June 2, 2025 • 6 mins
He’s now a heartbeat away from the top job, but will he be on his best behaviour now that he has succeeded Winston for the Deputy PM’s job? And does this give Winston free license to campaign with reckless abandon?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
David Seymour joins us the newly minted Deputy Prime Minister. David,
you're now just a heart beat away from the top job,
but will you be on your best behavior?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, the best indicator of future performance is past performance,
so you'd have to say absolutely.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Did Winston Pollar cunning one on you by negotiating to
get the deputy prime ministership for the first eighteen months
and very much towing the line too, I might add,
but it kind of leaves them free to campaign as
we head in to the election in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Well, yes and no. I mean, first of all is
both of us are still members of cabinet last week
and this week and all the way through to the election,
so you've still got those obligations. But I guess if
you followed your logic, then the person who's worst off
in this scenario is Chris Luxen, because he's going to
be Prime Minister all the way through. I don't think
(00:59):
that being an office prevents you from appealing to people
to re elect you. If it did, every government would
be a one termer.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
So what are you going to bring to the job
that perhaps Winston didn't I don't know. Because to be
fair to him, and I'm sure I know you and
him have clashed in the past, but to be fair,
he's been very statesmanlike, not only his deputy Prime Minister
but also as Foreign Affairs Minister. And I think everyone,
even those who don't like him, would begrudgingly agree that
(01:28):
when he gets on a plane and heads off, sure
he's doing good work for us. He's over there in India,
I think at the moment doing good work for us.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Well, he was in Wellington a few hours ago.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Al Right, Okay, I might have got I haven't been,
haven't caught up with the news over the long weekend. Apologies.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
I guess when you have a foreign minister overseas representing
New Zealand and you have to hope and believe that
they're doing the best for the country. And so we
certainly do, regardless of who the foreign minister is. Even
when Nanayama, who to the foreign Minister, I really hope
she was doing a good job for us. Not sure
if she was.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
But she never got on a plane day on New Zealand.
She never went anywhere.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Well that's not quite true, but I kneel very it
was difficult for someone to be Minister for Local Government
and the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the same time.
That was a very strange choice that labor made, but
strange choices seem to be there stock in trade.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
How's the coalition going? Would you give yourselves out of
ten for cohesion?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Well, this is a coalition that has delivered ongoing reform.
We've tackled the cost of living, We've got inflation down,
we're tackling government spending. We have a lot of the
things that we were asked to do done. And while
there's still some very tough times out there, nonetheless we
see the economy, I think, starting to turn a corner.
(02:55):
Then you look at crime again. We've reversed the idea
that if only we're kind to criminals, they'll be kind back,
brought back consequences, brought back three strikes, building more prisons,
more cops, and the crime stats are turning. And then
when it comes to co governance, the third of the
three seas, we've made substantial progress in promoting New Zealand
as a liberal democratic society where we're all born equal
(03:18):
and not ranked by the arrival time of our ancestors.
If you look at the three Seas that we campaign.
I think we've hung together and made a big difference.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Well, let's move from the Three Seas to the d defense.
How the hell are we going to pay for that?
The increased defense spending.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Well, the budget shows that we can do it. However,
whether or not we increase our defense spending and ACT
campaign normal this, we have to. We have to be
part of partnerships with the lights of Australia. Otherwise we
are defenseless by ourselves. However, even if we agree with
all that and I'm please we're doing it, the truth
(03:55):
is that over the next five years, New Zealand is
going to have to work out how are we going
to make ends meets. At the moment, we have the
Green Party and to some extent, Labor saying well, we're
going to tax you more. You have some people out
there saying we'll just keep borrowing. See what happens. I
don't think that's a smart option. And then you have
(04:17):
ACT saying well, actually, you know, we haven't reduced a
number of bureaucrats the way we should have. We need
to start asking can we afford fifty billion on welfare?
It's our biggest area of expenditure. Do we want to
have eighty two portfolios of thirty ministers and arguably a
much tougher time holding the ureaucracy accountable than we'd have
(04:38):
with a much simpler arrangement as ACTS proposed. So a
lot of the next five years is going to be
about do we spend more, do we borrow more, do
we tax more? Or do we really start thinking hard
about saving so we can afford defense and actually a
whole lot of other stuff. And ACT is going to
play I think an honorable role in that debate that
has to happen.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Now do you think your feature in just Sinda's new book,
I mean, the urgant pricked line was quite famous.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Was we raised one hundred grand with that? I was
just thinking I could I raised about seventy grand for
heart Kids by driving the landing up the steps. So
you know, maybe she'll have a tribute to people who
raise money for good causes that she didn't already tax.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Well, I'm not going to call you an arrogant prick, David.
I'm going to call you deputy day from here on
and I'll see you. Yeah, it works for you. Good
on you. You're always a good sport and we'll see
you next week at field Days.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Well I wish I would, but I got to go
on debate in Oxford, So to be the last field Days,
the first field Days I've missed in a very long time.
But you know the likes of Mark Cameron Andrew Hoggart,
Cameron lux to the next team will be there. And
please if you're there and you want to talk to
a stop by and tell them what's on your mind.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Oh well, good luck in that Oxford debate. Have you
got any killing one liners? Like I can smell the
uranium on your breath.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You know, So I got out that this joke's just happened.
