November 26, 2024 • 8 mins
The PM reflects on the kick off of yesterday's "Restoring Farmer Confidence Tour" with the Feds at Mystery Creek, with the Ashburton and Gore meetings still to come. Also on the agenda are Seymour, Winston, and what Trump potentially means for the NZ economy?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The PM kicks off the show. This day a year ago,
Prime Minister you and Winston and David were walking down
the corridors of power looking very very happy with yourself. Indeed,
is it still happy families?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah. Look, I'm very proud of actually what we've done
over the three party coalition governments, and it hasn't been
done before in New Zealand. Of course, it's done a
lot in Western Europe and other places that have ANYMMMP
environment like us. But yeah, when you take a step
back and think about what we inherit and the mess
that we've inherited and the issues that we're trying to
work our way through, we've been very united on making sure,
(00:35):
you know, focus on rebuilding economy and restoring law and
order until having better of public services like health and education.
So I think, yeah, there's a long way to go.
It's still very very tough time for New Zealanders. I'm
very conscious of that, but I hope people have got
a sense that we've got a plan where working our
way through as Yes, we've inherited a mess, but we're
making progress and the plans starting to work.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
All right. Winston's been on his best behavior. I put
it to you that David Seymour has been the wayward child.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Well, the different personalities and the relationship with them is
as different as you'd expect in the way that I
work with both of them. But you know, I enjoy
working with both of them, and I just think I'm
proud of the National Party. I'm also proud of the
minor parties and what they've been able to contribute as well.
But I think as a coalition government it's been working
pretty well.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Have you gone too hard too early on some of
the spending cuts?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Not at all. I mean, I think you know, the
reality is the spending reprioritizations we're designed to get the
money out of the back office into the front line.
I mean, we've put almost seventeen billion dollars extra into
healthcare on top of the thirty billion we spend each
and every year. And you know, no government in the
history of m Zealand spent as much in healthcare as
we have and will in the coming years. And it
is just purely because we've been able to generate savings
(01:46):
out of the system and the inefficiencies. I think what
I've learned in this year is that you know, government
thinks very differently from the outside world, which is, you know,
you don't just think about the new money coming in
as a budget, which is which what governments seem to
get fixated on. But you've also got to ask a
question about the money that's already been spent. Are we
getting good value for that money? And that isn't something
(02:06):
that's normal here in Wellington, as I've discovered. So I
think that's a different mentality that we're trying to bring
to Wellington, which is to say, look, there's a lot
of money going in, we've got to make sure we're
getting value for that money, that every dollar is working
hard and if it's not, let's stop the stuff that's
not working and do more of the stuff it is.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yesterday, you and a very hard working Minister of Agriculture
and Trade, Todd McLay would the farmers at Mystery Creek
on the first stop of the Restoring Farmer Confidence Tour.
But was this like preaching to the choir?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well, I just want farmers to know, I mean that
they are deeply valued. They've been treated as villains in
the last six years and so rarely. What this is
about is just giving them a sense of the big
broad brushstrokes of what I think about the sector and
what my hopes are for the sector, and so it
was really giving and then Todd talking more about the
things that we've already done in the first twelve months,
(02:56):
but also what we plan to do, and then opening
it up for an engagement where we can actually hear
from them directly. Is to know what's working well, what's
not working well. So I just think, you know, that's
the way that government should work. We should have government
and industry working together. You've got feeds one hundred and
twenty five years and that actually does a really good
job of taking all of those issues. I think now
they've proposed twelve things to us at the election. I
(03:18):
think we've delivered on nine of the twelve and the
other three are still in motion. You know, so there's
some you know, that's how it should be. You should
have government and industry as adult to adult partners, working
together on the challenges but also the huge opportunities we've got.
And you know that's my message is, Look, there's nothing
more important as an economic drivites in the rural sector.
