September 3, 2024 • 9 mins
Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
New Zealand's spy agency has issued a warning about potential foreign interference in the country. Are we too relaxed about potential threats?
The Government has pushed up the tourism levy - it'll go up from $35 to $100 by October. Is this a good call - or will it hurt the economy?
New data shows that more couples over 50 are getting divorced - why do we think this is?
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Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's coming up nineteen away from six.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
The Huddle with New Zealand Southby's International Realty exceptional marketing
for every property.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
On the Huddle. This evening got David Farrakuria Polster and
KII Blog and Allie Jones read Piahlo guys Yheather David,
is it normal for our spies to warn the other
spies that we busted them spying?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
It is quite normal, would be my assumption.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
I feel like spycraft though, does it no?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
But it's sort of like you had saved a lot
of time and bother if you just say look, we're
on to you, we know what you're doing, rather than
have to keep monitoring that they'll go away.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
But they'll just try harder to hide themselves, wren't they?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
They They will, But it's not the sort of activity
where if you had found out, y know, there was
a secret agent who was stealing secrets, that's not something
you'd say we know about all right. But this is
like having front groups at set find to stir things up.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Okay, Allie, how do you feel about this?
Speaker 4 (01:01):
In freaking I think yeah, it doesn't. I think there
are two different things here. Firstly, there's that spying and
that infiltration that we heard a bit about there, and
then I think they're those lunatics that try and promote ideologies.
And in christ Church, of course we're well aware of
that after the terrible, tragic Mosque shootings some years ago.
(01:23):
But I also, you know, and I don't want to
make light of this because that was tragic and it
could happen again. But I find this really quite bizarre.
I mean, I watch a lot of Netflix, I watch
a lot of streaming stuff on spies, and I think
we are very relaxed in New Zealand. But I just
can't imagine spies here, can you. I mean, it makes
me think of Wellington paranormal.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
It just seems bizarre, it does, I mean, David, I mean,
Allie makes a really good point, right because we had
a couple of spies in Parliament. We kicked them out.
They're not very good at it, are they.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Well. The thing is, we don't off probably since the
seventies eighties, do we have yo like see on Netflix
the Americans the deep undercover spies. Probably not, because our
military defense secrets aren't really that important. But what we
definitely have is influence operations. We see and our name.
One of People's Republic of China puts many millions of
(02:17):
dollars into Confucius Institutes, into funding through universities to try
and get their view of the world normalized. In New Zealan,
I think there is the bigger issue that we need
to be concerned about that you've got these influence operations
rather than traditional spies.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
David Okay, explain to me why I should be worried
about that, because I look at that and think, Okay,
it's an idea. You're pitching an idea at me. You're
putting a lot of money into an idea. I'm not
scared of your idea. I want to understand your idea.
It doesn't feel to me particularly nefarious, should it.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well, the furious part is when it comes that he
who has the gold you know, the Golden role. And
what you've then had is that the universe start to
self censor, for they don't want to lose the funding
they have, certain areas dimmed off topic. You've had protest
benners removed from campus because they were worried they might
(03:12):
upset the government of China. That's when it becomes a
real problem of the fundings, no strings attached, fine, but
the funding of courses attached.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, that is the problem, Mayali. Where there's money, if
you step out of line and you lose the money.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Oh yeah, absolutely. And as we know, you just follow
the money. You just look at some of the money
that's being spent in the Pacific at the moment. We're
in Fiji a couple of years ago and there's some
amazing stuff happening there and it's all funded by the
People's Republic of China. And we know that we're in
a great position here in the Pacific. There are country
is very interested in getting a hold on, you know,
in the Pacific here, and that would be the main reason.
(03:47):
But I still can't get past that almost comic idea
of you know, get smart or it just seems bizarre
in a country like New Zealand, it just seems weird.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Buddle with New Zealand's Zeby's international realty, unparalleled reach and results.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Back of Huttle, Allie Jones and David Farrah Ali, what
do you think about this tourism levy going up and
are you worried about it putting the tourists off?
Speaker 4 (04:10):
No, not worried about it putting the two. The only
tourists I am concerned about it putting off is the
I was going to say lower spending. They actually don't
spend less when you add it up because they stay longer.
But I'm talking about the backpackers. The backpackers and the
self contained cheap car travelers come here. Now two things.