We'll see. If I did have any powder, i'd be
keeping it dry.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Good on you, David seymore safe travels, good luck and
at Oxford.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Awesome. But there we go.
David Seymour joins us the newly minted Deputy Prime Minister. David,
you're now just a heart beat away from the top job,
but will you be on your best behavior?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, the best indicator of future performance is past performance,
so you'd have to say absolutely.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Did Winston Pollar cunning one on you by negotiating to
get the deputy prime ministership for the first eighteen months
and very much towing the line too, I might add,
but it kind of leaves them free to campaign as
we head in to the election in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Well, yes and no. I mean, first of all is
both of us are still members of cabinet last week
and this week and all the way through to the election,
so you've still got those obligations. But I guess if
you followed your logic, then the person who's worst off
in this scenario is Chris Luxen, because he's going to
be Prime Minister all the way through. I don't think
(00:59):
that being an office prevents you from appealing to people
to re elect you. If it did, every government would
be a one termer.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
So what are you going to bring to the job
that perhaps Winston didn't I don't know. Because to be
fair to him, and I'm sure I know you and
him have clashed in the past, but to be fair,
he's been very statesmanlike, not only his deputy Prime Minister
but also as Foreign Affairs Minister. And I think everyone,
even those who don't like him, would begrudgingly agree that
(01:28):
when he gets on a plane and heads off, sure
he's doing good work for us. He's over there in India,
I think at the moment doing good work for us.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Well, he was in Wellington a few hours ago.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Al Right, Okay, I might have got I haven't been,
haven't caught up with the news over the long weekend. Apologies.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
I guess when you have a foreign minister overseas representing
New Zealand and you have to hope and believe that
they're doing the best for the country. And so we
certainly do, regardless of who the foreign minister is. Even
when Nanayama, who to the foreign Minister, I really hope
she was doing a good job for us. Not sure
if she was.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
But she never got on a plane day on New Zealand.
She never went anywhere.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Well that's not quite true, but I kneel very it
was difficult for someone to be Minister for Local Government
and the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the same time.
That was a very strange choice that labor made, but
strange choices seem to be there stock in trade.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
How's the coalition going? Would you give yourselves out of
ten for cohesion?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Well, this is a coalition that has delivered ongoing reform.
We've tackled the cost of living, We've got inflation down,
we're tackling government spending. We have a lot of the
things that we were asked to do done. And while
there's still some very tough times out there, nonetheless we
see the economy, I think, starting to turn a corner.
(02:55):
Then you look at crime again. We've reversed the idea
that if only we're kind to criminals, they'll be kind back,
brought back consequences, brought back three strikes, building more prisons,
more cops, and the crime stats are turning. And then
when it comes to co governance, the third of the
three seas, we've made substantial progress in promoting New Zealand
as a liberal democratic society where we're all born equal
(03:18):
and not ranked by the arrival time of our ancestors.
If you look at the three Seas that we campaign.
I think we've hung together and made a big difference.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Well, let's move from the Three Seas to the d defense.
How the hell are we going to pay for that?
The increased defense spending.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Well, the budget shows that we can do it. However,
whether or not we increase our defense spending and ACT
campaign normal this, we have to. We have to be
part of partnerships with the lights of Australia. Otherwise we
are defenseless by ourselves. However, even if we agree with
all that and I'm please we're doing it, the truth
(03:55):
is that over the next five years, New Zealand is
going to have to work out how are we going
to make ends meets. At the moment, we have the
Green Party and to some extent, Labor saying well, we're
going to tax you more. You have some people out
there saying we'll just keep borrowing. See what happens. I
don't think that's a smart option. And then you have
(04:17):
ACT saying well, actually, you know, we haven't reduced a
number of bureaucrats the way we should have. We need
to start asking can we afford fifty billion on welfare?
It's our biggest area of expenditure. Do we want to
have eighty two portfolios of thirty ministers and arguably a
much tougher time holding the ureaucracy accountable than we'd have
(04:38):
with a much simpler arrangement as ACTS proposed. So a
lot of the next five years is going to be
about do we spend more, do we borrow more, do
we tax more? Or do we really start thinking hard
about saving so we can afford defense and actually a
whole lot of other stuff. And ACT is going to
play I think an honorable role in that debate that
has to happen.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Now do you think your feature in just Sinda's new book,
I mean, the urgant pricked line was quite famous.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Was we raised one hundred grand with that? I was
just thinking I could I raised about seventy grand for
heart Kids by driving the landing up the steps. So
you know, maybe she'll have a tribute to people who
raise money for good causes that she didn't already tax.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Well, I'm not going to call you an arrogant prick, David.
I'm going to call you deputy day from here on
and I'll see you. Yeah, it works for you. Good
on you. You're always a good sport and we'll see
you next week at field Days.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Well I wish I would, but I got to go
on debate in Oxford, So to be the last field Days,
the first field Days I've missed in a very long time.
But you know the likes of Mark Cameron Andrew Hoggart,
Cameron lux to the next team will be there. And
please if you're there and you want to talk to
a stop by and tell them what's on your mind.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Oh well, good luck in that Oxford debate. Have you
got any killing one liners? Like I can smell the
uranium on your breath.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You know, So I got out that this joke's just happened.
We'll see. If I did have any powder, i'd be
keeping it dry.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Good on you, David seymore safe travels, good luck and
at Oxford.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Awesome. But there we go.
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