, a lot of people, a lot of my
mates don't have anything to go to. Yeah, you know,
and that sucks and that's hard, and there is redundancy
for people, but not you know, different amounts depending on
who you are, etcetera.

Speaker 1 (13:20):
And what's what's going on. I have to.

Speaker 4 (13:22):
Say that I think it was although the news was terrible,
I think it was on the whole pretty well handled
by those in charge at Warner Brothers Discovery in New Zealand,
and I think most people are feeling the same way
in that regard. However, especially for those who don't have
anything immediately to go to, it's hugely unsettling, as it

(13:44):
is for anyone who loses their gig. I just yeah,
I'm wishing everyone the best and sending my love to
everyone at news Hubble and.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
Some people reassessing their careers totally do you know what
I mean? And I'm not going to say if it's
a good or bad thing, but you know what I mean,
like because there's no harm, and sometimes sitting back and
reassessing and going, okay, well if I've got another fifteen
or twenty years of work life and me, what does
that look like? Or you know, yeah, it's interesting because
I've spoken to quite a few because they've seen me

(14:11):
do a career change. Yeah, so you know they've kind
of gone, hey, you did you know, you kind of
changed direction?

Speaker 3 (14:18):
What was it like?

Speaker 2 (14:18):
And yeah, terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

Speaker 1 (14:22):
Yeah, well yeah, and you know do you regret it?

Speaker 2 (14:25):
No?

Speaker 3 (14:26):
Yeah, not even for an instant.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (14:29):
You know, I mean really probably last time.

Speaker 2 (14:31):
I saw you, you were you were leaving the AM
show to go off for that big sem I've got
to be really honest with you. The first moment I
heard about Newshabit, it was you and Lloyd that I
thought about, because you were both just stepping up and
in right.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah, it was. It was weird timing I had.

Speaker 4 (14:51):
I had signed on to do this new thing last December, yeah,
and then in February we were sat down to say
it told that it's all over. I sort of thought
that it would be more death by a thousand cuts.
I mean, I knew obviously I had seen financial results.
I am not an idiot. I can look around the
marketplace and see what's going on. I thought it would

(15:13):
just be a lot more trimming of fat before they
went whole hog and you know, baby out with the
bathwater kind of thing.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
However, I do understand why it happened.

Speaker 4 (15:26):
I also think that although it's a terrible thing to
have happened, and there are lots of people who don't
have jobs, there are lots of industries right now who
are in the same where people are in the same
position where they're losing their job, and you know, tourism, agriculture,
whatever it might be. So I think it's important not
to lose sight of that. But yeah, it was. It

(15:47):
was disappointing. Let's put it that way.

Speaker 2 (15:49):
You were, well, you know, just because you were stepping
up into something new, right, so when did you get
an inkling?

Speaker 3 (15:56):
So they kind of going, oh, we weren't quite shout that. Yeah,
well we do photos. Ah well just wait a while.

Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yeah, No, we were doing photos. We were building the set.

Speaker 4 (16:06):
I mean, we had there was an amazing, cool graphic
set thing happening, and we were having meetings about that.
But you know, you sort of, you know, especially when
you're a journalists, you can kind of sense when you
know things might be changing or people are shifting in
their positions, and you know, I was doing calculations in
my head and wondering about it, and from basically the

(16:28):
get go yeah, well from coming back from from holiday
over summer. So yeah, it was I think the word
that somebody put it best when they said it wasn't Ah,
it wasn't surprising, but it was still a bit of
a shock. Yeah, you know what I mean, of course,
and I was so excited about that new show, and
we were we had grand plans and we had great

(16:51):
things going to happen, but not everything is meant to be,
and I'm incredibly grateful to have this great opportunity.

Speaker 1 (16:58):
With n Z.

Speaker 3 (16:58):
Mean, yeah, I do.

Speaker 2 (17:00):
You know, I've had many lots of friends in radio
and they and you've been on radio before.