As I said, they stay here longer, so they spend
(04:31):
less per day, but they stay here longer so they
spend well. And also they come back when they're older
and they spend more than and they bring their kids.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
I think, I think that's definitely ALI. This thing is
kind of slightly geared towards getting rid of them.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Well, I think that's a shame, and I don't you know,
they're not looking at their own stats. If that's the case,
I think overall it's a good idea. You know, when
we were in Europe recently, you pay anything from two
bucks to ten bucks a night on top of what
you're paying for accommodation, and that's the tax there. We
paid forty eight dollars for a three hour over going
through the US. So you know, I do think we've
charged too little in New Zealand. But I would hate
(05:05):
to think that we're going to lose those longest staying
backpacker tourists.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
David, I reckon this is going to prove to be
popular amongst the public because we are sick of them
kind of being subsidized at us having to subsidize it.
But I just wonder if the timing is a bit.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Off, it will be popular. People always like taxes, and
effectively it's a tax that someone else pays. This is
from a popularity point of view. No one who votes
in New Zealand will have to pay this tax where
it's a cumbers a lot. I understand the need that
you have to have infrastructure funded for, and you know
(05:40):
GST might not be enough, but just one hundred dollars
per airport entry seems a bit of like someone who
comes here for a one day conference will pay the
same as someone who spends three weeks traveling around touristeem
through New Zealand, etc. You know, an actual bed tax
would probably make a bit more sense than just this
(06:02):
flat one hundred dollar levy. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Actually, somebody on the text has said exactly that, David,
so great minds think alike that. Now, Allie, tell me
something because you're over fifty, aren't you.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Hey, are you people getting divorced?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Look, there are a lot of us getting divorced. I'm guessing.
I'm I think we probably get to an age where
we know what we want and what we don't want,
you know, and we go right, bugger it. And also
I think society has changed and we can do it.
It seems so common now and so normal. I think. Also,
women are more financially independent than they have been, although
less than the key we say, because we stopped working
(06:37):
for a while to have kids. We like to travel.
He likes to stay at home and watch the tally.
You know, there are things like that happening too. But
I think it's got to do with women just going no,
actually I want this and I'm going to do this,
and good on them.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Yeah, and David, are you over fifty?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
I am? And as you know, God said yes yes,
So I wan't my decisions.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
What was it, David?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
It did you stop?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Do you just start doing the dishwasher properly?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
I think they've been part of the could well be
part of it. But I think most people in their fifties,
I've got younger kids, you know, the kids have got adults.
I've since my crage, I've talked to a lot of
friends and the issues that were in our relationship. I
may so many of them have said R and D's
too that you do get frustrated that tensions do build up. Now,
(07:28):
obviously some people work through them, some don't. But the
number one I have take for it is you have
to keep working really hard at a relationship. You can't
just say, yep, we're now on this comfortable routine, et cetera.
There because they all have these tensions and stresses that
(07:49):
build up.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
David, do you reckon because your kid is young? Do
you reckon that the tension? I mean like it's exacerbated
by having kids, right, because young kids, especially under five,
are really tough to have around.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Absolutely, The real challenge when you have young kids is
having enough time for you and your partner partners, not
just parents. And I'm sure so many families have gone
through this and some do it better than others. But
it has absolutely a challenge because when you do get
above times years usually just want to go to sleep.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Yeah, but a big part of that as well as
don't forget you know, some of us are having all
some of us had kids much older, so parents are older.
Parents of parents are older. So you know, in the
days when we used to rely on our parents to
help out, that's not happening so much anymore either. So yes,
it does add stress, but it's great when they go.
It's good when they leave the charm and I think, yesh, Ellie,
(08:45):
you know parents.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Ellie, you're telling us to two people who are like
decades away from that. Mate.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Yeah, we'll just keep looking at It's like light at
the end of the tunnel. Enjoy them now. But it's
great when they go.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
I just have to share this my see video of
knowing no one on the radio put a letter under
the door saying can we please have a wine gum?
Flip over this paper pot it back out to tell
us if we can or not. PS, I love you
very much.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Did you did you do that?
Speaker 3 (09:16):
No, I've only just found the letter.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yes, that is so sweet. You give them a wine gum.
