September 15, 2025 • 8 mins
Nicola Willis has responded to protesters chained to the outside of her Johnsonville electorate office.
The group of Christian leaders want an urgent timeline from the Government for implementing sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza.
They're praying and fasting - and say they're prepared to stay overnight.
Willis says she supports the right to protest, however they're getting in the way of people who want to get help from her office.
She says security have been engaged by Parliamentary Services, and security have been engaging with the police.
Five clergy were trespassed from Simeon Brown's Pakuranga electorate office earlier today.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
With us now as Nichola willis the Finance Minister. Evening Nikola,
Good evening, Heather. Do you have an opinion on whether
Watties cans should have New Zealand peaches in them?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I haven't followed this story. I think it's really a
matter for Waties and as long as they're upfront and
transparent with their consumers about it, then it's their business
and a fewer people buy them if they're not key
we then surely they'll take dinner into.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Account, Like do you go to the supermarket and pick
up the can, turn around, go no, that's not from
New Zealand? Or buy something else?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, I have my husband doing most of the supermarket
shopping for our house, is the honest answer to that question.
We don't buy that many peaches. What I worry about
is whether they've got extra sugar, because I don't want
our kids juicing up on that before school.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, this is a very big problem speaking of which actually,
because then you're sending them to school hyperactive for the
teachers who are on strike. Have you got a year twelvel,
year thirteen home today?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well? I have a year eleven?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Who will so you're tomorrow home?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Tomorrow. Yeah, have you again. That's disruptive to My husband's
life is our main caregiver, and we'll have to rearrange
his life accordingly. But it's look, it's the it's all
of the families who are disrupted. Some of home. It's
really difficult to reorganize their lives around that. They're expecting
their kids to be at school. And I've just got
(01:20):
one observation, which is we want to bargain in good faith.
You do that at the bargaining table. You can't do
that while you're striking. And I noticed that teachers never
seem to strike in the school holidays.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Isn't that a surprise? So what's your husban's going to do.
Is it going to take time off work or is
he going to work from home and chuck the boy
on the device?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
He'll work from home and he'll have to manage the
device use because that will be a strange magnet to
which my son will be drawn undoubtedly.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Now, what is this Phillips inquiry that the Prime Minister
was hinting at this morning.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, there are naturally a lot of questions around how
the situation was handled over the past four years, and
a range of government agents involved, not just the police
but obviously oring a Tamadiki and other agencies. And so
the government is taking advice around what an inquiry would
look like to have that whole of government perspective.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Okay. Will this inquiry also look into whether the police
did the right things?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Well, that will be an aspect of it, I'm sure,
because it's about the way that different agencies have interacted
and engaged and the ultimate decisions that were made.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Will one of the questions be whether the police should
have gone in earlier.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Well, I don't want to get ahead of the terms
of reference because those haven't been set yet, but those
are the sorts of questions that people are asking, and
I'm sure that the police are fully expecting to address
those questions anyway. They have their own inquiries underway, but
you would expect that a whole of government inquiry would
consider that.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, and we'll just take the place of the IPCA inquiry,
which surely will have to happen anyway.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, Well, that's really important, but of course that's about
the ultimate shootout rather than the wider set of events.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Okay, So the IPCA looks at the shootout, this other
inquiry will look at the whole operation, whether the right
things were done. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Look, and I understand that police and the normal course
of events review and operation of this magnitude and national significance,
So that would happen anyway. But what the Prime Minister's
looking at is the broader inquiry on the way all
the government agencies involved have come together on this matter
and the consequences of their decision making.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Now, look on the eden Park thing, why don't you guys,
I mean, we all understand that eden Park is playing
with its arms tied behind its back, right, So why
not instead of launching an investigation and dragging it out
for the next six months or whatever, why don't you
guys change the rules? We know what the rules are.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Well, none of this would be possible if we hadn't
passed law this year which for the first time ever
allows us to get in and modify provisions in local plans.
This is all part of the Resource Management Act, so
we now have that power. What the law requires Bishop
to do is to a proper investigation to demonstrate that
(04:04):
this is something that's negatively impacting economic growth, and then
he recommends changes. So that's about following the process and
the more that's right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
What is the game with you know, what's the goal
with the Christians tied up in your office?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Well, obviously I support the right to protest, but I
would point out that by then going ahead in the
way that they are chaining themselves to the office and
the like, they're just getting in the way of good
people who want to come to that electorate office to
have help with constituent matters. My electorate staff member has
had to work from home. It means he can't meet
(04:41):
face to face with people, which is really disruptive and
I don't think positive for their course.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Do do you have to have people there sort of
guarding the place overnight?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I understand that our security have been engaged by Parliamentary
Services who take operational responsibility for these matters, and security
have been engaging with the I also understand the protesters
turned up with muffins this morning, so it was news
to me that they're in fact going to be fasting.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Oh, I thought odd. So they weren't like muffins like
a core Haar. It was like muffins for themselves.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Well, I think it was as a core Ha. It
was a rooster try and get in the door so
that they could do as have attempted in other offices.
