Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung sent a sordid email to some council colleagues in 2023, claiming mayor Tory Whanau had drug-fuelled “tempestuous sex” in an orgy, and making reference to her having “pendulous soft breasts”. The email has only surfaced today - but does it rule Ray Chung out as a serious mayoral contender?
Also, the All Blacks take on France in the second test at Sky Stadium tomorrow night. How important are these events for the city, and what can we expect from both teams?
To answer those questions, former Wellington mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast and current Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy joined Nick Mills on Friday Faceoff, live from the Champions Lunch at Takina.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks EDB, Local News, local issues, local views
lay from the Takina Convention Center. Ahead of All Blacks
v France. It's Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills and Wellington Airport,
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(00:29):
week interview. It's Friday Fatal with Kudovic Property Management, a
better rental experience for all visit Qudovic dot co dot
it's head.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Stars by joining us for Friday Faceoff this week is
former Wellington mayor Dame Carey printer Gast who's just arrived.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
She was late, well, she was at another meeting, to
be honest, from eight o'clock, so I had to get
a cab to get here on time.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Nice of you to be here, Lovely to see you,
Thank you, pay great to see you Ni.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Because a pretty she didn't prioritize it. You and I
are more important than her other meeting.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well. I'd also like to say that Wayne Guppimera of
upperhar But who's our other guest this morning was here?
I would say forty two forty four minutes before he
needed to be here.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
That's because he's got nothing else to do.
Speaker 5 (01:16):
You'll always make sure you're on time.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
That's right. If you're on time, you're late. If someone
told me once, you know, I married to someone that
never been on time for her life and I hate
I hate it. Being on time is very, very important.
As the stars start arriving and there's a lot of old,
old famous all blacks walking past us as we are
live at Taqina for champions I cared if you're ninety two,
(01:41):
I'm right. Well it's rial candidate Ray Chunk sent a
sordid email to some council colleagues in two tenty and
twenty three claiming me and Torri Farno had a drug
fuelled tempressed sex and an orgy and made reference to
her having I don't even want to talk about it.
That talked about her breast. Ah Kerrie, I'm going to
(02:03):
start with you, and I'm sitting next to you. I'm
hoping I don't get a lap over the back of
the head hair from you. Is Ray Chung still a
viable merial contender?
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Now?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Look, there was quite a lot of media in yesterday's paper,
quite apart from this release today he is not on
top of his game. He is not approving a social
media to write such an email of This is from
twenty twenty three, so one of the three recipients clearly
leaked it, but for it to be brought out now
(02:33):
it is just totally inappropriate for a mayoral candidate. He
should be running a positive campaign. Everything he's doing is negative,
the social media stuff, and he just says he's not
on top of it, he's not keeping an eye on things.
If that's the way he thinks he can run a
city by not keeping on top of things, then I'm
not sure he should be standing to be mayor.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Weighed. There's two sides to the story, though, isn't it.
I mean, why did it suddenly come out? How long
has Tory Faro had that information in front of him?
Speaker 5 (03:06):
Well, I think we don't want to cloud the issue.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
The issue is that's poor judgment, and whether it was
two years ago, ten years ago, or two weeks ago,
the fact of the matter is that's very poor judgment
on his part. And you know, the question would be asked, well,
if if it's poor judgment now, that will happen again.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
So yeah, it's affected his.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Chances Okay, you say it's affected his chances. Should he
stand down?
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Well, that's a choice he's got to make because but
certainly from the point of view of I'm sure you
will find that, you know, particularly that that middle ground
will look and say not a suitable candidate.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
I mean, the reality is that there is a whole
team built up around him. He's impacting all of their chances.
And if this has come out, what else is lurking around?
Because whether it's the current mayor or other people that
are aware of inappropriate emails, they'll be all releasing them.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Now, Kerry, you were mayor of the city for two
two three, it's three. Sorry, you should name my facts
on that one, shouldn't I this abuse? Did you cop it?
Speaker 6 (04:16):
Yes? All of the time?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
And you know, I find it interesting that the current
counselors from around the country and mayors say this is
a new thing. It's not a new thing. Wayne will
have got it as well. We're fair game. You have
to have a higher standard. The public expects that off you.
Someone threatened to have me taken out for the last month.
(04:41):
I had twenty four security with me all of the time.
Speaker 6 (04:47):
That's just what happens.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
And I don't think it's just women or people of diversity,
it's everybody. I think we're just much more available and
there are people out there like to have a go.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
What are your thoughts on that? I mean, I would
have thought that you wouldn't have that sort of abuse.
You of well respect, that well liked in upper heart.
Speaker 6 (05:08):
Well I was as well.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, I know, but I was making more of your
point that you're being a female. Sorry, but the.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Reality of it is that decisions you make don't please
everybody in today's environment. I mean the fact that social
media has made it easier for people to be brave
if you like, and not front. But the fact of
the matter, it's not you. And as Carrie said, that's
just part and parcel of the game.
Speaker 6 (05:34):
I had stuff thrown at my house.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
One of our reasons from moving from one property is
I didn't feel safe because there were two inferences and
a certain political party worked out where I lived. We
had to change the foyer of our apartment to stop
them accessing it and graffitiing. Our building was graffited. So
this is not you, And that was you know, nearly
(05:57):
twenty years ago.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Now is it a bigger issue than we really think
it is for women in politics, So Wayne, is.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
It well, I mean, from the point of view talking
to my counselors, yes, I think some of them are
a targeted. But again it's a matter of how you
deal with it, that's the important thing. It's a matter
of if you, you know, and particularly if it's you know,
stand there arguing with people or respond on social media,
it gives them fuel and it's about you know that
(06:27):
from my point of view, explain to people that it's
about how you deal with that's the important thing, and
not give people. You know, if you don't give them
any fuel the fire or slowly die out. But if
you give them fuel, then you will continue to be
fair game.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
And what Ray Chung has done has given a lot
of people a lot of fuel. And he's going to
have a hard time responding to the sort of comments
in this email.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
How can he respond, I mean, you're extra three term?
How can he respond?
Speaker 6 (06:58):
Mayo Coper.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
He needs to apologize profusely and get back on top
of his game if he wants to stand stay in
the game. Some of this this person he now denies
employing doing some of the background checks on everybody on
counsel and other people standing.
Speaker 6 (07:18):
It's just totally inappropriate.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And I think you made an interesting point, as I
did earlier in the show Wan Guppy, that there's a
team behind him, there's money behind him, there's a team
behind him.
Speaker 6 (07:29):
It's it's a well, it's affecting all of them.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
And you will see probably over the next few weeks
some will say distance, this is this is not for me.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
I'm out of here.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Do you think the distances do you think that they
will do?
