Chris Hipkins: Labour Leader on Takuta Ferris, poll results, capital gains tax

Another warning from Labour for its potential coalition partner Te Pāti Māori. 

MP Takuta Ferris has twice attacked ethnic Labour party volunteers who sign-waved in the Tamaki Makaurau by-election, claiming they were taking a Māori seat away from Māori.  

Party president John Tamihere echoed Ferris' comments yesterday, despite the party previously apologising.  

Chris Hipkins told John MacDonald the party needs to respond – the ball's in their court, and how they respond matters. 

He’s also criticising Rawiri Waititi for only answering journalists' questions in te reo Māori yesterday. 

It was the first time the party has fronted since Ferris doubled down on his comments, and Waititi refused to answer media questions in English, but later spoke English in the House.   

The Labour Leader told MacDonald any minister in a government he leads would be expected to answer questions so all New Zealanders could understand. 

He says if Waititi wants to communicate with Kiwis —including Māori who don't speak te reo— using both languages would be a better way of doing that.  

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's time for our regular, well, a regular fire side
chat with opposition label leader Chris Hipkins.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Go Chris, I'm not sure you can call it a
fire side chat when we're on the phone, but I
like the mental limits.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, it's just it's pretty cash, pretty cash. Can you
the mental limit? Can you tell me what is it
that you are going to need to see from to
Party Mardi for you to be confident that you could
form a government with them.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
I need to make it very clear that Takuotera Ferris's
comments does not reflect the overall attitude of TO Party Mardi.
We will meet New Zealand to be an inclusive place
where everybody celebrated for the contribution that they make. Now
migrant communities make an enormous contribution. You know, I don't
want to see that kind of style of politics which
it divides the country in the way that Takuter Ferris

(01:03):
was doing in his comments, and it's just has no
place in any government that I lead.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
So just would just require hand But Paul's heeaden or
more than.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
That, well, the ball really sits in their court. The
leadership of the Marty Party have told me that it
doesn't reflect their views. So really what they do now matters.
And there's a reason that I have said that I'm
not going to set out who we could and couldn't
work with post election until closer to the election, because
how they handle things like this will.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Matter how long will win. As closer to the election.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
I think the last election I did it about three
months out from the election. I'd have mentioned that we'd
do something similar this time.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
All right, you need to see behaviors from the party
that are inclusive. What's your reaction to the one of
the party's co leaders yesterday refusing to answer media questions
in English.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Well, it is Marty Language Week and so the use
of today are Marty during Marty Language Week? I think,
you know, accod on the hymn. I think if he
wants to communicate, and I've said this yesterday too, if
he wants to communicate with the whole of the New
Zealand public, including the significant proportion of the Maori population
that don't speak Today and Mary, then using both languages
would be a better way of doing that.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
It would be But he refused to is that is
that is that the hold on is that the indications
of inclusiveness that you need to see to be confident
to form a government with them.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
Well, that's a that's a question for them, I'm asking you.
That's a question.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
That's a question for you. It's a question for you
whether a party is demonstrating a willingness to be inclusive
when it refuses to answer questions from an English speaking
media organization, if I can call it that, from the
National broadcaster, refuses to answer the questions in English? Is
that being inclusive?

Speaker 3 (02:56):
My expectation of any government ministers in the government that
I lead, regardless of which party they come from, is
that they will communicate in a way that all New
Zealanders can understand.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Right, So that's so that's the behavior yesterday or the
response yesterday from one of the co leaders of the party,
MARTI didn't meet your expectations or the expectations you would have.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
Well, of course he's not a minister. What independent parties
do is really a question for them. But if if
any parties in government and government that I lead, any
ministers in that government will need to communicate in a
way that means that all New Zealanders can understand what
they're saying.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Could you see Taku de Feris being a minister.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
I think they're highly unlikely, ever said, I'll set that
out before the election. You know areas where we can
they can't work with other parties. But I think as
comments the other day make that highly highly unlikely.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
All right, what about this couple of polls out one
in which is most New Zealands except there will be
a capital gains tax within twenty or so years. What
does that mean in terms of Labour's tax policy next year?

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Well, I don't really mean much. I mean we're working
on a tax policy now, regardless of what the public
opinion is telling us. We know that we need to
change our tax system. We need to move away from
having investment in residential property is our primary form of
investment in New Zealand to one that where we're investing
in productive businesses that create good, well paying jobs that

(04:24):
allow all key we us to benefit from a growing economy.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
So you're saying that your tax policy is not going
to be influenced or treadd to some sort of popularity contest.

Speaker 3 (04:35):
We've got to do the right thing. Of course, we're
going to be focused on doing the right thing, the right.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
The right What is the right thing?

Speaker 3 (04:42):
Well, I want a tax policy that helps us to
ensure that the governments can be sustainable and we can
deliver on the things that New Zealanders want, you know,
the public services, the healthy education, the policings, you know,
the things that New Zealanders want the government to deliver on.
We also need an economy that rewards hard work and

(05:03):
having everybody put their putting, their savings and you know,
their investm into buying residential rental properties. Isn't that kind
of economy Inflating house prices to the point where young
Kiwi families can't afford to buy them. Isn't a sustainable
long term solutions for the country. We need an economy
the rewards hard work and that actually encourages business growth

(05:24):
so that we're getting better, well paid jobs into the future.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
So are you on the same page as Chris Bishop.
You want to see house prices drop.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
Certainly don't want to see house prices exploding. I mean
the current government have a bit of a confused position.
Lucks and saying you want house prices to go up,
Chris Bishop is saying you want house prices.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, what about you?

Speaker 1 (05:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (05:42):
Quote? Then what about The answer? The question was do
you want to see house prices go down?

Speaker 3 (05:48):
So I think that the recent decrease in house prices
has overall been a welcome thing, though I realized that
for families who bought at the top of the market,
it's pretty damn hard.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
Some of the local body candidates in central christ Church
you've got their knives out of joint because Duncan we're
last week endorsed People's Choice Central City Council candidate. How
comfortable are.

Speaker 3 (06:12):
You with that? I'm I'm pretty relaxed about MPs endorsing
or getting saying what they want on local council elections.
It's not something that I've generally done, but you know,
individual MPs make their own choices about that.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
I know that you're from the Hut, but will you
be endorsing Andrew Little for Wellington?

Speaker 3 (06:33):
Oh? I've been pretty clear. I think Andrew Little will
make a great mayor for Wellington. But in my own
local area in the Hut Valley, I've generally tried to
stay out of local council elections because I've taken the
view that my job is the local MPs to work
with whomever the city leaks to be their local council.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
So you could say the same about Duncan Webb endorsing
the people's choice candidate, couldn't you?

Speaker 3 (06:55):
All individual MPs make their own choices around that. I've
seen national MP's endorsing local government candidates and their local patches.
If they want to do that, that's their choice.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
Very nice to talk to you. Two weeks time, we'll
do it again, fast, tight chat and what do we
what are we going to call it.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
A week?

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Thank you you too.

Speaker 1 (07:16):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news Talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio