The Country 29/08/25: Barry Soper talks to Jamie Mackay

Newstalk ZB's senior political correspondent talks politics and the loss of a great mate and a great Kiwi.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the country. Wrapping today and the week,
Barry Soaper, political correspondent, downhearted Bears, you're a bit downhearted.
You've lost one of your great mates, John Barnett, and
there was a great story about him this week. Eighty
years of age. What a legend in New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yes he was.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
And it's incredible to think, Jamie, a week ago before
he died.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
A week before he died.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
On the Sunday he had an eightieth birthday party and
we're all there celebrating his eighties. He gave a great
speech and his wife, who is a Court of Appeal judge,
she gave a lovely speech as well. And then I
saw him the following Sunday. I was up for a walk,
ran into John, had a long chat to him. He
died that night. And you know it's unbelievable when you

(00:45):
I'll tell you what it does do, Jamie. It brings
home your own mortality when you see somebody that seemed,
you know, fine in terms of health. And we talked
about that when I saw him last and he was
dead just a few hours later.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Especially when you're past the halfway point like you and I.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
Are, well, that's right, jomen I couldn't believe it that
Barney came round to my house a couple of years
ago and said to me, our bass I got something
to tell you.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
And I said, what's that, Barney? He said, I'm getting
married and I said, for god sake, you're seventy eight. Mate.
He had never been married before, and you know, his
first marriage. So it was a tragedy, not just for.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
The country losing somebody as talented as he is because
he was still working.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
But for his lovely wife Sarah.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Yeah, once for Warry as well. Right, what a legacy
he leaves behind? Well what about Nikola Willis? Will she
leave behind a legacy as one of our great finance ministers?

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Well, you know, I've got I take my hat off
to her.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
I know she's been criticized in some quarters. I might
say that quarter is Mike Hosking for her work on
the supermarket. I think she's done a sterling job here.
They had requests for information that was fared through the
twenty four West came through with the big players internationally.

(02:04):
But a lot of people are interested in opening supermarkets
if you believe what the reports are telling us, and
you know, competition is what brings down prices. Even Costco
has met with Nikola Willis prior to this announcement and said, look,
it wants to open in several centers in the country.
It's open here in west Auckland and you know they

(02:27):
if they.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Roll out across the country. I think it's a great
move because she's what she's done. Essentially, Jamie has removed
all the red tape and welcomed any grocery competitor in
this country.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
I will give a credit her interview with the HOSK.
She wasn't going to be talked down by him. She
talked over him.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yes, I thought I thought she did extraordinarily well because
she's got a conviction on this one and you know,
and she's done put a lot of work into it,
and you know, I think this one hopefully will be
a fruit.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Barry you and I. I'm a Riversdale boy, You're a
Gore boy. Both born and Gore, both educated in Gore Heartland, Southland.
Southland's got a shield challenge on Sunday against White Kato.
I waited fifty years from the year I was born
to the year I was fifty for us to win
the Shield. Berry and it was so good in two

(03:19):
thousand and nine. How good would it be. I've got
fifteen seconds left. If we could take it home on Sunday, fantastic.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
I'll be tuned in and I'll be right with the Maroons.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, good on the stags. Berry Soper there, wrapping the
show for today.