Speaker 4 (07:42):
We'll have a well, history shows that's what happens. I mean,
people want to be associated with winners.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
So one of the candidates has been talking to my
husband Rex and he is saying exactly to that candidate,
you've got to back away from that team.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Wow, Big ramifications, Big ramification coming to Live from Tekeina
for the champions lunch with Life Flight as the recipient
of the event. Wanting to mayor former mayor Dame Kerry
Prendergast and Upper Hut mayor current mayor for a bit logger,
(08:18):
let's talk about that later in the show, Gups, I
must ask you about that. Labor leader Chris Hopkins says
the terms of reference for the second phase of the
Royal Commission of Inquiry into the government's response to COVID
nineteen were in this written to a platform for conspiracy theorists. Kerry,
I'm looking at you. What are your thoughts of those comments?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
So, first of all, it was a deal with New
Zealand first, that was part of the coalition agreement.
Speaker 6 (08:45):
We're going to review it.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
So of course the government in opposition the vast government,
but the opposition is going to have a go at
the terms of reference. The reality is there are questions
to beout, particularly that second long lockdown with Auckland, when
ninety percent at the time of Auckland's had been vaccinated
and yet they were lockdown for a considerable time and
hearing some of the missions, the impact on business and
(09:11):
hospitality employers was huge. I think they should be consonant
if an outcome has got to be there's going.
Speaker 6 (09:18):
To be another pandemic.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
The experts are saying that this is the first going
to happen again.
Speaker 6 (09:23):
Let's what comes out of it.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Please be some recommendations on how to do it better
next time.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Way, Guppy, is this fair criticism or doesn't undermine the process?
I mean where do we do you standard?
Speaker 4 (09:35):
It's unfair criticism and it does I think undermines the process.
I mean this is a you know, they need to
front up, Chris and obviously Ja Sindra a dune they
need to front but certainly criticizing the process. It's all
very well to say there were terms, there were terms
of reference in the first inquiry that they set up,
and this is if you like, giving the public a
(09:57):
real opportunity now and criticizing the process I don't think.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Is fair at all.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
I mean, Kerry, you've just heard Mayne say that that
both Chippy and Zinda should front up. What are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Well, I note that the former Prime Minister Dessinda has
said she will turn up. Chris Hickinson turn up as well.
They've got things to add hopefully. What they've got to
add is what do we do next time to improve
the outcomes?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah? And can we improve the outcomes?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
We have to get out to New Zealanders or New
Zealand is that how important vaccination is and how it.
Speaker 6 (10:39):
Reduces the risk.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
We were lucky we were in Ireland nation. That's why
we did so well. But there are still big sections
of New Zealand who don't agree with vaccination. They believe
the theorists on the dark web that this is all
bad for you.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
They need to get up of the game.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
They put everyone at risk if they're not vaccinated.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Wayne, what sort of relationship do you have with Chris Hopkins?
I mean he's your of course, do you do you
go and have a coffee with him?
Speaker 4 (11:08):
We meet, We meet on a regular basis, absolutely, and
and discuss things obviously local and central.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
But certainly he's a very good, very good local MP.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
And you know, even when when Chris was the was
the Prime Minister and you know, and was taking a
lot of his time, he was still as an electric
MP and as Rheumatuck or MP, he was a very
good MP and still is so, you know, And in
any mayor, any mayor across the country has to work.
Speaker 5 (11:33):
I mean, you're working with your MPs.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
And you know, even though if you and I'm not
putting you in any political branding or even if you're politically.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
Opposite, doesn't make any difference. You've got to work with
the present, with the government and with your MPs. And
one of the things aren't.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
We seeing that at the moment in Wellington, do we
have a mayor who won't work with this garment?
Speaker 6 (11:52):
In fact, it tax the government. You've got to know
where the money is.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
You've got to work with the government of the day,
no matter what their political colors.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
And it doesn't matter what you know.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
You might disagree with with with some of the things
that they're doing. The fact of the matter is they're
the r You've got to work with them, and you've
got to work with the people who are making the rules.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
And so that's always been my philosophy.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Regardless of anyone's political affiliations, you work with them.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
And so when I was mayor, we had Marion Hobbes,
and it came.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
Mallard, Paul Swayne.
Speaker 6 (12:23):
Paul Swain and Helen Clark. You work with them.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
You're going to make sure the government of the day.
They may not be exactly the same politics as mine,
but there is a level of respect because what you're
doing is what's beast for your city or your region,
not what's pace for political ideology.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
And Nick, you see what happens when Wellington's mentioned by
any of the senior cabinet ministers. Now they scoff. There's
a bit of Wellington and that's simply because not working
with the government.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Okay, Kerry, I know that you're going to have an
interest in this next topic. Wellington Regional Hospital announced and
then backtracked on a trial this week where twelve bids
in the maternity department would have been treated for general
hospital beds in an attempt to reduce weight times in ED.
But by the way, our weight times at ured are
the worse in the country. There were claims that there
(13:16):
were spare beds, but local midwives said the unit is
generally one hundred percent full to capacity. Was taking beds
out of a maternity ward the right thing to try
and speed up times at ED?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Absolutely not, so I'm sure you know and most of
your listeners know. I spent twenty five years as a
midwife and things have changed. When I first started Midwiffree,
you stayed in hospital for sometimes up to ten days
if you'd had a cesarean.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Now you may say.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Twenty four forty eight hours, maybe a day extra. What
is happening with pressure on beds is women may be
shipped out to Kenniperu if they've delivered in Wellington, which
may be a long way if you live in the
south of the city to go and visit your partner
and new baby because they need the bes in Wellington.
But the other and much more important thing I believe
(14:11):
is not every birth is a fantastic outcome. So some
of our babies end up in the nicer unit. Some
of our babies are still born. Mothers need to be
able to be put in a room with family for
support and not be in a three or four better
cubicle where they can see and hear other mother's breastfeeding.
(14:33):
So having that capacity for those terrible and untoward events
is absolutely critical and I'm glad the hospital and the
minister back down right way.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Do you have confidence generally in our health system?
Speaker 5 (14:46):
I mean I do have confidence, and I know there
are there are issues. I mean I've worked, I was
involved in it.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
But the one thing that that that disappoints me is
that that I don't I don't agree that that taking
the beads away from the turning. But the fact of
the matter is they were looking to try and solve
a problem, and okay, they didn't get that right, But
what what we tend to do in country. We're trying
to solve a problem and everyone dumps on everyone and
it becomes the problem doesn't get solved. And so you know,
(15:15):
we have some issues in the health system, but by
just criticizing it and dumping on everyone who's trying to
solve a problem is not going to fix it.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
So we need to be a little bit positive.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
But here was an example of Okay, what can we
do to speed up a few things. Wasn't the right choice,
but there'll be some other if you like, solution to
the problem. But just by as I said, union coming
out and everyone dumping on it, they're just not going
to solve it because it's still there.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
They did get extra money.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
There is going to be an expansion of ed Marpoo
where you go if you need to stay overnight or
two nights rather than get admitted.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
Is full nearly all of the time. They want major.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Issues at Capital and cos Health, they do need to
solve them.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Kerry, can I ask you this because this is something
that I'm extremely passionate personally about. Why as the capital
city of Wellington do we not have an after our
medical facility life we used to have And when you
were mere twenty four.
