July 27, 2026 • 9 mins
A former National MP, former deputy speaker and former chairman of NZPork takes a break from the NZPork Industry Conference to pay tribute to his old mate Jim Hopkins.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the country. I'm Jamie Mackaya,
but a Jim Crochane. You don't mess around with Jim.
Very sad day for us here on the country. I
found out last night that our old mate, longtime correspondent,
Jim Hopkins, has had passed away at the well not
the ripe old age of eighty. I thought he had
a few more in him. Listen. He was literally on
(00:22):
the show thirteen days ago. He was due to be
on again tomorrow to finish part two of an interview,
and his fate would have it. I almost texted him
yesterday to see if I could bring him forward to today.
Thank goodness I didn't, So I'm just want to give
you a wee taste of Jim's final contribution to us
(00:44):
here at the country.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
The issue is, as long as councils are required to
do all the things they are being required to do
at the moment, then there will not be using the
current funding systems, there will not be enough. I need
to pay for them all.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Hey, Jim, look I amount of time I'm going to
come back with you in the next week or so
and revisit this topic because I also want to ask
you about interesting things that are happening in the White
Taki electorate when it comes to the general election coming
up on November seventh. So nice to chat to you
again on the country and I loved your Sam Neil's story.
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Than right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Jim's final words on the Country gone but never forgotten
and he paid a lovely tribute to Sam Neil. That
was one of the reasons he was on the show. Okay,
we're going to pay a week bit of a tribute
to Jim. We're going to kick it off with Eric Roy,
former National MP, former Deputy Speaker, former chair of in
Z Porky's actually for his sins, I shouldn't say that,
(01:44):
at the New Zealand Pork Industry conference in the flash
News Stadium in christ Church. Eric Roy, what are your
memories of your old mate, because you guys go way
back to young farmer days.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yes, said, we've lost an icon.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It's about all we can say.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It's. My first association with Jim Hopkins was when he
took over from Bob Parker as the host and comp
here of the Young Farmer of the Year and it
was on television in those days, and he was quite
an impressive character in the way in which he did
his own homework, wrote his own material, and just was
in an area that I didn't think he had a
(02:24):
lot of confidence at farming issues, but he just immersed
himself in it, and he did the job very well
and sold the product exceptionally well.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
I did, like you did quite a few gigs with him,
if you want, or speaking things with them over the years.
One thing that sticks in my mind, Jimmy, he hate
me saying this, but it's true. He used to be
like a chain smoker and he was almost bad tempered.
You couldn't go near him because he got so fizzed
up before he spoke. And as soon as he got
out and that Mike was on bang, he changed persona
(02:55):
and it was Jim Hopkins, the stand up comedian, the
rack On tour.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
That's right. He almost I think, sort of immersed himself
in sort of a then built adrenaline rush to get going.
The other interesting thing he did that and he advised
me to do it as well. A few voices starting
to struggle when you have got to make a deliver
gargle baby oil and then spit it out because it's
a bit of an emetic if you don't. But he
(03:24):
is an interesting guy and he had a lot of
techniques for just being very good whenever he had the microphone,
and that was kind of his happy place. As you say,
he wasn't someone that you wanted to engage with before
he did it, but he was a great host afterwards.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
And an infectious laughter. I reckon he could tell a
joke and I could tell exactly the same joke. He
would get ten times as many laughs because he brought
you along with his own infectious laughter that you were
forced to laugh, even if the joke wasn't that funny,
although in Jim's case, they nearly always were very funny. Eric,
I want to this is a wee memory from me
because it involves you. There was a debate at the
(04:02):
Scott Park Hotel and in the cargo. I wasn't that
long into radio in the late nineties. You were there,
the late Tim Shadbolt was there, Jim was there, Pinky
Agne was there, all professional debaters and someone pulled out
and I got chucked on to be the third debate
or only what done one debate in my life? And
(04:24):
that was at boarding school. And I got kicked off
the debating team as a result of it. So I
was up there, I was dying a death, a horrible, slow, tortureous,
torturous death on stage. I was everything was falling flat
for me, and then Jim swooped up. He was our
team captain, rescued me, made it appear as though this
(04:45):
was preordained, and saved my bacon. And I've never forgotten
them for that.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I treated as a growing experience.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Jamie, look how you've turned out after that kind of assistance.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I still think i'd get kicked off the debating teams.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Another thing about Jim Hopkins is there. I did a
number of those debates and stand up gigs with him,
and he was very generous with his time and around
a lot of charity. So not only like he could
have made a lot of money if he'd been it's
purely an entertainment, but he gave himself a whole lot
of really good causes. And I think the last time
(05:24):
I debated with Jim was a couple of years ago
in the Opera House in Omoru for handicap something or other.
