March 11, 2025 • 8 mins
The Prime Minister ponders tomorrow’s Investment Summit in Auckland, Saturday’s trade trip to India, and Winston Peters meeting Marco Rubio in Washington. Plus - why are we trying to feed more than a quarter of all our school children?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wednesdays on the country. The Prime Minister is kind enough
to give us his time to kick off the show.
He's been coppying plenty a heat recently around his communication,
but you can't criticize his work ethic. Investment Summit Thursday
and Friday, Trade trip to India Saturday. But just before
we do that, Prime Minister, I note that Donald Trump,
(00:20):
one of the world's other great leaders, has just brought
a tesla to support his mate Elon Musk. Are you
going to buy a school lunch to support Seymour?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, I know, Challie David Zemo was working hard to
clean it up because we actually contradicted with some suppliers
to make sure we get the proper school lunches in
place for kids who desperately need them. Otherwise, parents conpreently
make the lunches for these kids, but for those that can't,
we got to get a lunch program Networks because we
know if they don't get through, they don't and that
doesn't give them all.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Oh sorry, I'll come back to the school lunches because
I do want to concentrate on the two important ones
for us as a country. The Investment Summit begins tomorrow
and of course the trade trip to India aren't with
the investment summit. How much money can you drag into
the country.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Well, we've got to drag as much as we can
because we've got a big infrastructure deficit. If you think
about the roads, the hospitals, the schools, everything that we
want to get built in this country, we're not going
to be able to do it with the government's own
money one hundred percent. And so we've got to be
able to use pools of money that are within the country,
meaning acc and super Fund, but we've also got to
use the money that's overseas. And here's the deal. J mean, basically,
(01:26):
the world has been getting wealfare people have been moving
from a low incomes to middle incomes. When they do that,
they start putting money aside for savings for retirement, and
those retirement funds need to be invested. And that's what
we've done is invited a lot of softeign wealth and
pension fund money from fourteen different countries. There's hundred organizations coming.
They invest six trillion dollars six trillion dollars and utility
(01:49):
spasically none of it are So that's why when I've
been off overseats. I've been meeting them, with these potential investors,
I'm inviting them to New Zealand and then I have
my ministers there for two days. I have EE organizations
there and some of our emerging advanced sectors to actually
make the pitch and to show them a pipeline of
potential projects that they might want to invest in. But
(02:10):
it's just the beginning. I mean, we basically want to
be open to investment new zones, one of the countries
in the world that is one of the lowest welcoming
capital to the country. We know we've got thin capital,
and yet we know the advantages of that investment is huge.
If we can get a four lane highway built from
Auckland to finer Ay, it is the single biggest thing
that will open up huge economic opportunities for our farmers.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Absolutely, Prime Minister. Should all new major roads in this
country be toll roads? Should it be like for the
Taranga Harbor Bridge, that Winston Belt It was told until
they paid for us, why not do that with all roads?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well we did that originally, remember with the Aukland Harbor
Bridge as well. For so many years. I mean the
reality of this if you want to say, do new
roads that then open up new housing, new new towns,
you know, a whole bunch of economic value for people.
But then the bottom line is that you can't. We
probably will have to use a lot more tolls to
(03:05):
pay for it, but as long as those tolls are
going to extending and improving that voting network. So if
you look at the like Couto Expressway, for example, I
remember talking to an agricultural vet down there and she
said to me, Chris before that, why Couto Expressway was
and I couldn't. I'm now doing one or two extra
jobs a day because I'm not stuck in traffic doing congestion.
(03:26):
I've got this brand new road that can move at
one hundred and ten k's. I can do one or
two more farms a day. I can pay fun and
be home with my two little girls at the end
of the day. So infrastructure done well has huge benefits
for people economically. They list there and comes when they've
list there and comes to more money in their pockets
to deal with stuff. So it creates opportunity. So we
know four lane freeway, which is what we're going to
(03:48):
put on offer. One of the projects will have available immediately.
We know there's already international investors that are very interested
in that road. And yes, you might have to pay
tolls as we're doing north of Auckland right now, but
as long as that's at those holes are big pay that.