Speaker 6 (16:09):
Hours race one it's an Adelaide road.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
It closes at eleven o'clock at night. That's not twenty
four hours. Twenty four hours se I.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Tell you it's staffed by GPS. It's staffed by GPS,
and they have to and we've got less GPS in
the region.
Speaker 6 (16:26):
They go on a roster.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
They can't afford to pay someone to work the night shift,
so they all have to take their turn. And I
think they just found it too hard to keep it up.
And of course it's not just the medical sense, it's
the pharmacy as well. It's associated, so both things have
to be and quite a few of the things like
if you have a fracture they might they've got to
(16:49):
send you a way to be x rayed and you
end up at the hospital anyway. I just think it
was a workforce issue and the cost that was the
reason it's not open twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Well why don't we find the money to have it,
because I mean, that would alleviate a giant amount of
the ed.
Speaker 6 (17:05):
We have to find.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
GPS got to find the health. I mean, it's a
worldwide issue. And if you look, it's not just a
New Zealand is shoe and it's just not a well
Infinish that's not solving the problem, but we do need
to be a more trick.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
We need to be.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
You could come out of retirement and be the pharmacist
on duty overnight.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
I think he hit that ticket go just quietly. I
don't think if I turned up looking for my drugs
at twenty four at the middle of the night I
saw Wade Ruby.
Speaker 6 (17:35):
He might not have a job the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
He's been there for about one hundred years. I don't
even know she's retiring me already. Yeah, we will talk
about that before the end of the show, because I
did read it. There's a bit of competition. Gubbing you away,
mister Guppy. Twenty seven minutes past eleven. You're listening to
Friday faced Off for coming to you live from the
Legends lunch at ta Keina and I've just seen b
J Williams walk past the great Man himself. How good
(17:58):
is that to see the flying Winger in South Africa?
What year was that? Gups, come on, help me out.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
I can't remember seventy is it? SEMy?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
You can't remember either. We're covered to your Live from Taquina.
That's what you get, Friday faith Off of Wellington ex
Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergas and Upper hutsmeyor Wayne Guppy current
Mayor Wayne Guppy quite noisy in the in the venue
right now. We're coming to you live at Taqina, So
Wayne's trying to lip read me as I speak across
the studio. We've put headphones on Kerry so she can hear. Uh.
(18:31):
I want to ask you to start with you on
this one name Reurce. Minister Shane Jones has hit out
at Knock after they decline an expansion expansion application for
mining company in Otago, saying Ocean and Gold didn't have
the right lizard management plan? What did you think of that?
Where to make of that? And the turn around out quickly?
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Well, I mean you didn't have to ask the question
without without Shane James saying something with Doc fronted up
and said that you know they didn't get the communication right,
but it does, it's it's ridiculous. It does show clearly
that we've got a problem in this country.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
And and you.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Know there was a thousand jobs at risk. And quite honestly,
this is just one example. And I noticed that the
ministers now saying that there some other cases. I mean
I was listening during last week where I was talking
about the hoops that like Kenna had to go through
in Auckland to.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
Build their new plant, and I mean in some of
the conditions.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
That were put on by the council were just outrageous.
And here is another classic example of why big investments
not having in this country.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Don't carry your live, biggest smiling MEMBOI because now.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
I am going to take the completely opposite view. First
of all, DOC has a responsibility under its legislation to
look after.
Speaker 6 (19:48):
New Zealand's what thirty percent.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Now I'm going to change the subject slightly because I
don't think you can be in mining for gold with
saving lizards who are incredibly endangered and there's not many
of them left. Have any of you seen the film
Oceans by David Attenborough. It is absolutely phenomenal and it's
about bottom trawling. And probably you three here and certainly
(20:10):
out there didn't know that seventy percent of New Zealand's
commercial fisheries comes from bottom trawling. You probably all heard
last year about them dragging up black coral, which takes
tens and tens of hundreds of.
Speaker 6 (20:24):
Years to grow.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It is a disgrace that New Zealand still allows bottom tralling.
So you have to have people who prepared to put
their hands up and call big business to account. Otherwise
they pollute our rivers, they pollute our oceans, they destroy
our fisheries, they destroy the birds on land and lizards.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Now, Kerrie, I've got to have an argument with you
on this one apparently. And we had a caller that
came on the show yesterday and yesterday it was yesterday
and said that if you put a big, giant thumping
machine on the ground, lizards will run for a mile
and they'll be fine. Pretty damn simplistic. We're not running
(21:05):
out of it. As Shane Jones himself says, lizards are
more common than actne on a teenager.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
The reality is so Shane has a beautiful turn of
phrase and it gets lots of press.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
The reality is doc has it in their constitution.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
So what do they choose which ones they choose not
to support?
Speaker 6 (21:26):
If they have to.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Support New Zealand's endangered species and lizards on the list,
of course they.
Speaker 6 (21:32):
Have to turn up at the hearing.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
And say that Oceania Gold was it haven't put enough?
They yes, Oceania Gold didn't have an adequate lizard management plan.
All they had to do was come up with a
plan to make sure that they were going to be
looking after the lizards.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Well, suddenly they suddenly changed their tune pretty damn quickly,
didn't they Wan So, I mean, you know.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
But the issue was the timing team. How long some
of those things have taken. That's that's the issue, because
I think the Minister said overnight that there had been
others that have taken such a long time that.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
That well, and that's where David Seymour was trying to
do with this regulation. We've got to speed up these processes.
As long as the outcomes are good, we do have
to speed them up.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Friday, Face Off coming to you live from Takina. It's
the Champions lunch and Carrie's talking about tight bus.
Speaker 6 (22:27):
I was talking about Il Candy before.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
It is rather nice to sit here and look at
men in good shape as they're going to a nice
lunch and what is going to be a phenomenal weekend.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
A phenomenal weekend. It's talk about one of the topics
we talked about this week, which I was pretty passionate about.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
It.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
TV and Z is initiated a review into its flagship
six pm news bulletin in an effort to increase trust levels,
Wayne Guppy, you grew up watching the six o'clock news.
Do you still trust TV in Z six o'clock news
like you did as a twenty five year No.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
And clearly I watch some of the lead lead news
stories at six o'clock at night and then do a
bit of research, and you're thinking, that's not the same
story that I've just seen. It's you know, half an
hour ago. So they dramatize some of it. And it's
clearly to me now not just straight journalism. It's quite
(23:23):
at times, it has quite a bend on it, And
I say, I don't think it's straight journalism, so you
don't trust it.
Speaker 5 (23:31):
I don't now, not at all.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
And once I see, once I see some of those
articles and start looking into it, as I said, I
go back and go, that is not the same news
that I saw ten minutes ago. There is certainly a
bend that they want now that didn't used to exist.
Speaker 6 (23:48):
It's called political spin.
