February 1, 2025 • 9 mins
This week on the Sunday Panel, Managing Director at 818, Chris Henry, and Senior PR Consult at One Plus One Communications, Damien Venuto, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!
The Government is aiming to double the country's mining exports by 2035 as part of their latest strategy. Industry experts are in favour of this move, but environmental groups have their doubts. Do we think this is a good idea?
In an effort to promote healthier choices, Palmerston North Council is proposing a fizzy drink ban at venues, including a major sports stadium. Do we agree with this - or does it feel like a nanny state move?
What's your top Kiwi beach?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks at B all the highs and lows
talking the big issues of the week. The panel on
the Sunday Session.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You're good to have you along to the panel. This
is always good. Damian Venuto and Chris Henry with me. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
The managing director of eight one eight is Chris Henry
and a senior PR consultant at one plus one Communications.
Damien Venuto and Chris Henry. Morning to you both.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Oh, Kyoto, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Oh look, I'm really good. There's a lot of texts
coming in about mining. We had Catherine Della Hunty and
Josei Vedell from Straterra on earlier on the program talking
about the pros and cons of mining. Do we dig
baby dig, Damien? Do we dig baby dig and drill
baby drill? Ah, it's muted?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Is he all right? Chris? What about you? What do
you think?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Look, I'm all up for fast tracking and part, but
when it comes to the environment, that's probably the part
that makes me a bit nervous. So once we dig
up and go into these areas, it's pretty hard to
go back from that. So I'm down with fast tracking
in part, but it just makes me a bit nervous
when it comes to the environmental stuff, especially around mining.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
I think, yes, sorry, Reman, I think the one thing
worth fast tracking is we need to question whether the
benefits of that mining are going to stick in New
Zealand in the same way that they do in Norway,
or is it going to be that classic mining story
where all the profits kind of go abroad to these
multinationals that have come in to do the mining, and
the only benefits to New Zealand are these short term
(01:39):
while paying jobs to a community who's then rattled the
next time mining is canceled or these big mining companies
pull out. I think that fast tracking has to take
into consideration whether the profits are staying in New Zealand
and we're going to benefit, we're going to benefit longer term,
or whether those profits are just going abroad.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah, this is the problem, isn't it, Chris and I
could hear that trepidation in your answer.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I'm a little bit the same too.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I kind of think you can't fix nature very easily
once you break it. You can't just put a whole
lot of hard akiki flax is overhauled of you know,
mine waste stuff and hope that no one notices. It's
a long time broken, isn't it?
Speaker 5 (02:15):
Very much?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Is?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
And I think that Damien's point is also extremely valid.
You know, mining does seem to be and I'll winness.
I'll say, I'm no expert on this on this matter,
but if the profits are going out of the country
and we're just sort of giving up our natural flora
and fauna, it just doesn't seem quite the right style
for me, if I'm honest.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, so so Damien, we all we hear it in
the news all the time. We'd love a bigger hospital
for Danned and we'd love to have flash of roads
without potholes. New Zealand is relatively broke. This could make billions.
Is it a case of you know what, it was
nice to have the bush in the mountains, but let's
just get on with drilling and mining.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What do you reckon, Damien?
Speaker 5 (02:52):
The thing is, we only have one shot, right, so
once we extract those minerals, it's done. So it might
be a short term benefit of a few billion dollars,
but then what happens longer term? What are we going
to extract next. I think that those are questions and
we also have to you have to take a longer
term view of these things. You can't just base it
on Okay, we have a short term need here, Where
can we extract something that we can only extract once
(03:15):
and then benefit short terms? So I think these are
really complex issues that we need answers to before we
proceed with anything like this.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
So the whole thing with tourism, Chris, generally speaking, I
know it's not perfect, but it's basically take nothing but photos,
leave nothing but footprints, not something mining could ever say.
Are we better to focus on our big hot potatoes
like tourism, Chris.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
I think absolutely. You know, it's one of the most
beautiful parts of our country and one of the things
that people who come from overseas are the most excited
about being part of our beautiful nature. And yeah, I
don't think people are being triving from far and wide
to come to a giant mining pitch.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Actually, Damien, That's the point I made in my editorial
is the fact that we have to remember why people
want to come to New Zealand because they think it's
not true, but they think it's clean and green. It
couldn't be further from the truth, but good in a
photo for Instagram.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Do you know what the great irony of all this
is the stuff that we're talking about extracting. When it
comes to gold and silver, these these natural resources are
often used in sustainable technology. So there is also that
argument which makes it an incredibly complex idea. So these
natural resources have to be extracted from somewhere in order
to have the sustainable technology that we need, whether it's batteries,
(04:31):
whether it's electronic goods. And the question is do we
want to play a part in extracting those minerals to
use in the sustainable technology? Is they're going to help
progress sustainable technology? And that's a whole other issue that
we probably need to think about too.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah, look, this is so much there's so much hypocrisy.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
People hate mining and they jump on a plane flight
to Scotland to tell the world how much they hate
using mining stuff, and they jump on their cell phone
full of minerals to make the calls back home. Yeah, look,
there's a Well, we've got a long way to go yet.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Fuzzy drinks. Do you both drink fizzy drinks? Chris?
