September 22, 2025 • 10 mins
Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
The Government's under pressure over the economy and has today announced almost half a billion dollars of school infrastructure spending. Will this move the dial?
The UK, Canada and Australia have all recognised Palestine overnight. When do we think New Zealand will move forward on this?
How many speed bumps is too many?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tricius and Shush and Willis pr and Josie Pagani, CEEO
at Child Fund on the huddle tonight, good evening, Hello,
good to have you both here. Tricia's the government changing
its changing its tune on you know, this idea that
the government should actually spend something that it might grow
something as a result.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
It feels to me like the government every sort of
Sunday goes to the fridge and has a look and says, now,
what in here can we reheat? What can we pop
in the microwave and serve up to the electorate to
show progress. That is very that's very facetious.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
That's very good.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Though I think that they have to be careful that
the electric doesn't tire of this because don't forget for
most people while they all look today and they'll go look,
it's good to see investment in hospitals. It's good to
see investment in schools that's not making any difference in
their hip pocket, and that's where they have been hit
(00:59):
in the last few year years. I think that one
of the things around the schools is that we know
Erika Stanford is a minister who actually really gets shited
done and where governments have struggled is that people lose
confidence because they don't get the delivery. So I have
confidence that Erica Stanford will get this done. I don't
(01:22):
think it will move the needle, particularly in terms of
the polls, because, as I say, the voters are worried
about their hip pockets. But the other thing I think
the government needs to be cautious of is that the
government is not the economy. And right now I can
tell you of several potentially major projects around Auckland that
(01:44):
are still being held up because they are tied up
in local government planning. They are tied up in waiting
to get on the fast track and not knowing how
long that will take. One of those is potentially up
to a billion dollars of one development that would attract
others near Auckland. And the other story which underpins this
(02:05):
for me is you know another major developer who said
to me recently, well, we're just not even going to
go down the process of this major redevelopment right now
because it's at least half a million dollars just to
run through the resource consenting process with no guarantee what's
coming out the other side. So I would say to
the government, you have to keep focusing on allowing the
(02:27):
New Zealand businesses to be the economy and do the
growing and keep on, you know, making sure you're getting
the barriers out of the way for them to do that.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
They've actually announced a lot today, haven't they. I mean
there's the Dutith Colins digital stuff, which is actually game
changing if you start putting all government services available digitally,
the schools announcement, the hospitals and so on, so you
know they'll be feeling like, you know, God, we keep
announcing stuff and it's just not moving the dial. And
I think you're right Ryan that they've fallen between do
(02:58):
they do stimulus and risk more debt and inflation or
do they cut and risk austerity and being unpopular. And
I think they've been falling between those two things. I mean,
the real problem. We've got the construction sector which is
on a downturn. We've got energy which is overpriced. We're
deindustrializing New Zealand, our manufacturing sectors, you know, dying. So
(03:23):
they need something big that captures the imagination. And I
was looking back at Tony Blair when he first came
into power and his first Party conference. He said, the
biggest priority in this government is three things. Education, education, education,
and I feel like they need to go Is it
education Erica Stanford's doing a lot. Is it reforming the
(03:44):
public sector so that they deliver government services better? Is
it competition? And do you need to go hard on
competition and do really big things like maybe break up Fronterira.
I don't know, you know, not just the supermarkets. And
I feel like they can't prioritize one big thing that
they're going to do that we all get. This is
the government that changed education or changed competition.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
But the problem is we're in I think that the
government would feel they've done that. This is the year
of growth, right, It's growth, growth, growth. You can't not
have had that message. But again the problem is that
for businesses there is just still too much in the
way of them being able to invest and grow. And
this is where the government's message has really become not
(04:28):
calibrated with reality. So I have heard repeatedly ministers saying, oh,
we've done all this, now this is great. Now businesses
can start investing, they can start creating jobs. What they
have forgotten is that for a lot of businesses, the
cupboard is bear. There's not the money there to be
able to do those things yet.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So I think it's.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
One thing that they really I think they get brownie
points for telling us there is no short term solution here.
This is really bad and here's the steps we're taking
to take a while, and you've got to come on
this journey with us. If they were a bit more
honest about that, I think rather than trying to go, hey,
it's going to be great.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
You know, we're going to have growth, growth, growth, they
have been pretty honest about and they've had to be
about the reality of it. But I think you're right, Josie.
