Full Show Podcast: 20 January 2025

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Digging through the spin spins to find the real story.
Or it's Andrew Dickens on Hither Duplessy Alan Drive with
one New Zealand let's get connected and News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
It'd be welcome after the into and welcome to the program.
So on the program today for the twentieth of January,
Homegrown leaves Wellington. So why and where is it going?
That's just two minutes away. We're going to count down
to President Trump's second inauguration. We're going to cross to
Washington just after five. We've got the new Minister for
the South Island, James So, I haven't done this name before,

(00:35):
Meaga before. It looks like a mayor to me, doesn't
It looks like a mayor me E A G A
E R. But it's Mega James Meager. James Meager is
the new Minister for the South Island and he joins
me after five thirty five. And the new Minister for
Everything Economic, Nicola willis on the Year of Growth and
how are we going to do it? Nikola is here
just after six. You can text me ninety two ninety
two a small charge. You can email Dickens at News

(00:56):
Talks het B dot co dot N's here. It's eight
after four, James Meagher. You learn something every day. Welcome
to twenty twenty five and welcome to being back at work.
So I could start the year getting straight into politics,
getting into national politics and national versus labor and the
mad escapades of Tapati Marii and act in New Zealand first,

(01:17):
and what's going to happen right to know and what's
going to happen on White Tongue in day? But honestly,
who needs that? We haven't had it for a month
and hasn't it been refreshing. There's more than enough time
to get into all that stuff, and maybe I'll even
get into it later today. But what I would want
to note at this moment is just how vibrant New

(01:38):
Zealand was over the weekend. Cold Chisel and Ice House
rocked fourteen thousand in the Gibston Valley. Whish I was there.
Dunedin had a great crowd for the Super Smash. Ben
Sears the bowler was on absolute fire. I got four
wickets for I think twenty nine. Christ Church was buzzing.
They had the Black Clash and a full Hagley Oval.

(02:00):
Music and food festivals were everywhere. Devenport charming mistle Devenport
had eight thousand people whining and dining in the Saturday
sunshine at the Sunset of Festival on Saturday or Co
generally was insane. We had eighty thousand people over two
nights at Eden Park for Luke Comb's and the bootleggers.
We had fifteen thousand people at Mount Smart for all CONDFC.

(02:20):
We had twenty five thousand paying spectators for the Sale GP,
with double that in the CBD and on boats and
milling around the city. We had a hospitality sector rushed
off its feet. We had ubers and calves doing a
roaring trade. But most importantly citizens, taxpayers, rape payers, you
and I. We were all smiling. Now, if this is

(02:43):
a country that's lost its mojo, then somebody obviously forgot
to tell the people. But on a political note, with that,
all these events were made possible by councils in one
way or another greasing the wheels. An orkand Unlimited, a
council controlled organization, paid one million dollars to get the

(03:05):
sale GP to Auckland. And by my reckoning and probably yours,
what do you think that was a great investment? One
million bucks for a World TV event that looked like
it did with that crowd, And now they're negotiating a
five year deal. Now, if they can get that for
five million, that would be a bargain. I think it'll
be more if they have to pay more, well, Banky,
that's fine. Too. Many can't see the point of councils

(03:28):
investing in events when all our city and urban facilities
are creaking and breaking and groaning. But you cannot just
stop until times are better, because if you stop, you'll
never get better. Some say, if the opportunity is so good,
then the private sector would stump up the mula. But
where have they been for so many years? Where were
they joined the America's Cup? Would they have come up

(03:48):
with a lazy million to make sure that Russell Coots
was back at Auckland. This is what councils are here
to do, to represent our towns, to lobby the world
and to sell us to the world. And I think
they all did a good job in one way or another.
Apparently this is the year of growth. If that's so,
the good news is we've already started and we're all

(04:11):
here to work hard and make things better.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
Andrew Dickens.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Now talking of growth. After eighteen years in the capitol,
Jim Beam's Homegrown Festival is moving cities. In twenty twenty six,
organizers say now the event has grown to two big
twenty five thousand punters. Now Wellington's waterfront location has become
too small. Homegrown Festival director Andrew Tach joins me. Now,
Hello Andrew, Hello Andrew, how are you say? Very good?

(04:39):
But it's leaving Wellington. You couldn't find anywhere else heart wreck,
full heart wreck, busy, brew town.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
We looked everywhere to see if we could accommodate inside Wellington.
Have been looking at that for the last couple of
years and unfortunately there is no where we can actually
move the people in a comfortable fashion that'll actually tick
all the boxes and make sure that they are happy
first and foremost.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
You've got twenty five thousand punters, how many do you want?

Speaker 4 (05:04):
It's not so much about the number of people, it's
about what else we can showcase, and New Zealand's got
a lot a lot of changes. We look back to
two thousand and eight, we had ten thousand people and
three stages, and we've now grown to five stages and
twenty five thousand people. So it's about those genres that
are coming through in these variety of different ones that

(05:25):
really should be showcased, and we just don't have the
space there to put them on that stage and show
them to people that they want to see them.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
But it's a lovely stage and Seehard is going to
be playing this year and that's going to be awesome.
But that city to city to see Bridge is a problem,
isn't it.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (05:41):
I mean there's lots of little little bits and pieces
that are changing in the Wellington region and we just
want to make sure that the artists have the best
platform possible. Obviously that the audience that attends. I haven't
decided that yet, Andrew. We've narrowed down to about three
or four spots and we're still doing digildens on all
of those. One of that we have an announcement by

(06:01):
the middle to the end of April. We should have
an announcement through Very Good.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
What are the three or four spots you've considered.

Speaker 3 (06:06):
Oh, I'm not going to share that with you. We'd
like to make that a little surprise because.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
I heard the speculation this morning when people talked about it,
and everyone was talking about Hamilton and all sorts of
things Ryan Bridge on the on the Breakfast Show, and
I thought to myself, I'm thinking Western Springs, out of field,
bigger town, a replacement for the organ Sea Limits Festival.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
And that's that's the joy of it.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
There will be lots of speculations and stuff, but we
want to make sure that when we do announced, we
do it in the right fashion and make sure our
artists and everything are informed.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
First. You know what I thought, when you've.

Speaker 3 (06:34):
Done that, we'll definitely you know what I.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
Thought when you chuckled as Dickens. You've nowded.

Speaker 4 (06:41):
No, no, you haven't quite known it, but but I
applaud the effort.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
So thank you. So Auckland is looking probable because of
increased population and facilities.

Speaker 4 (06:52):
It's it's again, it's all all opt to being considered
across the North and Southolands. So we will once we
find the city that we think can grow for the
next eighty years, like we've done eighteen now. Originally when
we started, they said we'd only last two years because
New Zealand music wasn't wasn't strong enough. After eighteen years
we've showed that New Zealand music is outstanding.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
I was. I'm from the radio generation that actually in
the old days used to not play New Zealand music
because it was New Zealand music. And there were huge
debates that we had quotas, and then slowly that broke down,
and then New Zealand artists took on the world and
then we've got like what I say, Seehard playing a
twelve thousand seedar Arena on its farewell tour and we've
got bands filling it all up. This is a sign

(07:32):
that New Zealand music is very healthy.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
It's a fantastic sign and for us, we want to
make sure that the generations to come continue to see that.
So we want to go another eighteen years. And to
do that, we've obviously got to make changes and make
sure that we do them in the fashion that will
give their long givity and make it even more iconic.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
It's a great little festival. Andrew, congratulations, well done and
thank you for everything. And I'll see at Western Springs
that is four point fifteen text through saying what about
bringing back the big day out? Oh yes? Or can
it cry? Let's go. Someone reminded me that we had
twelve thousand people at Western Springs Speedway. So that was
all during the weekend, and that was when the Auckland
transport system was basically stuffed for maintenance. We've got more

(08:14):
sport to come in just a few moments time and
we will talk about the sale GP And did you
think the course was too short? I mean, I thought
the event was amazing, but did you think the course
was too short? We've got Jason Pine on the way.
This is News Talks AB. Where's the button? Oh?

Speaker 5 (08:29):
There it is?

Speaker 1 (08:32):
Who will take the White House results and analysis of
a US election on hither duplessy Alum drive with one
New Zealand let's get connected.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
The news talk said be.

Speaker 2 (08:44):
Deemed from Napier writes on the text ninety two ninety two.
Also twenty thousand people at the repco Qmu hot rod
show in Auckland. They also went to Lukecoumb's and they
liked them and CUMU was an awesome weekend and thought
the un city looked great. That's deem from Napier's review
of Auckland's Melick Tex says Andrew good editorial. My sixty

(09:04):
five year old cousin who has lived in the USA
for forty years, has just spent a month in New Zealand.
His comments include, obviously many are struggling, but I see
so many people still doing well and the lifestyle here
is so amazing. Be proud of your cities. It's four
nine team Jason Pine. Hello, Andrew, we're a busy man.
You're at you're at the sailing and you also called

(09:24):
the Elkan their sea game.

Speaker 3 (09:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (09:26):
Well, I mean it's good. It's good to get the
vibe of a city. I reckon and you're so right,
you know, Aukland over the weekend just felt like it
just felt like I had a vibe about it. Absolutely
loved it.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
Now, I don't want to be a you know, and
I don't want to be negative radio host guy. But
was this so our GP course too short?

Speaker 6 (09:46):
Well, I guess if you flip it, you'll say, well, actually,
if it was longer, they wouldn't have got eight races
in which they did four fleet racers Saturday, three fleet
racers yesterday and a final. So you certainly got your
money's worth, your bang for your bucket you paid for it.
Typically it's three fleet races on the Saturday, two more
on the Sunday and then a final that's on a
longer course. There's a broadcast window of ninety minutes. They

(10:08):
have to fit everything into that. They did the calculation
said hey, we can get some more races in there.
I guess what it did was give you less opportunity
if you're wanted the boats to pass and to move
up the field. So I guess from a sailor's point
of view that there might be a different answer.

Speaker 7 (10:21):
You know.

Speaker 6 (10:22):
I still think there was a plenty of opportunities, a lot.
We had a lot of different race winners. Australia clearly
the best boat out on the water last couple of days.
I think they deserve to win, but I think everybody
else had a decent crack at it.

Speaker 2 (10:34):
It reminded me of this Stappin in Formula one of
the beginning of last season, where it became just a procession.
He won the start, he led all the way through.
It was the same with this as well, and all
you were you were sitting there the old domes in
this competition, going I hope someone crashes, I hope someone
falls off the foils. I hope somebody capsizes, And I
don't think that's good sport. Each of those races were
over under seven minutes.

Speaker 6 (10:55):
Yeah, it does happen really quickly. It's you know, it's
the T twenty of sailing, isn't it? Sale GP. But
look it's still I think the format still works.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
You're right.

Speaker 6 (11:04):
Whoever gets the start has a huge advantage. In fact,
the start and getting to the first mark, which are
normally the same boat, so they do have an advantage.
But then the jockeying for position, I mean Team New
Zealand the Black Foils will last off the line. In
the first race they got up to fourth, so they
did pass another what's that six boats to get up
to where they eventually finished, So there is an opportunity

(11:26):
to pass, but is there enough opportunity to catch the
boat that gets away fastest. More often than not, the
starting advantage turns into a winning advantage, so maybe it
needs to be looked at.

Speaker 2 (11:37):
What about Daniel hillyre eh oh.

Speaker 6 (11:39):
This is so good. I mean, what a payday for him?
Nine hundred and seventy one thousand euro or something. I
think it's a one point seven million New Zealand dollars.
The more important part of this, though, Andrew, is the
points he gets on the European Tour, because, as we know,
holding onto your tour card is a big thing, particularly
when you're early in your career. What he's done here
by getting eight hundred and eighty nine points for second

(12:03):
place outright, as he's basically secured his European or DP
World Tour card for next year, so he can be
more selective about the events he plays now he can,
you know, he can relax a little. But he doesn't
have to go to every far flung event on the
DP Tour to try and earn his points. He's got
them basically from this one event, So that's a massive
thing for him, and his bank balance is looking a

(12:24):
lot healthier to and.

