Barry Soper: Senior Political Correspondent on foreign investors buying Kiwi homes

The government has begun looking in to allowing more foreign investors to by homes in New Zealand. 

Currently in discussion is the proposal to loosen the active investor visa and allow investors to purchase a property. 

Although discussion is in early days, a decision is expected to be made soon. 

Barry Soper told Heather duPlessis-Allan, ‘you would expect that a decision would be made clear by our cabinet in the coming weeks.’ 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barry Sober, Senior political correspondence with US Barry.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Yes, Henny, you've just convinced me that it was the bird.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
That you don't believe that was the bird.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
I didn't know, but I do now because you've insisted
that it was.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
It's amazing, isn't It isn't. I'm at risk of going
on a bit hard about this, but I do think
that sure is AI. Well, God only knows everything can
be AI. Now does it sound to you as if
we're going to change the rules so foreigners can buy
houses here?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
I think almost inevitably. Nikola Willis sat down with interviewers
Carol Massar and Tim Stanovac from Bloomberg Business Weekly in
New York today and she talked about the fifteen percent tariffs,
saying that they were not expecting to be able to
bring them down with the Trump administration. She was asked though,

(00:47):
about foreign investors being allowed to buy homes here, and
probably told us what we really already know that help
is on the.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
Way, that is excluded. Our government, which has compared rised
of three parties, has been in discussion about loosening those
regulations so that those who get an active investor visa
may in future be able to purchase apprise the future.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
What are we talking about for a timeline here?

Speaker 3 (01:13):
That those talks have been underway and you would expect
that a decision would be made by our cabinet in
the coming weeks, in the coming weeks.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
So Carol, get ready.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
Your little slice of paradise. We're surrounded by a big,
fat option. I know, we have huge amounts of land.
It's beautiful. I think the world should be looking at
New Zealand. We have great prospects.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
So the female interviewer there, she is a keen sailor.
But I think essentially, given what she said, Winston Peters
has agreed that foreigners should be able to buy houses there,
and I think he should agree to it. Because if
you've got a lot of money coming to New zealandry
and you're going to invest it in this country, why
shouldn't you.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Of course you want to Yeah, of course you want
to buy a house. Okay, we'll talk to him when
he's with us after five o'clock about that. What do
you make of the Supreme Court ruling on the river beds?

Speaker 2 (02:03):
I found it interesting, Paul Goldsmith, he was not really
committing to in fact challenging this ruling as well as
they did with the other Supreme Court ruling. I think
it's inevitable these river beds. In fact, they've got to
be a certain with able to take craft boats on

(02:23):
the river and then they fall in the classification of
under the marine and coastal area is navigable. Yes, they
do so. Yeah, it's a case, isn't it though, of
the Supreme Court knowing full well, I would imagine when
they made that decision that the Government would no doubt
turn around as they did in the earlier decision and

(02:44):
overturn it. And just you know, it raises this whole
prospect of the independence of the judiciary from Parliament. Parliament
is the ultimate court in the land, so they have
the right to make the legislation and make it the
way they want it to be interpreted. Yes, the courts, though, well.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Both of them are acting as they should interpreted and
Parliament's going no, you're wrongly interpreted. I'm going to change it.
I mean, you can still accuse the Supreme Court of
being activists, though, can't you.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Well you could do yes.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Now, I don't quite know how to raise this with you.
I'm afraid of your tds. But do you want to
talk about Trump a Trump arrangement syndrome?

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Do you know a bit of refrain from talking about Trump?
You will because you've.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Related on Theavy Barry and realized that.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Fact publicly on here that I have the Trump arrangement syndrome,
and I think any sane human being will have the
same thing. Nevertheless, here we go to it. Yes, going
into the meeting tomorrow, this is a massaging exercise for
Donald Trump. I think Putin is playing his old game
with Trump, and Trump will come away from it not

(03:52):
looking that good because Putin is not a person to
be trifled with, as Trump has found out in the past.
And how can you make agreements with a country that's
not even present at the about a country that's not
even present at the table? Do you know there's a
certain irony, Heather in this meeting taking place in Alaska
because Alaska used to belong to Russia. It was Russian

(04:16):
for Russians of love. Yes, indeed they are. And here
they are now talking about, no doubt, the Ukraine surrendering
part of its land. Well, Putin I think will feel
rather comfortable and anchorage.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
Okay, So do you so, Do you accept that this
is the meeting ahead, this will be the first of
a series of meetings if there is a cease fire deal,
do you accept that, well, Trump will strike a deal
at this meeting Trump.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
For Trump saying there's a twenty five percent chance that
it won't succeed. That is massive for Trump.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
I want you to answer my question. Do you accept
that this will be the first in a series of
meetings if there is a cease fire deal?

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Oh indeed there will be okay.

Speaker 1 (04:55):
And are you telling me that you will? You do
not believe this will end in a cease fire deal.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
I have my absolute doubts about conditions. Zelenski. You know,
he's not about to throw down. He's going to have
to throw down the or raise.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
The world's going to have to He's going to have
to give up some lands to go and then put
your money on the fact that there's no ceasepy deal.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
No, I don't think there'll be okay, bottle of gin, Yeah, okay.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
Great, take you up on it. I sat, I reckon
there will be a ceaspy deal and it's on.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
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