Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk said B dissecting the week sublime and ridiculous.
Friday faceoff with Quinovic Property Management a better rental experience
for all. Call on eight hundred Quinovic Thursday Dozens.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Joining us to Friday face Off this week is former
Wellington City runing from city Wannington mayor Justin Lester and
KII blog writer and Courier poll poster David Farrer. Morning David. Firstly,
because you on the show, I know you've done the
show before with Justin Defrain and you've probably done it
with Heather Duper c Allen as well, So welcome to
the Nick Mills version. Hopefully, hopefully it will be as
(01:02):
enjoyable as the other two. And Justin Lister, how are
you justin.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Another beautiful day and in Capitol next? I'm great, think
it beautiful, damn Parentise.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
I want to start with you. I'd like starting with
my new guest, but I've got to start with you
on the first topic we're going to talk about this morning.
Because as much as David's over absolutely everything to do
with everything, I'm sure you'll have a little tiny bit
more experience about being mayor or Willington than he would
he would have. But Tory revealed on this very show
this week that she sold a car and does nothing
(01:33):
in terms of socializing because money is so tight. Now
she earns a lot of money. I'm not going to
actually read out what she earns because everyone knows by
now that she earns well. My producer's telling me to
tell them. So she earns one hundred and ninety thousand
dollars a year and one a Loto draw in two
thousand and two of one point four million dollars. What
(01:54):
was your gut when you first heard this?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Oh, look, I think it's safe to say everyone's saying
it tough. So take Tory out of the situation for
a moment. Everyone's feeling the pinch, and we have record
low and rates everyone who has a mortgage, and everyone's
businesses and everything else as well. We know the stories
well in Wellington, so everyone's being squeezed. I mean, I
think if Tori was to reflect upon her comments as
(02:20):
she put herself in the story and didn't need to,
she was trying to relate around her own experience. But
and she's in a very privileged position. What she's acknowledged
and what Wellingtonians want to hear from their mayor is
they want to see themselves reflected, their own plight, how
their businesses are going, how you know what the mayor
is going to do to reduce rates or at least
(02:40):
not have these extensive increases that we've seen. So that
was where she made a mistake. Look forget you know
the personal story around. I don't care what Torians. I
don't care if he drives to work, if she takes
a bike or she walks or whatever. Actually, Wellingtonians just
want some help with getting out of a bit of
a difficult plight.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
You have a relationship with her, do you do? You
go and have the odd coffee and chat?
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Yeah, we do. I mean Tory is busy, I've got
a family, but yeah, mates, and go back a long
way and known if I don't know, probably ten years
as I know, you know, I'm no Celian and no Andy,
and I no Cari and a no friend. So I
just wish Tory of the best in her role and
hope that she'll be the best ambassador for Wellington that
(03:24):
we can ask for.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
David ferrerh this is stone deaf isn't it. This is
one way you could describe it as absolutely tone deaf.
Do you reckon it's affected her reputation?