Speaker 2 (12:26):
It's not on the list and they probably don't have time.
But oh my god, Chris Wood scored another.

Speaker 6 (12:30):
Yeah, it's not even a surprise anymore. Is that Chris
Wood plays a game of football. Chris Wood scores a goal.
You wake up and it happened so often now it's
almost becoming commonplace.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
It's not commonplace, mate, that's it's special. It's genius.

Speaker 7 (12:42):
I know that.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
Unbelievable anyway, I love you work, Thank you so much.
Jason Paine, who will be backulated on tonight's seven o'clock
Sports Talk. It is for twenty two news Talk zeb
moving the.

Speaker 3 (12:51):
Big stories of the day forward.

Speaker 1 (12:54):
It's Andrew Dickens on hither du for see Allen Dreve
with one New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (12:59):
Let's get news talks.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
It'd be I don't know what's happening here. This is
an Auckland loven happening from a Wellingtonian Auckland looked fantastic.
What's wrong with you People's Auckland? You know, we know
it's a hellhole. It's a hellhole, a dysfunctional hellhole. We
know this. We've been told this for years. No, it
looked fantastic. It did now the text through Andrew ten
thousand plus at Bombay Truck Show. Actually a lot more,

(13:21):
closer to fifteen thousand people at the Bombay Truck Show,
set up on the hill by Pooky, the biggest truck
show in New Zealand. People were out and about New
Zealand over the course of the weekend. We were into it. Hey,
tomorrow's President Trump's inauguration. It's so cold, it's being held
indoors for the first time since nineteen eighty five, and

(13:41):
yet Donald Trump has not claimed that he solved global warming,
but it is very cold, it's inside. He's certainly claimed
last night he solved the Garzak situation. He has claimed
he's saved TikTok. Now on TikTok. Obviously, Donald Trump doesn't
want TikTok to disappear because he did so well on
the platform during the election. But I can't help thinking
that in the United States of America there is a

(14:03):
derangement syndrome, and I'm going to call it the TikTok
derangement syndrome. Last year, Congress voted to ban the APPA
mid concerns that it's Chinese parent company was storing data
from millions of Americas. Now, look, if you don't want
China storing your data, mining your data, then don't sign
up for TikTok, particularly if you're in the civil service.
I haven't. This is a thing called freedom of choice.

(14:24):
China's allowed to do some business like that. But yeah,
everyone's crazy. Well, America is crazy about it. They want
to ban an entire corporate operation because of its nationality.
And speaking of arrangement syndromes, is protests in Washington and
New York. Look, we've had Trump before the world did
not fall apart. A lot of the concerns of many
of the people most concerned are not based on fact

(14:45):
but a heightened paranoia. Let's fight things based on the
real world, not an imagined hell. Let's talk with someone
from Washington. Just after the five o'clock news and shortly
the world was and Olie Peterson is back for twenty
WINNY five all the way from Perth and six pm
to talk Australian News. I'm Andrew Dickens here for a week.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
Breaking the hard.

Speaker 1 (15:20):
Less, recapping the day's big news and making tomorrow's headlines.
It's Andrew Dickens on Hither Duper Se Alan Drive with
One New Zealand Let's get connected news talks that'd be.

Speaker 8 (15:39):
In the pieces of Mars conrection to your welcome.

Speaker 2 (15:51):
To the program. My name is Andrew Dickens, tick through
on ninety to ninety two. Small charge from Thomas and Andrew.
Have you seen the video clip of the Village People
with Donald Trump dancing? Yes, I have. The Village People
will be performing at the inauguration. They've performed at the
pre inauguration as well. Interesting story about the Village People
because they said we don't actually support Donald Trump all
his policies, but our music can bring people to get there.

(16:15):
So let's be together as we inaugurate a new president.
There's a few people texting me saying, well, he's got
full power now really, And so if you thought bad
things happened last time, even worse things could happen this
time maybe, And what else have we got for you?
Oh Angston Today's Breakfast Show with Ryan Bridge, as reports
came in that Champagne is having a bad year. A

(16:37):
French champagne shipment's down nine point two percent. Manufacturers blame
economic conditions and the teap of drinks. It's the teap
of drinks that interest me. That'll be the prosecco. Remember
where the French got all shirty with our method. Champagn
nois Prosecco's worse. It's a proper product, it has origin
controls and everything. It's considerably cheaper, and most importantly, on
my humble opinion, it's delicious. It's lighter, it's easier, it's

(17:02):
way cheaper. And this rise of the sprits apparol sprits
is are to go to this summer, aren't they. So
it's a lesson to all actually products that your excellence
must be appreciated to charge a premium. If you lose
that advantage and your high prices are endangered. You know,
I've got a lady friend. I've be a lady friend
who's never bought a Louis Vitton bag because he says,
why why Witton when deadly ponies and saban are lovely too?

Speaker 1 (17:27):
It's the world wires on news talks, they'd be drive.

Speaker 2 (17:31):
For the twentieth of January, US President elect Johnald Trump
has held one final rally before his inauguration tomorrow, and
he played all the hits.

Speaker 9 (17:42):
We will make America proud again, we won't make America
safely again, and we will make America great again.

Speaker 3 (17:58):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (18:00):
Wow, he's on fire. Ta Gaza. Ninety Palestinian prisoners have
been released from Israeli jails. Israel agreed to release them
as part of the Six Fire Deal. This man's daughter
is one of the Palestinians who has been released.

Speaker 10 (18:13):
The Israelian intelligence officer called us more than once seeing
dndrees Hamasa's flag.

Speaker 11 (18:20):
When your daughter Jeanine is released, it's forbidden.

Speaker 3 (18:23):
Lot of plug motor.

Speaker 12 (18:25):
I see this as a way to intimidate us and
emotionally pressure us.

Speaker 2 (18:31):
And finally, a gold medal from the nineteen nine fourths
at Loviis Olympics has been sold at auction for almost
one million New Zealand dollars. The medal was awarded to
American Fred Schuler. At the Games, he won the one
hundred and ten meter hurdles or was that the one

(18:53):
hundred and ten yard hurdles Anyway, Unlike later Olympic medals,
the metal isn't just gold plated. Earth's actually made of
gold all the way through. And by the way, if
your Paris God metal is flaking, they are taking them
for repair.

Speaker 1 (19:12):
International correspondence with ends and eye insurance. Peace of mind
for New Zealand business.

Speaker 2 (19:19):
Happy new Year, Oli Petersen Andrew you too. Can I
just say Tony Jones was doing a bit of a
banter and I think Novak Jocovitch is just a little
bit too sensitive.

Speaker 13 (19:29):
Look, he might be a little bit, but let's think
about the context of when he came out here during
the Australian Open and he wasn't vaccinated.

Speaker 11 (19:37):
And look, Tony Jones is very divisive as well.

Speaker 13 (19:41):
It must be said he's a veteran sports broadcaster. He's
part of the network which employs me to be blunter Andrew.
So when he went on television the other night on
nine News in Melbourne saying he's overrated, he's has been
kick him out. There was a bit of a social
media pylon. But last night, when you think about it,
set at court, and this has been all around the

(20:03):
world that Novak will not talk to Jim Courreyer because
of course Korea is there representing nine, the host broadcaster.

Speaker 11 (20:10):
We got major international relations issues.

Speaker 13 (20:13):
So he's Tony Jones this morning explaining why he said
what he said and saying sorry.

Speaker 14 (20:20):
On the Saturday morning from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic
camp that the Jokovic camp was not happy at all
with those comments. Now as such, I immediately contacted the
Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them. So this
is forty eight hours ago for any disrespect that Novak
felt that I had caused.

Speaker 13 (20:41):
So he's saying he tried to say sorry already, but
they didn't want to come to the party.

Speaker 11 (20:45):
He just should let's be blunt, he shouldn't have.

Speaker 13 (20:47):
Said it, and he's actually not very funny Tony she
just sticks at the sport.

Speaker 2 (20:50):
But you know, at the same time, the Aussie crowds,
I mean, you goes are feral. Look what you did.
Look what you did to Daniella Collins, she had you
know what she did wrong? She beat an Australian and
that that was enough to be savaged.

Speaker 11 (21:02):
Absolutely.

Speaker 13 (21:03):
But you know what I like, I actually like, and
maybe this is my twisted sense of humor. I like
that Novak's giving it back to us or giving it
back to Tony Jones, even in all of that context.
So you know, look, probably part of the wider issues
of the organization that I work for right now, Andrew
and there's been the culture reports last year out of
nine and there's been all sorts of issues with neither.
There's lots of headaches for my parent company Night at

(21:25):
the moment, and it's just another blow probably to the
reputation of the media business at the moment, which as
you and I know, we go through from time to
time to the organizations.

Speaker 2 (21:34):
Wist but can I don't think anybody is completing I
think nine and the Aussie openness is in there going.
This is excellent publicity and true people are going to
be watching to see what Tony says next and what
Novak's is next. So it's not bad now serious topic.
New South Wales government they're cracking down on anti Semitism.
There's anti hate laws, all sorts of stuff.

Speaker 13 (21:53):
Yeah, they're going to be bringing these new laws next
month which will effectively make it illegal for hate speech.
It'll make it more difficult of the contentious legislation when
the new legislation is brought about next month in the
state Parliament of New South Wales.

Speaker 11 (22:10):
So if somebody's preaching hatred in the community.

Speaker 13 (22:13):
They say it won't manifest itself two or three months
later in a fire bombing, an attack or something worse.
But doesn't that just show there's a failure of the
current laws, Like you know, put even all of these
issues to one side. In terms of people's houses being
fire bombed in Sydney or graffiti or with anti anti
Semitic messages, we already have the laws in place, like
if you're going to be a goose, then you're going
to have to be held to account for being a

(22:34):
goose regardless of what you do. You can't go around
grafeeding a place, you can't go around fire bombing a
place for whatever the motivation is. And I don't think
this cracks down, Andrew on groups that are trying to
gather together for religious purposes to protest for whatever form
of issue that they might want to be making a
song and dance about. This doesn't change any of that.
Just don't be a dhead, basically, Andrew, that's what it's saying.

(22:57):
And if you are, then you should be facing the
full extent of the law. I don't know why you
need to bring a new legislation to stop this. You
already have the power there at your disposal. Just make
sure they're in enough police on the beat.

Speaker 2 (23:07):
Oh, I'm talking about two sensitive I probably should have
done this after Novakdjokovic. Really we've got the stories around
the wrong way. But we've got this graduate lawyer who's
accused as the employer of bullying after they told him
to stop showing up late two meetings.

Speaker 13 (23:20):
How's this a lawyer who's working, by the way, for
the government department as well, so he's working for the
public sector. He has taken on his employer to the
Fair Work Commission because let's say it was a nine
o'clock start. He got reprimanded on a few occasions for
turning up after nine o'clock at well after nine o'clock
as well, it might have been ten or eleven because
he had a bit of a sleeping disorder.

Speaker 11 (23:42):
He really struggled.

Speaker 13 (23:42):
And he also had an issue with the fact that
the meetings were too long Andrews, some of them going
for two hours or four hours.

Speaker 11 (23:49):
He just couldn't cop it.

Speaker 13 (23:51):
Doesn't this sound like the current generation of university in
high school graduates.

Speaker 11 (23:55):
I might be generalizing here for a moment.