(03:39):
We've got to turn a negative mindset around and I
think we can, and we are, and we've got to
get the good stories out and it's an amazing, incredible
industry for young people to join. And everything's about economic
growth because we've got to build a bigger, better engine,
and the rural sector is critical to that, the most
important sector in his zone to do that. So you know,
that's sort of giving them a sense of I want
(04:00):
them to know they've got a government that's going to
back them. It's going to work with them, not do
fun from Wellingtons, we keep saying, and.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
You won't get an argument from me on that one.
Rabobank put out a really interesting paper earlier in the
week about the effect the Trump presidency will have on
the New Zealand economy and New Zealand farmers. Basically, it's
not very good news other than a week of dollar.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I mean, I think there's a lot of water to
go under the bridge there around the Trump administration. I mean,
we actually worked very well with them last time he
was the president. And I think you know, i've already,
as I said the other I've spoken with him for
fifteen minutes myself and no people in and around his
all bit. And I think New Zealand is as well
placed as we can be. Now that we have to
(04:45):
wait and see and see what the actual policy translates
into once they get to government, and let's deal with
that there. Having said all of that, if you look
at the New Zealander US relationship in a trading sense,
despite not having a free trade agreements, you know, we've
had tremendous strong double digit growth out of the US.
And if you think about some of the players and
(05:06):
the primary sector that have been doing very well targeting
their products to niches of American consumers and then you
know whole foods and other outlets and distribution points up there.
But also we've had a massive growth in services with
the US as well. I think it was up something
over thirty five percent. So yeah, we're doing you know
we can we're doing good business there because it's a
big market. You've got inbo three hundred and sixty million
(05:28):
people in multiple states and different parts of different geographies,
different distributions. You know, you've got the walmarts, the costcos,
the whole foods. You know how you might just distribute
your product, and you know, we don't need to do
much to actually do really well off the back of
a big market like that, there is big amounts of
people that are largely upper middle classes. There are large
(05:48):
quantities and millions of them that actually want have products
and services that are largely recession proofs.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
You're in your fifties. You haven't been a career politician.
You've come to it after a very successful career and business.
Do you still see yourself being in politics when you're
in your eighties? Win state is going to stand in
twenty twenty six, he'll be eighty one. No.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Personally, I think I'll be outfavn. I've got a lot
to do and we've got a lot to do as
a country. And I got to tell you, Jamie, a
year into the job, I feel pretty optimistic about New
Zealand's future. There's yus. There's challenges in the world. Yes,
every country's got its issues. But the reality is when
you look at you and you sell and you go man.
Of all the meetings UP participated in globally this year,
(06:31):
in different forums, I come back from each of those
fired up, because you go, man, we can be well
here if we see this as an opportunity. We put
some ambition, some aspiration and some positivity and some can
do back into the joint. There's no reason why we
can't do exceptionally well for ourselves. So you come back
pretty determined to wake up each morning early and go
to work and try and list ourselves into realizing all
(06:53):
that potential that sits there for New zeal And. It's
up to us together to go realize it and to
make it happen.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
If only you could build a Dunedin hospital.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
We're going to build a great hospital, but we're going.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
To be a sounding like drug. Build a great hospital,
a beautiful hospital, but it's only a one point nine
billion dollar hospital.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
But I'll tell you why, because you can give you
grief about that, But the point is very simple. You know,
either you have financial control and discipline or you don't.
And so yes, it would be lovely for me to
say I can go out and build you a Dannetan
hospital for three billion after having started it at one
point two. But that's the consequences. We ain't building regional
hospitals in Fonnrei or Parmesan North or Tyront or Nelson
(07:29):
at that point.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
So you know, that's that's the reality of it. And
that's that's what I mean by making tough decisions. Right,
We're going to build a great hospital for Deneen, no
worries one point nine billion, but we're going to do
it for one point nine billion, not three and so.
And that's because we want to do other things with
that money as well and make it work hard for us.
So you know, that's an example of sort of stuff.