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah, I do. I'll start with the good before I
get into the bad.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
People do expect politicians to empathize, So when she was
asked about that, quite natural on the propriate to say
people having at TAF even she could use herself as
an example, my interest rates have doubled.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
But if she just.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
Said, but I'm well off, I'm doing okay there, that
would have been fine. But what's really hurt her, I
think is firstly saying that she's so tight art had
to sell things to make ends meet when she's on
a pretty good wicket with no kids and people are like, well,
what's wrong. And also it has brought into her maryalty
(04:14):
a bit because she's saying, well, to make ends meat,
I'm selling an asset, and everyone's going, well, that's not
a good idea. So the combination of that probably has
a more damage to her than any opposition attack from
like the center right councilors. I really think some things
resonnate and not a big thing. You can have a
billion dollar scandal, won't resonate, but bas spent two hundred
(04:36):
dollars on one pair of underpensers, to whom Morgan found
out it does resonate. And this one has certainly saw
him struck throat. As I said, the desire to empathize
was absolutely correct.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, and that's what I was a devil. So that's
what she was genuinely doing. She was saying, yeah, you know,
and I just told her how tough. I was doing
it to be fair, so I'd put her in the
tough mood. And you're right, you know. That part was okay,
But to go further and say I'm in the weeds
with you didn't quite make suse.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
It made her the story rather than that everyone's having
it tough.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
A lot of people don't want politicians to have either story,
and not in times where circumstances are difficult, people are
feeling the pinch and businesses are feeling the pinch, and
Wellington too.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Yeah. Why I asked you justin Lester, why whether you
had a relationship with her or you had contact with her,
because I have a strong feeling that she's not getting
the right advice. She's getting some pretty poor advice. I'm
going to ask you both. But do you think she's
getting the good enough advice?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I don't know. I don't know. I know that counsel.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
That's as good as saying no from you because you yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Look, I know tell Torre said a series of good
people around her. Some of them have left recently to
go on to do new roles, and that could mean
it's some less experienced people are there at the moment,
but also it's just a moment of reflection, and perhaps
that it was a moment of whimsy as well. You
two are catching up, you forget You've got potentially tens
of thousands, if not more, are listening on the radio,
(06:08):
and things can get blown up out of proportion too.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Do you think that's what it was? Do you think
it was that?
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Look, I think you know. Stuff has letched onto this
the headquarters of here in Wellington. It becomes a national story.
People reflict on. I've had messages from people all around
the country, Auckland and duneed and then the cargo.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Became a national story because he's on the damn show.
Don't don't try and pull stuff into it to say
that stuff got old and that was my story.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
They did reflect that it was on your show, and
it was through Newston, and they've.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Done three or four stories on it.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Now every day there's another story, not explicitly about Tory,
about what demeirs get paid, what what cedra.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
So it's gathered its own momentum, hasn't it.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
David?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Is she getting good advice?
Speaker 5 (06:51):
Now?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
You are one of those people that are right in
the weeds, so you know good advisors and bad advisors.
You smell them. Do you think she's getting the right advice?
Speaker 5 (07:00):
I don't think you can put us down to bad advice,
because actually politicians need to be able to do radio
shows and just have the instincts too.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Yeah, everyone will make a blunder butt not do it.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
I think you can make the wider case with the
meal ty that you always want in your office. I
think some people who are very true believers to your
principles and values, but.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Also people who will make sure.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
That they're putting the other side about. Here's how other
people will see it, and that would probably be I
know some of the names in her office. I say
you need a bit of both. You need the people
who will help you achieve what you want to achieve,
but you also need the people who can understand what
the center right counselors sent to right voters are thinking
and throw them some bones to be.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
But see, I've always felt Tory, and I think I've
got a good relationship with it. And people don't like it,
but I think that you know, personally, I get on
I personally, I get on with you just and I
don't have the same values idealisms as you, but we
get on, you know. So. But I think that she's
got the emperor's new clothes. I think she's got all
those people around her that were telling her how fantastic
(08:05):
she is, and no one's actually saying, well, this is
the real world Tory.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah, you've got to be careful you don't get caught
in the seco chamber.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Right.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
You see lots of likes on social media on your
Instagram or Facebook page and people telling you positive or
giving you positive feedback and positive comments as well, But
there's another side to it. You often don't hear from
those who are less impressed. Perhaps a li experience the
same thing as well, and you're just going to be
careful that you are reaching out to those and engaging
(08:36):
in feedback from people who disagree with you and have
a different point of view, and that you hear it
and take it on board absolutely.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
The other challenge is you can sometimes get too defensive,
because often you can get people making really bad faith
attacks on you and then you overlock. That is also
good faith opposition where people have actual issues.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
But she's had a pretty.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
Tough year and a half and I think because of
part of that is she probably has got more defensive
about staff and you just can't do it that. I've
seen it so often parliamentary politics, where people think, well, yeah,
you could take the treaty issues. You might not like
what Hobson's choice is saying, but that doesn't mean there's
not a lot of New Zealanders there who might not
(09:20):
agree with Hobson's choice but still have concerns over where
things are going. So that's always the challenge is to
separate how good faith disagreement with bad faith opposition.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
I know we're a year away from an election, you reckon,
she's got it. I mean, I know she wants to
go again. If she doesn't get the leadership of the
Green Party, which could happen or might not happen, she'll
go again, you know, I don't think any of us
would argue that does she have a chance of getting
back in David, there's.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Definitely a chance, but I don't think she'll come close
to getting a majority. Her best chance is probably that
Labours send a strong candidate and through vote splitting, then
you're in a better.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Chance to that.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
Her other great chance is to be blunt the center
right way to it is almost as bad as the
said to righted Auckland in terms of not being able
to get cohesive, come behind one candidate, etc. So basically, yes,
she can get re elected, not necessary you having done
a great job, but others not getting their their stuff together.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
I totally agree with David, you're smiling and it's and
it's also bitn't me too.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
But look, Torri had a massive majority of the last election, and.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Because they didn't, we as a public didn't want either
of the other people. It's the real reason.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
More than that. But Eagle got stuck in the middle.