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Yeah, I'm a big fan of a fizzy drink. To
be here, I often go the get the giant in
the giant way. But yeah, a big fan of a
cocol now, Joe, Yeah really okay?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
All right then, so how are the teeth? I don't
really want to know this, but that's a bit nosy.
In an effort to promote healthier choices, Parmesston North Council
they're proposing a fizzy drink ban at their venues, including
major sports stadiums and things like that. Danian, is this
a bit nanny state or is this just a move
we should have done a long time ago.
Speaker 5 (05:35):
It's one of those things where if you as a
decision maker, if you get the timing wrong, the public's
going to there's going to be an outcry and people
are going to reject it. Some people. So much of
life is dependent on us doing things that we know
aren't good for us. So I've one enjoy a glass
of wine when we're having Argentinian barbecue. I know it's
(05:55):
not good for me.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
I know the red meat's not good for me. I
know that the wine's not good for me. But those
are choices that I make because I kind of enjoy them.
So if you remove the fizzy drinks from from these places,
you're you're kind of moving the choice. And I'm not
had to been sure I feel about that, because I
do feel like there is a lot of fun in
being able to make some bad decisions from time to time,
(06:16):
as long as it's in moderation.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Yeah, so, Chris astor on there, do you think anyone's
really missing out if they don't get a fizzy drink?
You're not going to a sporting event at a Parmestan
North Stadium. You're not going, Oh, I can't wait for
half time to have a can of coke? Are you?
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Some people are, But it doesn't account to the fact that, yes,
there might be sugar in fizzy drinks, but I've got
no doubt that they're serving beers and wines and all
full of sugar in the air. To quote a boomeras
and it's it's peacey got mash.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
There is a lot of hypocrisy, not just in mining, oh,
it's in the fizzy drinks too, totally.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
You guys have chosen some really contigentious issues today. When
it's all the list, it's giving a weigh in on
some tough things. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Well, to be honest, you can't get a can of
fizzy drink without the can being aluminium. So we're covering everything,
are we really? Who's in the beach? I can hear
a cicada chirping? Is that you, Damien?
Speaker 5 (07:13):
That's just the garden in the background.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
It sounds like you're out of beach.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I tell you what, there's a new story in the
Herald about the best beach in New Zealand. Before I
tell you which is the best beach, Chris, which is
the best beach in New Zealand in your opinion? Oh?
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Well, do you know what, I'll be controversial. My best
beach in New Zealand is actually on a lake. It's
the beach at Kinlock on Lake topor it is. The
water is cool, refreshing and delicious, and you pop out
and you're lovely and clean and dry, lovely and clean.
It's definitely my favorite.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Excuse me, I need to stop you there. You said cool,
It's not cool. It's frigid. It's like sub zero Scotland.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Ah, refreshing is how I would describe it.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Yeah, okay, well you must work in a tourism job.
I know you're in pr of course you'd say that, Damien,
what about you?
Speaker 5 (08:03):
I do a lot of surfing and so the west
coast of Auckland. I spent a lot of time there.
And Kada Kuda would be right.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Oh, he just dropped off.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Are you there still? Carrie Carey would be what, sorry,
Oh he's gone. He's definitely gone. Oh well, Chrish, he
meeted himself again. Damien, you were saying Carrie Carey would
be what.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Kata Key would definitely be my favorite beach, just based
on the expanse of it. It's so beautiful and it's
not a surprise that so many films have been shot
there just because the moment you walk onto that beach,
there's almost like a spirituality to it. And the wave
is not as good as peeh, I know that, but
there's just something about that beach that I absolutely love.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Ye see, for me, it would have been a Noda
Bay or Tope or Bay or Cheltenham beach when the
tides in and there's sewerage bobbing around.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah. Well see.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
I hope he beat off and wins and does very well.
But this year's winner, apparently it's Wypoo Cove thoughts on that, Chris.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I was thinking about this. I read this article this morning.
You're not sure whether I've been to waybur Cove, which
is an embarrassing indictment on myself, and so I'll have
to add it to the list. But I did love that.
