Barry Soper: Senior political correspondent on potential alliance changes for notable politicians in 2026

Parliament’s youngest MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke of Te Pāti Māori, has teased a coming Waitangi Day announcement with an Instagram post to her 271K Instagram followers. 

The post alluded to a collaboration between herself and Green MP Tamatha Paul.

And, as election year approaches questions of Winston Peter's political alliance come to the forefront. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barry Soper, Welcome to the program.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Good afternoon, Andrew.

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Nice to see you for the second to see you
for the second time today because we all came in
for Simon Wilson's retirement speech, which was a very fine
speech and his memory about journalism nearly goes back as
far as yours.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Not quite nearly. I don't remember him that as a
student at Victoria University, so nine and for years is
very good.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Speech is very funny. Now, Parlon's youngest MP, the infamous
hacker dancer and paper ripper, made some announcement that she's
going to make an announcement on white Tongey.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, Hannah Raffiti Mip Clark, she sees and she's sort
of teasing us, I think, because I'd like to know
what the announcement could possibly be. She told her Instagram followers,
all two hundred and seventy one thousand of them, that
there will be some sort of collaboration between herself and

(00:54):
the Green MP for Wellington Central, Tamitha paul So and
it's going to be announced on White Tangy Day. But
what on earth could they be doing? I mean, could
it be that the Maldi Party are going to lose
another MP.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
I mean, you know, could she be forming Tiputti Junior, Well,
who knows, you know, New Labor, new Maldi Party, I
mean New Greens.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
But she's saying that, you know, we'll certainly be doing
something together. And they did something together earlier this week
when the electoral amendment bill came up, that's the one
denying voting to people on the day and denying prisoners voting.
And she said they delayed it until tag temmed and

(01:43):
delayed it until nine thirty pm. So they've worked together.
But that's just filibustering. So that's a great claim to
fame on this one. And you know, who knows what
White tonguey.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Day Febry six, White Tonguy Day. By the way, of
those two hundred and seventy one thing followers, most are
actually overseas because she's the biggest hour overseason.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
She is here.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
I would have to say, well because of the video
ripping up the legislation, which is which is a great
piece of video. And by the way, you don't say
collaboration when you're talking about twenty one year old. You
say co lab. They pronounced your co lab between table exactly.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
I didn't do that Muldoon's day.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
And while all of that is happening, the Maori parties
lawyer is going to stand for the Greens. Yeah, swazis, Well.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Who knows you know that? I'm told she's a well
known treaty activist Tanya Waikato. I hadn't heard of her before,
but nevertheless she was the the Maldi party's lawyer, and
they say she's a seasoned litigator, familiar face after protesting

(02:49):
several government policies, and the Treaty Principal's Bill was absolutely
one of them. She said, She again a bit of
a secret, won't be announcing her intention probably until around
February next year. Well, who knows. I might be Clark
and Tamotha Paul and this one could have something in common.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
And we have something Winter Peters, Okay, he's doing his
end of year interviews with everybody. He's going to be
on with me during the summer breakfast after the new year.
And this morning's revelation is a tease on which party
he could coalesce with after the election, which would be
would never be their mart because he never tells you
who he's going.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Well, no he doesn't, And what he said to the
interviewer on this occasion was that, look, he'll be putting
it to bed if you like, before Christmas. Well that's
next week, so it's over the next few days. I
try to get in contact with him today to ask
him has he changed his mind? Could he go with
labor when Chris Hopkins is the leader of labor because

(03:52):
he's always said he won't go with labor. Whilst Chris
Hopkins is the leader, well not about to replace Hipkins
given their polling before the next election, so who knows
what he's going to announce. And I'm sorry here, I
am it's a mystery round this whole pol text today.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Your whole report has been one big mystery, big, one
big tease. It could be that it's the end of
the year, and of course this is the last time
you do with us except for at six when you're
going to look back on the whole year. Then yeah,
we're going to look back at the whole year between six,
So I shall probably say goodbye to you then. But
for those people listening now, thank you for everything that
you do and how you come in here and how

(04:29):
you do the research and what you've said. And I
wish that you and Heather and the two kids just
the best of Christmas times, including with the mother in
law because I know that she's inseparable. And yeah, thank
you so much. Merry Christmas.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
It's my absolutely rare art of privilege and pleasure. Andrew.
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