As we put financial disciplines back in place, why is
(07:50):
that important Because that's what's bringing inflation down. Why inflation
comes out, interest rates come down. And when interest rates
come down, we get the economy grown and get people
in work.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I might have to ask uncle when Stone and Field
build it for me. Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister, thank you
very much for your time.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
All that's good to chat with you, Jammie. Take care
The PM kicks off the show. This day a year ago,
Prime Minister you and Winston and David were walking down
the corridors of power looking very very happy with yourself. Indeed,
is it still happy families?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah. Look, I'm very proud of actually what we've done
over the three party coalition governments, and it hasn't been
done before in New Zealand. Of course, it's done a
lot in Western Europe and other places that have ANYMMMP
environment like us. But yeah, when you take a step
back and think about what we inherit and the mess
that we've inherited and the issues that we're trying to
work our way through, we've been very united on making sure,
(00:35):
you know, focus on rebuilding economy and restoring law and
order until having better of public services like health and education.
So I think, yeah, there's a long way to go.
It's still very very tough time for New Zealanders. I'm
very conscious of that, but I hope people have got
a sense that we've got a plan where working our
way through as Yes, we've inherited a mess, but we're
making progress and the plans starting to work.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
All right. Winston's been on his best behavior. I put
it to you that David Seymour has been the wayward child.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Well, the different personalities and the relationship with them is
as different as you'd expect in the way that I
work with both of them. But you know, I enjoy
working with both of them, and I just think I'm
proud of the National Party. I'm also proud of the
minor parties and what they've been able to contribute as well.
But I think as a coalition government it's been working
pretty well.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Have you gone too hard too early on some of
the spending cuts?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Not at all. I mean, I think you know, the
reality is the spending reprioritizations we're designed to get the
money out of the back office into the front line.
I mean, we've put almost seventeen billion dollars extra into
healthcare on top of the thirty billion we spend each
and every year. And you know, no government in the
history of m Zealand spent as much in healthcare as
we have and will in the coming years. And it
is just purely because we've been able to generate savings
(01:46):
out of the system and the inefficiencies. I think what
I've learned in this year is that you know, government
thinks very differently from the outside world, which is, you know,
you don't just think about the new money coming in
as a budget, which is which what governments seem to
get fixated on. But you've also got to ask a
question about the money that's already been spent. Are we
getting good value for that money? And that isn't something
(02:06):
that's normal here in Wellington, as I've discovered. So I
think that's a different mentality that we're trying to bring
to Wellington, which is to say, look, there's a lot
of money going in, we've got to make sure we're
getting value for that money, that every dollar is working
hard and if it's not, let's stop the stuff that's
not working and do more of the stuff it is.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yesterday, you and a very hard working Minister of Agriculture
and Trade, Todd McLay would the farmers at Mystery Creek
on the first stop of the Restoring Farmer Confidence Tour.
But was this like preaching to the choir?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well, I just want farmers to know, I mean that
they are deeply valued. They've been treated as villains in
the last six years and so rarely. What this is
about is just giving them a sense of the big
broad brushstrokes of what I think about the sector and
what my hopes are for the sector, and so it
was really giving and then Todd talking more about the
things that we've already done in the first twelve months,
(02:56):
but also what we plan to do, and then opening
it up for an engagement where we can actually hear
from them directly. Is to know what's working well, what's
not working well. So I just think, you know, that's
the way that government should work. We should have government
and industry working together. You've got feeds one hundred and
twenty five years and that actually does a really good
job of taking all of those issues. I think now
they've proposed twelve things to us at the election. I
(03:18):
think we've delivered on nine of the twelve and the
other three are still in motion. You know, so there's
some you know, that's how it should be. You should
have government and industry as adult to adult partners, working
together on the challenges but also the huge opportunities we've got.
And you know that's my message is, Look, there's nothing
more important as an economic drivites in the rural sector.
(03:39):
We've got to turn a negative mindset around and I
think we can, and we are, and we've got to
get the good stories out and it's an amazing, incredible
industry for young people to join. And everything's about economic
growth because we've got to build a bigger, better engine,
and the rural sector is critical to that, the most
important sector in his zone to do that. So you know,
that's sort of giving them a sense of I want
(04:00):
them to know they've got a government that's going to
back them. It's going to work with them, not do
fun from Wellingtons, we keep saying, and.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
You won't get an argument from me on that one.