Speaker 5 (23:50):
It's big political spin.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
So Rex and I voted with our feet probably three
or four years ago. We have not watched TV and
Z one for that long. We watched TV and zed
the TV three news every night and we record it.
If we can't see it at the time, we watch
it later. For just that reason.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Why, because there's too much what's the word for it, opinion?
Speaker 3 (24:14):
We just well you use the word trust, We weren't
trusting what we were hearing. We believe the news we
get our TV three is a fair representation of not
just the news in New Zealand but offshore as well.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Wow, that's incredible. I would have thought you both would
have been absolute fans of TVNS. He had six o'clock
years now. The reason that we're here, apart from supporting
the champion's lunch and being being part of this event
at Taquina, is also it's a big weekend for Wellington.
It's test weekend. We take on the franch at Sky
(24:49):
Stadium on sun Saturday night. Caring what do you make
of the I mean, we've got all this publicity about
the French team being week what are you? What are
you you and Rex going to watch the game.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Well, we're going to fly to Sydney for five days
to go and see Carmen at the Sydney Operas. So
really sorry, about that. But this is fantastic for Wellington.
Not that long ago and Guppy and I remember where
every weekend there were big events in Wellington. This is
going to mean our hospitality sector, our retail sector, our hotels,
(25:23):
our bars, AIRB and B are all going to be full,
will be a great, great feel for the city. This
is exactly what we need to remind Wellingtonians what a
great city where let's hope the weather holds off and
it's not so slippery that the French don't get an advantage.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
I don't worry about the ground conditions, but forty five
percent of the people down here for the weekend I
see from outside the region. And not only does it
fill the coffers of the hospitality industry and the retail sector,
what it does it gives a positive attitude. And so
long we've been in that negative frame here in Wellington
and to have weekends like that, well you can't calculate
(26:01):
it because it's just enormous.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
And yeah, it's things that we need.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
As Kerry said before, we need these sort of things
and we need to go out and fight for it.
We it just won't happen, It just won't come to us.
Wellington and our organizations need to go out there and
fight for it. I see Lord announced to New Zealand
tour for next year, not this morning, not coming to Wellington.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
And once christ Church gets at stadium up with its
roof on it, we are really at risk and you
have to invest real money to get events into the region.
Speaker 4 (26:34):
But this is huge and it's a big let's hope
it's a turning point for the at least for the
psych of the of the region. Who's going to win
Gubbs All Blacks, All Blacks by twenty.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Right, Dame Kerrey Prendagaz.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Well, I think the French did pretty well down south
and we'll play our usual forward game and if it's wet,
I think the French.
Speaker 4 (26:55):
Might slip through stadium stadiums and the ground conditions there
are perfect. But I will text to you while you're
watching Carmen that's the opera house during the game.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Actually I'm not going. I ain't till Tuesday. I'll watch
it on TV.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Oh my gosh, just really really quickly, because I've got
to move on and get your hots and knots. Filmmaker
Sir Peter Jackson and invested in ten million dollars in
a group trying to bring the MAHA back to life.
What are your thoughts on this, Dame Carrie. I mean
you're definitely ever thought on that.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Well, I believe the scientists, and the scientists are saying
it's absolutely impossible, so we'll see nothing's impossible.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
For Sir Peter Jackson, No it's not.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
But I mean it's one of those things. It's something.
Are we doing it just because we can do it?
Speaker 4 (27:38):
There are ideas and some are crazy, and I think
this is one of those crazy ideas.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
I agree with you. I agree with you right, come
in to you live from Taquina Champions lunch All Blacks weekend.
I get excited. I get excited and I've got to
mention the Saints. I've got a semi final on Sunday
as well. Wone guppy coming to you for hots and
knots please, Well why not?
Speaker 4 (27:57):
Is what we saw the latest figures this morning with
thirty thousand KEI. We's leaving New zeal And going to
Australia first time and watch since twenty twelve, so we've
had that many go.
Speaker 5 (28:08):
That's not good. It's not good for the country.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
It's our talent leaving here and as a country, we
shall be really worried about that. And my hots for
the week is that Sir Brian Roach, he's clearly identified
that there's some leadership issues in the public service and
he's looking for some leadership action plans and I think
he's on the right track.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Dame Carey, predigards, give us your hots and not.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
I just came from a meeting of Nzenctea where we
give away forty million a year to mainly amateur sports.
So it was a big meeting, which is why I
was running late. Sorry, but I came along thornman Key
and I looked at those road changes in the football
the cycle ways and the cars parked in the middle
(28:54):
of the street, and I just can't see it's good
for our city. And I'm hoping with time that they
may review the layout and change it for the beta.
What's good is where we are now. This is a
fantastic opportunity. I'm sick of people talking about Wellington losing
(29:16):
its mojo. We are still the most beautiful city with
the most stunning harbor where you can be mountain biking
and swimming and going to the stadium, going to the
opera going to arts tonight. There's an opera premiere at
the Hannah Playhouse that I'll be attending telling the story
(29:36):
of a mister Danzy and what he did at Gallipoli.
That's what Wellington's about, diversity.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
It's fantastic TENCC on tonight as well, very big act. Now, Wayne,
I've got to come to you because I mean during
the week there was a couple of people that have
actually put in their names in the hat to go
up against you. Are you getting nervous?
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Democracy? Where ready you go for a campaign? And that's
what it's about. And with those positive statements from the
former mayor, she's got time to put her name back
in the hair because we needed those positive statements for
a long time on Wellington.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yeah, wouldn't that be good? You know, I keep hoping
that some way, some day, some way that someone really
good will stand and that would be amazing. Why don't
you do that, Dame Carrie?
Speaker 6 (30:22):
Because I'm too old?
Speaker 2 (30:24):
You're never too old. The way you were looking at
those young men who write what you hear, don't tell
me you're too old.
Speaker 6 (30:30):
They probably think I'm too old.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
It didn't stop you from getting a little bit excited.
Ricks is not listening. Thank you very much. Have a
great time in Sydney and enjoy Carmen, Wayne Guppy. All
the best. We'll talk before before the election, but all
the best. I hope, I hope you do well and
I hope that the contestants that are going for you.
I thought Carry wanted to actually come and say goodbye.
(30:53):
She's got a taxi waiting for down the bottom of
the of the of it.
Speaker 6 (30:57):
So thank you very much, lovely to see you all,
see you again. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
So Carrie's rushing out on us, Wayne is about to go,
and I'm left on my own. At the champions lunch
at Taquina, I've got to say that the crowd is
arriving and waite a lot younger crowd than I expected.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Absolutely, and I mean that's exciting because those young people
obviously got time and money and they're going to enjoy
the day and enjoy the weekend.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
And that's against important about the positivity.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
But they look come in to listen to some old legends.
That's great. They want to they want to see some
of the stars from us to year, whether.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
Not too old.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
Just as Dame Carrie said, she's not too old and
they want to hear the Wizard of what some of
the stories are those old use.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Champions at the Champions. Absolutely, are you going to Ruby
to morrow?
