September 4, 2024 • 6 mins
It’s the leader of the Opposition’s birthday. He talks about Kīngi Tūheitia, who is formally laid to rest today and whether the two major parties can achieve anything politically around big projects such as roading or housing. Also, is Labour still the same party that lost last year’s election, and does it have any agricultural policies?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Can you join any now is the leader of the opposition,
Chris Hopkins.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good afternoon today, how are you going?
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Very well? Thank you? And look, while we're on pleasantries,
happy birthday.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Thank you, thank you. The sun is shining here and
well income so that's that's a great stat yeah, man, it.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Is here in Auckland as well hopefully around the country
as well. A lot going on on farm, so hopefully
everyone who's got sunshine for Chris's birthday. Hey, look, it
is an historic day in New Zealand's history and King
to Haitia will be formally laid to rest. And you,
Marty monarch appointed, what does it mean from parliamentary sense
for you to be part of this day.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, it's a big day for the whole of the country.
King I think was respected not just a monks Mardid,
but actually amoks Non Mahdi as well. He was regarded
as the King of Kotahitanga, so the king of unity
and togetherness. He placed a real focus on bringing people
together on a laying concerns on sort of healing visions
(01:00):
during his time and I think that, you know, I
hope that that spirit will continue and that we will
learn a lot from that period in its country, and
that will continue to make sure that we place a
focus on unity.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Speaking of unity politically here in New Zealand, are we
not united enough to be able to achieve anything big?
And I'm looking at you know, massive roading projects or
public transport or housing. Are we too divided to get
these big things across the line.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I think the challenge here is that short term politics
has dominated electoral thinking, you know, political thinking in New
Zealand over the last four decades or so. It's been
a long time since we've had a government that has
really gone out there and see if we're going to
invest in something that's going to take ten years to
deliver a payoff buy in large governments in New Zealand's
(01:52):
recent history haven't been willing to do that, and I
think that that's legacy. We've just got to get over there.
We've got to be willing to make some longer term
investment decisions, and that means that politicians have to be
a bit more willing to agree to fund and approve
projects that they're not going to get to cut ribbon on.
There's been a folk you know. I think the short
term thinking means that a lot of political leaders have said, well,
(02:14):
you know, I want to fund this thing because it
can be built in two years and then I can
cut the ribbon on it. Well, if that's going to
be the focus, we're never going to tackle the really
big stuff that really needs to be done.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
How do we go about that?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, we need to look at how we change the
way we plan for some of these projects. If you
think about roading, for example, vading priorities do change from
government to government. But the challenge that we've got is
that then every time there's a change in government priorities,
the planning process goes almost right back to square one again.
I think we need to think about planning well beyond that.
So I think the idea of having an agency that's
(02:46):
working on longer term plans for our infrastructure investment, I
think that's a good thing because it means even if
a new government comes in and says, hey, look we
want to build more roads and less psycho ways as
the current government has decided, then they won't go meet
the square one because there will be a range of
options already underway that they can choose from. And similarly,
if the pendulin slung the other way and a different
(03:07):
government came in and said, hey, look we want to
invest more and mess rapid trends it, you know, to
get people around cities faster. There would be a range
of things that already will well through the planning process.
So I think, you know, if we can, if we
can start to get a bit more senseful long term planning,
then it doesn't matter so much of short term spending
decisions change because if the planning is all being done,
(03:29):
then the work can get underway much faster.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
In a year's time. I hope we're having a conversation
about how that is starting to be implemented. But let's
look back a year. We're coming up to the anniversary
of the last year's election. Are you still the same
party that lost that election?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Well, always the same party. But I think what we're
trying to do at the moment, and you know, it's
a process that I started when I became leader of
the Labor Party at the beginning last year. As I
do think we need to refocus in on some of
those core things that really matter to the Labor Party,
that really are in our DNA, that are the reasons
why we exist. Well, that's about making sure that people
(04:07):
are in work, making sure that people get good, well
paid jobs, and that actually they can get a head
through their own hard work. That's really why the Labor
Party was founded. That was founded to make sure that
hard work pays off and that the workers who generate
a lot of wealth for the country actually benefit from
that themselves. And you know, I think we now, more
(04:28):
than ever in recent history, we need to get back
to that again, and we need to be saying, well,
there's a lot of people out there working multiple jobs,
working really really hard, who can barely make ends meet.