You know that money is going to extending that network
through to Fomerrade. That's what it should be doing. So yeah,
that maybe that's the reality of Otherwise we had to
(04:09):
wait sixty years. We keep talking about building stuff and
we don't do anything.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Okay, all right, let's move on trade trip to India.
It's all very well talking about a free trade deal,
but we're never going to get one around Derry, are we.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Well just say zoom out on India. You're got the
most populous country on here as one point four five
billion people, going to be the third largest economy by
twenty thirty in the world, very important geostrategic defense player.
And also six percent of our population three hundred thousand
are from Indian descent. So in Great Taspury here so
in New Zealand is nowhere with India. And in fact
(04:44):
our two way trade is down and has gone backwards
under labor. So you know when we've got a country
the same size as China. We do thirty eight billion
dollars with them. We've did just over two billion with India.
So that's why we spent the last year doing building
a relationships back with the president of the prominence they're
in the from this visit, we meant to have relationships
with then problems. Theamodiumvited me for a state visit. So
(05:05):
it is what I'm doing on Saturday for four days
and you know we will continue to discuss how you
deepen up our trade ties. Now Yip, you're right, dairy
is very very sensitive issue for India. They've got lots
of small farmers across the country. It's a very political issue,
very sensitive issue. It's a very important issue for us.
It's an important sector for us. But to sit there
(05:27):
like Damian O'Connor and the Niama Hoosa and Chriship consider
and say, oh and they're just too hard, we're not
going to do anything. Well, you and I were at
lamb day the other day. Our lamb is thirty percent
more expensive than the Australian lamb our apples going out
and you are more expensive than the Australian. The wine
is more expensive, and yes, dairy is a tough conversation,
but we shouldn't be fatalistic about it. We know it's
(05:48):
going to be hard, but we should get into the
arena and actually try our best and go and put
our best foot forward. We cannot say we just don't
want to do a deal and not. Actually, when the
Australians have, the Canadians have, The's have, the Europeans have,
we should be in the mix and at least trying
to do some stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Absolutely. Now Marco Rubio is busy brokering a piece steal
in the Middle East at the moment, but come tomorrow,
Winston's on a plane to go over and have a
meeting with them. So you are playing with the big
boys at the moment.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Well, we want to really know, we want to work
with everybody right and we want to be able to
build it. We've got a good long standing relationship with
the US. I had a very good call with President Trump.
Winston's already spoken with Marco Rubio, Judithlory spoken with Peter Higsaf,
the Defense Minister, Defense Secretary, and we have a situation
we put in place last year, which is we want
to have an annual meeting between the Secretary of State
(06:41):
and the Foreign Minister every year. It's a new Zealand
has conbat at the highest levels in the administration. We're
building broader, deeper relationships with the administration, as you'd expect
us to do, and so it's a good chance for
Winston and micro Rubio to talk about the issues that
are going on across the world, particularly Ukraine, Jaza and
our individual security challenges that we've got here in the region.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Started off on the school lunches and people are fed
up totally. No bad pun intended with school lunches. But
here's a question for you. I heard David Seymour on
Hosking this morning and I was surprised by this number.
We're attempting to feed twenty seven percent of the school
kids in this country. Why the hell are we doing that?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Well, I don't. I mean, ideally, the States shouldn't have
to feed any kids. Frankly, you know that's a parental responsibility.
And that's why I made the comments I did about
parents giving their kid games.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, and I get all that, and I've heard in
the Prime Minister. I've heard all that before, but twenty
seven percent. You can't tell me a quarter of the
kids in this country are not capable or didn't bring
their own lunches to school. I know we need to
look after the people at the bottom end, but that
seems an incredibly high threshold.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, it does, and that's something that we've been talking
about as well as like, you know, what is the
eligibility of who actually gets these lunches and now provided
because we are providing a problem a lunch program for
kids who genuinely don't have lunches and for whatever reason,
and they actually need to have lunches so they're not hungry.
But when you when you hear that, you know their
(08:13):
appearans actually who are both working, who actually can make
the mum might sound well and put the airport in
the lunch box. They should be doing so. And you
know that's an expectation of basic expectation of parents.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Prime Honester, good luck at the investment summer tomorrow and Friday,
and safe travels to India, bring back an ft A.