David please, that's David Farah and help them. Yeah. Probably
they covered all bases, smart little ones. It's how gorgeous
is that? David Farah and Aarlie Jones a huddled.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
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
It's coming up nineteen away from six.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
The Huddle with New Zealand Southby's International Realty exceptional marketing
for every property.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
On the Huddle. This evening got David Farrakuria Polster and
KII Blog and Allie Jones read Piahlo guys Yheather David,
is it normal for our spies to warn the other
spies that we busted them spying?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
It is quite normal, would be my assumption.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
I feel like spycraft though, does it no?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
But it's sort of like you had saved a lot
of time and bother if you just say look, we're
on to you, we know what you're doing, rather than
have to keep monitoring that they'll go away.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
But they'll just try harder to hide themselves, wren't they?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
They They will, But it's not the sort of activity
where if you had found out, y know, there was
a secret agent who was stealing secrets, that's not something
you'd say we know about all right. But this is
like having front groups at set find to stir things up.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Okay, Allie, how do you feel about this?
Speaker 4 (01:01):
In freaking I think yeah, it doesn't. I think there
are two different things here. Firstly, there's that spying and
that infiltration that we heard a bit about there, and
then I think they're those lunatics that try and promote ideologies.
And in christ Church, of course we're well aware of
that after the terrible, tragic Mosque shootings some years ago.
(01:23):
But I also, you know, and I don't want to
make light of this because that was tragic and it
could happen again. But I find this really quite bizarre.
I mean, I watch a lot of Netflix, I watch
a lot of streaming stuff on spies, and I think
we are very relaxed in New Zealand. But I just
can't imagine spies here, can you. I mean, it makes
me think of Wellington paranormal.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
It just seems bizarre, it does, I mean, David, I mean,
Allie makes a really good point, right because we had
a couple of spies in Parliament. We kicked them out.
They're not very good at it, are they.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Well. The thing is, we don't off probably since the
seventies eighties, do we have yo like see on Netflix
the Americans the deep undercover spies. Probably not, because our
military defense secrets aren't really that important. But what we
definitely have is influence operations. We see and our name.
One of People's Republic of China puts many millions of
(02:17):
dollars into Confucius Institutes, into funding through universities to try
and get their view of the world normalized. In New Zealan,
I think there is the bigger issue that we need
to be concerned about that you've got these influence operations
rather than traditional spies.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
David Okay, explain to me why I should be worried
about that, because I look at that and think, Okay,
it's an idea. You're pitching an idea at me. You're
putting a lot of money into an idea. I'm not
scared of your idea. I want to understand your idea.
It doesn't feel to me particularly nefarious, should it.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well, the furious part is when it comes that he
who has the gold you know, the Golden role. And
what you've then had is that the universe start to
self censor, for they don't want to lose the funding
they have, certain areas dimmed off topic. You've had protest
benners removed from campus because they were worried they might
(03:12):
upset the government of China. That's when it becomes a
real problem of the fundings, no strings attached, fine, but
the funding of courses attached.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, that is the problem, Mayali. Where there's money, if
you step out of line and you lose the money.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Oh yeah, absolutely. And as we know, you just follow
the money. You just look at some of the money
that's being spent in the Pacific at the moment. We're
in Fiji a couple of years ago and there's some
amazing stuff happening there and it's all funded by the
People's Republic of China. And we know that we're in
a great position here in the Pacific. There are country
is very interested in getting a hold on, you know,
in the Pacific here, and that would be the main reason.
(03:47):
But I still can't get past that almost comic idea
of you know, get smart or it just seems bizarre
in a country like New Zealand, it just seems weird.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Buddle with New Zealand's Zeby's international realty, unparalleled reach and results.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Back of Huttle, Allie Jones and David Farrah Ali, what
do you think about this tourism levy going up and
are you worried about it putting the tourists off?
Speaker 4 (04:10):
No, not worried about it putting the two. The only
tourists I am concerned about it putting off is the
I was going to say lower spending. They actually don't
spend less when you add it up because they stay longer.
But I'm talking about the backpackers. The backpackers and the
self contained cheap car travelers come here. Now two things.
