March 21, 2025 • 6 mins
Christoper Luxon’s time in India has come to an end, relaunching free trade one decade after they fell apart.
A timeline is yet to be secured.
Meanwhile Winston Peters was in Washington as the US decides it needs a stronger presence in the Pacific.
Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper joins the show to discuss the international trips, the Green party’s rally for criminal Dean Wickliffe, and the latest GDP figures.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's go to Barry Soper, senior political correspondent, who is
here to wrap the political week. That was very welcome back.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hello again, Ryan. Now Luckson.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
It feels like Luckson has been in India so long,
he'll come back Indian.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Well, it made the most of it, haven't they. I mean,
you know with the cricket games. I mean there wasn't
just one. I think there was one in Mumbai and
one in New Delhi. So yeah, he's done the rounds.
And the meeting with Modi, the Prime Minister of India,
clearly was a very friendly one. The two had met
last year at an international meeting and got on there.
(00:37):
But clearly there was a rapport between the two men.
And that's good with the Indians because Indians like face
to face meetings. And really the last labor the Labor
government ignored India essentially, And when you've got a country
that is the third biggest economy in the world one
(00:59):
point four five billion people, the most populous nation on Earth,
you'd have to say you can't ignore them as a
trading nation. And clearly it was all pre rehearsed before
he went, because not long had his plane touchdown then
the Indians along with New Zealand were announcing the formal
talk to a free trade agreement. Interestingly, though, the Indians
(01:23):
haven't ignored Derry because even Modi himself said, yeah, we'll
be talking about that. If they did have Derry included,
it would be extraordinary to be like no other free
trade agreement that India has got anywhere in the world.
So whether we can pull that off is another matter.
But don't forget we've done it before with China.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Yes we have that.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
We were the first Western country to sign a free
trade deal with them. So you know, my hat co
comes off to Todd McLay, who's been to India i
think five times over the past year. And like I said,
face is what the Indians.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Like absolutely and depends what we can offer them visa
wise or whatever it might be. You know, there may
be ways that we can do it. It was great to
see actually the two of them hug as well Moody
and lastly, it just shows how close they obviously feel
to each other, which is important when you're negotiating. Meanwhile,
Peter's and Washington a very different times.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Hugging there, no hugging there.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
And you've got to wonder because he, I mean, we
had him on the show, didn't say what He was
very cautious much doesn't say much, which is diplomacy. But
you've got to wonder whether we got a bit of
a racking up. You know, Hey, you guys needed to
pull your way into the Pacific.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Oh, I think absolutely. I mean it's a bit rich
when you think about it, coming from the Americans who
had forgotten the Pacific for a number of years, that
China waved their flag in the Pacific. Suddenly the Americans
have come back saying that we really need a much
better presence in the Pacific and much more influence in
the Pacific. So what I clearly I think was discussed
(02:59):
was the of our defense spend, and that's a big
thing on certainly the Trump ledger book looking at countries
seeing how much they spend lux and disease, even suggested
that we may spend up to two percent of GDP,
which is doubling our defense spend. But you won't see
(03:21):
it overnight. I would think there will be an announcement
along those lines when the Defense Review comes back, but
it'll be over the period of about fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, plus point some of it will be capital spending tourists.
And now the Green Party this week and the notorious
criminal Dean Wickcliffe. This has been getting under your skin berry.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I've find it amazing that politicians involved themselves in something
like this. Dean Wickcliffe shot a man with a pistol
and a jewelry store in the early seventies and now
you know he's named the coma tour by Tamotha Paul
from the Greens who went to see and he's on
(04:01):
a hunger strike, saying he's going to remain on it
until he gets out of prison. He's claimed that the
corrections officers have beaten him up and certainly you see
the photos he does have skin off his brow. But
they would say that he refused to go into a
cell and that was because he didn't want to be
double bunked and they got into a scuffle. They had
(04:22):
to bring him down to get him in. But he
is a seventy seven year old man and you'd have
to say, well, you know. And then Steve Abel the
other Green MP, he went to see him as well.
They're both saying that what the Corrections Minister should do
is to interfere and get den Wickliffe out of jail.
(04:44):
The problem was when he was out the last time
he'd broken his conditions of parole. He's living in his
car with his cats, and that's hardly satisfactory living because
it is against the parole conditions he is released under.
He's got himself to blame to an extent, although I
suppose you have to say that compassion in the end
(05:06):
would have to be shown and he'll probably be found
somewhere to live. I mean, he is an elderly man.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
He is an elderly man. Now, just finally and very
quickly GDP, we've got the number we wanted, which is
not a recession. In fact, it was surprised on the
upside at point seven and people saying, look, I still
don't feel like I'm getting any richer here. That feeling
will continue for a long time.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
The problem, isn't it right, Because an economy doesn't improve
unless there's a general feeling of well being, and there's not.