Speaker 13 (23:57):
Who just don't understand the definition of a little bit
of hard work and getting your head. So poor boy,
he's obviously trotted off to a new organization and fair
work didn't find in favor.

Speaker 2 (24:07):
The funny thing is that they have no shame. They
have no fear either. They just they open up their
mouth and they go for it and they stand up
for themselves, which is also an admirable quality, even if
he's a complete dhead to quick.

Speaker 13 (24:19):
Well, he's starting off thinking that he should be the
manager of the boss beacause why not, like just walk
into the top job and not have to do the
hard work. So poor fellow, he's got a reality check
and maybe he should have decided to go into another
profession other than being a lawyer, because good luck getting
another gig. How old you OLLI thirty seven points nine?

Speaker 3 (24:37):
How are you?

Speaker 11 (24:38):
Andrew?

Speaker 2 (24:38):
Well, I'm sixty one and you are far too young
to say. Greg. Problem with the new young generation as
that they don't know how to work because you're part
of them. Boy, that's true.

Speaker 13 (24:47):
But I've didn't talk about radio for almost ten years,
so you know, maybe I'm an old and cynical already,
Andrew prematurely aging.

Speaker 2 (24:53):
I love your work and thank you very much. Olie
Peterson from six pr it is fifteen to five who
wouldn't want the job as Minister for the South Island.
If I got that job, I will be off immediately
on a year long fact finding road trip. Not only
that James Miya is also now sorry Meager really, not

(25:19):
only that James Meager spelt Mega mea but anyway, not
only that James Meaga is also now the Hunting and
Fishing Minister. So in a second year after doing the
fact finding of the South Island, he would go on
a hunting and fishing trip, would he not? But despite that,
I think the South Island really does deserve a voice
because it doesn't have much say. And I'll tell you
more about that a bit later on. But we're looking
at politics with Thomas Coughlin in just a few moments time.

(25:42):
It is now fifteen minutes to five.

Speaker 1 (25:45):
Politics with Centrics Credit, check your customers and get payments.

Speaker 2 (25:48):
Certainty, Thomas Coglan from the here, welcome back to work, mister.

Speaker 15 (25:54):
Yes, yes, someone's told you this is my first day back.

Speaker 2 (25:58):
Well the same with you really, So here we go
and look, you're wanted a nice quiet start to the year.
And what does Christopher Laxon do. It goes demotes the
person who in the weekend was saying, this is no
way I'm going to be demoted the next thing, you know,
Oh Shane, You're gone.

Speaker 15 (26:14):
Yes, yes, exactly, that Shane Ritty. It appears he was
one of the last people to be told about his
own demotion, which which obviously can't be can't be very nice.
It was speculated about very heavily at the end of
last year, and it does appear that Christopher Luxon had
sort of sounded out some allies over the over the
sun and Break as to whether that was a good

(26:35):
idea to demote him and uh and and and those
alas seemed to have come back and said it was
so so yes, Shane Ritty has sone has said a
rather a rather unhappy and and and unkind starts the
new year being demo from their health portfolio.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
You're paid to watch these animals prow around in their cage.
And so I asked you, are you surprised by the timing?
Did it make sense? And is it the right thing
for Christopher Lection as leader of the National Party to
be doing it this moment, at this time when we're
all in holiday mode and just still chill down.

Speaker 15 (27:10):
I'm not surprised that by the timing, and I think
it does actually make sense. We're still two years out
from an election, so there is time to reset the
story on health. I think if you were if you
were to ask New Zealanders and exactly the pulses have
asked New Zealanders how they feel about the health system.
Health seems to be rating pretty highly in most polls.

(27:33):
Is an issue voters care about, and that they care
about it because the health system is clearly in a
bit of dire straight at the moment, so bringing in
someone new to fix that is probably a good idea,
and it's a good idea to do it sooner other
than later. It's a good way to begin the new year.
Like New Zealanders tend to tune out of politics over
the summer and don't really care about politics over summer,

(27:55):
Wellington Anniversary weekends tends to be the period where I
am not the rest of the country here is about
one in the versial weekend, but this weekend tends to
be the weekend where people start to sort of tune
in the game. So I think it's a good it's
a good a good time for the Prime Minister to
just put the research to hit the reset button. But
whether or not you know things can actually change in health,

(28:16):
that is probably a bigger question and one that will be,
you know, pretty hard to answer.

Speaker 2 (28:21):
I ask you, have you ever seen a health system
that's not in dire straits in New Zealand? And I
also ask you, have you ever seen anyone appointed to
be health minister who finished in the job with a
better reputation than when they started.

Speaker 15 (28:38):
That is a very good question.

Speaker 2 (28:41):
It's the answer is no, yes, it probably is no.

Speaker 15 (28:46):
I'm I mean and it can seem to do I
mean health as a health as a portfolio where you
where you survive. You know, survival is you don't necessarily
win winning as survival. And the ones the ones who
tend to get out okay, seem to be the ones
who who aren't in there for very long. So Andrew Little, actually,

(29:09):
I think it seemed to you know, get he wasn't
in there for a very long time.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
As Ryan Bridge pointed out this morning, the health job
is the biggest and worst job in New Zealand. Eighty
thousand employees under the health department. I mean that dwarfs
in New Zealand, Fonterra, Fisher and pikele fletches. Every eighty
thousand people know it, all health professionals, smart and all unionized.

Speaker 15 (29:32):
Good luck, it's about I actually did those numbers a
little while ago. I think one point seven percent of
New Zealanders, including infants and retirees, so all of one
point seven percent of us work for the health system.
It's a huge Well yeah, it's a losing job. It's
very hard to do properly. So so yes, I think

(29:53):
I think Simmy and Brown has been handed the most
difficult job of his career.

Speaker 2 (29:58):
But he's an ambitious man and he's keen in his confidence.
And there we go. And would you just final question,
do you did this have anything to do with the
fact with the Courier Taxpayers Union poll, you know, which
showed that National had slip below thirty and they've been
overtaken by a stagnant labor did that far On? Have
you some changes We've got to look better?

Speaker 15 (30:19):
That's a good question too. I actually think that the
Courier poll, it's unfortunate for Christopher Laxon because he's quite
a deliberative guy. And I think you will have been
thinking about this over summer, thinking about it very deeply
and really questioning himself over summer about it. And I've
heard that. I think it looks like it looks like

(30:40):
it was reactive, but I don't think it was very good.

Speaker 2 (30:42):
Got to go, and I thank you for your time.
It is now seven to five.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
Putting the tough questions to the newsmakers the mic asking
breakfast saman Brown, the new health ministers with me Levy,
are you going to keep him on?

Speaker 3 (30:55):
Oh? Look, I'm meeting with Wellington.

Speaker 16 (30:57):
I'm meeting down there now keeping brought in to do
a job, which is to make sure that we get
the health system delivering. That's my focus as minister, making
sure it's delivering quality and timely access to health.

Speaker 1 (31:06):
If News Islanders, it's not making the progress you need
right now, does that mean that he's gone to look.

Speaker 16 (31:10):
Well, I think what we've seen from the health targets,
we are starting.

Speaker 17 (31:13):
To see some of those tadlines, but there is so
much more work to do.

Speaker 12 (31:16):
We would need to see New Zealanders getting through Ed's
after excess to the GPS sooner to.

Speaker 2 (31:20):
Have confidence in them to do that.

Speaker 15 (31:22):
Look, you've been given a job, is in that job
to them a lot this year, but I need the
whole system to be focused on delivery.

Speaker 1 (31:27):
Ryan Bridge on the My Casting Breakfast It's back tomorrow
at six am with the Range.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
Rover Villain on News Talks deadb.

Speaker 2 (31:34):
Good Health Ministers, Bernie reckons Tony Ryle as in other
people say Tony Ryle. Helen Clark says someone was an
outstanding minister of health. Anyway, we have a new Minister
of Health, sime and Brown, and we will talk about
him next hour. We're going to talk to James Meager.
Got the name, took me an hour. The Hunting and
Fishing minister, the South Island minister. I like this idea

(31:55):
extually because the South Island does not have a lot
of people, so it doesn't have a lot of elector
so it's always been underrepresented. But what it does have
is loads of minerals, it has loads of electricity, it
has loads of tourism holdings. So having a voice is fine.
But I thought it was a bit ironic that Doucy
got demoted and then they brought it he was South
Island's guy in cabinet and they had they had James

(32:19):
Meager right there, made him a South Island minister, but
didn't put him in cabinet. You need to be at
the big table to have your voice for it. But anyway,
we'll talk to James Meager next hour. But next we're
off to Washington. How cold is it and what will
happen with Donald Trump's inauguration? And how powerful is the dot?

Speaker 5 (32:38):
I'm Andrew Dickinson.

Speaker 3 (33:00):
No, not to celebrate, just a.

Speaker 1 (33:09):
Questions, answers, facts analysis, the drive show you trust for
the full picture.

Speaker 3 (33:16):
Andrew Dickens on Hither Duplessy.

Speaker 1 (33:18):
Alan Drive with One New Zealand, Let's get connected news talks.

Speaker 7 (33:22):
They'd be.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
Donald Trump is taking red the keys to the White
House tomorrow, so his inauguration kicks off at six o'clock
tomorrow morning, New Zealand Time, six a m. Breakfast entertainment,
breakfast entertainment instead of an outdoor event, though the ceremony
will be held indoors at the Capitol with all living
former presidents and numerous world leaders in attendance. And also

(33:45):
watching on will be our US correspondent, son of Matts,
who's back with me now. Good evening, Simon.

Speaker 17 (33:50):
Good evening to you, Andrew.

Speaker 2 (33:52):
So it's pretty cold. It's the first time indoors since
eighty five.

Speaker 17 (33:56):
Yes, absolutely, And it's been a mad scramble here in Washington,
DC over the weekend to change all the arrangements because
of course everything's ready for the president elect, President Donald Trump,
as he will be on the stroke of midday here
on Monday to take the oath of office up on
Capitol Hill in the outdoors in time. On a tradition,

(34:18):
we are not going to break minus five degrees celsius
on Monday here in Washington, d C. They made the
decision on Friday to move everything indoors, so there are
now two central locations the Rotunda of Congress inside the
Congressional Building where Donald Trump will take the oath of office.

(34:41):
That is the same rotunda that his own supporters ransacked
back on January sixth of twenty twenty one. And then
the second location is the Arena, the Capital One Arena
in the Chinatown district of Washington, d C. Where Donald
Trump actually a dressed a pre inauguration rally on Sunday evening.

(35:04):
Instead of a capacity of two hundred thousand people able
to watch everything from the National Mall, it's going to
be taking place inside the Rotunda on Capitol Hill, which
can accommodate about a thousand people, and then at the
Capital One Arena, which has a seating capacity of twenty thousands.

Speaker 2 (35:21):
Michelle Obama is not attending despite the fact her husband
is as a former president. Is that spite or was
she just busy?

Speaker 17 (35:31):
I think it might be a bit of both. You'll
remember that Michelle Obama also did not attend Jimmy Carter's
funeral a few days ago. With regard to both appointments,
she says that she's got scheduling difficulties. She's in Hawaii,
and frankly, who wouldn't want to be in Hawaii given
the state of the weather here in Washington, d C.

(35:53):
But I think it's not so much the climactic conditions
that have kept her away from both of those events,
but the inevitay ability of her having to rub shoulders
with the Trumps at them.

Speaker 2 (36:04):
So what about Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg? Will they
be there?

Speaker 17 (36:08):
Yes, they absolutely will be there, and in fact, they
are already adhering themselves to the President Elect's side. Elon
Musk was called upon by Donald Trump to speak briefly
at the pre inauguration rally that was held on Sunday
evening here, and he insisted head of that as the
head of this new Department of Government Efficiency, which is

(36:31):
not really a government department, it doesn't exist as a ministry,
but he said that he was absolutely determined to go
about his task of eliminating federal government waste wherever he
can find it. Mark Zuckerberg has already arrived in town.
He's been attending a variety of inaugural events over the weekend.
Jeff Bezos is also coming here, of course, the Amazon founder.