And he was just a generous soul at the bottom
of that, and you've got to just appreciate his contribution
across just entertainment, Young Farmer of the Year, charities, local government.
(05:46):
He was just immersed in a whole other stuff.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yep, gone but not forgotten. And that was the actually
fundraiser he ran at the beautiful Omoru Opera house there
and that was his baby, and he gave so freely
of his time. I might a week bit later in
the week play another week cut of Jim Hopkins as
we paid tribute to him. But just well, I've got you,
Eric Roy, former chair of ENZ Pork. You're at the
(06:13):
New Zealand Pork Industry conference. Now there is an industry,
unfortunately that's in trouble, and yet I think of the
cost of living crisis. Had a pork chop the other
day and I'm thinking, why don't we eat more pork
in this country? It's half the price of beef.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Well, that's true, and that's one of the reasons I'm
here because for one area of the protein marketer isn't
doing well, it kind of does reflect on the others.
I don't have a role now, but it was good
to catch up with people that I was quite involved
with for seven years when I cheered the board. But two,
it's just a good cutting edge for a place to
find out what's going on and where we're at. And
(06:51):
the number of pig farmers in New Zealanders reducing. They've
had their issues with wealthier codes and that sort of
stopped succession further investment. So let's hope that those things
are being digested and we're back to getting things on
an even keel.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah, actually you could do you but by going to
a local supermarket or whatever and choosing New Zealand pork.
It's still cheap. It is as cheap as chips. It's
cheaper than chicken, way cheaper than beef and lamb, and
it tastes so damn good.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Absolutely right, we should have you on the advertising pain.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
For Well, I love a pork chop with a bit
of apple sauce.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Well, yeah, there's lots of good ways to have pork
in the pigs at an animal that you can eat
any time of the day. You can have baking an
eggs for breakfast, ham sand with for lunch, and a
pork chopped for dinner, so you know, it's a very
diverse protein.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Now, Also, Michelle, did do we prep sheet for me
on pig farming. Of course, you know with methane emissions
from ruminants, there's another reason to choose pigs there monogastric
they they're there, They're emissions are much less than ruminants.
Am I right in saying that?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
You are saying that, And all of our leading pig
farmers now do capture all that meetane and use it
for heating or in the winter or calling in the summer,
and so there's virtually zero release of any carbon gases.
So it's quite impressive what some of these cutting edge
operators are doing, are you.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Speakers today at the conference include Carlos Bagri, the other
half of a Nadi Alim. He's a really interesting character.
Todd McLay Andrew Hoggard Hoggard government ministers. You'll have the
Supreme Award winners of the one hundred percent New Zealand
Bacon and Ham Awards, and you get also awarded tonight, Eric,
the stock Person of the Year in the Lifetime Achievement Award.
(08:46):
Have you got one of those yet from the pork industry?
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Eric, No, it could be you.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Maybe that's why they've asked you to go to the conference.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I wouldn't think so.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I'm just a has been, no not.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
You're a great bloke. Thanks for making a wonderful tribute
to Jim Hopkins. Jim Hopkins passed away sadly early yesterday.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Oh he's a good guy.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Great to remember him.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Eric Roy their former National MP deputy Speaker and of
course former chair of in z Pork
Good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the country. I'm Jamie Mackaya,
but a Jim Crochane. You don't mess around with Jim.