And I have a very on to it. Electric agent
oh No could see what was brewing.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
It's like a fishes and loaves type situation, isn't it?
Except and now we're changed. Okay, Now what have you heard?
What's going on here with Taku to Ferris because no
one can get hold of the Maori Party to understand
why they can't get on top of them. What are
you hearing?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Well, I just think they're in a complete mess. I
mean they'll be seeing the writing on the wall, which
is that when you have members making openly racist statements
and disenfranchising huge numbers of New Zealanders, you don't look
like a party that could ever be in government. And
presumably someone into party Marty is smart enough to work
(05:58):
out that if you can't ever be in government, then
you can't ever really get anything done. So I imagine
they're having an internal war about that. I know that
their whip last week was pretty upset to have her
whip promoved. I don't know what relationship that has with
all of this, but look, just more entics from the party.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Marti Ohka interesting. Now, listen, can you explain to me
how you guys racked up a forty four thousand dollar
bill for the Pavlova on the Mountain date?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Well, look, talking to the Prime Minister's office, I understand
that this was about promoting New Zealand des.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
I know what it was about. But listen, listen, let
me just let me come clean with you. Okay. So
I had a look at it, and I see that
you can get a two group private Queenstown charter on
the Chopper for thirteen and a half thousand dollars. Now
I want two choppers because that's what you people had.
So now it's twenty seven thousand dollars. So where's the
other seventeen thousand dollars come from?
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Look, I haven't been involved in looking at the costings
of that. I'm sure those are questions which the Prime
Minister's Office would happily answer. Basically, this was about showcasing
the best of New Zealand Scenia tourism. Provision was made.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
There wasn't that wasn't there wasn't that much media. That's
the problem.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Well, an interesting point that's probably relevant to the overall
price was that provision was made to have journalists come along,
but ultimately the Australian Prime Minister wasn't comfortable with them
being in the chopper, so it ended up being just
for social media, but it did receive wider reporting.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
It's interesting elbow under the bus.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
No, well, I don't think I'm throwing them under the
bus at all. I think that's a perfectly reasonable position
for any leader to take. Is when they want media
accompanying them and when they don't. Doesn't like totally, that's
totally their.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Program, Nichola. So are you telling me if I go
to the Prime minister, our Prime Minister's office and say,
Nicholas said, you have to tell me how you racked
up the spill, they will be honest with me.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Well, I think that they'll be able to give you
some sort of a breakdown.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah, great, I shall do this. Thank you very much,
appreciate it. Nichola Willis's Finance mini stand good Luck for
Tomorrow with the Boy at Hope For more or from
Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to News Talks at
b from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
With us now as Nichola willis the Finance Minister. Evening Nikola,
Good evening, Heather. Do you have an opinion on whether
Watties cans should have New Zealand peaches in them?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I haven't followed this story. I think it's really a
matter for Waties and as long as they're upfront and
transparent with their consumers about it, then it's their business
and a fewer people buy them if they're not key
we then surely they'll take dinner into.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Account, Like do you go to the supermarket and pick
up the can, turn around, go no, that's not from
New Zealand? Or buy something else?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, I have my husband doing most of the supermarket
shopping for our house, is the honest answer to that question.
We don't buy that many peaches. What I worry about
is whether they've got extra sugar, because I don't want
our kids juicing up on that before school.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, this is a very big problem speaking of which actually,
because then you're sending them to school hyperactive for the
teachers who are on strike. Have you got a year twelvel,
year thirteen home today?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well? I have a year eleven?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Who will so you're tomorrow home?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Tomorrow. Yeah, have you again. That's disruptive to My husband's
life is our main caregiver, and we'll have to rearrange
his life accordingly. But it's look, it's the it's all
of the families who are disrupted. Some of home. It's
really difficult to reorganize their lives around that. They're expecting
their kids to be at school. And I've just got
(01:20):
one observation, which is we want to bargain in good faith.
You do that at the bargaining table. You can't do
that while you're striking. And I noticed that teachers never
seem to strike in the school holidays.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Isn't that a surprise? So what's your husban's going to do.