(36:55):
And you know, I think Donald Trump is really resplendent
in the fact the three of them, who had all
in varying degrees, expressed hostility to Donald Trump in the past,
have like so many other people since November and the
election win, bent to the knee to Donald Trump, pledged
fealty to him. And that's one of the reasons why

(37:17):
Donald Trump has returned to Washington, d C. With First
Lady Milania Trump absolutely thinking that they are in the
catbird seat, I mean will when he's sworn in, he
will immediately become the most powerful president this country has
ever had, not simply because he controls the White House,
Republicans control the House of Representatives and the Senate, and

(37:40):
of course Republican nominated Supreme Court justices are in a
six to three majority at the Court, but also because
of that immunity decision by the Supreme Court which says
that no fitting or former president can be prosecuted for
any actions that they take in line with their official duties.

(38:01):
It gives him sweeping amounts of power. And he made
it absolutely clear in that inauguration Eve rally that he
is going to deliver to his supporters the central plinths
of policy that he promised he was going to deliver
during the election. Campaign.

Speaker 2 (38:18):
So I'm REMARX, thank you. There's a fascinating inside. Of course,
as I say, the inauguration is at six a m.
Tomorrow morning, and yes, corporate America has flocked to Donald Trump.
They understand his influence, They understand his power holding all
the houses at this moment. Elon Musk of course understands.
And he also holds the budget to all the trips
to Mars and all the rockets you could ever hope for.

(38:40):
Jeff Bezos, who was an active opponent for a while,
canceled that supporting Washington Post editorial for that other woman.
What was that? O? Kamala Kamala Harris? He did that
as well. But he can see the money in Trump,
which is probably why he offered forty million dollars for
Amazon TV to make a documentary about Millennia and Trump.
Do you pay forty million dollars for a documentary about

(39:02):
Millennia Trump unless you were trying to buy a favor.
So Donald's got them in the palm of his hands.
What will happen next? Fascinating stuff. We'll keep you in
touch with that. Meanwhile, Donald Trump also claims that he
saved TikTok TikTok is on again, off again at the
moment the American Congress wanted to get rid of it
because it's been mining data of US citizens for a while.

(39:24):
There it was off, then it came back on again.
In just a moment's time, we'll talk to a New
Zealand TikToker and you will not believe just how many
followers she has and does that equate to money? We'll
find out next here on newstalks, there be new stalks.
Ab So, a Gloria Vale leader made a public apology

(39:44):
yesterday for the historic abuse that happened at Gloria Vale.
Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple acknowledged that abuse happened in Gloria
Vale between nineteen fifty and nineteen ninety nine. Why did
this happen?

Speaker 18 (39:58):
Well?

Speaker 2 (39:58):
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historic Abusing's Care asked
Gloria Vale to apologize to its members back in July.
Here we are in January. They finally got round to it.
John Reddy was expelled from Gloria Vale in twenty seventeen,
and John joins me. Now, Hello, John, Hello Andrew, is
this apology since here?

Speaker 16 (40:18):
I don't believe so it's pretty clear that it's not
particularly like the time stamp nineteen fifty to nineteen ninety
nine leaves out the majority of the abuse from two
thousand to the present day twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (40:39):
Yeah, okay, exactly how well were you there after nineteen
ninety nine?

Speaker 16 (40:45):
Yes, I was twenty one in nineteen ninety nine, and
I left on the twenty fourth of December two thy
and seventeen.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
Oh wow, eighteen years and you're saying there was abuse there?
So yeah, yeah, So why was there a timestamp? Do
you know?

Speaker 16 (41:10):
I don't know. I was pondering that last night when
I read the apology, which made me relatively livid, to
be fair, just their complete lack of understanding of the
sort of carnage that they've had in people's lives and

(41:32):
left behind them under their leadership and mentorship. And that's
putting it nicely, because it's actually under their control, like
their complete control has been.

Speaker 2 (41:45):
He also says the glory of ole. This is how
Temple now says. Gloria Vale provides abuse awareness, prevention training
and a set of a page on its website to
report abuse. Has it and is that enough?

Speaker 16 (41:57):
I just think it's completely empty words. They don't believe
or understand the type of abuse that they've done and
the effect that they've had on people's lives, and they
just sort of I mean they've been forced to make
an apology. I mean that kind of tells you everything

(42:18):
you need to know about the apology tourn A.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
You're good now?

Speaker 3 (42:23):
Ye am?

Speaker 16 (42:24):
I good?

Speaker 18 (42:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 16 (42:27):
How do you mean by that?

Speaker 2 (42:29):
Well, you know, after your experience and what you've been through,
you know obviously has an impact. And you're out and
you were expelled and now you've got a new life.
Are you good?

Speaker 16 (42:39):
Well, I'm much better, that's for real. But there is
a lot of there's a lot to work through, and
it's very difficult to come out of an organization that
you were born into and then at forty years old
to go you know, there's some with this, and then

(43:00):
to come out and then start a process because I
got involved in a call case for one of my
family members immediately to try and get some a justice
for her, and it all started from that date, like
seven years ago, that's when this all started happening.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
Well, may you know that we alwish you all the
very best of luck as a head forward, and thank
you so much for your bravery and talking to us
today as John Ready former Gloria vale Man five twenty
All right, TikTok users in the USA had a bit
of a rollercoaster ride this morning. The app started functioning,
I stopped functioning. At first there was a pop up

(43:43):
message that said this is because of the impending band
by the US government, who's very worried about mining of
data by China, and then about twelve hours later it
was back. In Coming President Donald Trump says, I'm going
to arrange for TikTok's parent company, byte Dance, to become
part of American owned. It's all good, We've sorted it,
says Donald. Mental health advocate Jazz Thornton is on the

(44:04):
TikTok and joins me, Now, hell a, Jazz, Hey, how
many followers you got? Uh?

Speaker 19 (44:10):
On one account? I got two point three or two
point four million, I think, and then another account with
another million on it.

Speaker 2 (44:15):
Does it blow your mind?

Speaker 18 (44:17):
Yeah?

Speaker 19 (44:18):
Sometimes?

Speaker 2 (44:19):
Can you make money from that two point four million
people who like to look at what you say on TikTok?

Speaker 3 (44:24):
Oh?

Speaker 19 (44:24):
Yeah, you definitely can, but not compared to what the
Americans can make. They're actually getting paid for the purviews
on the New Zealanders don't get that.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
Why don't we get that because.

Speaker 19 (44:33):
We're not in the creator fund, which is ridiculous, but
it's Yeah, it's America, and I think Canada are that inert,
but not US.

Speaker 2 (44:39):
So if TikTok stops, do you lose lots of money?

Speaker 19 (44:44):
I don't personally, but I think a lot of creators do.
I mean, it'll definitely affect our engagement and our ability
to be able to do like ad campaigns and stuff
like that. But yeah, it's not compared to what America
is going to be hit worth.

Speaker 2 (44:56):
Should the West be worried about China owning TikTok and
mining for our data like exactly how we like to
stroke our dogs.

Speaker 19 (45:05):
No, not at all. I think if the US were
genuinely concerned about data security, they would have banned things
like timu. This is entirely a money control thing. A
whole lot of the Senates that voted yes on the
bill have stocks and Meta and Meta was losing billions
of dollars because all eyes were on TikTok. So they're
trying to make it out to be this whole thing
about with security, but it's not. If it's about that,

(45:28):
then they would have banned so many other things first,
so I don't think we have to worry about that.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
And of course, because there's so much money involved, as
soon as you say TikTok stopped, another one will pop up.
It's like whack a mole. Have you ever heard about
Red Note?

Speaker 15 (45:39):
Oh?

Speaker 19 (45:39):
Yes, I downloaded Red Note as soon as all this
started happening.

Speaker 2 (45:43):
Is it any good?

Speaker 9 (45:44):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (45:45):
Not really.

Speaker 19 (45:46):
I mean a lot of it's in Chinese, but to
be honest, it was pretty much just a lot of
people trying to go against the US government and Meta
because they knew that this band was coming from that,
so they were like, screw you, We'll get our data
directly to the Chinese, which I thought was quite funny.
So I joined on that as well.

Speaker 2 (46:00):
So you're putting your stuff on YouTube shorts, now I understand.

Speaker 19 (46:04):
Yes, yeah, I think it's for security, but also, you know,
to be able to continue to reach the people that
we do. There's so much uncertainty with all kind of
social media that you can't put everything in one basket.

Speaker 2 (46:16):
So has the don saved TikTok? Do you think it's
gone or is it going to stay.

Speaker 19 (46:20):
He was the one that initiated the band in twenty twenty.
He was the person that put this thing into play.
So it's I think it's going to stay, but I
think they, probably, to be honest, have already sold it.
I think this whole thing has been a ployee. So yeah,
I think it's not going anywhere, but it won't be
the same as.

Speaker 2 (46:35):
What it was. Jazz what's your handle?

Speaker 19 (46:39):
Jazz Thornton, underscore.

Speaker 2 (46:41):
Jazz Thornton, the whole thing underscored.

Speaker 19 (46:45):
No, just Jazz Thornton and then a underscore.

Speaker 2 (46:47):
A little because is there another Jazz Thornton?

Speaker 19 (46:49):
I know, but I have another account called not jas Thornton,
which is my silly one that blew up in America.

Speaker 2 (46:54):
Okay, yeah, so you need the underscore Okay, yeah, apparently
it's all good on Twitter x whatever that's called. On
Andrew Dickens two and I'm not out there we go.
I haven't found the Andrew Dickens one yet, and I
want to talk to that man. I thank you for
your time today, Jazz no worries, thank.

Speaker 1 (47:09):
You informed insight into today's issues. It's Andrew Dickens on
Hither Duplicy Alan Drive with one New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (47:18):
Let's get connected news talks they'd be.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
Here's five twenty six mm. So one year ago we
had a new government and Christopher Luxon and his team
of MPs and support partners took control of the treasury
benches and Christopher did a speech, you may remember it.
In that speech he said he would deliver the deliverables,
a term that was praised by some but also ridiculed
by others because you know, well, that's pretty obvious. It's

(47:44):
very simple, deliver the deliverables. If your job is delivery,
then it's plain you have to deliver those deliverables. And
that's what he promised to do. You'd be called a
genius if you delivered what was thought to be undeliverable.
But you're supposed to deliver the deliverable. That is politics
for you. Catchy slogans that fit the mood and are
easily understood. Examples calling inflation a cost of living crisis

(48:08):
made it more, you know, saying we need Toyota Corollas
on cookstraight, not Ferrari's. That's politics in Christopher Luxon's cabinet.
The man who learned that lesson the least was Shane Retty.
His problem was he's a doctor. His problem was knowing
the difficulties too well. His problem was recognizing the grays

(48:29):
and all the issues. His problem was trying to sell
those grays. His problem was dumping on his mates. The
man who learned from his boss the best was Simeon Brown,
the man who made all the roading issues all about
potholes after one of the wettest years ever. The man
who criticized blanket speed limits and then imposed the blanket

(48:49):
speed limit, but he knew exactly how to do a
great quote. I listened to all of Sybyans interviews today,
and the thing that stood out to me was that, well,
how little was said and the number of words he
said the word delivery, delivery, delivery, delivery. When asked about
a specific he would just say, I'm going to concentrate
on the delivery. When he wasn't saying delivery, he was

(49:10):
saying timely in quality delivery of health care. None of
it answered the question, but it doesn't matter. It sounded good.
That's why the Prime Minister hired him. When I came
in and people said he wouldn't confirm Lester Levy, I
said he wouldn't deny less to Levy either. He's not
here to say a thing. He's just here to say
I'm going to deliver. So obviously Simeon needs to get
his feet under the desk, and when he does, he

(49:32):
will not take any prisoners. Because once Simeon sets his
mind to a course, it will stay set. And that
is a strength, just as long as it's the right course.
And then it's not. We'll talk with the huddle about
this later.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
Man on the iHeart app and in your car on
your drive home, it's Andrew Dickens on the duplicy album
Drive with One New Zealand, let's get connected.