If you know, labor will come along next year and
they sort of say what they'll do, but don't worry.
We will save the day. We will do that by taxing,
we will do that by borrowing more, we will spend more.
And will Kiwis believe any of it.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
So there's one interesting comparison.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
I hope, not hope, I believe that needs to be
at least mind up for an IQT.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
At least they're presenting an alternative at the moment, they're
just going, you know, in a way that National did
when they were in government will be better than them.
But the real comparison is someone like Carne in Canada
who has put forward this fast track growth plan where
he's building a nuclear power station. He's a labor government
nuclear you know, left government nuclear power station. He's mining copper,
(05:57):
he's building LNG plants. So it can be done, all right.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
It is the huddle with Josie Bigan and Tristus in Kalestine.
The Canadians, the Brits, the Australians have all recognized it
or decided they will recognize it overnight, and we're still deciding.
I don't think personally that our government is going to
do it, Josie, what do you reckon?
Speaker 3 (06:18):
I think they will, and I think they'll do it
in the last minute, and they'll do something around the
Canadian model, which is conditional. So it's not about recognizing
a broken state now led by Hamashus still got the hostages.
It's about recognizing the principle of a state led by
Palestinian authority, demilitarized with an Arab peace force going in there,
(06:42):
but recognized. I know what you're saying, that that recognizing
the principle of the state seems like nothing, but it
is potentially the first step to some sort of peace agreement.
It has to be part of a bigger plan. The
big truth you've got is that Israelis and Palestinians are
going nowhere. They both have the legitimate ancient homeland claim
(07:03):
unfortunately to the same land, and so any any analysis
that doesn't any peace process, or any analysis or any
peace plan that doesn't acknowledge that is not going to succeed.
So I do think recognizing the principle that the state
of Palistin deserves to exist is something that is the
first step towards peace, and I think Winston, we'll do it.
At the last minute.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Did we get to on that? A speed bumps Trish?
So this is in Milldale, north of Auckland, A one
speed bump every eighty meters in this particular New Greenfield's development.
The poor guy in the paper said his wife. He
gets to have two days at home working from home
every week, but his poor wife has to go to
work every day. She's sick of it. They're all sick
of it. Don't move to Milldale.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Well, this actually reminded me of when I was at
boarding school and my mother arrived to pick me up
in the good brown commodore and the prom The Termonary
High School had put in some new speed bumps on
the driveway up to the hospital, and my mother had
a very unique idea for how she might test the
efficacy of the speed bumps using her car and the principle.
(08:08):
We heard the story today reminding me of it. I mean,
this is absolutely ridiculous. Trying to drive around you know,
Mildale sounds terrible, but just try driving around Auckland now.
And what I have never seen is any data or
facts showing the efficacy of all of the speed bumps
(08:29):
that how.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Many lives saved? Well, that's what I want to know. Well,
how many lives have we saved? How many school children
have not been knocked off their bikes.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Or have a role to play?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
The problem is the plethora of them. They're just like breeding.
I've got a theory here, that's it must be so
easy to consent them, right, That's why we've got so many.
So this is actually a great template for if we
could just deal with the time around consenting, we would
get heaps built. Imagine we could apply the same rules.
But I also think that it's something to do with
(09:01):
the fact that in that consultation process, no one ever
has to defend the status quo. Right, so you've got
people who have to complain about things being built. I mean,
now we're complaining about speed bumps. But the problem with
the cool consenting process is that no one ever has
to measure not doing something or doing something anyway. That's
(09:21):
just my rant about.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Well here's the other thing. We seem to be able
to build speed bumps in mass very quickly, that's what
I mean. But we can't get major projects done in
any timeframe. I was reading a history of New Zealand
on the weekend. Do you know the main trunk railway?
Speaker 3 (09:38):
It's a great weekend.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
And this is the length of New Zealand nine years
to build Harbor Bridge four years. What has happened to
New Zealand that we now can't We can't even get
a business case to put a plan forward, let alone
getting something built.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
But we can for speed bumps, right. But I think
it's the consultation class. We've invented a consultation class. The
same people get consulted all the time things. They are
a consultation class who say no to things. That's what we've.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Got even the good projects, like the projects you think
people would love. The greenies included like wind mills, windmills
South Tartanaki that go into the UN.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
I mean, just so, why go to the UN?