Very sad day for us here on the country. I
found out last night that our old mate, longtime correspondent,
Jim Hopkins, has had passed away at the well not
the ripe old age of eighty. I thought he had
a few more in him. Listen. He was literally on
(00:22):
the show thirteen days ago. He was due to be
on again tomorrow to finish part two of an interview,
and his fate would have it. I almost texted him
yesterday to see if I could bring him forward to today.
Thank goodness I didn't, So I'm just want to give
you a wee taste of Jim's final contribution to us
(00:44):
here at the country.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
The issue is, as long as councils are required to
do all the things they are being required to do
at the moment, then there will not be using the
current funding systems, there will not be enough. I need
to pay for them all.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Hey, Jim, look I amount of time I'm going to
come back with you in the next week or so
and revisit this topic because I also want to ask
you about interesting things that are happening in the White
Taki electorate when it comes to the general election coming
up on November seventh. So nice to chat to you
again on the country and I loved your Sam Neil's story.
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Than right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Jim's final words on the Country gone but never forgotten
and he paid a lovely tribute to Sam Neil. That
was one of the reasons he was on the show. Okay,
we're going to pay a week bit of a tribute
to Jim. We're going to kick it off with Eric Roy,
former National MP, former Deputy Speaker, former chair of in
Z Porky's actually for his sins, I shouldn't say that,
(01:44):
at the New Zealand Pork Industry conference in the flash
News Stadium in christ Church. Eric Roy, what are your
memories of your old mate, because you guys go way
back to young farmer days.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yes, said, we've lost an icon.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It's about all we can say.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It's. My first association with Jim Hopkins was when he
took over from Bob Parker as the host and comp
here of the Young Farmer of the Year and it
was on television in those days, and he was quite
an impressive character in the way in which he did
his own homework, wrote his own material, and just was
in an area that I didn't think he had a
(02:24):
lot of confidence at farming issues, but he just immersed
himself in it, and he did the job very well
and sold the product exceptionally well.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
I did, like you did quite a few gigs with him,
if you want, or speaking things with them over the years.
One thing that sticks in my mind, Jimmy, he hate
me saying this, but it's true. He used to be
like a chain smoker and he was almost bad tempered.
You couldn't go near him because he got so fizzed
up before he spoke. And as soon as he got
out and that Mike was on bang, he changed persona
(02:55):
and it was Jim Hopkins, the stand up comedian, the
rack On tour.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
That's right. He almost I think, sort of immersed himself
in sort of a then built adrenaline rush to get going.
The other interesting thing he did that and he advised
me to do it as well. A few voices starting
to struggle when you have got to make a deliver
gargle baby oil and then spit it out because it's
a bit of an emetic if you don't. But he
(03:24):
is an interesting guy and he had a lot of
techniques for just being very good whenever he had the microphone,
and that was kind of his happy place. As you say,
he wasn't someone that you wanted to engage with before
he did it, but he was a great host afterwards.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
And an infectious laughter. I reckon he could tell a
joke and I could tell exactly the same joke. He
would get ten times as many laughs because he brought
you along with his own infectious laughter that you were
forced to laugh, even if the joke wasn't that funny,
although in Jim's case, they nearly always were very funny. Eric,
I want to this is a wee memory from me
because it involves you. There was a debate at the
(04:02):
Scott Park Hotel and in the cargo. I wasn't that
long into radio in the late nineties. You were there,
the late Tim Shadbolt was there, Jim was there, Pinky
Agne was there, all professional debaters and someone pulled out
and I got chucked on to be the third debate
or only what done one debate in my life? And
(04:24):
that was at boarding school. And I got kicked off
the debating team as a result of it. So I
was up there, I was dying a death, a horrible, slow, tortureous,
torturous death on stage. I was everything was falling flat
for me, and then Jim swooped up. He was our
team captain, rescued me, made it appear as though this
(04:45):
was preordained, and saved my bacon. And I've never forgotten
them for that.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I treated as a growing experience.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Jamie, look how you've turned out after that kind of assistance.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I still think i'd get kicked off the debating teams.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Another thing about Jim Hopkins is there. I did a
number of those debates and stand up gigs with him,
and he was very generous with his time and around
a lot of charity. So not only like he could
have made a lot of money if he'd been it's
purely an entertainment, but he gave himself a whole lot
of really good causes. And I think the last time
(05:24):
I debated with Jim was a couple of years ago
in the Opera House in Omoru for handicap something or other.