He tried to do a very campaign, but then as
Tory look like she could win, she got the left
vote the right vote, which isn't this He like Andy
that much, but they then went behind Andy.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Paul was on the path.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Three he could have done quite well, but actually it
got quite ten. So I don't think it was a
personal rejection of Paul. I think it was actually a
big campaign.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
And I remember being on the show, I think a
week or two weeks before the election, and everyone thought
it's a two horse race between Andy and I think
that you might have been said the same thing yourself
between Andy and Paul and.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Totally said that. I'm not even going to take that away.
I totally said that.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
And I remember thinking at the times, I think Tory's
she's she's got a good shot. She's the longer shot here.
But actually what I'm hearing on the ground is people
are completely dissatisfied with the two leading male candidates, and
toris you she's fighting a good race? Yeah, And so
tell me who's the candidate from the center. It's going
(11:46):
to stand up? And it is it Nikola? She's been there,
done that a couple of times. No, it's not. Is
it Diane? Is it Ray Chung? He's running? But I mean,
who will it be?
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I don't know, but someone no Hongcount.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
It's a problem to someone not on count. We all
three know that if you get someone not on council.
It's going to take a year before they get their
feat under the table.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
We've done four years.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
That's not going to work. So is it Diane cat work?
But is it Diane Calvert?
Speaker 5 (12:14):
I don't think Diane's planning to stand Okay.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Look, no, Diany wait for her doubt. Diane ran against
me based on you know, Diane's a great ward councilor
you know, she fights for her community. But I haven't
seen anything of a of a city wide vision that
what would give me great hope.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
I'm hearing a couple of people I'm hearing obviously Carl
Tech and Market to run but once again there'll be
a new bee.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
For the mayoralty. Yeah, but he's lost his council ward
elections twice.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Yeah, that's that's the problem that lately.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
That's the problem is a difficult ward for.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
We're talking there, we're not talking.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
And also you're coming in as a newb You know,
he's done a great job of running cafe ies, but
a gelat area is very different to running the city.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
Thing is though you and it takes time to be
able to run council. But to the public, though, if
the council's reputations really poor. Not being incumbent can be
a huge electoral advantage. Oh, I don't mean there'll be
a good mayor, but you have to get elected first,
and then if you haven't got a track record on council,
(13:22):
you know who your deptly mirrors would probably be pretty important.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Oh look, it took me six years to fully understand
and comprehend how I could drive the organization forward. Six
years of practice and learning, and you don't have the
benefit of that if you don't come in with an experience.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
David, I'm going to start with you, because it's your
poll that got Crossipkins in so much trouble. Popularities dropped
sharply in the last Taxpayer Union's Curier poll, which seems
to coincide with a media blitz to discuss tax Why
is his popularity waning? Has it got anything to do
with even though he hasn't actually given us a tax policy,
(13:59):
he seems to want to talk that there's one coming.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
Okay, it's possible it is linked because he was the
guy who stopped there being any new taxes and now.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
He's vigorously there. But don't read too much into one pole.