Is it going to take time off work or is
he going to work from home and chuck the boy
on the device?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
He'll work from home and he'll have to manage the
device use because that will be a strange magnet to
which my son will be drawn undoubtedly.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Now, what is this Phillips inquiry that the Prime Minister
was hinting at this morning.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, there are naturally a lot of questions around how
the situation was handled over the past four years, and
a range of government agents involved, not just the police
but obviously oring a Tamadiki and other agencies. And so
the government is taking advice around what an inquiry would
look like to have that whole of government perspective.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Okay. Will this inquiry also look into whether the police
did the right things?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Well, that will be an aspect of it, I'm sure,
because it's about the way that different agencies have interacted
and engaged and the ultimate decisions that were made.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Will one of the questions be whether the police should
have gone in earlier.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Well, I don't want to get ahead of the terms
of reference because those haven't been set yet, but those
are the sorts of questions that people are asking, and
I'm sure that the police are fully expecting to address
those questions anyway. They have their own inquiries underway, but
you would expect that a whole of government inquiry would
consider that.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, and we'll just take the place of the IPCA inquiry,
which surely will have to happen anyway.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, Well, that's really important, but of course that's about
the ultimate shootout rather than the wider set of events.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Okay, So the IPCA looks at the shootout, this other
inquiry will look at the whole operation, whether the right
things were done. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Look, and I understand that police and the normal course
of events review and operation of this magnitude and national significance,
So that would happen anyway. But what the Prime Minister's
looking at is the broader inquiry on the way all
the government agencies involved have come together on this matter
and the consequences of their decision making.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Now, look on the eden Park thing, why don't you guys,
I mean, we all understand that eden Park is playing
with its arms tied behind its back, right, So why
not instead of launching an investigation and dragging it out
for the next six months or whatever, why don't you
guys change the rules? We know what the rules are.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Well, none of this would be possible if we hadn't
passed law this year which for the first time ever
allows us to get in and modify provisions in local plans.
This is all part of the Resource Management Act, so
we now have that power. What the law requires Bishop
to do is to a proper investigation to demonstrate that
(04:04):
this is something that's negatively impacting economic growth, and then
he recommends changes. So that's about following the process and
the more that's right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
What is the game with you know, what's the goal
with the Christians tied up in your office?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Well, obviously I support the right to protest, but I
would point out that by then going ahead in the
way that they are chaining themselves to the office and
the like, they're just getting in the way of good
people who want to come to that electorate office to
have help with constituent matters. My electorate staff member has
had to work from home. It means he can't meet
(04:41):
face to face with people, which is really disruptive and
I don't think positive for their course.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Do do you have to have people there sort of
guarding the place overnight?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I understand that our security have been engaged by Parliamentary
Services who take operational responsibility for these matters, and security
have been engaging with the I also understand the protesters
turned up with muffins this morning, so it was news
to me that they're in fact going to be fasting.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Oh, I thought odd. So they weren't like muffins like
a core Haar. It was like muffins for themselves.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Well, I think it was as a core Ha. It
was a rooster try and get in the door so
that they could do as have attempted in other offices.
And I have a very on to it. Electric agent
oh No could see what was brewing.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
It's like a fishes and loaves type situation, isn't it?
Except and now we're changed. Okay, Now what have you heard?
What's going on here with Taku to Ferris because no
one can get hold of the Maori Party to understand
why they can't get on top of them. What are
you hearing?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Well, I just think they're in a complete mess. I
mean they'll be seeing the writing on the wall, which
is that when you have members making openly racist statements
and disenfranchising huge numbers of New Zealanders, you don't look
like a party that could ever be in government. And
presumably someone into party Marty is smart enough to work
(05:58):
out that if you can't ever be in government, then
you can't ever really get anything done. So I imagine
they're having an internal war about that. I know that
their whip last week was pretty upset to have her
whip promoved. I don't know what relationship that has with
all of this, but look, just more entics from the party.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Marti Ohka interesting. Now, listen, can you explain to me
how you guys racked up a forty four thousand dollar
bill for the Pavlova on the Mountain date?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Well, look, talking to the Prime Minister's office, I understand
that this was about promoting New Zealand des.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
I know what it was about. But listen, listen, let
me just let me come clean with you. Okay. So
I had a look at it, and I see that
you can get a two group private Queenstown charter on
the Chopper for thirteen and a half thousand dollars. Now
I want two choppers because that's what you people had.
So now it's twenty seven thousand dollars. So where's the
other seventeen thousand dollars come from?
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Look, I haven't been involved in looking at the costings
of that. I'm sure those are questions which the Prime
Minister's Office would happily answer. Basically, this was about showcasing
the best of New Zealand Scenia tourism. Provision was made.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
There wasn't that wasn't there wasn't that much media. That's
the problem.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Well, an interesting point that's probably relevant to the overall
price was that provision was made to have journalists come along,
but ultimately the Australian Prime Minister wasn't comfortable with them
being in the chopper, so it ended up being just
for social media, but it did receive wider reporting.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
It's interesting elbow under the bus.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
No, well, I don't think I'm throwing them under the
bus at all. I think that's a perfectly reasonable position
for any leader to take. Is when they want media
accompanying them and when they don't. Doesn't like totally, that's
totally their.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Program, Nichola. So are you telling me if I go
to the Prime minister, our Prime Minister's office and say,
Nicholas said, you have to tell me how you racked
up the spill, they will be honest with me.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Well, I think that they'll be able to give you
some sort of a breakdown.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah, great, I shall do this. Thank you very much,
appreciate it. Nichola Willis's Finance mini stand good Luck for
Tomorrow with the Boy at Hope For more or from
Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to News Talks at
b from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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