The Country 04/02/26: Christopher Luxon talks to Jamie Mackay

The PM ponders the lead-up to National Lamb Day (Feb 15) and the National Lamb Day broadcast from Parliament Lawns next Wednesday (Feb 11). We also discuss the upcoming regional farmer Field Days season, and who’s right - Shane Jones or Sir Ian Taylor when it comes to gold mining at Bendigo in Central Otago? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
The Prime Minister kicking off the country on a Wednesday
as we Go Country with a new single from Jackie
Bristow along with the sister Katrina, Let It Rain. Christopher Luxen,
you've only just sampled it, but that's quite catchy.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Oh that's awesome. I mean, Jackie Bristow is amazing and
I just encourage everyone get out, listen to it and
just support great Kiwi country music. And she's done well
and she's got some recognition overseas as well. So an
awesome song Let It Rain by Jackie and his sister Katrina. Fantastic.
So I get into it.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Well, there you go in endorsement from the very top
and it's the song is called let It Rain. I
hope it doesn't rain next Wednesday. This time next Wednesday
when we're about to do our broadcast from the Parliament
Parliament lawns.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, well yeah exactly. I mean it's National Lamb Day
and we did that from the Parliament lawns. And I mean,
what a great year for Lamb. I mean and sheep
meets in general. I mean, sheep meat exports at record
high price, record prices this year and we had really
strong demand from all around the world. Yesterday, I was
actually with the German Foreign Minister and looking at our
exports there and you know, our total experts are up

(01:11):
twenty eight percent. But you know, red meat lamb has
been doing exceptionally well and it's projected to continue to
rise over the next couple of years because you know,
there's a lot more demand than there is supply of
product around the world. So really fantastic. You know, I
think I think the average value of sheet meat I
think for last month was about thirteen dollars forty four.
It's about thirty almost over a third higher than what
it was a year ago. So that's all really positive news.

(01:34):
So mars Well celebrated, I think my friend.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Okay, so we've got the National Lamb Day barbecue. It's
on the Parliamentary lawns on the Wednesday.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
You remember last year, Remember last year I made that
fashion faux pa where I put the next land Ade
T shirt out of my suit.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Don't do that again. You're a hey, you're a bit
like a former National Party leader Simon Bridges, And I
said to him, whatever you do, Simon, don't turn up
to field days in a pinstripe suit and a brand
new red band gum boots. What did he do?

Speaker 2 (02:03):
I've got you know, I've got my I like getting
into my rms and my on and gun get. It's
all good.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
That's next Wednesday, next Friday. And of course it's the
regional field day season getting underway with Southern field Days
down and Gore or just outside of Gore at why
murmur bloody gat. I mean great field days a better
mind my language there.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
I mean there before and it's fantastic. I bet you
and I catching up when I'm there next week. But
it's actually really fantastic. But I just think the move's
really good. And I think you know, as I've been
going around and you talk to farmers, they're very grateful
that Nationals. Actually we put a plan together and before
the election we said what we do and we've just
been getting on and executing it and getting it done.
I think they appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
The Southern field Days, East Coast Farming Expo, Northland Central Districts,
and of course then we have Mystery Creek. You'll be there.
You're going to try and get to some other other
of those regional field days.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Absolutely, yeah, I mean I've been I've got around to
quite a few over the courses. Each year. I get
to as many as I possibly can, so definitely be
at field days. Definitely, I'm at Gore and the others.
Is just a question of how it fits with the
parliamentary schedule. But no, I try and go to every
field day I possibly can. I enjoy them because it's
a change of scenery. You're getting out talking to real people,
hearing what's going on, and they're pretty straight up with you,

(03:13):
which is great.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, you'll probably get a better reception at the regional
field days than you will at Waitangi Day.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Well, I'm on my way to wait Hanging now and
today I've got a meeting with all the EWE leaders
and a couple other meetings this evening. Actually I'm meaning
with some of the EWE that were impacted by the
weather events up north again as well, which would be
second time meeting with them and just making sure we've
got all the things getting into recovery mode well. And
then tomorrow's the big poephry with all the politicians come

(03:42):
onto the Treny grounds and then I'll be back in
Auckland on Nature Waite Tanny Day and doing some community
waity Day events.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Were you attempted to do a Helen Clark, a John
Key Ja cinder durn even and not turn up?

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Well? Remember last year I actually went down to Akara
and celebra to Waitangni Day with Natahu and that was
brilliant And I really had always wanted to go to
other parts of the country where it's signed, and I
really enjoyed that. And so you know, I'm back here
this year. But you know, who knows what will happened
in coming years.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Just to fundsh on who's right, Shane Jones or sar
En Taylor. When it comes to gold mining at Bendigo
in central Otago, is this the national good or is
this a nimbiaism?

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Now? Look, I mean we've got to get more mining
underway in this country. I mean we are blessed with
a bunch of critical minerals, which is where the future
is going to be. With AI and super conducted chips
and all those good things. They create high paying jobs
in regional New Zealand. And you know we also need mining. Frankly,
if you want to make the transition to evs and
solar panels, well where do that or come from? It

(04:45):
comes from minerals on the ground. So you know, we
really want to open up mining. We think there's a
huge opportunity create high paying jobs in regional New Zealand,
and we'll do so responsibly, of course, and responsible offerators
are expected to hold their obligations and meet their obligations.
But you know, if we want, you know, we're finding it.
Even on quarrying. You know, we've not really had a
great set of it's been too hard to build quarries

(05:06):
and open up quarries. Well, we need them if we're
going to build quality roads. We don't want to be
shifting gravel around the country. We need to do it
closer in to where the roads are being built. So
now we think there's a huge opportunity there.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
Saren Taylor, Sir Sam Neil, I think he, sir, sir.
And Graham Sidney you, sir, I think he might be
as well. So are those three surs just elitists?

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Well, no, they're quite right to have their point of
view about it all. And I think the conversation, the
debate's a good one to have. It's just I think
we can do mining and do so responsibly and create
high paying regional jobs. That's what this is about. And
I think the conversations are important because we want to
make sure the right safeguards are in place. We want
to make sure it's done responsibly and that both you know,

(05:49):
they can coexist and I think you know that's what
the conversation should be about.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, thanks for your time. We'll catch
your next Wednesday on Parliament Lawns for the National Lamb
Day Barbecue and Wellington.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
Okay, thank you, Jamie. Have a great week.