Speaker 3 (10:18):
The UN can't even solve Ukraine, They're not going to
solve windmills in Taranaki.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
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
Tricius and Shush and Willis pr and Josie Pagani, CEEO
at Child Fund on the huddle tonight, good evening, Hello,
good to have you both here. Tricia's the government changing
its changing its tune on you know, this idea that
the government should actually spend something that it might grow
something as a result.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
It feels to me like the government every sort of
Sunday goes to the fridge and has a look and says, now,
what in here can we reheat? What can we pop
in the microwave and serve up to the electorate to
show progress. That is very that's very facetious.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
That's very good.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Though I think that they have to be careful that
the electric doesn't tire of this because don't forget for
most people while they all look today and they'll go look,
it's good to see investment in hospitals. It's good to
see investment in schools that's not making any difference in
their hip pocket, and that's where they have been hit
(00:59):
in the last few year years. I think that one
of the things around the schools is that we know
Erika Stanford is a minister who actually really gets shited
done and where governments have struggled is that people lose
confidence because they don't get the delivery. So I have
confidence that Erica Stanford will get this done. I don't
(01:22):
think it will move the needle, particularly in terms of
the polls, because, as I say, the voters are worried
about their hip pockets. But the other thing I think
the government needs to be cautious of is that the
government is not the economy. And right now I can
tell you of several potentially major projects around Auckland that
(01:44):
are still being held up because they are tied up
in local government planning. They are tied up in waiting
to get on the fast track and not knowing how
long that will take. One of those is potentially up
to a billion dollars of one development that would attract
others near Auckland. And the other story which underpins this
(02:05):
for me is you know another major developer who said
to me recently, well, we're just not even going to
go down the process of this major redevelopment right now
because it's at least half a million dollars just to
run through the resource consenting process with no guarantee what's
coming out the other side. So I would say to
the government, you have to keep focusing on allowing the
(02:27):
New Zealand businesses to be the economy and do the
growing and keep on, you know, making sure you're getting
the barriers out of the way for them to do that.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
They've actually announced a lot today, haven't they. I mean
there's the Dutith Colins digital stuff, which is actually game
changing if you start putting all government services available digitally,
the schools announcement, the hospitals and so on, so you
know they'll be feeling like, you know, God, we keep
announcing stuff and it's just not moving the dial. And
I think you're right Ryan that they've fallen between do
(02:58):
they do stimulus and risk more debt and inflation or
do they cut and risk austerity and being unpopular. And
I think they've been falling between those two things. I mean,
the real problem. We've got the construction sector which is
on a downturn. We've got energy which is overpriced. We're
deindustrializing New Zealand, our manufacturing sectors, you know, dying. So
(03:23):
they need something big that captures the imagination. And I
was looking back at Tony Blair when he first came
into power and his first Party conference. He said, the
biggest priority in this government is three things. Education, education, education,
and I feel like they need to go Is it
education Erica Stanford's doing a lot. Is it reforming the
(03:44):
public sector so that they deliver government services better? Is
it competition? And do you need to go hard on
competition and do really big things like maybe break up Fronterira.
I don't know, you know, not just the supermarkets. And
I feel like they can't prioritize one big thing that
they're going to do that we all get. This is
the government that changed education or changed competition.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
But the problem is we're in I think that the
government would feel they've done that. This is the year
of growth, right, It's growth, growth, growth. You can't not
have had that message. But again the problem is that
for businesses there is just still too much in the
way of them being able to invest and grow. And
this is where the government's message has really become not
(04:28):
calibrated with reality. So I have heard repeatedly ministers saying, oh,
we've done all this, now this is great. Now businesses
can start investing, they can start creating jobs. What they
have forgotten is that for a lot of businesses, the
cupboard is bear. There's not the money there to be
able to do those things yet.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So I think it's.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
One thing that they really I think they get brownie
points for telling us there is no short term solution here.
This is really bad and here's the steps we're taking
to take a while, and you've got to come on
this journey with us. If they were a bit more
honest about that, I think rather than trying to go, hey,
it's going to be great.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
You know, we're going to have growth, growth, growth, they
have been pretty honest about and they've had to be
about the reality of it. But I think you're right, Josie.
If you know, labor will come along next year and
they sort of say what they'll do, but don't worry.