That's not what hard work should feel like. You know,
hard work should feel like you're getting a head through that.
Children in New Zealand living in poverty whose parents are
both in work, that shouldn't be the case.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
One would argue also that a lot of the people
who are working hard to generate well for the country
are farmers. Do you have any agricultural policies coming up
in the pipeline maybe as a result of that Red
Band's conference between Labor and Federated farmers, what's come of that.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yeah, we've had some really good conversations with the farming community.
I think, you know, recognizing that that was an area
where relationships were we're not where they needed to be
by the time we had left to government. So we
spent a lot of time listening with farmers and actually
also learning as well. And I spend quite a bit
of time visiting farms and actually seeing on the ground,
you know, what does what what are these policy debates
(05:29):
mean in a practical sense on the ground. And I
think that's really important for politicians to do that. So
we're not rushing forward with new policy now because I
think we're we're part way through doing that, and I
think it's really important that when we do come out
with further policy in the agricultural space, it's based on
you know, practical, implementable policy that you know that we've
(05:50):
worked through with farmers. So they might not agree with everything,
but I think one of the things that farmers got
really frustrated, and it's not just under our government, it's
been under successive governments where they look at a policy
and say, well, even if we agreed with that, we
couldn't actually do it because it's not implementable. I think
we've got to avoid that.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yeah, absolutely, Jamie McKay. Of course, the normal host of
the country getting his investiture at Government House. I've never
been to one of these, you must have seen them
in the past. An amazing day.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
It's a really lovely day. You get a range of
different people at any investiture ceremony, so Amy will be
there alongside a range of other people who are being
recognized for their contributions to our community. You get everything
from the scientists, to the educators, to the health professionals,
to the people who work in the arts and the
arts space, get some famous sporting people sometimes and it's
(06:42):
really lovely just to see that real section of New
Zealand being recognized for everything they do for the country.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Chris Hapkins, thank you so much for your time today.
Enjoy the rest of your birthday, but appreciate you coming
on the country today.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Great to talk to you three to again next time.
Can you join any now is the leader of the opposition,
Chris Hopkins.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good afternoon today, how are you going?
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Very well? Thank you? And look, while we're on pleasantries,
happy birthday.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Thank you, thank you. The sun is shining here and
well income so that's that's a great stat yeah, man, it.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Is here in Auckland as well hopefully around the country
as well. A lot going on on farm, so hopefully
everyone who's got sunshine for Chris's birthday. Hey, look, it
is an historic day in New Zealand's history and King
to Haitia will be formally laid to rest. And you,
Marty monarch appointed, what does it mean from parliamentary sense
for you to be part of this day.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, it's a big day for the whole of the country.
King I think was respected not just a monks Mardid,
but actually amoks Non Mahdi as well. He was regarded
as the King of Kotahitanga, so the king of unity
and togetherness. He placed a real focus on bringing people
together on a laying concerns on sort of healing visions
(01:00):
during his time and I think that, you know, I
hope that that spirit will continue and that we will
learn a lot from that period in its country, and
that will continue to make sure that we place a
focus on unity.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Speaking of unity politically here in New Zealand, are we
not united enough to be able to achieve anything big?
And I'm looking at you know, massive roading projects or
public transport or housing. Are we too divided to get
these big things across the line.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I think the challenge here is that short term politics
has dominated electoral thinking, you know, political thinking in New
Zealand over the last four decades or so. It's been
a long time since we've had a government that has
really gone out there and see if we're going to
invest in something that's going to take ten years to
deliver a payoff buy in large governments in New Zealand's
(01:52):
recent history haven't been willing to do that, and I
think that that's legacy. We've just got to get over there.
We've got to be willing to make some longer term
investment decisions, and that means that politicians have to be
a bit more willing to agree to fund and approve
projects that they're not going to get to cut ribbon on.
