The Huddle: Is Hastings' new sign really that bad?

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and NZME editor-at-large Shayne Currie joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

 The Government's copped some backlash after it warned the new Dunedin Hospital could face some downgrades after costs blew out over $1 billion higher than expected. Are people right to be outraged?

The Government has unveiled its latest Q4 action plan - with a focus on law and order, infrastructure and cost-saving. What do we make of this? 

The world's Haka record was beaten at Eden Park last night, taking the title back from France. Should we be proud?

Is Hastings' new sign really that bad? 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our huddlers this evening Tris Shurson from Sheerson Willis PR
and Shane Curry Enzidme's editor at large, Kielder cord is
the government on hiding to nothing with the Dunedan Hospital.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Trish, there's two issues the government faces with this, time
and trust. So what New Zealanders are really getting sick
of is that infrastructure just takes too long. And this
is another great example. We have to have several business cases.
This Danneedan Hospital has gone back and forward in terms

(00:32):
of business cases. Then we have worries about spending a
dollar fifty today not looking at what it's going to
cost tomorrow. Then we go back into a redrawing of
the plans. I think the people of Dunedin felt that
this was a done deal. So part of it probably
is it's come as a shock and it's an expectation
management thing. But so the time is an issue overall

(00:56):
though the government is right to be focusing on the economy,
which it's still and we've seen in the latest plan,
but just in the health system and the impact on
people of a health system that is crumbling. For me,
that is probably almost now the number one political issue.
I think it's bumped off law and order and it
impacts everybody, and it's kind of one of the most

(01:20):
important social contracts that a government has, you know, with voters.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah. I think it was remarkable to see how many
people turned out of the weekend, given there was only
a couple of days notice. And the key thing here
is it isn't just a need, it's that whole lower
third of the South Island, right, So there are a
lot of people who are really upset. And these are
people who often feel as though they are forgotten by Wellington.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
Absolutely.

Speaker 4 (01:39):
Jack.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
I've just been looking at the electric map for the
last election and you talk about that lower third and
that is a very blue electriate I know dned and
of course is labor labour through and through, but everything else,
but everything else around it is blue. I mean, White
Tech is completely blue and Southland Kluther in Viicago even
the hospital will be drawing on those electrics. People will be,
you know, relying on that hospital for their healthcare. I

(02:03):
think what people tend to forget is National actually announced. Firstly,
this goes back to twenty seventeen. National we're the ones
who actually announced the new hospital. And of course as
the mayor has just pointed out, there's been a lot
of cost over run since then. It's gone from one
point two and now we're talking one point nine and
eventually this number which appears to have come out of
almost no where, the three billion number. And there's three

(02:23):
reports that haven't been released yet and which the media
are hunting down. And there's some weird things going on,
like car parks haven't been scoped, and I mean, why
was we were three hundred million dollars worth of car
parking not scoped into the original project. It's a slightly
strange cost that wasn't included.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Yeah, do you think there's anywhere to square the circle?
At the moment, Truch, we.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Seem to be back in the same kind of holding
pattern in a way that we are on the ferry issue. Now,
where you get to a certain point we think something's
going to happen, then there's a blowout and something's not wrong.
So now we're back in that. We're sort of back
in the circle of doom of going round and you know, recosting, rescoping.

(03:04):
I don't know what the solver is. It's difficult, but
I feel like when it comes down to a regional hospital.
As Shane has said, the pressure on those regional but
those regional hospitals right now is immense and the thought
that you're now waiting and it's come down to of
course this has got to come down to dollars and cents,
but if I'm a voter, I also look at the

(03:27):
waste not under this government, but the money that's gone
out in the last six years. And then we're quibbling
over I know it's a lot, but three billion dollars
these days for a major hospital, I can completely feel
with the people of Dunedin. And it's also it's out
in those regions. They are so reliant on this hospital.

(03:48):
If you get really sick, that's the place you have
to go.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
And I think the danger here is that the government's
losing the narrative around people. So Christoph Luxem is very
good at numbers and are you announced today the quarter
four Coalition plan and it's got all these bullet points.
It's very much a chief executive to kind of looking,
you know, a document compiled by a chief executive for
a corporate but you've got to remember the people. And
I think the amount of emotion that we saw on Saturday.

(04:13):
The numbers of people hugely significant in a region that size.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
Yeah, all right, we'll be back with the huddle a
couple of minutes. I'll ask you about that Q four plan,
plus get your thoughts. I know you've both got strong
sort of aesthetic taste, so we'll get your thoughts on
Hastings news side if we've got time as well. Right now,
it's sixteen to six.