Speaker 3 (17:06):
It is a more personal.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
Gramre right, you know, like it feels like you're really
connected to your audience. You're going to get feedback pretty.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
I know quickly.

Speaker 4 (17:16):
I can remember the feedback when I was last in
radio because it's it's a direct text line into you,
so you can see it as you're as you're going
to air. Yeah, but I yeah, I love radio. It's
where I started. And yeah, you're right, it's a lot
more personal. It's a lot more in your living room.

Speaker 2 (17:35):
So you've been like more or less off for six months.
I mean we haven't really seen you. Yeah, so how's
that going to go?

Speaker 1 (17:42):
You're you know, it's it's weird.

Speaker 4 (17:45):
I've never I mean, you don't normally get six months
off unless you're like retiring or something, you know what
I mean.

Speaker 1 (17:51):
So it is very strange.

Speaker 4 (17:53):
And I was actually nervous coming into just the office building.

Speaker 1 (17:58):
I was talking to a friend of mine and she's
just come off maternity leave.

Speaker 4 (18:01):
She's like, you've had You've had my length of maternity lead,
you know, so there's no baby to speak. And she said,
you know, she's feeling nervous going back into the office,
and I was like, well, I sort of am too.
I just I've basically been been off for six months
since the middle of December last year. So it's fine
because I'm still getting paid, so it's not like.

Speaker 3 (18:23):
I'm going to you know, yeah, you can pay the mortgage.

Speaker 4 (18:25):
Pay the mortgage, which is great, but yeah, it's just
it's it's a weird thing. I've been doing lots of exercise,
I've been walking the dog a lot, been reading.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
So are you do you think that do you think
that journalism is you'll be able to step straight back
in and into it.

Speaker 1 (18:41):
You know, good question, I think.

Speaker 4 (18:45):
I mean, I've obviously still been keeping up with the news,
but nowhere near and the detail that I would if
I was cooking. I'm starting to do that now, to
read back into it because you know, you missed something
and then you sound like an absolute tweet during you
so you need to do that. But also it's interesting
taking a step back and just not being so involved

(19:07):
in the day to day, not grind, but the day
to day machinations of the media. You take a step
back and you think, wow, right, how important is that?
How important is that? And so I think it has
been a good opportunity for me to sort of reevaluate
maybe how I will approach the job now that I
have one.

Speaker 2 (19:27):
Yeah, yeah, it'll be interesting. Other things have been happening
as well while you've been away. So let's take a
short break and then let's come back because I want
to talk all things reading.

Speaker 3 (19:40):
I'm very excited.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
Okay, So we're back, and we are going to talk
a bit about how to keep a private life when
you're in the public eye, and we're going to get
some advice on having bold opinions.

Speaker 3 (20:04):
That's what I thought.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
Okay, sounds good.

Speaker 3 (20:06):
You're kind of paid to have opinions.

Speaker 1 (20:07):
Anyway.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
We going to get to that because most excitedly, we're
recording this just before the wedding. Yep, and when it
comes out on Sunday, you will be a married man, hopefully.

Speaker 3 (20:20):
Because they've got a few days to go.

Speaker 1 (20:22):
He has to say I do, and well we both
have to say I do.

Speaker 4 (20:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (20:25):
You have to tune up at the right place, right time,
and give yourselves your vows to each other.

Speaker 3 (20:32):
Yeah, are you right?

Speaker 2 (20:33):
Are you?

Speaker 3 (20:33):
How much do you want to talk about are you
writing your bows?

Speaker 1 (20:35):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (20:35):
I'm happy to talk about it. We're not writing individual vowels.
A good friend of ours is the celebrant Jimmy. So
Jimmy is in charge. He's written a beautiful ceremony and
he sent it through to us to read, which we
did individually, and.

Speaker 1 (20:52):
Both of us cried. He had written beautiful things.