Speaker 5 (31:44):
I'll be there and you always go, don't you.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Miss Won't Gubby? Always lovely to see you enjoy the
game tomorrow. Go to you, All Blacks.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd be Wellington from nine am WEE days,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks EDB, Local News, local issues, local views
lay from the Takina Convention Center. Ahead of All Blacks
v France. It's Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills and Wellington Airport,
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(00:29):
week interview. It's Friday Fatal with Kudovic Property Management, a
better rental experience for all visit Qudovic dot co dot
it's head.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Stars by joining us for Friday Faceoff this week is
former Wellington mayor Dame Carey printer Gast who's just arrived.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
She was late, well, she was at another meeting, to
be honest, from eight o'clock, so I had to get
a cab to get here on time.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Nice of you to be here, Lovely to see you,
Thank you, pay great to see you Ni.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Because a pretty she didn't prioritize it. You and I
are more important than her other meeting.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well. I'd also like to say that Wayne Guppimera of
upperhar But who's our other guest this morning was here?
I would say forty two forty four minutes before he
needed to be here.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
That's because he's got nothing else to do.
Speaker 5 (01:16):
You'll always make sure you're on time.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
That's right. If you're on time, you're late. If someone
told me once, you know, I married to someone that
never been on time for her life and I hate
I hate it. Being on time is very, very important.
As the stars start arriving and there's a lot of old,
old famous all blacks walking past us as we are
live at Taqina for champions I cared if you're ninety two,
(01:41):
I'm right. Well it's rial candidate Ray Chunk sent a
sordid email to some council colleagues in two tenty and
twenty three claiming me and Torri Farno had a drug
fuelled tempressed sex and an orgy and made reference to
her having I don't even want to talk about it.
That talked about her breast. Ah Kerrie, I'm going to
(02:03):
start with you, and I'm sitting next to you. I'm
hoping I don't get a lap over the back of
the head hair from you. Is Ray Chung still a
viable merial contender?
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Now?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Look, there was quite a lot of media in yesterday's paper,
quite apart from this release today he is not on
top of his game. He is not approving a social
media to write such an email of This is from
twenty twenty three, so one of the three recipients clearly
leaked it, but for it to be brought out now
(02:33):
it is just totally inappropriate for a mayoral candidate. He
should be running a positive campaign. Everything he's doing is negative,
the social media stuff, and he just says he's not
on top of it, he's not keeping an eye on things.
If that's the way he thinks he can run a
city by not keeping on top of things, then I'm
not sure he should be standing to be mayor.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Weighed. There's two sides to the story, though, isn't it.
I mean, why did it suddenly come out? How long
has Tory Faro had that information in front of him?
Speaker 5 (03:06):
Well, I think we don't want to cloud the issue.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
The issue is that's poor judgment, and whether it was
two years ago, ten years ago, or two weeks ago,
the fact of the matter is that's very poor judgment
on his part. And you know, the question would be asked, well,
if if it's poor judgment now, that will happen again.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
So yeah, it's affected his.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Chances Okay, you say it's affected his chances. Should he
stand down?
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Well, that's a choice he's got to make because but
certainly from the point of view of I'm sure you
will find that, you know, particularly that that middle ground
will look and say not a suitable candidate.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
I mean, the reality is that there is a whole
team built up around him. He's impacting all of their chances.
And if this has come out, what else is lurking around?
Because whether it's the current mayor or other people that
are aware of inappropriate emails, they'll be all releasing them.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Now, Kerry, you were mayor of the city for two
two three, it's three. Sorry, you should name my facts
on that one, shouldn't I this abuse? Did you cop it?
Speaker 6 (04:16):
Yes? All of the time?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
And you know, I find it interesting that the current
counselors from around the country and mayors say this is
a new thing. It's not a new thing. Wayne will
have got it as well. We're fair game. You have
to have a higher standard. The public expects that off you.
Someone threatened to have me taken out for the last month.
(04:41):
I had twenty four security with me all of the time.
Speaker 6 (04:47):
That's just what happens.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
And I don't think it's just women or people of diversity,
it's everybody. I think we're just much more available and
there are people out there like to have a go.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
What are your thoughts on that? I mean, I would
have thought that you wouldn't have that sort of abuse.
You of well respect, that well liked in upper heart.
Speaker 6 (05:08):
Well I was as well.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, I know, but I was making more of your
point that you're being a female. Sorry, but the.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Reality of it is that decisions you make don't please
everybody in today's environment. I mean the fact that social
media has made it easier for people to be brave
if you like, and not front. But the fact of
the matter, it's not you. And as Carrie said, that's
just part and parcel of the game.
Speaker 6 (05:34):
I had stuff thrown at my house.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
One of our reasons from moving from one property is
I didn't feel safe because there were two inferences and
a certain political party worked out where I lived. We
had to change the foyer of our apartment to stop
them accessing it and graffitiing. Our building was graffited. So
this is not you, And that was you know, nearly
(05:57):
twenty years ago.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Now is it a bigger issue than we really think
it is for women in politics, So Wayne, is.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
It well, I mean, from the point of view talking
to my counselors, yes, I think some of them are
a targeted. But again it's a matter of how you
deal with it, that's the important thing. It's a matter
of if you, you know, and particularly if it's you know,
stand there arguing with people or respond on social media,
it gives them fuel and it's about you know that
(06:27):
from my point of view, explain to people that it's
about how you deal with that's the important thing, and
not give people. You know, if you don't give them
any fuel the fire or slowly die out. But if
you give them fuel, then you will continue to be
fair game.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
And what Ray Chung has done has given a lot
of people a lot of fuel. And he's going to
have a hard time responding to the sort of comments
in this email.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
How can he respond, I mean, you're extra three term?
How can he respond?
Speaker 6 (06:58):
Mayo Coper.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
He needs to apologize profusely and get back on top
of his game if he wants to stand stay in
the game. Some of this this person he now denies
employing doing some of the background checks on everybody on
counsel and other people standing.
Speaker 6 (07:18):
It's just totally inappropriate.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And I think you made an interesting point, as I
did earlier in the show Wan Guppy, that there's a
team behind him, there's money behind him, there's a team
behind him.
Speaker 6 (07:29):
It's it's a well, it's affecting all of them.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
And you will see probably over the next few weeks
some will say distance, this is this is not for me.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
I'm out of here.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Do you think the distances do you think that they
will do?
Speaker 4 (07:42):
We'll have a well, history shows that's what happens. I mean,
people want to be associated with winners.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
So one of the candidates has been talking to my
husband Rex and he is saying exactly to that candidate,
you've got to back away from that team.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Wow, Big ramifications, Big ramification coming to Live from Tekeina
for the champions lunch with Life Flight as the recipient
of the event. Wanting to mayor former mayor Dame Kerry
Prendergast and Upper Hut mayor current mayor for a bit logger,
(08:18):
let's talk about that later in the show, Gups, I
must ask you about that. Labor leader Chris Hopkins says
the terms of reference for the second phase of the
Royal Commission of Inquiry into the government's response to COVID
nineteen were in this written to a platform for conspiracy theorists. Kerry,
I'm looking at you. What are your thoughts of those comments?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
So, first of all, it was a deal with New
Zealand first, that was part of the coalition agreement.