Further down list the best hidden gym Whale Bay and
Matapurdi in Northland. I spent some time there with my
fino over summer and oh, that is just a most
incredible spot with I'm lucking out of a beautiful young
(09:24):
niece who's able to swim in the water there without
causing too much worry. It's just a real gem of
this country.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Thank you so much. Both you has been tremendous. Chris
Henry and Damian Venuto on the panel.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks at B all the highs and lows
talking the big issues of the week. The panel on
the Sunday Session.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You're good to have you along to the panel. This
is always good. Damian Venuto and Chris Henry with me. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
The managing director of eight one eight is Chris Henry
and a senior PR consultant at one plus one Communications.
Damien Venuto and Chris Henry. Morning to you both.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Oh, Kyoto, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Oh look, I'm really good. There's a lot of texts
coming in about mining. We had Catherine Della Hunty and
Josei Vedell from Straterra on earlier on the program talking
about the pros and cons of mining. Do we dig
baby dig, Damien? Do we dig baby dig and drill
baby drill? Ah, it's muted?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Is he all right? Chris? What about you? What do
you think?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Look, I'm all up for fast tracking and part, but
when it comes to the environment, that's probably the part
that makes me a bit nervous. So once we dig
up and go into these areas, it's pretty hard to
go back from that. So I'm down with fast tracking
in part, but it just makes me a bit nervous
when it comes to the environmental stuff, especially around mining.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
I think, yes, sorry, Reman, I think the one thing
worth fast tracking is we need to question whether the
benefits of that mining are going to stick in New
Zealand in the same way that they do in Norway,
or is it going to be that classic mining story
where all the profits kind of go abroad to these
multinationals that have come in to do the mining, and
the only benefits to New Zealand are these short term
(01:39):
while paying jobs to a community who's then rattled the
next time mining is canceled or these big mining companies
pull out. I think that fast tracking has to take
into consideration whether the profits are staying in New Zealand
and we're going to benefit, we're going to benefit longer term,
or whether those profits are just going abroad.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah, this is the problem, isn't it, Chris and I
could hear that trepidation in your answer.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I'm a little bit the same too.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I kind of think you can't fix nature very easily
once you break it. You can't just put a whole
lot of hard akiki flax is overhauled of you know,
mine waste stuff and hope that no one notices. It's
a long time broken, isn't it?
Speaker 5 (02:15):
Very much?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Is?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
And I think that Damien's point is also extremely valid.
You know, mining does seem to be and I'll winness.
I'll say, I'm no expert on this on this matter,
but if the profits are going out of the country
and we're just sort of giving up our natural flora
and fauna, it just doesn't seem quite the right style
for me, if I'm honest.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, so so Damien, we all we hear it in
the news all the time. We'd love a bigger hospital
for Danned and we'd love to have flash of roads
without potholes. New Zealand is relatively broke. This could make billions.
Is it a case of you know what, it was
nice to have the bush in the mountains, but let's
just get on with drilling and mining.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What do you reckon, Damien?
Speaker 5 (02:52):
The thing is, we only have one shot, right, so
once we extract those minerals, it's done. So it might
be a short term benefit of a few billion dollars,
but then what happens longer term? What are we going
to extract next. I think that those are questions and
we also have to you have to take a longer
term view of these things. You can't just base it
on Okay, we have a short term need here, Where
can we extract something that we can only extract once
(03:15):
and then benefit short terms? So I think these are
really complex issues that we need answers to before we
proceed with anything like this.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
So the whole thing with tourism, Chris, generally speaking, I
know it's not perfect, but it's basically take nothing but photos,
leave nothing but footprints, not something mining could ever say.
Are we better to focus on our big hot potatoes
like tourism, Chris.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
I think absolutely. You know, it's one of the most
beautiful parts of our country and one of the things
that people who come from overseas are the most excited
about being part of our beautiful nature. And yeah, I
don't think people are being triving from far and wide
to come to a giant mining pitch.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Actually, Damien, That's the point I made in my editorial
is the fact that we have to remember why people
want to come to New Zealand because they think it's
not true, but they think it's clean and green. It
couldn't be further from the truth, but good in a
photo for Instagram.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Do you know what the great irony of all this
is the stuff that we're talking about extracting. When it
comes to gold and silver, these these natural resources are
often used in sustainable technology. So there is also that
argument which makes it an incredibly complex idea. So these
natural resources have to be extracted from somewhere in order
to have the sustainable technology that we need, whether it's batteries,
(04:31):
whether it's electronic goods. And the question is do we
want to play a part in extracting those minerals to
use in the sustainable technology? Is they're going to help
progress sustainable technology? And that's a whole other issue that
we probably need to think about too.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah, look, this is so much there's so much hypocrisy.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
People hate mining and they jump on a plane flight
to Scotland to tell the world how much they hate
using mining stuff, and they jump on their cell phone
full of minerals to make the calls back home. Yeah, look,
there's a Well, we've got a long way to go yet.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Fuzzy drinks. Do you both drink fizzy drinks? Chris?