Speaker 4 (20:55):
And he has a sort of formula for you know,
do you take someone and say blah blah blah, I
shouldn't be so, and that was beautiful and I just
feel like, look, there's there's there are many non conventional
parts of this wedding.

Speaker 1 (21:11):
Nice. It's two men to begin with.

Speaker 4 (21:13):
It's nice to have some more conventional And I don't
like it when people get up there and go, you know,
I promise to make the bed and.

Speaker 2 (21:21):
Yeah, it's like do you read yeah, no, no, and
we don't want and it's about mass now yeah. Point
you know, it's like they seem and those stupid vows
and it's quite irritating.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
It's like, you know, and.

Speaker 4 (21:36):
We're doing speeches at the end of you know, we've
got speeches from our family, and then at the very end,
my partner and I will both do a brief speech
to thank people and to say something to each other nice.
So I feel like that's enough.

Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah, it's enough.

Speaker 2 (21:49):
It does enough, And so is there another bit of
the unconventional.

Speaker 1 (21:53):
So we've got no. I basically just mean it's a
big gay wedding. It is great. It is great, and
lots of family.

Speaker 4 (22:02):
Lots of family, and lots of family for whom this
will be their first gay wedding to I've ever attended,
so that's kind of fun.

Speaker 1 (22:08):
Yeah, it is. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (22:10):
I attended a gay wedding like literally weeks after it
becoming law.

Speaker 1 (22:15):
Oh really, And it was.

Speaker 3 (22:15):
Two friends that have been together for like thirty five years,
you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (22:19):
Like it was just and that was I didn't I
don't mean to say that I didn't give it any thought,
but I didn't give it any thought.

Speaker 1 (22:27):
I just voted for it, right, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (22:29):
I didn't need to go through any big thought process
for it. And then and then of course it was
kind of a no brainer for me. And then I
turned up at this wedding, and these older gays just
literally blubbering because they just never thought they see this day,
you know what I mean, Like it was.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
It was really humbling.

Speaker 4 (22:48):
Yeah, it's hugely significant, and it's I mean, it's not
I'm not one of those people who likes to be
Oh I'm gay, look at me, you know the I'll
speak for all gay people, but I think it is
incredibly important that that law change that happened. And I
think it's also important. I was thinking about in my speech.
Do I mention you know how significant it is that

(23:09):
we are able to do this, And I think I will.
I think I will say that in my speech because
you know, we take things for granted, I think, and
were that option not to be on the table, I
just think, Fuck, what kind of world was that, you
know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (23:27):
And let's not forget what's happening in other parts of
the world totally people that don't have those sorts of
rights and freedom that they should have.

Speaker 3 (23:36):
It's still happening, right.

Speaker 4 (23:37):
Look at the Middle East, even parts of Asia, Look
at Africa. You know there are new laws being passed.
Yeah so.

Speaker 3 (23:45):
Yeah, and in some places our rights are being stripped away.
Even more. You know, like, so it is good, I
think to acknowledge it.

Speaker 2 (23:52):
Yeah, that's why I'm sort of saying it was a
no brainer, because I don't want to undermine the significance
of what it was. Yeah, I just happened to get
hit with that. Whoa, Okay, you know, like this is
so it sounds like there's going to be some tears
in the audience.

Speaker 4 (24:09):
I think is my mum is the kind of person
who'll cry it at a bank head.

Speaker 3 (24:14):
Oh yeah, they're good.

Speaker 4 (24:15):
And I inherited that trait from here. Oh great, so
they'll definitely be. And actually my partner he's sort of
the same too.

Speaker 2 (24:22):
So your partner's notoriously private, and I've got one that's notorious.

Speaker 1 (24:27):
You do too, Yeah, I do.

Speaker 2 (24:28):
I don't so, and I respected one hundred percent. Just
because I'm a chopone, he doesn't mean that he is int.
There's not room for it, and quite friendly. I need
a stage, and for a stage, you need an audience.
And that's his part in life.