Speaker 6 (08:45):
We're going to review it.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
So of course the government in opposition the vast government,
but the opposition is going to have a go at
the terms of reference. The reality is there are questions
to beout, particularly that second long lockdown with Auckland, when
ninety percent at the time of Auckland's had been vaccinated
and yet they were lockdown for a considerable time and
hearing some of the missions, the impact on business and
(09:11):
hospitality employers was huge. I think they should be consonant
if an outcome has got to be there's going.
Speaker 6 (09:18):
To be another pandemic.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
The experts are saying that this is the first going
to happen again.
Speaker 6 (09:23):
Let's what comes out of it.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Please be some recommendations on how to do it better
next time.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Way, Guppy, is this fair criticism or doesn't undermine the process?
I mean where do we do you standard?
Speaker 4 (09:35):
It's unfair criticism and it does I think undermines the process.
I mean this is a you know, they need to
front up, Chris and obviously Ja Sindra a dune they
need to front but certainly criticizing the process. It's all
very well to say there were terms, there were terms
of reference in the first inquiry that they set up,
and this is if you like, giving the public a
(09:57):
real opportunity now and criticizing the process I don't think.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Is fair at all.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
I mean, Kerry, you've just heard Mayne say that that
both Chippy and Zinda should front up. What are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Well, I note that the former Prime Minister Dessinda has
said she will turn up. Chris Hickinson turn up as well.
They've got things to add hopefully. What they've got to
add is what do we do next time to improve
the outcomes?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah? And can we improve the outcomes?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
We have to get out to New Zealanders or New
Zealand is that how important vaccination is and how it.
Speaker 6 (10:39):
Reduces the risk.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
We were lucky we were in Ireland nation. That's why
we did so well. But there are still big sections
of New Zealand who don't agree with vaccination. They believe
the theorists on the dark web that this is all
bad for you.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
They need to get up of the game.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
They put everyone at risk if they're not vaccinated.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Wayne, what sort of relationship do you have with Chris Hopkins?
I mean he's your of course, do you do you
go and have a coffee with him?
Speaker 4 (11:08):
We meet, We meet on a regular basis, absolutely, and
and discuss things obviously local and central.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
But certainly he's a very good, very good local MP.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
And you know, even when when Chris was the was
the Prime Minister and you know, and was taking a
lot of his time, he was still as an electric
MP and as Rheumatuck or MP, he was a very
good MP and still is so, you know, And in
any mayor, any mayor across the country has to work.
Speaker 5 (11:33):
I mean, you're working with your MPs.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
And you know, even though if you and I'm not
putting you in any political branding or even if you're politically.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
Opposite, doesn't make any difference. You've got to work with
the present, with the government and with your MPs. And
one of the things aren't.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
We seeing that at the moment in Wellington, do we
have a mayor who won't work with this garment?
Speaker 6 (11:52):
In fact, it tax the government. You've got to know
where the money is.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
You've got to work with the government of the day,
no matter what their political colors.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
And it doesn't matter what you know.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
You might disagree with with with some of the things
that they're doing. The fact of the matter is they're
the r You've got to work with them, and you've
got to work with the people who are making the rules.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
And so that's always been my philosophy.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Regardless of anyone's political affiliations, you work with them.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
And so when I was mayor, we had Marion Hobbes,
and it came.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
Mallard, Paul Swayne.
Speaker 6 (12:23):
Paul Swain and Helen Clark. You work with them.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
You're going to make sure the government of the day.
They may not be exactly the same politics as mine,
but there is a level of respect because what you're
doing is what's beast for your city or your region,
not what's pace for political ideology.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
And Nick, you see what happens when Wellington's mentioned by
any of the senior cabinet ministers. Now they scoff. There's
a bit of Wellington and that's simply because not working
with the government.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Okay, Kerry, I know that you're going to have an
interest in this next topic. Wellington Regional Hospital announced and
then backtracked on a trial this week where twelve bids
in the maternity department would have been treated for general
hospital beds in an attempt to reduce weight times in ED.
But by the way, our weight times at ured are
the worse in the country. There were claims that there
(13:16):
were spare beds, but local midwives said the unit is
generally one hundred percent full to capacity. Was taking beds
out of a maternity ward the right thing to try
and speed up times at ED?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Absolutely not, so I'm sure you know and most of
your listeners know. I spent twenty five years as a
midwife and things have changed. When I first started Midwiffree,
you stayed in hospital for sometimes up to ten days
if you'd had a cesarean.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Now you may say.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Twenty four forty eight hours, maybe a day extra. What
is happening with pressure on beds is women may be
shipped out to Kenniperu if they've delivered in Wellington, which
may be a long way if you live in the
south of the city to go and visit your partner
and new baby because they need the bes in Wellington.
But the other and much more important thing I believe
(14:11):
is not every birth is a fantastic outcome. So some
of our babies end up in the nicer unit. Some
of our babies are still born. Mothers need to be
able to be put in a room with family for
support and not be in a three or four better
cubicle where they can see and hear other mother's breastfeeding.
(14:33):
So having that capacity for those terrible and untoward events
is absolutely critical and I'm glad the hospital and the
minister back down right way.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Do you have confidence generally in our health system?
Speaker 5 (14:46):
I mean I do have confidence, and I know there
are there are issues. I mean I've worked, I was
involved in it.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
But the one thing that that that disappoints me is
that that I don't I don't agree that that taking
the beads away from the turning. But the fact of
the matter is they were looking to try and solve
a problem, and okay, they didn't get that right, But
what what we tend to do in country. We're trying
to solve a problem and everyone dumps on everyone and
it becomes the problem doesn't get solved. And so you know,
(15:15):
we have some issues in the health system, but by
just criticizing it and dumping on everyone who's trying to
solve a problem is not going to fix it.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
So we need to be a little bit positive.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
But here was an example of Okay, what can we
do to speed up a few things. Wasn't the right choice,
but there'll be some other if you like, solution to
the problem. But just by as I said, union coming
out and everyone dumping on it, they're just not going
to solve it because it's still there.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
They did get extra money.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
There is going to be an expansion of ed Marpoo
where you go if you need to stay overnight or
two nights rather than get admitted.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
Is full nearly all of the time. They want major.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Issues at Capital and cos Health, they do need to
solve them.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Kerry, can I ask you this because this is something
that I'm extremely passionate personally about. Why as the capital
city of Wellington do we not have an after our
medical facility life we used to have And when you
were mere twenty four.
Speaker 6 (16:09):
Hours race one it's an Adelaide road.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
It closes at eleven o'clock at night. That's not twenty
four hours. Twenty four hours se I.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Tell you it's staffed by GPS. It's staffed by GPS,
and they have to and we've got less GPS in
the region.