As I said, they stay here longer, so they spend
(04:31):
less per day, but they stay here longer so they
spend well. And also they come back when they're older
and they spend more than and they bring their kids.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
I think, I think that's definitely ALI. This thing is
kind of slightly geared towards getting rid of them.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Well, I think that's a shame, and I don't you know,
they're not looking at their own stats. If that's the case,
I think overall it's a good idea. You know, when
we were in Europe recently, you pay anything from two
bucks to ten bucks a night on top of what
you're paying for accommodation, and that's the tax there. We
paid forty eight dollars for a three hour over going
through the US. So you know, I do think we've
charged too little in New Zealand. But I would hate
(05:05):
to think that we're going to lose those longest staying
backpacker tourists.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
David, I reckon this is going to prove to be
popular amongst the public because we are sick of them
kind of being subsidized at us having to subsidize it.
But I just wonder if the timing is a bit.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Off, it will be popular. People always like taxes, and
effectively it's a tax that someone else pays. This is
from a popularity point of view. No one who votes
in New Zealand will have to pay this tax where
it's a cumbers a lot. I understand the need that
you have to have infrastructure funded for, and you know
(05:40):
GST might not be enough, but just one hundred dollars
per airport entry seems a bit of like someone who
comes here for a one day conference will pay the
same as someone who spends three weeks traveling around touristeem
through New Zealand, etc. You know, an actual bed tax
would probably make a bit more sense than just this
(06:02):
flat one hundred dollar levy. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Actually, somebody on the text has said exactly that, David,
so great minds think alike that. Now, Allie, tell me
something because you're over fifty, aren't you.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Hey, are you people getting divorced?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Look, there are a lot of us getting divorced. I'm guessing.
I'm I think we probably get to an age where
we know what we want and what we don't want,
you know, and we go right, bugger it. And also
I think society has changed and we can do it.
It seems so common now and so normal. I think. Also,
women are more financially independent than they have been, although
less than the key we say, because we stopped working
(06:37):
for a while to have kids. We like to travel.
He likes to stay at home and watch the tally.
You know, there are things like that happening too. But
I think it's got to do with women just going no,
actually I want this and I'm going to do this,
and good on them.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Yeah, and David, are you over fifty?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
I am? And as you know, God said yes yes,
So I wan't my decisions.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
What was it, David?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
It did you stop?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Do you just start doing the dishwasher properly?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
I think they've been part of the could well be
part of it. But I think most people in their fifties,
I've got younger kids, you know, the kids have got adults.
I've since my crage, I've talked to a lot of
friends and the issues that were in our relationship. I
may so many of them have said R and D's
too that you do get frustrated that tensions do build up. Now,
(07:28):
obviously some people work through them, some don't. But the
number one I have take for it is you have
to keep working really hard at a relationship. You can't
just say, yep, we're now on this comfortable routine, et cetera.
There because they all have these tensions and stresses that
(07:49):
build up.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
David, do you reckon because your kid is young? Do
you reckon that the tension? I mean like it's exacerbated
by having kids, right, because young kids, especially under five,
are really tough to have around.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Absolutely, The real challenge when you have young kids is
having enough time for you and your partner partners, not
just parents. And I'm sure so many families have gone
through this and some do it better than others. But
it has absolutely a challenge because when you do get
above times years usually just want to go to sleep.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Yeah, but a big part of that as well as
don't forget you know, some of us are having all
some of us had kids much older, so parents are older.
Parents of parents are older. So you know, in the
days when we used to rely on our parents to
help out, that's not happening so much anymore either. So yes,
it does add stress, but it's great when they go.
It's good when they leave the charm and I think, yesh, Ellie,
(08:45):
you know parents.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Ellie, you're telling us to two people who are like
decades away from that. Mate.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Yeah, we'll just keep looking at It's like light at
the end of the tunnel. Enjoy them now. But it's
great when they go.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
I just have to share this my see video of
knowing no one on the radio put a letter under
the door saying can we please have a wine gum?
Flip over this paper pot it back out to tell
us if we can or not. PS, I love you
very much.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Did you did you do that?
Speaker 3 (09:16):
No, I've only just found the letter.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yes, that is so sweet. You give them a wine gum.
David please, that's David Farah and help them. Yeah. Probably
they covered all bases, smart little ones. It's how gorgeous
is that? David Farah and Aarlie Jones a huddled.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
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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