And he was just a generous soul at the bottom
of that, and you've got to just appreciate his contribution
across just entertainment, Young Farmer of the Year, charities, local government.
(05:46):
He was just immersed in a whole other stuff.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yep, gone but not forgotten. And that was the actually
fundraiser he ran at the beautiful Omoru Opera house there
and that was his baby, and he gave so freely
of his time. I might a week bit later in
the week play another week cut of Jim Hopkins as
we paid tribute to him. But just well, I've got you,
Eric Roy, former chair of ENZ Pork. You're at the
(06:13):
New Zealand Pork Industry conference. Now there is an industry,
unfortunately that's in trouble, and yet I think of the
cost of living crisis. Had a pork chop the other
day and I'm thinking, why don't we eat more pork
in this country? It's half the price of beef.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Well, that's true, and that's one of the reasons I'm
here because for one area of the protein marketer isn't
doing well, it kind of does reflect on the others.
I don't have a role now, but it was good
to catch up with people that I was quite involved
with for seven years when I cheered the board. But two,
it's just a good cutting edge for a place to
find out what's going on and where we're at. And
(06:51):
the number of pig farmers in New Zealanders reducing. They've
had their issues with wealthier codes and that sort of
stopped succession further investment. So let's hope that those things
are being digested and we're back to getting things on
an even keel.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah, actually you could do you but by going to
a local supermarket or whatever and choosing New Zealand pork.
It's still cheap. It is as cheap as chips. It's
cheaper than chicken, way cheaper than beef and lamb, and
it tastes so damn good.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Absolutely right, we should have you on the advertising pain.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
For Well, I love a pork chop with a bit
of apple sauce.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Well, yeah, there's lots of good ways to have pork
in the pigs at an animal that you can eat
any time of the day. You can have baking an
eggs for breakfast, ham sand with for lunch, and a
pork chopped for dinner, so you know, it's a very
diverse protein.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Now, Also, Michelle, did do we prep sheet for me
on pig farming. Of course, you know with methane emissions
from ruminants, there's another reason to choose pigs there monogastric
they they're there, They're emissions are much less than ruminants.
Am I right in saying that?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
You are saying that, And all of our leading pig
farmers now do capture all that meetane and use it
for heating or in the winter or calling in the summer,
and so there's virtually zero release of any carbon gases.
So it's quite impressive what some of these cutting edge
operators are doing, are you.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Speakers today at the conference include Carlos Bagri, the other
half of a Nadi Alim. He's a really interesting character.
Todd McLay Andrew Hoggard Hoggard government ministers. You'll have the
Supreme Award winners of the one hundred percent New Zealand
Bacon and Ham Awards, and you get also awarded tonight, Eric,
the stock Person of the Year in the Lifetime Achievement Award.
(08:46):
Have you got one of those yet from the pork industry?
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Eric, No, it could be you.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Maybe that's why they've asked you to go to the conference.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I wouldn't think so.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I'm just a has been, no not.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
You're a great bloke. Thanks for making a wonderful tribute
to Jim Hopkins. Jim Hopkins passed away sadly early yesterday.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Oh he's a good guy.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Great to remember him.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Eric Roy their former National MP deputy Speaker and of
course former chair of in z Pork
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