Speaker 6 (16:26):
They go on a roster.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
They can't afford to pay someone to work the night shift,
so they all have to take their turn. And I
think they just found it too hard to keep it up.
And of course it's not just the medical sense, it's
the pharmacy as well. It's associated, so both things have
to be and quite a few of the things like
if you have a fracture they might they've got to
(16:49):
send you a way to be x rayed and you
end up at the hospital anyway. I just think it
was a workforce issue and the cost that was the
reason it's not open twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Well why don't we find the money to have it,
because I mean, that would alleviate a giant amount of
the ed.
Speaker 6 (17:05):
We have to find.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
GPS got to find the health. I mean, it's a
worldwide issue. And if you look, it's not just a
New Zealand is shoe and it's just not a well
Infinish that's not solving the problem, but we do need
to be a more trick.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
We need to be.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
You could come out of retirement and be the pharmacist
on duty overnight.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
I think he hit that ticket go just quietly. I
don't think if I turned up looking for my drugs
at twenty four at the middle of the night I
saw Wade Ruby.
Speaker 6 (17:35):
He might not have a job the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
He's been there for about one hundred years. I don't
even know she's retiring me already. Yeah, we will talk
about that before the end of the show, because I
did read it. There's a bit of competition. Gubbing you away,
mister Guppy. Twenty seven minutes past eleven. You're listening to
Friday faced Off for coming to you live from the
Legends lunch at ta Keina and I've just seen b
J Williams walk past the great Man himself. How good
(17:58):
is that to see the flying Winger in South Africa?
What year was that? Gups, come on, help me out.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
I can't remember seventy is it? SEMy?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
You can't remember either. We're covered to your Live from Taquina.
That's what you get, Friday faith Off of Wellington ex
Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergas and Upper hutsmeyor Wayne Guppy current
Mayor Wayne Guppy quite noisy in the in the venue
right now. We're coming to you live at Taqina, So
Wayne's trying to lip read me as I speak across
the studio. We've put headphones on Kerry so she can hear. Uh.
(18:31):
I want to ask you to start with you on
this one name Reurce. Minister Shane Jones has hit out
at Knock after they decline an expansion expansion application for
mining company in Otago, saying Ocean and Gold didn't have
the right lizard management plan? What did you think of that?
Where to make of that? And the turn around out quickly?
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Well, I mean you didn't have to ask the question
without without Shane James saying something with Doc fronted up
and said that you know they didn't get the communication right,
but it does, it's it's ridiculous. It does show clearly
that we've got a problem in this country.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
And and you.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Know there was a thousand jobs at risk. And quite honestly,
this is just one example. And I noticed that the
ministers now saying that there some other cases. I mean
I was listening during last week where I was talking
about the hoops that like Kenna had to go through
in Auckland to.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
Build their new plant, and I mean in some of
the conditions.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
That were put on by the council were just outrageous.
And here is another classic example of why big investments
not having in this country.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Don't carry your live, biggest smiling MEMBOI because now.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
I am going to take the completely opposite view. First
of all, DOC has a responsibility under its legislation to
look after.
Speaker 6 (19:48):
New Zealand's what thirty percent.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Now I'm going to change the subject slightly because I
don't think you can be in mining for gold with
saving lizards who are incredibly endangered and there's not many
of them left. Have any of you seen the film
Oceans by David Attenborough. It is absolutely phenomenal and it's
about bottom trawling. And probably you three here and certainly
(20:10):
out there didn't know that seventy percent of New Zealand's
commercial fisheries comes from bottom trawling. You probably all heard
last year about them dragging up black coral, which takes
tens and tens of hundreds of.
Speaker 6 (20:24):
Years to grow.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It is a disgrace that New Zealand still allows bottom tralling.
So you have to have people who prepared to put
their hands up and call big business to account. Otherwise
they pollute our rivers, they pollute our oceans, they destroy
our fisheries, they destroy the birds on land and lizards.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Now, Kerrie, I've got to have an argument with you
on this one apparently. And we had a caller that
came on the show yesterday and yesterday it was yesterday
and said that if you put a big, giant thumping
machine on the ground, lizards will run for a mile
and they'll be fine. Pretty damn simplistic. We're not running
(21:05):
out of it. As Shane Jones himself says, lizards are
more common than actne on a teenager.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
The reality is so Shane has a beautiful turn of
phrase and it gets lots of press.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
The reality is doc has it in their constitution.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
So what do they choose which ones they choose not
to support?
Speaker 6 (21:26):
If they have to.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Support New Zealand's endangered species and lizards on the list,
of course they.
Speaker 6 (21:32):
Have to turn up at the hearing.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
And say that Oceania Gold was it haven't put enough?
They yes, Oceania Gold didn't have an adequate lizard management plan.
All they had to do was come up with a
plan to make sure that they were going to be
looking after the lizards.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Well, suddenly they suddenly changed their tune pretty damn quickly,
didn't they Wan So, I mean, you know.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
But the issue was the timing team. How long some
of those things have taken. That's that's the issue, because
I think the Minister said overnight that there had been
others that have taken such a long time that.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
That well, and that's where David Seymour was trying to
do with this regulation. We've got to speed up these processes.
As long as the outcomes are good, we do have
to speed them up.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Friday, Face Off coming to you live from Takina. It's
the Champions lunch and Carrie's talking about tight bus.
Speaker 6 (22:27):
I was talking about Il Candy before.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
It is rather nice to sit here and look at
men in good shape as they're going to a nice
lunch and what is going to be a phenomenal weekend.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
A phenomenal weekend. It's talk about one of the topics
we talked about this week, which I was pretty passionate about.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
It.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
TV and Z is initiated a review into its flagship
six pm news bulletin in an effort to increase trust levels,
Wayne Guppy, you grew up watching the six o'clock news.
Do you still trust TV in Z six o'clock news
like you did as a twenty five year No.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
And clearly I watch some of the lead lead news
stories at six o'clock at night and then do a
bit of research, and you're thinking, that's not the same
story that I've just seen. It's you know, half an
hour ago. So they dramatize some of it. And it's
clearly to me now not just straight journalism. It's quite
(23:23):
at times, it has quite a bend on it, And
I say, I don't think it's straight journalism, so you
don't trust it.
Speaker 5 (23:31):
I don't now, not at all.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
And once I see, once I see some of those
articles and start looking into it, as I said, I
go back and go, that is not the same news
that I saw ten minutes ago. There is certainly a
bend that they want now that didn't used to exist.
Speaker 6 (23:48):
It's called political spin.
Speaker 5 (23:50):
It's big political spin.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
So Rex and I voted with our feet probably three
or four years ago. We have not watched TV and
Z one for that long. We watched TV and zed
the TV three news every night and we record it.
If we can't see it at the time, we watch
it later. For just that reason.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Why, because there's too much what's the word for it, opinion?