I always say with poles.
Speaker 5 (14:13):
You look at the trend over time, and if there's
more than one pole, used to look at the average
of them to What does show is Chris when he
came and was very popular, th he three percent net
approval rating as a leader as.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
A leader, which is really really good.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
It slid during his year as PM, mainly because ministers
kept self sabotaging themselves, et cetera. But he has remained
reasonably popular for an opposition leader. The latest one did
have him slide down to sort of minus six, etc.
And only twelve percent preferred PM, but there's been other
opposition leaders. Bulger was never above sixty seven percent. I
(14:52):
think his challenges more relevancy than unpopularity. I do look
at polling all around the world. Most heads of government
at the moment are deeply unpopular, even the new PM
KI Starmer minus twenty percent, Albanize fifteen percent, et cetera, Biden,
you know.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Really bad, et cetera.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
So I don't think there's necessary a huge problem, but
I think it should be a good reminder for them.
You need to be relevant, and look, this isn't the
time to be talking more Texas. You can make the
principal case for it, but during the cost of living crisis,
people don't want to think about the government taking more
money off people. They want to see the government exercising restraint.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Has he ever been relevant? Though?
Speaker 5 (15:33):
To be fair, opposition leaders are really relevant the only
at first until you get closer to election. Bill eng
This and Simon Bridges were relevant in twenty seventeen because
they won the most vote, so it wasn't a big
rejection of them. But no, in politics we call it
the phones off, the howk people want you when you
(15:56):
lose office to go away, be a bit quiet, do
your mere coulpers, do you're listening to us, etc. And
then they're going to tune in. So part of it
is you actually keep your nerve too, is you are
going to have your pole ratings drop, You are going
to have the public not want he a lesson. Have
you do a really good job listening, worshing on, really
(16:18):
good policy stakeholder engagement, and then you start your campaign.
So but it's usually around fifteen months out from the
election and you start to re engage.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Okay, justin, can you actually see him being there at
the election?
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Leader, Yeah a lot.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Chi he's still going to be there because you reckon
absolutely for one reason, there's no other candidate, and.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
A lot of talk about Barbara Evans.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Barbara Evons is a fantastic future leader of the Labor Party.
I've no doubt about that whatsoever, but her time's not now,
and she'd acknowledged that. She acknowledges that Karen mcinoltley, who's
another potential future leader, would acknowledge that as well. The
difficulty you've got you've been an incumbent government. You know,
during the COVID period, Chris is popular and they could
probably speak to the moderns and polling on it, his
(17:03):
popularity would have been huge. He was incredible, well like,
people saw him on an almost daily basis. He was
very well known across the country. And David's correct when
he says that currently, when you're going to opposition, you're
just less relevant. And also it's a bit hard we're
less what less than a year since the last election
for Labor to be barking at every moving car and
(17:25):
criticizing the national government when they've until recently been the government.
So Chris, I think he's right. You don't want to
lose an election this far out from the next one.
By your time, the government will have the honeymoon period
and what is still a difficult time it come fifteen
months out from the election, he'll begin to move, He'll
become more relevant, people will start to listen.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Plans to redevelop Orientel based band Rotunda have been scrapped.
The building has been sitting abandoned since at least twenty twelve,
justin what would you like to see it use for
what's going on? Have you heard what's happening?
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Absolutely, I was actually involved. I think my idea and
harassed the property tenant. The council get Morris on this
because he, in my mind, was the best person in
the city to try and make something happen. And that's
because he's got the engineering expertise, he's got a construction
company that's alongside him, he's got connection with tenants across
the city. So we said to him, look, you can
(18:21):
effectively take over the building for free. It's a liability
for the council, but can you fix it. Unfortunately it's
take in an awfree long time. He hasn't been able
to get there, but full credit to Morris for trying.
It's a really hard sight to make work. It would
cost an absolute fortune to improve it and there's virtually
no return.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
What about a.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Joint venture between the developer and the council. So the
council said, I will put apparently the number is ten
million to get it back up to the standard. So
you know, would it be worth the council putting three
and a half, the developer putting three and a half
and then try and borrow a little bit and get
it done.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Oh look, and that's the only way to do it.