Speaker 4 (24:41):
Do you know, my poor partner, he has been putting
up with the fact that I don't have an audience
for the last six months, and I keep saying, well,
it's an it's an audience. Have won, but I'm still performing.
Shut the you know, shut the fuck up, right, go
and get.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
A job.

Speaker 2 (24:59):
And do.

Speaker 3 (25:02):
That would be so true.

Speaker 1 (25:03):
So I relate.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
Yeah, So how do you respect that privacy because it's
not easy, right, and it's not easy on them. No,
but he does know what he's getting into as well.

Speaker 4 (25:12):
He does, Yeah, he does, and I think he just
wants I think he just doesn't like all that stuff.
And I get it, you know, it took me a
while to get used to it as well. But yeah,
he doesn't want to be front and center, and he
knows that it's it's my thing and he would prefer
not to have particularly our you know, wedding photos, et cetera.

Speaker 1 (25:32):
Yeah, I splashed around and stuff like that. So that's cool.
I'm fine with that.

Speaker 3 (25:36):
Yeah, it doesn't worry. I mean, that's it.

Speaker 1 (25:38):
That's it.

Speaker 3 (25:39):
So then do you but you must.

Speaker 2 (25:40):
Still be approached when you're out and that sort of thing, because.

Speaker 4 (25:44):
Yeah, that's a weird one because it's obvious that he's
my partner, you know. Yeah, but you know what key
was the like they're just the loveliest, you know, people
come up and say hello, and then they'll know quietly
sort of you know, hold his hand or whatever and
give him, give him a squeeze, and yeah, people are
absolute lovely and wonderful and respect boundaries and privacy and
stuff like that.

Speaker 3 (26:04):
That's really funny though.

Speaker 2 (26:05):
Like I sa at the pub on Saturday watching the
rugby with best friends in my husband, and this guy
came up and he was a big yo nut as
my husband's dude.

Speaker 3 (26:14):
And he came up and he goes, sorry.

Speaker 2 (26:15):
But I'm going to be bloody road and I just
I instantly knew that he didn't mean it, Like, but
my husband and my friends thought he was going to
have a bit of a go at me, and then
they were like, oh, we're going to he just met
Rhoders and interrupting yeah yeah, and then proceeded to show
me how wonderfully thought I was. So it was perfectly
acceptable in my mind. Yeah, but it was quite funny

(26:37):
that my husband was like, who goes, Oh my god,
and I was thinking, what are we going to do
about that?

Speaker 1 (26:40):
Was because I don't want to go. I wanted to
tell him more of me.

Speaker 3 (26:43):
But did you say, key, We's are just so lovely?

Speaker 2 (26:45):
Really?

Speaker 4 (26:46):
Yeah, I think this's one time that I got that
lady in a supermarket said something to me. I can't
even remember what, but it was negative, you know. Yeah,
apart from that, everyone's cool.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
So does he feel though, if you are being credit
size for something you've done or something like that, does
he feel it more than you? Because I always mind
my husband almost feels more than I do, or my
parents feel it more than I do.

Speaker 4 (27:08):
Yeah, yes, I think there was definitely a time because
when we first got together, I was in radio. Yeah,
I would have been doing drive I think, yeah, at
RadioLIVE or Magic Talk, whatever it was. And there were
definitely times where you know, I was sort of being
taken to task about stuff or and it was getting

(27:31):
personal messages in the inbox, and I wasn't coping.

Speaker 1 (27:34):
With that particularly well.

Speaker 4 (27:35):
Yeah, I was not sleeping at night and stressing about
it and thinking about the tiny little thing. And so
he really felt that too, and he was a huge
help and support to get hing me, you know, through
those little moments.

Speaker 1 (27:49):
And now it's like do I care? Not really, no,
you know.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
Yeah, but yes he was, And you've been together long
enough now that he's ridden through it as well.

Speaker 3 (27:58):
In highs and lows that's it.