Speaker 3 (50:04):
News talks, they'd.

Speaker 20 (50:05):
Be stuff work against. Is your truck breaks? Did you
first through money died? It's fun, there's a way. I'm
sure you're last.

Speaker 2 (50:20):
Thank you for choosing us. Also to the program, my
Mandrel Dickens here for the week. Latest update on inflation
for the December quarter is out on Wednesday. Yeah, we're
right back, aren't we. Summer holidays over there are predictions
of two point one percent Now over summer, I heard
a lot of people saying that inflation's on the fall,
and just as many people saying that inflation has been conquered.
Even the government was saying that we've we've got to

(50:42):
handle on this, this inflation thing. But just a word
of warning on all of that. Inflation is certainly slowed,
prices are still going up. The rate of two point
two percent which we have at the moment rates well internationally.
But remember that figure is an average of two measures,
is tradable and non tradable inflation. So trade inflation has
settled down, but tradable inflation will get hit by the

(51:04):
fall the New Zealand dollar and rising all prices. That's
not good news. Non tradable still sits at over five percent.
Five percent, so non tradable is set in New Zealand.
Non tradable is things like electricity and bank fees and
insurance premiums, are rent and rates and user charges. So

(51:24):
I want to ask you to ask yourself, are those
prices calming down? Do you really feel the inflation tiger
is in a cage? And when you add to that
all the currency and energy issues that are affecting all
those overseas factors, which is in tradable inflation, are you
confident we're in a good space and we'll see a
good number on Wednesday and a number that only gets better.

(51:45):
Yes or no, think about it. You can text week
ninety two ninety two and I remind you that Nicola
willis the woman who has to manage our economy in
the face of all of this. Is our very special
guest just after.

Speaker 3 (51:59):
Six to Coundrew Dickens.

Speaker 2 (52:02):
So one of the big winners in Chris Lackson's cabinet
reshuffle as a man you might not have heard of.
His name is James Meagher. He's the first term MP
for Rangitata. He's been given three portfolios. He becomes Minister
for Hunting and Fishing, Minister for Youth and a newly
created Minister for the South Island and James mega joins him. Now,
congratulations James.

Speaker 12 (52:23):
Andrews from a sunny South Island. Great work here.

Speaker 2 (52:26):
When did you get the call up?

Speaker 12 (52:28):
I was sitting at the Black Clash game at Heckley
Oval on Sunday night. It was a couple of balls
into the first innings and I got a call from
the PM and I thought, all shivers, I might be
in trouble here and took the call founder a quiet
corner and he gave me the good news.

Speaker 6 (52:44):
So yeah, it was.

Speaker 12 (52:45):
It was late afternoon, early evening on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
What did he say?

Speaker 12 (52:50):
He was very polite, he said, what am I up to?
I said him at the cricket He told me about
the fact that his grandfather was a groundsman there, and
then he launched into it. He said, hey, look, I've
got some good news. I'd be really keen for you
to join our team as Minister for the South Island,
Minister for Youth Minnesota Hunting and Fishing, and Associate Transport.
And I kind of stopped and took a second to

(53:11):
download what he'd asked me to do, and then are
we chatted about the priorities, and then he said, all right,
have a good evening. I've got to go make some other.

Speaker 2 (53:18):
Course, probably dismister RITTI, I'm afraid, but yeah, okay, well,
well how amazing is that? And I hope he also
told you to remember to catch a ball with one
hand if you want to make some money or actually
get some koc at that game, because that was a
good thing. Now, I presume the very first thing you're
going to do is a very leisurely road trip all
around the South Island with a bit of hunting and fishing,
so you can appraise the issues.

Speaker 12 (53:39):
Well, if you've ever traveled around the South to take
a leisurely road trip around the whole island is going
to take a couple of months if you did it NonStop,
So no, you're right. The first thing to do is
to figure out exactly where I need to get to,
and for me, that's as far south as I can go,
right up to the far North. And what I want
to do is I want to talk to South Island
is about what their priority is for making sure that

(54:02):
our island can grow and the South Island can contribute
to Nichola Willis's economic growth plan, and so that's a
big part of what the PEM wants me to do.
Help us focus on what can we do to promote
growth in the South Island, and then what can I
do to make sure that I maintain a good, strong
voice for mainlanders up in Wellington.

Speaker 2 (54:21):
Are you amazed that there's never been a minister for
the South Island before?

Speaker 12 (54:25):
It surprised me and I didn't want to say that
publicly because I wasn't actually quite sure, but a few
people have told me that and I'm obviously excited and
it's a new portfolio, and given that there hasn't been
one before, it's a little bit of a blank canvas
that the PEM is going to give me a good
steer on what his priorities are and what he needs
me to deliver. But the great thing is is that

(54:48):
Mainlanders and look, actually everyone's got an interest in making
sure the South Island is successful. So I'm keen to
hear from people about what their priorities are to me,
what they'd like to see me to deliver, and how
I can work for them.

Speaker 2 (55:00):
I actually said earlier this afternoon is that your island
is full of minerals and agriculture and electricity and tourism,
but unfortunately not full of people, so you don't get
represented in Parliament much.

Speaker 12 (55:13):
No, And like if people look at the electric max
we've got sixteen electrics in the south Land and then
I don't want to pressure my mass here, but you've
got what sixty odd well, yes, fifty five sixty odd
up in Northoland. So we don't want this to turn
into a bit of a numbers game. We want to
make sure that the south Land has good representation both
in our caucus and in our government, and we do.

(55:35):
But The point is that if we really want to
grow the economy, the South ISLD is going to be
a big part of that. And you mentioned it. Tourism, agriculture, minerals, exploration,
small business. They are all key things to the South.

Speaker 2 (55:45):
Hand can album very good. You've already got a job though.
You're tairing the Justice Select Committee and for your crimes,
you're dealing with the Treaty Principal's bills. So you've read
all three hundred thousand. I presume most of them, say
like the styled, I.

Speaker 12 (55:58):
Will openly admit I have not read all three hundred thousand.
I can't even get close to reading them. I think
someone did the mass and decided that you need to
outlive Moses in order.

Speaker 2 (56:06):
To be able to read them all.

Speaker 12 (56:09):
We don't have a breakdown of what the submissions look
like at the moment. We're starting to decide on who
our first submitters are, and we'll make some public information
about numbers and about content and that and of course,
but from what I understand the campaigns that I've seen running,
there will be a lot of repetitive stuff. There will
be a lot of single line submissions, but there will
be a lot of people who puts a lot of

(56:29):
time and effort into these submissions too. So I just
want to sure the listeners that they are all read
by humans.

Speaker 2 (56:35):
Of course, because many of them will have exactly the
same wordings. And I'm talking about both sides here. I'm
not talking one more time that'll be exactly the same.
They're just the photocopy has been running hot. Oral submissions
follow in the next few weeks. I reckon that's going
to be tense.

Speaker 12 (56:52):
Look, it depends on how to tone sit in that
first week. So we've made a very deliberate choice it
and when we start hearings on the tweeters in the
first week, we're wanting to invite sumers who have something
substantive to say, who will do it in a way
which is respectful of the process and hopefully set the
tone for the remainder of the hearings. And Look, it's
up to individuals and organizations as for how they decide
to submit, and we can put value in waiting on

(57:13):
how that decided to present their submission, but we expect
people to engage in the process in a respectful way.
People have got strong views, that's fine. They can let
those views be heard. But they've got to do it
in a way which is respectful to the process and
respectful to each other.

Speaker 2 (57:26):
I'm not ages, James. How old are you?

Speaker 12 (57:29):
I'm thirty seven, although Wikipedia can't decide whether I'm thirty
seven or thirty eight, so not for the record, I'm
thirty seven. Birthdays in August. No need to send any
gifts down my way. Just come and visit and spend
your tourist dollars down the South.

Speaker 2 (57:42):
Old Oh look at that. Straight on the job already, James,
Meg the new Minister for the South Islands. It is
sixteen to six. We're moving on and to the huddle
we go.

Speaker 5 (57:56):
And in the.

Speaker 2 (57:56):
Hudder we have tri sess and from SS and Willis
pr Peghani, the CEO of Child Fun.

Speaker 21 (58:01):
Hello people and happy New Year.

Speaker 22 (58:05):
What about that, James, I think it's too late to
say that trash, isn't it?

Speaker 18 (58:08):
Is?

Speaker 22 (58:08):
It almost too late?

Speaker 21 (58:10):
No for show first, when you first see people I
go through to the end of January, I think it's fine.

Speaker 2 (58:17):
You know what, I only packed down my Christmas tree
two days ago because I've been on holidays, you know,
so frankly, the New Year hasn't really happened for me
that James Meager fellow Josie PEGANI he seems pretty good.

Speaker 22 (58:29):
He's pretty impressive, isn't he first time MP, first term MP.
And look, if anyone can make this ghost Chips ministerial
portfolio into something that means something, it's probably him.

Speaker 19 (58:40):
I do think the top the Why do.

Speaker 2 (58:43):
You say it's a ghost chip portfolio.

Speaker 22 (58:45):
Because I'll tell you why, Andrew, because Whomen in the
last government we had a minister for Auckland And the
problem with these kind of slightly vanity ministerial portfolios is
that they sound great, but they've got no leavers to pull,
they've got no ministry, so they can't actually do much
and all they can do is kind of represent Auckland
or represent the south Old. So I don't think it's

(59:06):
a portfolio that means much other than that. You know,
someone like James Meagher if he can make something of it,
if he can make something of promoting the South Island,
he will.

Speaker 18 (59:16):
But it's a ghost Chips portfolio.

Speaker 2 (59:18):
Do you agree with that, Trish?

Speaker 19 (59:20):
I do agree with that.

Speaker 18 (59:21):
Actually.

Speaker 21 (59:21):
I think if the job is being done by the
senior ministers in the key portfolios, that means it's a
job that's being done for New Zealanders in the places
they care about, like can I get an operation?

Speaker 18 (59:35):
Am I safe?

Speaker 21 (59:36):
Is the economy growing regardless of whether you're in the
South Island or the North Island, And it seems odd
to me that you would have a minister for the
South Island. There's no minister for the North Island. The
Minister for Auckland issues was done away with, and as
an Auckland I agree. I sense it's about actually showing

(59:57):
the South Island some love and that there is some
focus there. I don't know that it's going to be
a huge vote winner because I think you know, as
you've seen with Nationals reshuffle that's been signaled this year,
it is all about the economy and it's all about
growth and that's not actually about the government's box. That's
about the government getting out of the way of New

(01:00:17):
Zealand business and get help, you know, making sure they
can get cranking.

Speaker 2 (01:00:22):
And Josie, the reshuffle is all about Sibby and Brown.
He's the new mister fix It. He's the new Stephen Joyce.
He's the new let's give a guy a job. And
even if it's a bad one. He's going to go. Yep,
I'm up for it and I'm ready to go. But
does is this a sign that they don't have anybody
else in their cabinet, in their in their caucus.

Speaker 15 (01:00:40):
Ah.