It's going to cost the council millions. Is it a priority?
I'd say no. I mean, what would my preferred option
be have as a band or at under as a
viewing platform across the city.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
If it's still going to cost millions because it's got
to be U straight.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
No, not fill it with concrete, fill it with concrete
or if you have to get it removed. But don't
try and have it as a cafe for half of
the year. It's not going to work. It's really hard
to get a commercial return. Have a little pop ups
here on a Friday night on the weekend, have Cartief
and Baker come in with cafe ice and do his
(19:26):
ice creams. Get something going, but let's not spend millions
trying to fix it.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
David, what do you think, because I've been saying if
you can't get something commercially operating there within six month,
you bowl it, yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
And think you're right. Lot, it's a great location.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
It's a terrible building to be blunted, and the location's
going to remain great. So if you can't make it
work as a commercial building, then either tune into viewing
platform or bowlier and paining, whether it's some grass down
or pop up cafes, etc.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
I think that's the way to go.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
It's not as a nice building, but it's not one
of the iconic.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
But if we fly in or fly out, if you
try around the bank, all.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Right, that's the one I always love seeing when I
fly and fly out.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
And as we've heard that if you've had one of
the best developers unable to make it work and absolutely
against the council spending more of its money and a
sort of reading cinema type deal.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Okay, So the word that I've got on the street
is that Morris Clark has gone back to the council
and said I can't do this unless you give me
ten years of free rates or give me take my
rates off the bill. And he apparently, and I'm saying
apparently this is not to be confirmed, but apparently Panhead
the brewery has shown some interest and they've got some
(20:46):
sort of discussion going on that could make it work.
Would you if you were a mayor justin, would you say, yeah,
you can have free rates there for ten years?
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Absolutely? What a wonderful outcome. At the moment it is
simply a liability for the council.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
And look when the count what do you say to me,
it's doing it tough for my little restaurants playing huge rates.
This is a different situation that the council doesn't own
your building, so talk to your landlord. But in since
we're talking to the landlord, which is a council.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
So look, I'm all about fixing what's good for Wellington
and getting an outcome there is great for Wellington because
you remove the liability from the council, you get a
good outcome on the waterfront, a great way for Panhead,
which was a Wellington founded company within the region. I
think it's appahat it's a great business and Morris would
do a fantastic job.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Okay, what do you think, David, do you think the
councilor should give them free rates for ten or twenty
or thirty years.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
Probably not more than ten.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
But if you knock it down or turn into a
concrete platform, you're going to get zero rates. So if
there's no feasible way you're going to get any rates
from it for next ten years anyway and not.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Cost you anything.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Yeah, then actually that's worth.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
Looking at if it means you're actually going to have
someone turn it into something useful.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
I think there's a.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
Difference between taking your own money and paying it in there,
but recognizing it's unecon normal. We can't get rates no
matter what we do, so let's see if we can
be flexible.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
I think we're all in agreement that something has to
be done, though, because it's just an esare. It's been
sitting there for over ten years doing nothing. Do we
we do?
Speaker 3 (22:18):
And look Wellington's waterfront and you talk about when you
fly and how glorious it is, and I don't even
notice it van Retunda because I'm transfixed by the harbor.
It's just every time you'd sticking out hair like a blooming,
like a sore thumb, look a boil on your but
min's going to sound yeah, get it fixed. So it
We've been nice, I've been nicess to be able to
(22:39):
access it again. It is a wonderful Farner's point.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I want to talk about something that's dead in my heart.
Number of kiwis and rolling to study to be teachers
has dropped by fifty one percent in twenty ten. Something
are actually calling this an education crisis. David, Why do
you think teaching isn't as attractive it used to be?
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Two things.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
One, I do think we need to pay teachers more.
Being from the center, IJA will say, I think actually
there should be performance paid to a degree like the
top teachers should be able to do one hundred and
twenty thousand dollars they do without its responsibility.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
You need that? Does that?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
You mean just as the like in English?