Speaker 3 (24:14):
We just well you use the word trust, We weren't
trusting what we were hearing. We believe the news we
get our TV three is a fair representation of not
just the news in New Zealand but offshore as well.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Wow, that's incredible. I would have thought you both would
have been absolute fans of TVNS. He had six o'clock
years now. The reason that we're here, apart from supporting
the champion's lunch and being being part of this event
at Taquina, is also it's a big weekend for Wellington.
It's test weekend. We take on the franch at Sky
(24:49):
Stadium on sun Saturday night. Caring what do you make
of the I mean, we've got all this publicity about
the French team being week what are you? What are
you you and Rex going to watch the game.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Well, we're going to fly to Sydney for five days
to go and see Carmen at the Sydney Operas. So
really sorry, about that. But this is fantastic for Wellington.
Not that long ago and Guppy and I remember where
every weekend there were big events in Wellington. This is
going to mean our hospitality sector, our retail sector, our hotels,
(25:23):
our bars, AIRB and B are all going to be full,
will be a great, great feel for the city. This
is exactly what we need to remind Wellingtonians what a
great city where let's hope the weather holds off and
it's not so slippery that the French don't get an advantage.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
I don't worry about the ground conditions, but forty five
percent of the people down here for the weekend I
see from outside the region. And not only does it
fill the coffers of the hospitality industry and the retail sector,
what it does it gives a positive attitude. And so
long we've been in that negative frame here in Wellington
and to have weekends like that, well you can't calculate
(26:01):
it because it's just enormous.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
And yeah, it's things that we need.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
As Kerry said before, we need these sort of things
and we need to go out and fight for it.
We it just won't happen, It just won't come to us.
Wellington and our organizations need to go out there and
fight for it. I see Lord announced to New Zealand
tour for next year, not this morning, not coming to Wellington.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
And once christ Church gets at stadium up with its
roof on it, we are really at risk and you
have to invest real money to get events into the region.
Speaker 4 (26:34):
But this is huge and it's a big let's hope
it's a turning point for the at least for the
psych of the of the region. Who's going to win
Gubbs All Blacks, All Blacks by twenty.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Right, Dame Kerrey Prendagaz.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Well, I think the French did pretty well down south
and we'll play our usual forward game and if it's wet,
I think the French.
Speaker 4 (26:55):
Might slip through stadium stadiums and the ground conditions there
are perfect. But I will text to you while you're
watching Carmen that's the opera house during the game.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Actually I'm not going. I ain't till Tuesday. I'll watch
it on TV.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Oh my gosh, just really really quickly, because I've got
to move on and get your hots and knots. Filmmaker
Sir Peter Jackson and invested in ten million dollars in
a group trying to bring the MAHA back to life.
What are your thoughts on this, Dame Carrie. I mean
you're definitely ever thought on that.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Well, I believe the scientists, and the scientists are saying
it's absolutely impossible, so we'll see nothing's impossible.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
For Sir Peter Jackson, No it's not.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
But I mean it's one of those things. It's something.
Are we doing it just because we can do it?
Speaker 4 (27:38):
There are ideas and some are crazy, and I think
this is one of those crazy ideas.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
I agree with you. I agree with you right, come
in to you live from Taquina Champions lunch All Blacks weekend.
I get excited. I get excited and I've got to
mention the Saints. I've got a semi final on Sunday
as well. Wone guppy coming to you for hots and
knots please, Well why not?
Speaker 4 (27:57):
Is what we saw the latest figures this morning with
thirty thousand KEI. We's leaving New zeal And going to
Australia first time and watch since twenty twelve, so we've
had that many go.
Speaker 5 (28:08):
That's not good. It's not good for the country.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
It's our talent leaving here and as a country, we
shall be really worried about that. And my hots for
the week is that Sir Brian Roach, he's clearly identified
that there's some leadership issues in the public service and
he's looking for some leadership action plans and I think
he's on the right track.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Dame Carey, predigards, give us your hots and not.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
I just came from a meeting of Nzenctea where we
give away forty million a year to mainly amateur sports.
So it was a big meeting, which is why I
was running late. Sorry, but I came along thornman Key
and I looked at those road changes in the football
the cycle ways and the cars parked in the middle
(28:54):
of the street, and I just can't see it's good
for our city. And I'm hoping with time that they
may review the layout and change it for the beta.
What's good is where we are now. This is a
fantastic opportunity. I'm sick of people talking about Wellington losing
(29:16):
its mojo. We are still the most beautiful city with
the most stunning harbor where you can be mountain biking
and swimming and going to the stadium, going to the
opera going to arts tonight. There's an opera premiere at
the Hannah Playhouse that I'll be attending telling the story
(29:36):
of a mister Danzy and what he did at Gallipoli.
That's what Wellington's about, diversity.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
It's fantastic TENCC on tonight as well, very big act. Now, Wayne,
I've got to come to you because I mean during
the week there was a couple of people that have
actually put in their names in the hat to go
up against you. Are you getting nervous?
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Democracy? Where ready you go for a campaign? And that's
what it's about. And with those positive statements from the
former mayor, she's got time to put her name back
in the hair because we needed those positive statements for
a long time on Wellington.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yeah, wouldn't that be good? You know, I keep hoping
that some way, some day, some way that someone really
good will stand and that would be amazing. Why don't
you do that, Dame Carrie?
Speaker 6 (30:22):
Because I'm too old?
Speaker 2 (30:24):
You're never too old. The way you were looking at
those young men who write what you hear, don't tell
me you're too old.
Speaker 6 (30:30):
They probably think I'm too old.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
It didn't stop you from getting a little bit excited.
Ricks is not listening. Thank you very much. Have a
great time in Sydney and enjoy Carmen, Wayne Guppy. All
the best. We'll talk before before the election, but all
the best. I hope, I hope you do well and
I hope that the contestants that are going for you.
I thought Carry wanted to actually come and say goodbye.
(30:53):
She's got a taxi waiting for down the bottom of
the of the of it.
Speaker 6 (30:57):
So thank you very much, lovely to see you all,
see you again. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
So Carrie's rushing out on us, Wayne is about to go,
and I'm left on my own. At the champions lunch
at Taquina, I've got to say that the crowd is
arriving and waite a lot younger crowd than I expected.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Absolutely, and I mean that's exciting because those young people
obviously got time and money and they're going to enjoy
the day and enjoy the weekend.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
And that's against important about the positivity.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
But they look come in to listen to some old legends.
That's great. They want to they want to see some
of the stars from us to year, whether.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
Not too old.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
Just as Dame Carrie said, she's not too old and
they want to hear the Wizard of what some of
the stories are those old use.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Champions at the Champions. Absolutely, are you going to Ruby
to morrow?
Speaker 5 (31:44):
I'll be there and you always go, don't you.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Miss Won't Gubby? Always lovely to see you enjoy the
game tomorrow. Go to you, All Blacks.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd be Wellington from nine am WEE days,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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