We will save the day. We will do that by taxing,
we will do that by borrowing more, we will spend more.
And will Kiwis believe any of it.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
So there's one interesting comparison.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
I hope, not hope, I believe that needs to be
at least mind up for an IQT.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
At least they're presenting an alternative at the moment, they're
just going, you know, in a way that National did
when they were in government will be better than them.
But the real comparison is someone like Carne in Canada
who has put forward this fast track growth plan where
he's building a nuclear power station. He's a labor government
nuclear you know, left government nuclear power station. He's mining copper,
(05:57):
he's building LNG plants. So it can be done, all right.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
It is the huddle with Josie Bigan and Tristus in Kalestine.
The Canadians, the Brits, the Australians have all recognized it
or decided they will recognize it overnight, and we're still deciding.
I don't think personally that our government is going to
do it, Josie, what do you reckon?
Speaker 3 (06:18):
I think they will, and I think they'll do it
in the last minute, and they'll do something around the
Canadian model, which is conditional. So it's not about recognizing
a broken state now led by Hamashus still got the hostages.
It's about recognizing the principle of a state led by
Palestinian authority, demilitarized with an Arab peace force going in there,
(06:42):
but recognized. I know what you're saying, that that recognizing
the principle of the state seems like nothing, but it
is potentially the first step to some sort of peace agreement.
It has to be part of a bigger plan. The
big truth you've got is that Israelis and Palestinians are
going nowhere. They both have the legitimate ancient homeland claim
(07:03):
unfortunately to the same land, and so any any analysis
that doesn't any peace process, or any analysis or any
peace plan that doesn't acknowledge that is not going to succeed.
So I do think recognizing the principle that the state
of Palistin deserves to exist is something that is the
first step towards peace, and I think Winston, we'll do it.
At the last minute.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Did we get to on that? A speed bumps Trish?
So this is in Milldale, north of Auckland, A one
speed bump every eighty meters in this particular New Greenfield's development.
The poor guy in the paper said his wife. He
gets to have two days at home working from home
every week, but his poor wife has to go to
work every day. She's sick of it. They're all sick
of it. Don't move to Milldale.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Well, this actually reminded me of when I was at
boarding school and my mother arrived to pick me up
in the good brown commodore and the prom The Termonary
High School had put in some new speed bumps on
the driveway up to the hospital, and my mother had
a very unique idea for how she might test the
efficacy of the speed bumps using her car and the principle.
(08:08):
We heard the story today reminding me of it. I mean,
this is absolutely ridiculous. Trying to drive around you know,
Mildale sounds terrible, but just try driving around Auckland now.
And what I have never seen is any data or
facts showing the efficacy of all of the speed bumps
(08:29):
that how.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Many lives saved? Well, that's what I want to know. Well,
how many lives have we saved? How many school children
have not been knocked off their bikes.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Or have a role to play?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
The problem is the plethora of them. They're just like breeding.
I've got a theory here, that's it must be so
easy to consent them, right, That's why we've got so many.
So this is actually a great template for if we
could just deal with the time around consenting, we would
get heaps built. Imagine we could apply the same rules.
But I also think that it's something to do with
(09:01):
the fact that in that consultation process, no one ever
has to defend the status quo. Right, so you've got
people who have to complain about things being built. I mean,
now we're complaining about speed bumps. But the problem with
the cool consenting process is that no one ever has
to measure not doing something or doing something anyway. That's
(09:21):
just my rant about.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Well here's the other thing. We seem to be able
to build speed bumps in mass very quickly, that's what
I mean. But we can't get major projects done in
any timeframe. I was reading a history of New Zealand
on the weekend. Do you know the main trunk railway?
Speaker 3 (09:38):
It's a great weekend.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
And this is the length of New Zealand nine years
to build Harbor Bridge four years. What has happened to
New Zealand that we now can't We can't even get
a business case to put a plan forward, let alone
getting something built.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
But we can for speed bumps, right. But I think
it's the consultation class. We've invented a consultation class. The
same people get consulted all the time things. They are
a consultation class who say no to things. That's what we've.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Got even the good projects, like the projects you think
people would love. The greenies included like wind mills, windmills
South Tartanaki that go into the UN.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
I mean, just so, why go to the UN?
Speaker 3 (10:18):
The UN can't even solve Ukraine, They're not going to
solve windmills in Taranaki.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
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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