Speaker 5 (23:15):
So I love what Finland does. Teachers are seen as
lawyers and engineers. It's a top profession you aspire to there.
They actually say you need to have a master's degree
to become a teacher. Now, I don't know if we
could ever achieve that cultural change, but you actually need
teaching to be seen to be such an esteem profession
(23:37):
that the top scientists, the top mathematicians, etc. Want to
become teachers. So no easy fixed there. But and that
mixture of pay and esteem.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
You see, when I was growing up, I think teachers
were held in that esteem. I think head masters of
your primary school was mister so and so everywhere they
went everyone respected them. I think it's something that's that's
changed justin Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Look that stat that you quoted earlier is tragic. It's
really really sad. I agreed teachers should be lauded, they
should be revered, and they should be paid appropriately. They
play such an important life, not only in our communities
but in our children's future, and they literally change kids'
lives and their trajectories. So absolutely more pay one hundred
(24:21):
percent support that funny we story. So David's kids go
to the same school that my kids went to, and
I bumped into a teacher from that school just last
week and talked to them about this, and they said, look,
it's really really bad. They love their profession, they love
what they do for kids, but they just don't get
paid enough and it's really hard to make things meet.
So they said, a few or a twenty year old,
(24:42):
would you do it? And they said they wouldn't advise
them too. It's really sad. No, it is sad.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
And the old story about the holidays is no longer.
I mean, they do get lots of holidays, but they work,
you know, the nine to three things just completely out
of the back door hour.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Let's not forget it is a very difficult job. You
come home after a day with young kids and your
own kids. You've got a couple or three of them,
and it's hard. It's really hard imagine nowadays any of
them nowadays for their cell phone.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
You're getting called by every student's parents like you and
you guys reading up to say, well, little John, you've
got to be I'm sure it was a a.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
It's not just teachers though, struggling with this GPS. My
dad's are retired GP. They used to also be like
esteem pillars of the community. They have social worker. Everyone
knew them and the pay was pretty good. But now
gps often only getting paid in one hundred thousand. The
mid level policy analysts probably can be doing better than them,
(25:37):
and it's very stressful and valued. So I think it's
not just targing as a profession. The old community cop
used to be the half of the community.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Politicians.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Well the story.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
No one likes.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
Politicians generically, but people often like the politicians they know.
Ask about someone's local MP. Oh, net kings, she was great,
But asking about politicians they're like prostitutes and journalists.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
That king was great, they wasn't was the ideally when
the net king, she was great. All right, let's talk
got something lightened it up before we go to hots
and not. Some Wellington taxi drivers are upset that they've
been barred from Wellington Airport for a month after using
a microwave in the parents room and hitting their meals up.
I hear that they were like using it as a
like a seventh form what are they called common common room?
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Which you know it's a parents room?
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Come on, justin what do you think hopefully this is
just a gross misunderstanding between taxi drivers and the airport
and I'm sure they can with an adult conversation convix it.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
What about you, David, what do you think?
Speaker 5 (26:38):
I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Some taxi drivers are saying this have been banned for
a month, so this is going to really hurt them financially.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
Yeah, as I said, but there are rules.
Speaker 5 (26:46):
There's a reason the airport wants the parents room to
be protected, and you shun't ignore the rules. There's a consequence,
but which all we have our room with a microwave oven.
If the airport can't find, you know, for taxis, they
need a lot of money from parking fees and more
than flights probably, so they can't find a small room
somewhere in the airport where texts drivers can heat up
(27:07):
there you know, ten dollar chow main dinner.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
There's something wrong. So texti drivers should have worked within
the system. But the airpot needs to do something.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
And a family rooms a little bit different than just
finding a room to heat something up, and family rooms
where you take your babies. You don't want to have
the smell of that Chinese child Maine, but he's been
heated up in the microwave an hour before, do it.