At the moment. We've still got pretty high unemployment for
New Zealand, and people are finding it hard to pay
the home their home bills like groceries and rates and
(05:52):
mortgage interest rates and what have you. But things are
tracking in the right direction. You look at the dairy payout,
it's upcoming about ten dollars a kilo, which will feedback
into the community. You've got tourism now almost at pre
COVID levels, so that's good. So there are good signs
(06:13):
there and it's only when I guess those signs flow
through to the economy that will all feel better about
each other and about the government.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Barry, thank you very much for that, Barry. Soaper News Talks,
they'd be senior political corresponding for.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
More from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to News Talks.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
They'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
Let's go to Barry Soper, senior political correspondent, who is
here to wrap the political week. That was very welcome back.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hello again, Ryan. Now Luckson.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
It feels like Luckson has been in India so long,
he'll come back Indian.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Well, it made the most of it, haven't they. I mean,
you know with the cricket games. I mean there wasn't
just one. I think there was one in Mumbai and
one in New Delhi. So yeah, he's done the rounds.
And the meeting with Modi, the Prime Minister of India,
clearly was a very friendly one. The two had met
last year at an international meeting and got on there.
(00:37):
But clearly there was a rapport between the two men.
And that's good with the Indians because Indians like face
to face meetings. And really the last labor the Labor
government ignored India essentially, And when you've got a country
that is the third biggest economy in the world one
(00:59):
point four five billion people, the most populous nation on Earth,
you'd have to say you can't ignore them as a
trading nation. And clearly it was all pre rehearsed before
he went, because not long had his plane touchdown then
the Indians along with New Zealand were announcing the formal
talk to a free trade agreement. Interestingly, though, the Indians
(01:23):
haven't ignored Derry because even Modi himself said, yeah, we'll
be talking about that. If they did have Derry included,
it would be extraordinary to be like no other free
trade agreement that India has got anywhere in the world.
So whether we can pull that off is another matter.
But don't forget we've done it before with China.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Yes we have that.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
We were the first Western country to sign a free
trade deal with them. So you know, my hat co
comes off to Todd McLay, who's been to India i
think five times over the past year. And like I said,
face is what the Indians.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Like absolutely and depends what we can offer them visa
wise or whatever it might be. You know, there may
be ways that we can do it. It was great to
see actually the two of them hug as well Moody
and lastly, it just shows how close they obviously feel
to each other, which is important when you're negotiating. Meanwhile,
Peter's and Washington a very different times.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Hugging there, no hugging there.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
And you've got to wonder because he, I mean, we
had him on the show, didn't say what He was
very cautious much doesn't say much, which is diplomacy. But
you've got to wonder whether we got a bit of
a racking up. You know, Hey, you guys needed to
pull your way into the Pacific.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Oh, I think absolutely. I mean it's a bit rich
when you think about it, coming from the Americans who
had forgotten the Pacific for a number of years, that
China waved their flag in the Pacific. Suddenly the Americans
have come back saying that we really need a much
better presence in the Pacific and much more influence in
the Pacific. So what I clearly I think was discussed
(02:59):
was the of our defense spend, and that's a big
thing on certainly the Trump ledger book looking at countries
seeing how much they spend lux and disease, even suggested
that we may spend up to two percent of GDP,
which is doubling our defense spend. But you won't see
(03:21):
it overnight. I would think there will be an announcement
along those lines when the Defense Review comes back, but
it'll be over the period of about fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, plus point some of it will be capital spending tourists.
And now the Green Party this week and the notorious
criminal Dean Wickcliffe. This has been getting under your skin berry.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I've find it amazing that politicians involved themselves in something
like this. Dean Wickcliffe shot a man with a pistol
and a jewelry store in the early seventies and now
you know he's named the coma tour by Tamotha Paul
from the Greens who went to see and he's on
(04:01):
a hunger strike, saying he's going to remain on it
until he gets out of prison. He's claimed that the
corrections officers have beaten him up and certainly you see
the photos he does have skin off his brow. But
they would say that he refused to go into a
cell and that was because he didn't want to be
double bunked and they got into a scuffle. They had
(04:22):
to bring him down to get him in. But he
is a seventy seven year old man and you'd have
to say, well, you know. And then Steve Abel the
other Green MP, he went to see him as well.
They're both saying that what the Corrections Minister should do
is to interfere and get den Wickliffe out of jail.
(04:44):
The problem was when he was out the last time
he'd broken his conditions of parole. He's living in his
car with his cats, and that's hardly satisfactory living because
it is against the parole conditions he is released under.
He's got himself to blame to an extent, although I
suppose you have to say that compassion in the end
(05:06):
would have to be shown and he'll probably be found
somewhere to live. I mean, he is an elderly man.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
He is an elderly man. Now, just finally and very
quickly GDP, we've got the number we wanted, which is
not a recession. In fact, it was surprised on the
upside at point seven and people saying, look, I still
don't feel like I'm getting any richer here. That feeling
will continue for a long time.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
The problem, isn't it right, Because an economy doesn't improve
unless there's a general feeling of well being, and there's not.
At the moment. We've still got pretty high unemployment for
New Zealand, and people are finding it hard to pay
the home their home bills like groceries and rates and
(05:52):
mortgage interest rates and what have you. But things are
tracking in the right direction. You look at the dairy payout,
it's upcoming about ten dollars a kilo, which will feedback
into the community. You've got tourism now almost at pre
COVID levels, so that's good. So there are good signs
(06:13):
there and it's only when I guess those signs flow
through to the economy that will all feel better about
each other and about the government.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Barry, thank you very much for that, Barry. Soaper News Talks,
they'd be senior political corresponding for.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
More from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to News Talks.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
They'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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