Speaker 4 (28:00):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and sometimes you might even question, you
know something, and then you just look at him and
he'll go fucking get over me.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
Yeah yeah yeah. So who's organized the wedding?

Speaker 1 (28:11):
Largely him?

Speaker 3 (28:12):
Yeah, but you get the proposal.

Speaker 4 (28:14):
I did the proposal, which I thought was quite key. Yes,
I'm doing the photographer, the DJ, and the here and makeup,
which I'm getting Katie and Josie, who you'll know from
TV three by coming up to do here and make
up for us. Yeah, so I had I have some
important jobs. Yes, but he's doing How in bold has
your mother being mum? Look, mum wants to be more involved.

Speaker 1 (28:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (28:41):
I've just been like, no, no, you're right. I mean
she works full to. This is making it sound like
she doesn't care. She's tried to be very involved. Yes,
and I've been like, marm it's all sort of don't worry.

Speaker 3 (28:49):
Yeah, yeah yah, because she works full time.

Speaker 4 (28:51):
She works full time, she's busy, she's got grandkids, she's
running around. But she is excited to be there. And
I think she's actually going to do something with the soup.

Speaker 1 (29:00):
We're having soup the day after.

Speaker 2 (29:02):
What are you going to do about now all the
inevitable way you having when a children coming and all
the rest of its things, because it's I even don't
want really want to ask you, because it just feels
like that's what we do, right, You know, when you
get together with someone, then you get married, and then
it's like when and if and everyone else.

Speaker 3 (29:18):
It's just like people.

Speaker 4 (29:19):
Although these days people you know, it's more about you
get your house first, isn't it, and then you might
think about kids, and then you might think about a wedding.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
Well that's true, because it's like you've got the fur baby,
got the fair baby.

Speaker 1 (29:32):
We've talked about kids.

Speaker 4 (29:34):
I used to think hard yes, and he was sort
of on the fence, and now we're both thinking. Life's
busy enough, also quite lucky being two men. We don't
have to worry too much about a ticking time bomb.

Speaker 3 (29:47):
Oh you don't.

Speaker 4 (29:47):
It is the womb and I, you know, talk to
a lot of our female friends are in that age
now where they're pumping their kids out.

Speaker 1 (29:55):
You know, they've had they've just had one at thirty six.

Speaker 2 (29:57):
If you hadn't got them, you'd be thinking about it
and it was your burning desire.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
Yeah, each to their own but it's such a huge thing.

Speaker 4 (30:03):
And then if you don't have a boyfriend or a
partner yet, you're counting backwards, going all right, well, you've
got to give me a year to meet one. Then
you've got to give me two years to get to
know them, and then we've got to maybe get engaged
and then the kid, you know. So I mean it's
just incredibly stressful. So in a lot of ways, we
don't get knocked up.

Speaker 3 (30:20):
At seventeen, I say, get.

Speaker 1 (30:23):
It out of the ways, get.

Speaker 4 (30:24):
It out of the way.

Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah, so you guys will just sweit you way.

Speaker 4 (30:30):
Through, way through it. At this stage it's a no
yeah to children. Yeah, but who knows? Who knows? You know,
when we turn forty yeah, I don't know. Maybe we'll
change our minds.

Speaker 3 (30:41):
Maybe maybe.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
Okay, Now I think we're going to move into talking
about public opinion because you're about to go on that
job again and you're paid.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
To have opinions, right, yeah, you are, you are.

Speaker 2 (30:52):
So you are going to be interviewing people again. You're
going to be in that public eye. You're going to
get public feedback. How are you going to take that?

Speaker 1 (31:01):
Mainly?