Thanks for your time, Jamien.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
You can take care
Wednesdays on the country. The Prime Minister is kind enough
to give us his time to kick off the show.
He's been coppying plenty a heat recently around his communication,
but you can't criticize his work ethic. Investment Summit Thursday
and Friday, Trade trip to India Saturday. But just before
we do that, Prime Minister, I note that Donald Trump,
(00:20):
one of the world's other great leaders, has just brought
a tesla to support his mate Elon Musk. Are you
going to buy a school lunch to support Seymour?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, I know, Challie David Zemo was working hard to
clean it up because we actually contradicted with some suppliers
to make sure we get the proper school lunches in
place for kids who desperately need them. Otherwise, parents conpreently
make the lunches for these kids, but for those that can't,
we got to get a lunch program Networks because we
know if they don't get through, they don't and that
doesn't give them all.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Oh sorry, I'll come back to the school lunches because
I do want to concentrate on the two important ones
for us as a country. The Investment Summit begins tomorrow
and of course the trade trip to India aren't with
the investment summit. How much money can you drag into
the country.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Well, we've got to drag as much as we can
because we've got a big infrastructure deficit. If you think
about the roads, the hospitals, the schools, everything that we
want to get built in this country, we're not going
to be able to do it with the government's own
money one hundred percent. And so we've got to be
able to use pools of money that are within the country,
meaning acc and super Fund, but we've also got to
use the money that's overseas. And here's the deal. J mean, basically,
(01:26):
the world has been getting wealfare people have been moving
from a low incomes to middle incomes. When they do that,
they start putting money aside for savings for retirement, and
those retirement funds need to be invested. And that's what
we've done is invited a lot of softeign wealth and
pension fund money from fourteen different countries. There's hundred organizations coming.
They invest six trillion dollars six trillion dollars and utility
(01:49):
spasically none of it are So that's why when I've
been off overseats. I've been meeting them, with these potential investors,
I'm inviting them to New Zealand and then I have
my ministers there for two days. I have EE organizations
there and some of our emerging advanced sectors to actually
make the pitch and to show them a pipeline of
potential projects that they might want to invest in. But
(02:10):
it's just the beginning. I mean, we basically want to
be open to investment new zones, one of the countries
in the world that is one of the lowest welcoming
capital to the country. We know we've got thin capital,
and yet we know the advantages of that investment is huge.
If we can get a four lane highway built from
Auckland to finer Ay, it is the single biggest thing
that will open up huge economic opportunities for our farmers.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Absolutely, Prime Minister. Should all new major roads in this
country be toll roads? Should it be like for the
Taranga Harbor Bridge, that Winston Belt It was told until
they paid for us, why not do that with all roads?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well we did that originally, remember with the Aukland Harbor
Bridge as well. For so many years. I mean the
reality of this if you want to say, do new
roads that then open up new housing, new new towns,
you know, a whole bunch of economic value for people.
But then the bottom line is that you can't. We
probably will have to use a lot more tolls to
(03:05):
pay for it, but as long as those tolls are
going to extending and improving that voting network. So if
you look at the like Couto Expressway, for example, I
remember talking to an agricultural vet down there and she
said to me, Chris before that, why Couto Expressway was
and I couldn't. I'm now doing one or two extra
jobs a day because I'm not stuck in traffic doing congestion.
(03:26):
I've got this brand new road that can move at
one hundred and ten k's. I can do one or
two more farms a day. I can pay fun and
be home with my two little girls at the end
of the day. So infrastructure done well has huge benefits
for people economically. They list there and comes when they've
list there and comes to more money in their pockets
to deal with stuff. So it creates opportunity. So we
know four lane freeway, which is what we're going to
(03:48):
put on offer. One of the projects will have available immediately.
We know there's already international investors that are very interested
in that road. And yes, you might have to pay
tolls as we're doing north of Auckland right now, but
as long as that's at those holes are big pay that.
You know that money is going to extending that network
through to Fomerrade. That's what it should be doing. So yeah,
that maybe that's the reality of Otherwise we had to
(04:09):
wait sixty years. We keep talking about building stuff and
we don't do anything.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Okay, all right, let's move on trade trip to India.