Speaker 4 (04:29):
The huddle with New Zealand Southeby's International Realty Elevated Marketing
of your Home.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
You're back with Fresherson and Shane Curry on the huddle
this evening. All right, the Q four Action Plan has
been released. It's just get your top line takes. It's
mainly infrastructure kind of stuff. There's some big changes coming
through his share.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, big changes. I've estruck some of them. I think,
you know, the road tolling has always been an issue
and I think it's a good move to consider more
road tolling on. Yeah, we're talking about the hospital. We
can't you really have user pays for our health system,
but certainly transport. I think it's a noble.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Yeah, top line take trick.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Big theme I thought was building the foundations for growth
in the economy, the right thing to be doing. These
action plans are part that you know, they're part substance,
they have to be substances, but they are also a
big part a differentiator from the previous government. It's going,

(05:22):
we're clear on what we're doing, we will report it
back to you, and we're all about deliverables.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
I'll tell you what. In terms of contrast, it is
just remarkable to me how quickly this government is moving.
And there will be people who, you know, take issue
at some of their policy priorities and all that kind
of thing. But if you look at something like this
and you consider the things that are being passed, fast
Track Approvals Bill, the Roma reforms, these are really meaty
bits of legislation that are potentially incredibly consequential, and I

(05:49):
think it's really telling that they are getting this stuff
done in the first, you know, fourteen months or so
of their term. I mean, just if you want to
make enduring change, this is the right way to go
about it.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, and don't forget. So the difference here is not
what we saw often under Labor. It was a series
of press release headlines that didn't seem to be part
of a cohesive plan. This is wrapped up in a
cohesive plan. But things like these RIMA reforms focusing in
on making it easier to get stuff done in New Zealand.

(06:20):
That has been something people have talked about for years
and if you're really getting to the issues of driving
growth in New Zealand, it's fundamental. So it looks like
it's the right things to be focused on, but there
are still a lot of distractions out there that you know,
I think the government shouldn't be focused on.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
Shane the Hakka. Last night we broke the world record.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
We broke the world record. I was privileged enough to be,
you know, a privilege to be there last night and
we were just talking off here, but con and O'Brien,
the US talk show host, was front and center with
Takaway Tit at the front, and yeah, it was a
brilliant night. You know, it was very emotional actually, and
I was surprised that just how emotional I did get

(07:02):
about it, because yeah, you know, it was very powerful night.
There was some amazing performances on stage beforehand, and six
one hundred odd people and the Guinness Book a record
guy he was taking an extremely seriously, I thought that
up until I actually arrived at the venue. I thought
this was a big pr move kind of. I thought
he was laying out the rules. Really he seened it
very much.

Speaker 1 (07:22):
So oh okay, yeah, what did you think of the trash?

Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well, I was in tears watching it at home, mind you,
the hacker always does that to me. But I also
thought it was a very powerful and useful symbol for
New Zealand at the moment, about our New zealandness and
what we actually love about being New Zealanders. And I
loved it when you panned through that crowd. There were

(07:45):
people there from all walks of life, kids, old people.
I thought it was really fantastic. Even talking about it,
I've got you know. He is on the reck of
my next standing up.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
Well, speaking of powerful an emotive symbols, Tongue Hastings has
a new sign entering welcoming everyone on the Expressway just
south of Taradale. Now, if you haven't seen it, it's
it's gray, which I think is an interesting choice of color.
But it's gray and it's a big h basically, and

(08:17):
it just says no, my welcome headed Tongue Hastings. It
does have a sort of a vibe of like an
art class and fifth form and you might get it achieved.
You're not going to fail, but you're not going to excel. Shane,
what are your.

Speaker 3 (08:29):
It's pretty awful. It's not going to be up there
in the echelons of the kind of album pea bottle
or the Harconey Carrot. But look, it's it's a point
that's I love that citizen journalism now is so powerful
that one person can complain and it's made headlines across
the country.

Speaker 1 (08:46):
I think something about like the signs or slogans for
towns and cities and regional New Zealand that I think
really gets people going. Everone's always got an opinion. Remember
like Hamilton, Remember the debate over Hamilton.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
I thought it was hamiltron City of the Future. I
thought that I, in my mind.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
I was the future, the town of the future.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
Town signage is maybe because I've driven around regional New
Zealand a lot. Is one of my weird fascinations and
one that always sticks out to me is toku or
talking as you go in there there's a lot of
wood and you know, took her to a talking.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
Okay, you know, what. It'd be a great coffee table book,
wouldn't It's a little idea for us, you know.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
Just there is one where I won't recall the name
of it, but it does take a punches down on
some of the know in towns of New Zealand which
you might know about that there have been some good
ones and absolutely positively Wellington when Mark Plumpski's true and
Frank Wild we're you know, in charge down in Wellington,
that actually did unify the city and I think Auckland's

(09:51):
probably missing something like that.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
And somehow comforting on those signs, you know, you get
the badges like the Lions Club. I feel comforted when
I see, oh there's a Lions Club in town. It'll
be okay, there'll be a Christmas raffle.

Speaker 1 (10:03):
Hey, thanks you, Ti guys. I appreciate it. Tresiouson and
Shane Curry on the Huddle this evening.

Speaker 4 (10:08):
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.