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Yeah, I'm a big fan of a fizzy drink. To
be here, I often go the get the giant in
the giant way. But yeah, a big fan of a
cocol now, Joe, Yeah really okay?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
All right then, so how are the teeth? I don't
really want to know this, but that's a bit nosy.
In an effort to promote healthier choices, Parmesston North Council
they're proposing a fizzy drink ban at their venues, including
major sports stadiums and things like that. Danian, is this
a bit nanny state or is this just a move
we should have done a long time ago.
Speaker 5 (05:35):
It's one of those things where if you as a
decision maker, if you get the timing wrong, the public's
going to there's going to be an outcry and people
are going to reject it. Some people. So much of
life is dependent on us doing things that we know
aren't good for us. So I've one enjoy a glass
of wine when we're having Argentinian barbecue. I know it's
(05:55):
not good for me.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
I know the red meat's not good for me. I
know that the wine's not good for me. But those
are choices that I make because I kind of enjoy them.
So if you remove the fizzy drinks from from these places,
you're you're kind of moving the choice. And I'm not
had to been sure I feel about that, because I
do feel like there is a lot of fun in
being able to make some bad decisions from time to time,
(06:16):
as long as it's in moderation.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Yeah, so, Chris astor on there, do you think anyone's
really missing out if they don't get a fizzy drink?
You're not going to a sporting event at a Parmestan
North Stadium. You're not going, Oh, I can't wait for
half time to have a can of coke? Are you?
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Some people are, But it doesn't account to the fact that, yes,
there might be sugar in fizzy drinks, but I've got
no doubt that they're serving beers and wines and all
full of sugar in the air. To quote a boomeras
and it's it's peacey got mash.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
There is a lot of hypocrisy, not just in mining, oh,
it's in the fizzy drinks too, totally.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
You guys have chosen some really contigentious issues today. When
it's all the list, it's giving a weigh in on
some tough things. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Well, to be honest, you can't get a can of
fizzy drink without the can being aluminium. So we're covering everything,
are we really? Who's in the beach? I can hear
a cicada chirping? Is that you, Damien?
Speaker 5 (07:13):
That's just the garden in the background.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
It sounds like you're out of beach.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I tell you what, there's a new story in the
Herald about the best beach in New Zealand. Before I
tell you which is the best beach, Chris, which is
the best beach in New Zealand in your opinion? Oh?
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Well, do you know what, I'll be controversial. My best
beach in New Zealand is actually on a lake. It's
the beach at Kinlock on Lake topor it is. The
water is cool, refreshing and delicious, and you pop out
and you're lovely and clean and dry, lovely and clean.
It's definitely my favorite.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Excuse me, I need to stop you there. You said cool,
It's not cool. It's frigid. It's like sub zero Scotland.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Ah, refreshing is how I would describe it.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Yeah, okay, well you must work in a tourism job.
I know you're in pr of course you'd say that, Damien,
what about you?
Speaker 5 (08:03):
I do a lot of surfing and so the west
coast of Auckland. I spent a lot of time there.
And Kada Kuda would be right.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Oh, he just dropped off.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Are you there still? Carrie Carey would be what, sorry,
Oh he's gone. He's definitely gone. Oh well, Chrish, he
meeted himself again. Damien, you were saying Carrie Carey would
be what.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Kata Key would definitely be my favorite beach, just based
on the expanse of it. It's so beautiful and it's
not a surprise that so many films have been shot
there just because the moment you walk onto that beach,
there's almost like a spirituality to it. And the wave
is not as good as peeh, I know that, but
there's just something about that beach that I absolutely love.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Ye see, for me, it would have been a Noda
Bay or Tope or Bay or Cheltenham beach when the
tides in and there's sewerage bobbing around.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah. Well see.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
I hope he beat off and wins and does very well.
But this year's winner, apparently it's Wypoo Cove thoughts on that, Chris.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I was thinking about this. I read this article this morning.
You're not sure whether I've been to waybur Cove, which
is an embarrassing indictment on myself, and so I'll have
to add it to the list. But I did love that.
Further down list the best hidden gym Whale Bay and
Matapurdi in Northland. I spent some time there with my
fino over summer and oh, that is just a most
incredible spot with I'm lucking out of a beautiful young
(09:24):
niece who's able to swim in the water there without
causing too much worry. It's just a real gem of
this country.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Thank you so much. Both you has been tremendous. Chris
Henry and Damian Venuto on the panel.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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