Speaker 4 (31:02):
But most of it I say ignore because it's not.
It's particularly when it comes to social media and stuff
like that, I tend to stay away from it. I
think it gets the extremes, and also what's published on
there is usually just a snippet of whatever has happened,
or the context around something that's been said has been
taken and stripped away, so the responses to it are

(31:23):
therefore stripped of context as well. So it's not something
that I think you should pay too much attention to. However,
I think it's important to have people around you who
and when I say normal people, I mean people who
have nothing to do with this crazy media world who
you can talk to and sound out, and people who

(31:43):
you have vastly different viewsis too.

Speaker 1 (31:48):
To sort of do it that way.

Speaker 4 (31:50):
Not to say you don't read the feedback or the
emails that come in, but I always read the emails
that come in. I think if someone's taken the time
to write an email and you know, address it to you,
I think it's it's where of their effort that you
read it. So yeah, I try to keep it in perspective,
don't get dragged into the extreme kind of response thing,

(32:11):
and always make sure that your phone is away from
far away from you when you get home.

Speaker 2 (32:19):
Yeah, And so when you are interviewing and perhaps having
you know, putting your opinion forward, are you more doing
it because you think that there's people at home that
will be thinking about that question or where it's going.
You know, how much of it as you being the
journalist for your listeners as with your own opinion?

Speaker 1 (32:38):
Good question. It depends on the issue.

Speaker 4 (32:42):
But there have been times where I think probably when
I'm most animated is when I am asking the question
for me. Yeah, but I wouldn't ask it if no
one at home was interested, because otherwise, what are you doing?

Speaker 1 (32:53):
You're losing your audience.

Speaker 4 (32:54):
But if there's something that particularly grates me, or I
feel like a politician has been disingenuous in a position, yeah,
then that's when I I sort of that's when I
get stuck in.

Speaker 3 (33:07):
Well, how do you hold people to account?

Speaker 4 (33:09):
Though?

Speaker 2 (33:09):
Then I mean, yeah, well I'm a public servant now
about to get political.

Speaker 4 (33:15):
Then Yeah, you go back and you look at things
that they have said, you look at promises that they
have made, and then you compare those to what they're
telling you. Now, what the stats are telling you about
the state of the economy. Or the country or whatever
it is they said that they promised to do or
fix all whatever. That's how I've always done it. Yeah,
good bit of research. But at Albert Greece and then some.

Speaker 3 (33:38):
And there is a lot of prep.

Speaker 2 (33:39):
And so will you prep the night before for a
five a ema yep, yeah.

Speaker 4 (33:43):
Yeah, well, I mean it's yeah, at some shows it's
like you throw everything out of the window and you
start a fresh in the morning. But generally you'll know
a couple of your interview subjects or at least the
talent for those interviews the day before, and so you
would prep at home on a hundred percent yea yeah, yeah,
and then you'll always need two hours before a show
to prep, you know, in the office. So if show

(34:06):
starts at five, you need to be there by three.

Speaker 1 (34:07):
Yeah, that kind of thing.

Speaker 2 (34:08):
Well, and as you say, because really you're coming on
at five to do that synopsis of what's happened overnight,
clean up of the day, and then you'd have some
a couple of seat interviews, you left some regular slots
like Kate.

Speaker 4 (34:20):
Head omen Yeah, similar kind of vibe. Yeah, So yeah,
it's your that's your responsibility, your responsibility as while people
are sleeping from three to five.

Speaker 1 (34:29):
You're going around the world and.

Speaker 4 (34:31):
Seeing what it is that they need to know the most,
order it in terms of importance, and then make sure
that they are aware of what's going on.

Speaker 3 (34:39):
I saw you described as having a touch of non
woke Paul Henry.

Speaker 1 (34:44):
Oh have you heard that? No, I haven't heard that.
He said that someone online?

Speaker 3 (34:48):
Yeah, probably my auntie googlink. No, do you know someone? No,
do you know I see that non woke Paul Henry.

Speaker 4 (34:56):
Well, Paul Henry was a fantastic broadcaster. Care So that's
that's very flattering. I suppose do you.

Speaker 2 (35:03):
Consider yourself a conservative or are you getting more conservatives? No?