There's been a folk you know. I think the short
term thinking means that a lot of political leaders have said, well,
(02:14):
you know, I want to fund this thing because it
can be built in two years and then I can
cut the ribbon on it. Well, if that's going to
be the focus, we're never going to tackle the really
big stuff that really needs to be done.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
How do we go about that?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, we need to look at how we change the
way we plan for some of these projects. If you
think about roading, for example, vading priorities do change from
government to government. But the challenge that we've got is
that then every time there's a change in government priorities,
the planning process goes almost right back to square one again.
I think we need to think about planning well beyond that.
So I think the idea of having an agency that's
(02:46):
working on longer term plans for our infrastructure investment, I
think that's a good thing because it means even if
a new government comes in and says, hey, look we
want to build more roads and less psycho ways as
the current government has decided, then they won't go meet
the square one because there will be a range of
options already underway that they can choose from. And similarly,
if the pendulin slung the other way and a different
(03:07):
government came in and said, hey, look we want to
invest more and mess rapid trends it, you know, to
get people around cities faster. There would be a range
of things that already will well through the planning process.
So I think, you know, if we can, if we
can start to get a bit more senseful long term planning,
then it doesn't matter so much of short term spending
decisions change because if the planning is all being done,
(03:29):
then the work can get underway much faster.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
In a year's time. I hope we're having a conversation
about how that is starting to be implemented. But let's
look back a year. We're coming up to the anniversary
of the last year's election. Are you still the same
party that lost that election?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Well, always the same party. But I think what we're
trying to do at the moment, and you know, it's
a process that I started when I became leader of
the Labor Party at the beginning last year. As I
do think we need to refocus in on some of
those core things that really matter to the Labor Party,
that really are in our DNA, that are the reasons
why we exist. Well, that's about making sure that people
(04:07):
are in work, making sure that people get good, well
paid jobs, and that actually they can get a head
through their own hard work. That's really why the Labor
Party was founded. That was founded to make sure that
hard work pays off and that the workers who generate
a lot of wealth for the country actually benefit from
that themselves. And you know, I think we now, more
(04:28):
than ever in recent history, we need to get back
to that again, and we need to be saying, well,
there's a lot of people out there working multiple jobs,
working really really hard, who can barely make ends meet.
That's not what hard work should feel like. You know,
hard work should feel like you're getting a head through that.
Children in New Zealand living in poverty whose parents are
both in work, that shouldn't be the case.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
One would argue also that a lot of the people
who are working hard to generate well for the country
are farmers. Do you have any agricultural policies coming up
in the pipeline maybe as a result of that Red
Band's conference between Labor and Federated farmers, what's come of that.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yeah, we've had some really good conversations with the farming community.
I think, you know, recognizing that that was an area
where relationships were we're not where they needed to be
by the time we had left to government. So we
spent a lot of time listening with farmers and actually
also learning as well. And I spend quite a bit
of time visiting farms and actually seeing on the ground,
you know, what does what what are these policy debates
(05:29):
mean in a practical sense on the ground. And I
think that's really important for politicians to do that. So
we're not rushing forward with new policy now because I
think we're we're part way through doing that, and I
think it's really important that when we do come out
with further policy in the agricultural space, it's based on
you know, practical, implementable policy that you know that we've
(05:50):
worked through with farmers. So they might not agree with everything,
but I think one of the things that farmers got
really frustrated, and it's not just under our government, it's
been under successive governments where they look at a policy
and say, well, even if we agreed with that, we
couldn't actually do it because it's not implementable. I think
we've got to avoid that.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yeah, absolutely, Jamie McKay. Of course, the normal host of
the country getting his investiture at Government House. I've never
been to one of these, you must have seen them
in the past. An amazing day.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
It's a really lovely day. You get a range of
different people at any investiture ceremony, so Amy will be
there alongside a range of other people who are being
recognized for their contributions to our community. You get everything
from the scientists, to the educators, to the health professionals,
to the people who work in the arts and the
arts space, get some famous sporting people sometimes and it's
(06:42):
really lovely just to see that real section of New
Zealand being recognized for everything they do for the country.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Chris Hapkins, thank you so much for your time today.
Enjoy the rest of your birthday, but appreciate you coming
on the country today.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Great to talk to you three to again next time.
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