Speaker 22 (01:00:40):
Yeah, you make a good point, because I think they
came into government with quite a small caucus. You know
that is in opposition, it was a small caucus, and
they've come into government with one. So they do lack
a bit of talent in that in the in the
back seats there. And Simeon Brown is the kind of
mix it mister fix it guy there. I mean, he's
certainly made in roads and reframing local government, transport, energy,

(01:01:04):
and he's got a reputation for kind of holding holding
government government departments accountable, making it really clear what his
expectations are. He's quite tough, so I think he's a
good choice for health. And certainly the drums were out
for Shane Retty. A nice guy, but not wrong diagnosis.
You know, he's a doctor, but he just wasn't quite
sort of getting his teeth into the right problem for health.

(01:01:26):
And I think this is a problem what Simeon is
going to have to face here in the health portfolio.
We're all blom and terrified of something happening to us
or our families because can't see a GP, can't get
an appointment. I've got an appointment for an MRI. I've
got to wait about a year, you know.

Speaker 18 (01:01:42):
I mean, it's just.

Speaker 22 (01:01:43):
Crazy at the moment. So I think people are really
terrified of this. And it can't just be chuck more
money at it, and neither can it be cut spending
and just rearrange the deck chairs and you know, cut
spending in the health button. It's just got to be
structural changed there, and you've got to find a way
to do it.

Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
I totally agree. My neighbor actually just found out she
has blood cancer and there's no way that she's getting
anywhere near any treatment or any oncologists for six months,
and she's going what was going to happen in that
six months. That is the primal fear that mister Brown
is going to have to counter. It is eleven to six.
This is the huddle on news talks.

Speaker 3 (01:02:17):
Heb fat to Uma scrutiny suggestion.

Speaker 2 (01:02:21):
Of the huddle with Tris Sheerson and jose PEGANI. And
it's inauguration day tomorrow, so I actually had a fellow saying, Joseie, no, sorry, Tristan,
I'm going to go to Tristan. Now, a fellow on
the radio just before saying, this will be the most
powerful United States president ever because he owns the House,
he owns the Senate, he's got the vote, and he's
also got all of corporate America falling at their feet.

(01:02:43):
And of course the Supreme Court says you can't actually
sort of prosecute him. So do you agree with that?

Speaker 21 (01:02:49):
Well, someone much smarter than me over the weekend made
the analogy that this is like when Caesar took Rome
effectively for all of those reasons that you've said, like,
you know, he can't he can't be prosecuted.

Speaker 11 (01:03:05):
He will have incredible.

Speaker 21 (01:03:07):
Power over everything. I mean, I think one of the
great spectacles this week will be all of the all
of the tech bros bending the knee to Trump. You know,
Corporate America throwing you know, it's sort of like terrible,
terrible mental image, but you know they'll be sort of
throwing undies and money at him is as fast as

(01:03:30):
they can, and it just I think from here it's
a it's a hold on to your hats moment. There
has also been talk that Trump is going to sign
something like a hundred executive orders in the first twenty
four hours of office. So you know what an absolute
lucky dip that's going to be.

Speaker 19 (01:03:51):
And I love it, Andrew. I mean like talking about
the tech bros. I mean, they really have been sucking up,
haven't they?

Speaker 18 (01:03:56):
To Trump?

Speaker 22 (01:03:57):
At Mari Lago and someone described Elon Muskers as channeling
a kind of top Gun meets Goldfinger five, which, when
you think about it, that's exactly what he looks like.
And even like Mark Zuckerberg, you know, who seemed like
this kind of serial killer look that he had as
dead fish eyes, you know, Julius Caesar haircut, and now
he's become the simpering, baggy T shirted, gold chain wearing

(01:04:21):
kind of white wrapper.

Speaker 2 (01:04:22):
Yeah, people have been watching too many movies, but yes,
I agree, it's going to be very cinematic at six
o'clock tomorrow and we'll have full coverage. Thank you so much, Tutrician, Josie,
This is News Talks. He be at sixty six.

Speaker 1 (01:04:34):
Red or blue, Trump or Harris? Who will win the
battleground states? The latest on the US election. It's Heather
duplicy Alan drive with one New Zealand. Let's get connected.

Speaker 3 (01:04:44):
Youth talks in be.

Speaker 2 (01:04:47):
A New Talks be you can text ninety two ninety
two small charge, Aaron writes, Andrew, keep an eye on
mister Megha. This guy's going places. I reckon he'll be
New Zealand's first Maldi prime minister.

Speaker 7 (01:04:58):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:04:59):
Aaron Ps writes Labor was also lacking in talent during
their time in power. On the question I asked as
national because they're giving everything to Simeon, Labor was also
lacking in talent. Ps goes on to say Chris Hipkins
was there, mister fix it. And this is true as well,
speaking of all that. Someone have found it very funny
on my delivery editorial about Simon Brown who said delivery

(01:05:21):
an awful lot over the last twenty four hours. He
finds it very funny that Disinda Adurn called one year
a year of delivery. So obviously delivery is a word
a thing for politicians. I've often said two sides of
the same coin. All politicians in New Zealand fair to
say yes or no whatever delivery and Lee Andrew, do

(01:05:45):
you think it is a coincidence that every time there
are big fires overseas, we start having a spate of
fires in New Zealand. Lee, No, no, they are d
heads everywhere. To quote Olli Peterson, Nicola Willis is joining
us right after the news the new Minister of everything economic.
I thought she had all the economic plot follows. No,
they gave one to Melinda Lee, and I'll tee the

(01:06:07):
other thing Melissa Lee. And the other thing is she
had envy, which is a big, old, powerful unit full
of a whole lot of people. So now Nichola has
got that and it's the year of growth. So how's
she going to do it?

Speaker 1 (01:06:18):
That's next ye We're Business Meets Insight the Business Hour
with Drew Dickins on News Talks MB.

Speaker 2 (01:06:28):
Hey, welcome back to the program. Thank you for joining us.
It's the twentieth of January. We're going to talk about
what we have to do to fix New Zealand's energy
crisis later in the program, but welcome to the Year
of Growth. As pointed out by the Prime Minister Christopher
Luxon yesterday, and that economic growth and the economic recovery
of New Zealand has been placed firmly into Nicola Willis's lap.

(01:06:51):
Nicola the Finance Minister. She is now though also the
new Minister for Economic Growth in addition to being Finance.
Chris Luxon says twenty twenty five, it's all about going
for growth and Nicola is the one to do it.
And Nicola joins me. Now, congratulations Nicola, and happy new year.

Speaker 18 (01:07:05):
Thanks Andrew. Happy new year to you too.

Speaker 19 (01:07:07):
And this is going to be the year in which
we drive growth of the New Zealand economy forward. That
is the way we can afford all of the things
New Zealanders deserve.

Speaker 18 (01:07:18):
No job, better incomes, investment in our public services.

Speaker 2 (01:07:22):
Let's talk about this new portfolio. So economic development now
becomes economic growth and it goes from listen to these
hands to yours. Why wasn't in your hands right from
the get go.

Speaker 18 (01:07:31):
Well, traditionally these two portfolios, finance and what has been
previously called economic development, haven't been held by the same minister.
What the PMS identified is, given how important growth is
to our agenda, he wants me driving that across government.
So in this portfolio, I will lead the Ministry for Business,

(01:07:52):
Innovation and Employment. Yes, and through that role I will
be making sure that we're responding to businesses, industries, small
business owners about what they need to have the confidence
to be investing, to be hiring, to be innovating. And
there are a lot of things we can do to
reform New Zealand to remove the barriers to all of those.

(01:08:14):
They talk about that progressing a big agenda, but there's
more to do.

Speaker 2 (01:08:17):
We'll talk about that. But MB was created by Stephen
Joyce who was the Minister of Finance as well, and
it is a big unit full of a lot of
big brains who work on economic development in many cases,
and you are starting to use their forecast as well
as Treasury more and more and again I come back
to the question it just beggars belief that the two
were separated in the first place.

Speaker 18 (01:08:38):
Well, look, MB does things that are very specific to
particular sectors. So they're looking at the whole immigration area,
they look at the science and innovation area, regulation, employment law,
so it's a broad span, whereas treasuries focus is more
on the big picture of what are we doing to
manage the books, ensure that inflation, interest rates are in

(01:09:01):
the right place, and those questions of where we allocate
funding and the budget and across our various public services,
so they are distinct roles. There are a huge scope
for NB. The point for me is, let's make sure
we're prioritizing that work properly. We're doing the things that
will really shift the dial, and we're doing them at pace,

(01:09:21):
and we're being responsive to the people who will actually
create growth, which in the end won't be a government minister,
and it'll be every entrepreneur who decides to invest in
that next step. It are we every exporter who says
let's take on a new market. It'll be every manufacturer
who says, let's buy that next piece of machinery. Where
both comes from.

Speaker 2 (01:09:39):
I understand that all let's talk about growth and let's
talk about productivity. Because Roger Partridge from the New Zealand Initiative,
but an article in the Held last week. Did you
read it?

Speaker 18 (01:09:48):
I did. I thought it was a good article.

Speaker 2 (01:09:50):
And he points out that New Zealand ranks near the
top of per capita resources and assets, but New Zealand
ranks seventh globally for average private adult wealth. This is
all great, but we are only ranked twenty second in
the OECD for GDP for capiture. So in other words,
where's all the money going. We've got it, but it's
not going into productivity.

Speaker 18 (01:10:09):
That's right. So actually our fundamentals are good. We are
a wealthy country when you think about our natural resources,
our talent, our capability. The problem is, for actually decades,
we've done badly on what people call productivity, which is
how much we produce for an hour of work. How
people work hard, they work big hours, but we don't

(01:10:30):
get enough value out of that, and that's because our
economy hasn't been as efficient as it needs to be.
The question for us is also.

Speaker 2 (01:10:40):
New Zealand, doers take their wealth and they invested in
bricks and watar because the residential market has been so
profitable for them, and then that's locked up money, you know,
and you've met it even easier for investors to lock
up money which should be going into businesses to expand.

Speaker 18 (01:10:55):
Well, I'd argue that actually we will continue to need
rental properties available so that we have stabilization and rents
in New Zealand. But you're right, I do want to
see more investment in our industries and our export are
exporters because they're the ones actually making us a living
in the world. And when you talk to farmers When

(01:11:17):
you talk to people in the digital services industries, they
say for them to make those investments, they need to
feel that in New Zealand, they're not going to face
too much red tape. They can get skilled workers, that
they've got good trading relationships, that if they want to
access capital, that is funding from other parts of the world,
that that investment can come in, that we have a
good science and innovation system to support them. So those

(01:11:40):
are the sorts of issues we have to get into.
The nitty gritty of it is actually an area that
is about the detail of each of those areas. And
as a government, we've been driving reform across the resource
management system so people can get a consent. We're looking
to cut through the red tape and the Health and
Safety Act. We've been doing things with employment law, but

(01:12:00):
there is more.

Speaker 2 (01:12:00):
To do Roger and Roger also talks about five hundred
billion dollars worth of Crown held assets that he believes
locks up the capital. He believes we need to get
into asset recycling, just like New South Wales have done
over the last decade. Do you agree.

Speaker 18 (01:12:15):
I agree that we need to manage the significant assets
that the government owns much much better when you look
across the Tasman, Sydney, Melbourne. Part of what has allowed
them to have much more advanced transport systems is that
they have embraced public private partnerships. They've allowed new mechanisms

(01:12:39):
for funding public transport projects and major roads. And that's
exactly the reforms that we put in last year with
our National Infrastructure Agency now open for business and we
are actively seeking investment from partners around the world to
do a better job of delivering that infrastructure.

Speaker 2 (01:12:56):
Well, because when you talk about asset recycling, that's just
a new politically correct for a little bit of privatization,
and that actually causes some willy wobbles, which and I
know that causes willy wobbles because Christopher Luxon in his campaigns,
we're saying we're not going to be doing this sort
of stuff. So in a way you said we will.