Rabobank put out a really interesting paper earlier in the
week about the effect the Trump presidency will have on
the New Zealand economy and New Zealand farmers. Basically, it's
not very good news other than a week of dollar.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I mean, I think there's a lot of water to
go under the bridge there around the Trump administration. I mean,
we actually worked very well with them last time he
was the president. And I think you know, i've already,
as I said the other I've spoken with him for
fifteen minutes myself and no people in and around his
all bit. And I think New Zealand is as well
placed as we can be. Now that we have to
(04:45):
wait and see and see what the actual policy translates
into once they get to government, and let's deal with
that there. Having said all of that, if you look
at the New Zealander US relationship in a trading sense,
despite not having a free trade agreements, you know, we've
had tremendous strong double digit growth out of the US.
And if you think about some of the players and
(05:06):
the primary sector that have been doing very well targeting
their products to niches of American consumers and then you
know whole foods and other outlets and distribution points up there.
But also we've had a massive growth in services with
the US as well. I think it was up something
over thirty five percent. So yeah, we're doing you know
we can we're doing good business there because it's a
big market. You've got inbo three hundred and sixty million
(05:28):
people in multiple states and different parts of different geographies,
different distributions. You know, you've got the walmarts, the costcos,
the whole foods. You know how you might just distribute
your product, and you know, we don't need to do
much to actually do really well off the back of
a big market like that, there is big amounts of
people that are largely upper middle classes. There are large
(05:48):
quantities and millions of them that actually want have products
and services that are largely recession proofs.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
You're in your fifties. You haven't been a career politician.
You've come to it after a very successful career and business.
Do you still see yourself being in politics when you're
in your eighties? Win state is going to stand in
twenty twenty six, he'll be eighty one. No.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Personally, I think I'll be outfavn. I've got a lot
to do and we've got a lot to do as
a country. And I got to tell you, Jamie, a
year into the job, I feel pretty optimistic about New
Zealand's future. There's yus. There's challenges in the world. Yes,
every country's got its issues. But the reality is when
you look at you and you sell and you go man.
Of all the meetings UP participated in globally this year,
(06:31):
in different forums, I come back from each of those
fired up, because you go, man, we can be well
here if we see this as an opportunity. We put
some ambition, some aspiration and some positivity and some can
do back into the joint. There's no reason why we
can't do exceptionally well for ourselves. So you come back
pretty determined to wake up each morning early and go
to work and try and list ourselves into realizing all
(06:53):
that potential that sits there for New zeal And. It's
up to us together to go realize it and to
make it happen.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
If only you could build a Dunedin hospital.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
We're going to build a great hospital, but we're going.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
To be a sounding like drug. Build a great hospital,
a beautiful hospital, but it's only a one point nine
billion dollar hospital.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
But I'll tell you why, because you can give you
grief about that, But the point is very simple. You know,
either you have financial control and discipline or you don't.
And so yes, it would be lovely for me to
say I can go out and build you a Dannetan
hospital for three billion after having started it at one
point two. But that's the consequences. We ain't building regional
hospitals in Fonnrei or Parmesan North or Tyront or Nelson
(07:29):
at that point.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
So you know, that's that's the reality of it. And
that's that's what I mean by making tough decisions. Right,
We're going to build a great hospital for Deneen, no
worries one point nine billion, but we're going to do
it for one point nine billion, not three and so.
And that's because we want to do other things with
that money as well and make it work hard for us.
So you know, that's an example of sort of stuff.
As we put financial disciplines back in place, why is
(07:50):
that important Because that's what's bringing inflation down. Why inflation
comes out, interest rates come down. And when interest rates
come down, we get the economy grown and get people
in work.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I might have to ask uncle when Stone and Field
build it for me. Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister, thank you
very much for your time.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
All that's good to chat with you, Jammie. Take care
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