I wouldn't want to anyway time, Oh you go.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
I like that smell.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
But how can you like the smell of next day's
food being heated up? I love next day's food, but
the smell of it cooking is always a little bit.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
I'm looking forward to some leftovers for lunch. Actually, you're
making me slightly peckish. Neck Okay.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
You like Jason Pine. You know what he has for
lunch every day? He has his last night's dinner. He
has it for lunch. Quite a good idea.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I do that every day, Jason Pin. I'm very smart man,
very smart man. I'm not ever going to argue with that.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
I've got to go and play seventeen dollars for a
sandwich normally and strives me, say, seventeen dollars for a
sandwiche dowurs Ago.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
You know it's financial. I'm not sure what you're thinking now.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
I know, well, it's kind of convenience. So I get
up at five o'clock in the morning. It's not about me, David,
is it. I'm studing like Tory Fardo. It's not about me.
It's about my guests.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
The Friday.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Hot Okay, guys, the part of the show that I
love the most, willing to me just the less to
give us your hot to not my.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Hot Predator free Wellington. So now we've got no rats
or stoats or weezels out in the mirror up and
it's you that where you live. It's fantastic. You see
on the other side of the city.
Speaker 4 (28:38):
Got key.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
We coming back and mount and bikers coming across them.
It's amazing. We're literally the only city in the world
that's improving. It's biodiversity, my not as that could all
change from the middle of next year. Their funding is
falling off a cliff. There won't be funded anymore than
they're that two million dollars short. So all of that
good work done over many years, you're going to have
(28:58):
rats running potentially back through your backyard.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
So potentially, but we've got to stop that happening. We've
got to stop it happening.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
So my call is to all well and Toning is
out there to Dave, to everybody, make sure they get
the something they need because they're rolling through her tire.
Time out Victorian now again eradicating these predators from those
suburbs about Newtown. We can't let this fall by the way,
so we can't.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Let's talk about that some more at another stage, David
Park covers your hots and notts.
Speaker 5 (29:26):
Okay, my hot is exploding pages now, I want to
be very clear on us. It's awful when civilians and
any innocence get killed, but there's a reality Israel and war.
His boller wants to wipe out Israel. And then a
war that aimers to maximize combatants and minimize civilians and targets.
(29:50):
Exploding pages have had something like a five hundred to
one ratio of combatants to civilians.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
So wars terrible. Any civilian deaths are terrible. But if
you actually acknowledge there is a war, that's actually a
very very ingenious way of doing it.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
And you almost have to be impressed by the audacity
of setting up a shell company, making the pages, singing
them to your enemy, and making a proper out of it.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
So I did say you're going to be controversial.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Is not a politician.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
The reality is wars are terrible. We'd be better with
no wars.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
Okay, not as slightly less expected, which is a text
on polsters from being me are the bad poll as
we heard for Chris Hopkins, et cetera.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
And that's fine.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
I say you should always average the poles, look at trains,
but all the laboring peace piling into it.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Going on morning report, here's what you do. You keep
it as a story.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
It's now being in the news for three or four days,
rather than just saying, look, you have good polls, you
have bad polls.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
We think we're doing Okay.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
I think you're doing a good job. So got praise
from me. Okay, right, you go, you do the drum roll, Pathan.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Right?
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Oh, Dave Farah give us your winner of one hundred
and twenty dollars Preston.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
But chose to Graham.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Graham, you've been one of the winners. Okay, Justin Lester.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
To Grant it's if you're a gr you're in fashion today.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
There you go, Grant and who is theyellow one? Graham? Okay,
Ethan will be in touch with you. Thank you both
very much for taking time out of your busy schedules
and coming in on a Friday morning. Loved having you
in the studio. Amazing Friday face Off our special guest
today we're Wellington former Wellington Mayor Justin Lester and KIWI
blog writer and courier polster David Farr. Good on you
(31:46):
both have a great weekend and enjoy Wellington. You can't
beat Wellington on a good day. Someone told me that once.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Dissecting the week sublime and ridiculous Friday Faceoff with Quinovic
Property Management a better rental experience for all. Call oh
eight hundred Quinovic for more from Weton Mornings with Nick Mills.
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