It's all very well talking about a free trade deal,
but we're never going to get one around Derry, are we.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Well just say zoom out on India. You're got the
most populous country on here as one point four five
billion people, going to be the third largest economy by
twenty thirty in the world, very important geostrategic defense player.
And also six percent of our population three hundred thousand
are from Indian descent. So in Great Taspury here so
in New Zealand is nowhere with India. And in fact
(04:44):
our two way trade is down and has gone backwards
under labor. So you know when we've got a country
the same size as China. We do thirty eight billion
dollars with them. We've did just over two billion with India.
So that's why we spent the last year doing building
a relationships back with the president of the prominence they're
in the from this visit, we meant to have relationships
with then problems. Theamodiumvited me for a state visit. So
(05:05):
it is what I'm doing on Saturday for four days
and you know we will continue to discuss how you
deepen up our trade ties. Now Yip, you're right, dairy
is very very sensitive issue for India. They've got lots
of small farmers across the country. It's a very political issue,
very sensitive issue. It's a very important issue for us.
It's an important sector for us. But to sit there
(05:27):
like Damian O'Connor and the Niama Hoosa and Chriship consider
and say, oh and they're just too hard, we're not
going to do anything. Well, you and I were at
lamb day the other day. Our lamb is thirty percent
more expensive than the Australian lamb our apples going out
and you are more expensive than the Australian. The wine
is more expensive, and yes, dairy is a tough conversation,
but we shouldn't be fatalistic about it. We know it's
(05:48):
going to be hard, but we should get into the
arena and actually try our best and go and put
our best foot forward. We cannot say we just don't
want to do a deal and not. Actually, when the
Australians have, the Canadians have, The's have, the Europeans have,
we should be in the mix and at least trying
to do some stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Absolutely. Now Marco Rubio is busy brokering a piece steal
in the Middle East at the moment, but come tomorrow,
Winston's on a plane to go over and have a
meeting with them. So you are playing with the big
boys at the moment.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Well, we want to really know, we want to work
with everybody right and we want to be able to
build it. We've got a good long standing relationship with
the US. I had a very good call with President Trump.
Winston's already spoken with Marco Rubio, Judithlory spoken with Peter Higsaf,
the Defense Minister, Defense Secretary, and we have a situation
we put in place last year, which is we want
to have an annual meeting between the Secretary of State
(06:41):
and the Foreign Minister every year. It's a new Zealand
has conbat at the highest levels in the administration. We're
building broader, deeper relationships with the administration, as you'd expect
us to do, and so it's a good chance for
Winston and micro Rubio to talk about the issues that
are going on across the world, particularly Ukraine, Jaza and
our individual security challenges that we've got here in the region.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Started off on the school lunches and people are fed
up totally. No bad pun intended with school lunches. But
here's a question for you. I heard David Seymour on
Hosking this morning and I was surprised by this number.
We're attempting to feed twenty seven percent of the school
kids in this country. Why the hell are we doing that?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Well, I don't. I mean, ideally, the States shouldn't have
to feed any kids. Frankly, you know that's a parental responsibility.
And that's why I made the comments I did about
parents giving their kid games.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, and I get all that, and I've heard in
the Prime Minister. I've heard all that before, but twenty
seven percent. You can't tell me a quarter of the
kids in this country are not capable or didn't bring
their own lunches to school. I know we need to
look after the people at the bottom end, but that
seems an incredibly high threshold.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, it does, and that's something that we've been talking
about as well as like, you know, what is the
eligibility of who actually gets these lunches and now provided
because we are providing a problem a lunch program for
kids who genuinely don't have lunches and for whatever reason,
and they actually need to have lunches so they're not hungry.
But when you when you hear that, you know their
(08:13):
appearans actually who are both working, who actually can make
the mum might sound well and put the airport in
the lunch box. They should be doing so. And you
know that's an expectation of basic expectation of parents.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Prime Honester, good luck at the investment summer tomorrow and Friday,
and safe travels to India, bring back an ft A.
Thanks for your time, Jamien.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
You can take care
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