Speaker 18 (01:13:14):
Well, what I've said is the first step is to
manage our existing assets better. The second step is to
make sure that when we're creating new assets, new roads,
new hospitals, that we're doing that much more efficiently. And
then down the line are potentially at the election, we
should have a conversation in New Zealand about our investments

(01:13:36):
in the right place. Are there things that we would
rather have than some of the things we currently have.
That's a conversation for down the line. But first step,
manage what we've got a lot better and deliver the
new things we're committed to much more efficiently.

Speaker 2 (01:13:51):
Now I apologize, but this is it has to be said.
Labor Minister Stuart Nash has written an opinion piece today
in Newsroom. I don't know if you've read it or not,
and then it for those who have not read it.
There was a term circulating amongst the business community around
the country. It's called being Willis. Being Willis happens to
senior businessmen and women who attend meetings with the Finance
Minister Nicola Willis and leave having received a lecture on

(01:14:13):
how to run a business and what they should do
to be successful, despite the fact that Nicola Willis has
not been in the business sector apart from one job
at Fonterra. What do you make of what Stuart's just written?

Speaker 18 (01:14:23):
Well, I was so cross when I read that because
it's so far from what I say to business audiences
and such a false depiction of my role at Fontira
that I actually rang Stuart today to ask him where
he's coming from. Unfortunately he hasn't picked up my call yet.
So if you're listening, Steve, give me a call. Because
one of the first things I say to business audiences
wherever I am in the country is it's not the

(01:14:45):
government who should tell you how to run your business.
You know how to do it better than we do.
Our job is to create the conditions in which you
can succeed. And I'll also defend myself. At Fontira, I
had a range of roles including trade strategy with some
of our critical trading partners around the world, deploying our
commercial strategy, and ultimately running an operational unit with farms

(01:15:08):
and waste management. So his characterization of my experience is wrong.
We will make mistakes, Jue, so you are open to
correct that one.

Speaker 7 (01:15:17):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:15:18):
Now, Look, you've just hired the visitor levy from thirty
five dollars to one hundred bucks per traveler councilors and
of course the Department of Conservation want that money. They
feel it's being sucked up into the consolidated fund or
some slush fund somewhere. Are you going to give councils
and do more to manage our assets that are stressed

(01:15:39):
by tourism.

Speaker 18 (01:15:41):
Yes, our view is that having more international visitors come
to New Zealand is the really good thing, and I'm
delighted that the numbers for our foreign visitors through December
and January are the highest I've been in five years.
That does create pressure both on our conservation to state
our national parks and the infrastructure needed to support those visitors,

(01:16:04):
and it creates pressure in our regions in terms of
what tourists coming in require. So we haven't made as
our cabinet decisions yet on what we will do specifically
with that additional revenue, but our intention is to support
both conservation activity and to support tourism and to keep

(01:16:25):
that pump going so that we keep attracting tourists and
the money they bring to our businesses, our retailers, our
hospitality providers.

Speaker 2 (01:16:32):
Now and as I said at the beginning of the program,
of New Zealand certainly has mojo at the moment. I mean,
did you see what happened on this past weekend. Everywhere
everybody's out, everybody's making things happen. Entrepreneurially, we're up for
it mate. A year of growth is what we all want. Nicola,
I thank you so much for your time today. That
is Nicola Willius and the Finance Minister. It's seventeen minutes after.

Speaker 1 (01:16:51):
Six analysis from the experts bringing you everything you need
to know on the US election. It's the business our
Heather Dup for c Allen and my HR THEHR solution
for busy SMEs used talks.

Speaker 3 (01:17:04):
They'd be.

Speaker 2 (01:17:07):
A few people have briefly commented that Nicola and I
briefly talked over each other. She was linked by internet.
There is a lag and we've noticed that there's about
one second mag so that happens from time to time,
and I apologize. Now we have Jared Kerr on the
line and he is KIWI Banks chief Economists. Welcome to
the program, Jared, and happy new year. Happy new year,

(01:17:28):
and it's time to look at this year and to
look at the economy and look at the markets. I've
been treading this slightly for a little while now because
I've had such a happy time over someone with my holiday,
but there we go. So the latest one is the
inflation data, which for the December quarter is out on Wednesday.
We have a dollar that's tanking in petrol that's going
up and all sorts of things. So what do you

(01:17:49):
think is going to look like, Well, we.

Speaker 7 (01:17:52):
Think it's going to be quite good. Actually, the annual
rate's going to fall to about two point one percent,
which from the Reserve Bank's perspective, you know, that's job done.
There's a few things happening beneath the surface there. We're
seeing like petro port petrol prices are actually down, a
lot of imported goods are down in price, which is nice.

(01:18:13):
And it's just the homegrown inflation that's still a little sticky,
but it looks to be heading in the right direction.

Speaker 2 (01:18:19):
You talk about that homegrown that's that's the that's a nontradable, right,
that's the stuff like, well, we've got their rates and
rents and electricity charges and supermarket charges and all sorts
of things, and that's a never ending, you know, saga
of increasing costs and increasing prices. Don't we have more
control over that than than the tradable inflation, which is

(01:18:42):
overseas based.

Speaker 7 (01:18:45):
Yeah, exactly right. So the Reserve Bank does target, you know,
with a with an eye on domestic inflation because that's
what they can control it has fallen quite sharply over
the last couple of years. It's got a little bit
fairther a go. Like you say, there's some frustrating stuff
in there, like rates, you know, council rates, insurance costs.

(01:19:08):
There's a few things in there that are quite that
are running at quite a high rate. That will start
to ease off this year.

Speaker 2 (01:19:15):
But last time we measured that was have a five
percent that's that's the inflation rate from hell.

Speaker 7 (01:19:21):
Well, it's in the falls now and we expect it
to come to come down to about three percent this year,
which is in line with its longer run average. So
we have had a really strong bout of inflation. But
the good news is that we're on top of it
and it's getting back to longer term averages.

Speaker 2 (01:19:39):
Very good. Meanwhile, as I mentioned before, the New Zealand
doal is looking terrible. What do you make of that.

Speaker 7 (01:19:46):
It's a double edged sword. So on the on the
one hand, it's really useful in making New Zealand detractive.
New Zealand goes on sale when the currency falls, makes
our goods and services and travel cheaper to foreigners. So
you know that's nice. We need more tourists here and
our farmers could always do with a few extra dollars

(01:20:10):
in pay. The other side is one of Kivi frustration,
where it costs US more to buy foreign goods, costs
US more to travel over seas. So the falling dollar,
you know, good on one hand, bad on the other.
I'm an economist, you know, I stay down the middle.
It is. It is a bit better for US as

(01:20:31):
an economic when it does come up.

Speaker 2 (01:20:33):
But the thing is, it also affects things like oil
prices and petrol prices, and rather than worrying about going
over seas, I think most people are more worried about
the fact that it's going to cost an awful lot
more to deliver their goods to market.

Speaker 7 (01:20:44):
Yeah, that's true. So as petrol prices lift, petrol prices
are actually down at the moment. But if they if
they lift on the back of this floor in the currency,
then that that acts like a tax on households, and
it affects us or anyone with a car or transport.

Speaker 2 (01:21:03):
It hurts, right, Jared, Well, look, I thank you very much,
and we'll talk again soon and have a great year.
It's a year of gross It is now six twenty four.
It's News Talks MB.

Speaker 3 (01:21:13):
Crunching the numbers and getting the results.

Speaker 1 (01:21:16):
It's ridiculous with the Business Hour on Newstalks MB.

Speaker 2 (01:21:22):
It's walking to the program five twenty seven. As we
mentioned a couple of times today on the radio, and
this is Roger Partridge from the New Zealand Initiative. In
his article last week in the Herald, we he asked
the questions, how do we end out so asset rich
but service poor? And then he starts talking about the
assets that we have. Core Crown assets are worth three
hundred and twenty seven billion dollars at state highways and

(01:21:43):
conservation lands, et cetera. Then you've got publicly owned assets
like soees, schools and hospitals, and how total Crown assets
reach five hundred and seventy one billion dollars. The government
owns seventy two thousand houses forty five billion dollars. The
super fund man manages seventy nine billion dollars. So when

(01:22:06):
you hear that the government's got no money, well yeah maybe,
but the Crown does. And so they talk about this
idea and it's a it's a term that came in
New South Wales. It's called asset recycling, and that is
managing the crown held assets better, making more money out
of them. But it also means recycling the assets, which
means selling some as well, which as I said, many

(01:22:27):
people get very leary about. And of course all the
comments on that article by Roger Partridge or go, well,
you don't want to sell off the family silver mate
because you only get one sugar hit from that sort
of stuff. But anyway, it's a fascinating read. It's a
big study on it as well, and I suggest that
you should actually read it. It's a report called Unlocking
Value from Infrastructure New Zealand which suggests asset recycling and

(01:22:49):
the building of a lot more infrastructure is one way
out of our productivity crisis. It's coming up six twenty
nine on Newstalks The Still to Come. We're going to
look at what Simon Wats has to do to fix
the New Zealand's energy crisis.

Speaker 3 (01:23:03):
Whether it's macro micro or just plain economics.

Speaker 1 (01:23:07):
It's all on the Business Hour with Andrew Dickens on
these talks.

Speaker 2 (01:23:29):
Ah Billie Eirish, that's a huge song. Had a great
summer streaming in all over the place. People making money
on the internet. Now we're going to text through. This
is interesting when the text says the issue, of course
with the dollar being down is that it's great for
exporters and we're an export based economy. Meanwhile, everyone else
feels the pain. And that's true. The domestic economy feels

(01:23:50):
the pain. The dollar goes down, the picture prices go up,
it costs forever to it costs an enormous amount to
run the car and all other things, because remember everything
depends on energy, right Anyway, the text goes on and
says central government will never change their stance because it
helps boost GDP and boost tax receipts. And this is
the sort of frustration which sends people who are not

(01:24:13):
involved in the export industry and they were not making
money from the lower dollar. That's the sort of thing
that sends people overseas. And I read that text out
because I want to talk about energy. The energy sector
drives an economy, and the energy sector has a new
minister and they're hoping that that new minister will have
new solutions to the country's energy crisis. So we've got

(01:24:35):
electricity prices continuing to rise. We've got no solution found
for our looming gas shortage so far. And we have
a new Climate Change Minister and it's Simon Watts from
the North Shore. He picks up the energy portfolio from
simmm Brown. So let's talk about this. I'm joined by
Octopus Energy Chief Operating Officer Margaret Cooney right now, Happy
new year, Margaret.

Speaker 12 (01:24:56):
Thanks for giving me.

Speaker 2 (01:24:58):
It's a pleasure. So the energy crisis, where is it
from your point of view?

Speaker 10 (01:25:04):
Oh?

Speaker 23 (01:25:04):
Look, it's still going. I think as we saw in
December when the GDP numbers came out, electricity costs are
having a real drag on the economy and end productivity.
So the issue the dry year has gone from last year,
but issue of high prices impacting New Zealand businesses and

(01:25:25):
households is an ongoing issue.

Speaker 2 (01:25:28):
Yeah, so what's the answer? I know, I mean, we
all know this is the problem with it so many things.
We can all point out the problem beautifully. The question
is what is the answer.

Speaker 3 (01:25:39):
Yeah?

Speaker 23 (01:25:39):
Well, I think the good thing is that New Zealand
really didn't need to reinvent the wheel here that OCD
have identified that basically we need to do some reforms
to support competition in the sector. So one of the
things that the Minister has highlighted is that there is
a reform agenda that's needed energy and it's really action

(01:26:02):
in that. So we know already that the current energy
prices are well above the cost of new generation. So
all we need is new generation coming into market and
also settings that support much more innovation. So we have
seen abroad just the massive impact that entry from new

(01:26:23):
generation investors and retailers like ourselves as having on energy markets.
And I think, you know, there's a bad news story
at the moment around energy, but there should be a
lot of hope and confidence that with some reform we
can actually make sure that the New Zealand economy is

(01:26:45):
driven by the energy sector and it's not no longer
an Archilles heel.