Speaker 4 (35:06):
I don't consider myself a conservative. Socially conservative, no way, No.

Speaker 1 (35:13):
I mean, look at the state of me. I head
along hair. You know I sleep with men.

Speaker 3 (35:18):
I mean you did, you did the bum the.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
Man bun thing. Yeah, No, I'm not.

Speaker 4 (35:22):
I don't think I'm socially conservative. And to be honest,
you know, I think there aren't many well, I mean
it depends if you compare us to a different country,
other countries and stuff like that. I don't think New
Zealand has a hell of a lot of social conservatives,
and certainly not as conservative as you would have in
places even like Australia for example.

Speaker 1 (35:42):
Yeah, no, it's true.

Speaker 4 (35:43):
But no, I don't think I'm a social conservative. I
wouldn't classify myself in that way. Yeah, that's right. Yeah,
so you're looking forward to it.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
Oh, the wedding. Can't wait? Can't wait? I am getting
a bit nervous, just you know, I don't know why.

Speaker 2 (35:57):
Yeah, okay, see, we're not going to public photos, but
you'll show me.

Speaker 1 (36:00):
If I'll show you a photo.

Speaker 3 (36:01):
Okay, Well that's what I need. That's what I need, right,
I'll be.

Speaker 1 (36:04):
Happy with that.

Speaker 2 (36:15):
Okay, this is your moment. It's called to ask me anything. Oh,
so Ryan, you get to ask me something. I hope
you haven't done to much swort into this.

Speaker 4 (36:24):
I thought of it this morning. Okay, god, it's not
I can't remember. We can cut this a we can.

Speaker 3 (36:34):
No, because we're laughing now, So.

Speaker 1 (36:38):
Can you show me your tatoes?

Speaker 3 (36:40):
Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness. That would mean me
admitting publicly.

Speaker 1 (36:47):
Okay, so we can cut this. We can cut this.
I thought you had.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
No never.

Speaker 1 (36:57):
We can start again.

Speaker 2 (36:59):
No, No, okay, I thought you had I mean I'm
still not admitting it.

Speaker 1 (37:04):
No, no, no, you haven't. So what's the answer to
the question.

Speaker 3 (37:08):
Yeah, I see, that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (37:09):
I'm just still not admitting it that everyone's entitled to
some privacy.

Speaker 1 (37:14):
Fair enough, we're moving on.

Speaker 2 (37:18):
I can see the producers piping furiously because she's quite excited.

Speaker 1 (37:23):
Thought anyway, I don't know that you do.

Speaker 2 (37:25):
This is a Mark Richard's an outing you moment, That's
what it is.

Speaker 1 (37:30):
It's just a rumor.

Speaker 2 (37:31):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
All right, Thanks for coming in. So I mean that
or not.

Speaker 1 (37:38):
I'm not sure now.

Speaker 2 (37:39):
No, I do.

Speaker 1 (37:40):
Thanks, thanks for coming in.

Speaker 2 (37:42):
And it'll take more than anything to anything like that
to embarrass me. Okay, so everyone will be able to
hear you on early edition five or six News Talks.
He'd be Monday's eighth of July.

Speaker 1 (37:52):
Correct.

Speaker 2 (37:53):
We are on and that's it for another episode and
another season.

Speaker 3 (37:57):
Have asked me anything? You can get in touch with.

Speaker 2 (37:59):
Me by emailing out all in cdme, dot CO, dot
in seed. But I am going to be taking a
few weeks off, so don't expect me to get back
to them too quickly.

Speaker 1 (38:08):
Make sure you follow ask.

Speaker 2 (38:09):
Me anything, Go back and listen to them. They're fantastic
on iHeartRadio or wherever you get in your podcast. I'll
be back in a couple of months with more fabruous
gifts and September.

Speaker 3 (38:19):
I'm Paula, been it, Ask me anything. Goodbye,
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