Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on David Seymour withdrawing letter to UN after speaking with Chris Luxon

David Seymour's withdrawn a letter he sent to the United Nations after being called out by the Prime Minister. 

A United Nations' official's letter was critical of the Regulatory Standards Bill, saying it excluded Māori traditions.

Seymour, the Minister responsible for the bill, replied that as an indigenous New Zealander himself, he's deeply aggrieved by the UN's audacity in presuming to speak on his behalf.

 Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper discussed the saga further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now. Barry Soper, Senior political correspondent, Very good afternoon,
Good afternoon, run so a bit of a telling off
to David Seymour and the naughty Corner.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
It's really interesting, you know, watching the dynamic between David
Seymour and Chris Lackson and the house as I was
doing today, and when Winston used to sit beside Christopher Laxon,
there would be a lot of repartee going on, a
bit of ribbing, and Winston will be on his feet
every second question and firing shots across the house. But

(00:30):
David Seymour sits there very somber and no doubt because
he's just had a telling off by Christopher Laxon. I've
got to say, you know, we met, we talked about
this yesterday, this United Nations Special rappoteur Albert Barroom criticizing
not just the Treaty Principles Bill, but other aspects of

(00:52):
the way he sees Maldi being treated in this.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Country in the Coalition agreement. He had to crack at that.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yes, yes, and even talked about the laws in New Zealand,
and rightly, Seymour saw that as our sovereignty in some
way being questioned by an amorphous body like the United Nations.
In fact, we've got no requirement to abide by what
he says we should be abiding by. But nevertheless, David

(01:20):
Seymour was too efficient in filing the letter off to
the Rapporteur, saying that this is not the New Zealand
position and Winston. I don't know whether Winston got up
tight about it or not. I've tried to get him today,
but well, he probably is. He probably felt that his
territory was being impinged in some way. And he's really

(01:42):
jealously guards the Foreign Affairs portfolio, so maybe that was
the case. So how do you withdraw a letter though
how it has already got.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
I mean, it wouldn't have been a physical letter, it
would have been an email presuming blase, he's gone, there
it's done. You can't unfin Yes, a rappertur.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Now will be waiting for the official response from the
New Zealand government, not the one from the Deputy Prime
Minister for goodness.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Hey Shane Jones trumpeting how good he is as a resources.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Most Well, you've got to you've got to give it
to old Shane Jones, he claims in Parliament this afternoon
that investors are flocking to the resources of this country,
and we hope that is the case, because you know,
since the gas and the oil exploration permits were closed

(02:31):
down as one of the first acts of the coalition government.
Don't forget who was in that coalition government, Jones, But
I remember at the time Shane Jones was standing looking
very uncomfortable on the stage as they were announcing. And
in fact, it was a story that I broke that
they were going to do this and hurried. Remember they
did it out of the blue. It was just sudden.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
But also they haven't yet undone it thing. They still
haven't passed the legislation to undo.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
It, even though if you listen to Shane Jones' investors
are flocking. Jones said that, look, he's been talking to
various investors in the country, and Jones says he's making
the government's position clear to those potential investors in our
energy sector.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
I have endeavored to assure investors in the resources sector
that we have decriminalized the coal industry, we have validated
the gas industry. We are not in the business of
visiting moral judgments upon various elements of the economy because
we remain agnostic as to how we keep the lights on.
I had the privilege of addressing a host of mining

(03:42):
investors professionals in Sydney. They regard the quality of leadership
that I have shown on behalf of the government of
such stature. They invited me to be a politician in Canberra.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
Do you know that was the state of origin final
He was the happen to be there the same time,
just so quite convenient.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
You've got to give it to Jones though, I and
you know he doesn't mind padding himself on the back.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
And he does a good job of it.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
He does.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
Hey, de party Maori, how do you not furnish fully
audited accounts for two years and not get in trouble?

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Well, the thing that I find absolutely extraordinary is that
the Electoral Commission filed a complaint with the police last year.
But don't forget there's a lot of stuff going on
behind the scenes with money involving the Maori Party and
various aspects of that election campaign in twenty and twenty three.

(04:37):
Now it was they were the first returns that they
should have filed, and parties have only been only been
required to file these returns over the past two years. Well,
the Maori Party the first year they filed returns but
they weren't audited. The Labor Party is in the same
position this year, but the Maori Party haven't filed anything
and they say, look, the returns are in mail. I

(05:00):
was talking to the Electoral Commission today. Well they've said
that before and the police, you know, they received the
complaint last year. What are they doing now. If you
look at the Electoral Act, it's an offense for a
party secretary to file a financial statement late or fail
financial statement to return one without reasonable excuse. Well, as

(05:24):
I said to the Electoral Commission today, well they said,
look one's in the mail. Is that an excuse? Of
course it's not.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
And given the track record that they didn't do the
audited one last time, and they've even said, don't worry,
the audited one for last time will come with this year.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
I'm going to get a flood of information. Let's just
hope the police have a look very closely at this
because laws are in place to require political parties to
do this. They're in place for a reason, and if
they can flout their way back into Parliament in this way,
you've got to say what what is what is it

(06:02):
about the Maldi party that should be given special treatment.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
Also, people will start to wonder why you don't have
audited accounts. Well, you know that would be a good question, mate, Barry,
thank you for that. Good to see you as always
and people are loving having you back. Barry nine away
from five on News Talk SIBB. That's very so for
senior political correspondent. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to News Talk sib from four pm weekdays,

(06:27):
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