Speaker 2 (01:26:50):
So when we talk about new generation, if you're going
to talk about a DAN that's going to take forever,
even no matter how much fast track legislation comes in.
The resource consenting and the engineering is extraordinary. If you're
going hydro, then you've got to cause wind, and you've
got geothermal et cetera, and you've got solar. You know, now,
really do we have enough extra generation there to actually

(01:27:11):
cope with what we already use in terms of energy
and what we hope to use in energy to further
far on growth.

Speaker 23 (01:27:21):
There is quite a substantial pipeline of potential generation development sites.
Part of the problem is that lots of these new
entrant generators actually can't get the projects off the ground
because they can't get the contracts of counterparties because the

(01:27:41):
market so locked up. So it's really just reforming that
piece to unleash a level of investment that's needed to
help scale the sector and also decarbonize the sector as well.

Speaker 2 (01:27:57):
Everyone loves to talk about the oil gas exploration. Of
course we didn't promote it. We didn't actually stir it
on by banning it. That was bad for business, and
of course people didn't want to put money into that
sort of business if they're going to see a government
banning and then unbanning oil and gas exploration. But also
before that even happened, we were finding it difficult to
find any new sources. So where do you think that

(01:28:20):
Where do you think we are in that area in
that sector of the sector.

Speaker 23 (01:28:26):
Look, I think there are a whole number of issues
around the gas sector. There hasn't been enough exploration to
bring on new supply. That's an obvious issue, but there's
much debate about the Crown Minerals Act as well, So
I don't think we should expect huge changes there in
the short term. It as a gas is ultimately like

(01:28:51):
kind of ten year horizon to invest in it and
find it. But I think one of the things we
should place a lot more hopen is actually the potential
of other technologies to fill the gap that has previously
been filled by gas. So we are seeing massive reductions

(01:29:17):
in the cost of grid scale batteries, and so the
combination of building out those renewables like solar that's falling
and putting batteries in that is another solution.

Speaker 2 (01:29:31):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, But of course then they become dependent
on the rare earth minerals that then also start to
run out, and then you have a run out there
as well. I mean, really, what human kind needs to
find is a cheap and reliable and perpetually renewing energy source.
Have you heard of any of those ladies.

Speaker 23 (01:29:50):
Well, we've got a New Zealand based nuclear fusion operation,
so open Star. Maybe there's hope in that.

Speaker 2 (01:30:02):
Really is that we're at because I'm hearing this in
America as well, I think they are saying they are saying, look,
we've got an energy crisis in America and look how
my oil we've got. But so they are really saying
we have not maximized nuclear technology.

Speaker 16 (01:30:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 23 (01:30:19):
Look, I think more immediately for New Zealand building out
renewables and batteries are an option lot guests. In the
medium term maybe, but there's a few hurdles there.

Speaker 2 (01:30:35):
I think.

Speaker 23 (01:30:36):
The other big thing to highlight is that for households,
adopting solar is becoming increasingly economic. So the payback on
the solar system now is around five to seven years,
and you know, beyond that period, it's not.

Speaker 17 (01:30:55):
Like a couch.

Speaker 23 (01:30:55):
It actually starts making new money. So the LAE team,
which we don't need to know, extending our energy supply,
you know, I would strongly encourage everyone who has the
access to money or a lot of interest loan to
look at solar because you know, it really really does

(01:31:16):
steck up.

Speaker 2 (01:31:17):
All right, Margaret Cooney, I thank you so much. Now
Margaret is the Octopus Energy Chief operating Officer, And it
is now sixteen minutes to seven. We're after the Europe
in just a few months time. This is news Talks.

Speaker 1 (01:31:30):
AB everything from SMEs to the big corporates of the
Business Hour with Dridkins on News Talks AB.

Speaker 2 (01:31:42):
Yes, I've been talking, well, we've been talking to some
pretty depressing stuff over the course of this hour. But
I did start off the program by talking about how
vibrant New Zealand was over the weekend, how many activities
were being held up and down the country, how many
people got out and invested in those activities, how many
hospitality ventures managed to profit from those, how many people

(01:32:03):
got employed by it. And I just had a text
saying from Steve saying, Graymouth and the West Coast is
absolutely pumping right now, full of tourists and fantastic weather,
and always remember that it's a good place to be living.
But meanwhile, let's go overseas. We go to Gail Downey now,
who is our UK correspondent. Hello and happy New Year.

Speaker 24 (01:32:24):
Gail, Hello Andrew and happy New Year to you too.

Speaker 2 (01:32:28):
And let's get to the issue of the of the day,
and this is the Gaza and Israel deal and the
swap of hostages. So we've had a British Israeli hostage released.

Speaker 24 (01:32:39):
That's right. Her name is Emily Demara, and she's among
three young women released as part of the ceasefire agreement
in Gaza. She and the other hostages were reunited with
their mums at the Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv, where
they were undergoing medical checks. Emily was seen with a
bandage around her hand and has two missing fingers, and

(01:33:00):
she had been shot when she was captured by her
mass at the kibbutz where she'd been working. We don't
know any more detail than that she'd been held captive
for four hundred and seventy one days, and further hostage
releases are expected in a staged process which is going
to take place over the next few weeks, and in return,
ninety Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and children, have been freed

(01:33:23):
from Israeli jails as part of the deal.

Speaker 2 (01:33:26):
Do you think we'll ever hear her story, because four
hundred and seventy one days is enormous. The toll will
be great, the mental toll will be great, and there'll
be some people who will want to tell the story,
which we would like to hear, but there'll be others
who would never go near us. Yeah.

Speaker 24 (01:33:43):
I suspect that at this moment in time, until all
the hostages are released, people have decided not to say
very much that We've had a few little bits and
pieces from people talking about their conditions, but it may
be that the Israeli government feel its safe for people
to talk about it because there are still people being

(01:34:03):
held hostage. So I don't know in the long run
whether these stories will come out. I'm sure they will
in the end, but at the moment people don't seem
to be saying very much. Only the occasional snippet.

Speaker 2 (01:34:14):
That's understandable. But whenever we mention either side in our
news stories at the moment, we get an incredible reaction
from the other side, from our listenship, and it takes
or whatever this I think it's important to announce, to
reiterate is SDEs fire it's not the end of the problem.

Speaker 24 (01:34:34):
No, this is a very much a stage process and
what happens in the future, of course, has yet to
be decided. Because if you saw the images of displaced
Palestinians who basically were bombed out of the Gaza Strip,
they're now returning home.

Speaker 18 (01:34:51):
But if you see the.

Speaker 24 (01:34:51):
Images of the Gaza Strip, one has to ask themselves,
hold on a minute, there's a massive reconstruction process going
that needs to be done here, Who's going to pay
for it and who is going to rule if you like,
in the strictest sense the strip once things kind of

(01:35:12):
do eventually maybe get back to where they were. But
when you see the images you just think this is,
you know, one of a reconstruction job.

Speaker 2 (01:35:24):
Absolutely. But the thing here is that Emily Danaly is
home with her people. Prince Harry, he's going to court again.

Speaker 24 (01:35:33):
Yes, it's part of a massive case against the parent company,
Newsgroup Newspapers, which owns The Sun and it also owned
which is now closed, the newspaper the Sunday newspaper, the
News of the World. It's the first time the group
itself has had to put up a defense against allegations

(01:35:54):
that journalists and executives knew what was going on in
the way that the stories were gathered by phone hacking
and other illegal methods. Because in the past what's been
claimed is it was just a handful of wrongdoers and
some of whom have been sent to prisons. So this
is a case against the group. Now the group has
apologized for unlawful practices at the News of the World

(01:36:15):
and as to say Clows it down in twenty eleven,
but it denies similar claims against the Sun newspaper and
Prince Harry's wider allegations of a corporate a massive, corporate
wide cover up.

Speaker 2 (01:36:28):
This must been costing Harry a fortune.

Speaker 24 (01:36:31):
Oh, undoubtedly. You don't get a cheap lawyers anywhere if
you don't get two lawyers and two parisones in London
for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:36:41):
And is this hiting in London?

Speaker 24 (01:36:44):
Yes, that's right, it's happening in London. Starts tomorrow and
obviously we'll bring you more news on that as it happens.

Speaker 2 (01:36:52):
Will Harry be in attendant.

Speaker 24 (01:36:55):
One expects him to be in attendance, Yes.

Speaker 2 (01:36:59):
And will he be giving you.

Speaker 24 (01:37:01):
That I don't know at this moment in time. Mean
he has in the past certainly, which has been incredibly interesting,
But at the moment we don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:37:11):
And here's a great question for you. Why is a
local council in Lincolnshire giving out free air friers to
six thousand pensioners?

Speaker 24 (01:37:20):
Well once, it's an interesting story actually, because what's happened
is that the government when it came in it's controversially
scrapped what's called the winter fuel payment, which is given
to all pensioners in the UK as part of an
aid to help them with winter fuel bills. Now it
says only a certain group of pensioners, people on benefits

(01:37:44):
in the main who can now claim for it. And
what it's done, it's set up something called a Household
Support Fund and local authorities, local councils can dip into
the Household Support Fund and use that support householders to
support pensions. And what this council has done has said
we're going to give out use up money to give

(01:38:04):
out air fryers to six thousand pensioners to help with
their energy bills. They're also giving out thirteen hundred slow
cookers and four hundred one cup kettles. And of course
it's much cheaper to use an air fright than it
is to use bigger others. So the idea is yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:38:24):
Absolutely, okay, funny old thing, got we overthink stuff. Hey, Gail,
thank you so much for your time today. Talking again later.
That is Gail Downey who is our UK correspondent, and
this is News Talks.

Speaker 3 (01:38:34):
It be getting ready for a new administration in the US.
What will be the impact.

Speaker 1 (01:38:41):
It's the Business Hour with hither duplicy Ellen and my
HR the HR solution for busy news talks.

Speaker 2 (01:38:48):
It be news talks here be Well, this has been
a bit of a shock, got It's been a whole January,
just sitting on beaches, heaven swims, going for long walks
looking it to strave a feed out from your things,
seeing how far you've walked and see if you're getting kudos,
and all of a sudden I had to sit and think,
exhausting and guess what, I'm going to do it again tomorrow.

(01:39:11):
So thank you so much for your company today. And Anthony, Yes, Andrew,
you're playing Walliam c By are you not?

Speaker 10 (01:39:20):
By the village people? Inaugurations not far off, Andrew. I
think we're what twelve hours away in our least, So
we've got to start getting into the mood of it.
And this song is going to be played at least
once during the inauguration, right the village people are performing,
they'll do it.

Speaker 2 (01:39:33):
They've already done it. They they've performed at the pre inauguration.

Speaker 10 (01:39:36):
Yeah, and I'm surely he'll play it as he wums
on stage as well as going to be a stage
inside and get ready, get get all warmed up, Laura's
doing the dance already, or she's doing the dance Trump
was doing, which is nothing resembling the way of theater.

Speaker 2 (01:39:48):
But you just just visualize what everyone's enjoying, the degree
anger up and down and down in a syncopated rhythm.
All right. Then the village people say they don't support
Donald Trump, but they support the song bringing people together.
And we are having an inauguration tomorrow on a legally
elected president and next to have a bit of a party,

(01:40:09):
shall we indoors, which is going to be helpful. No
one's going to be complaining about the numbers.

Speaker 1 (01:40:17):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio

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