June 13, 2024 • 9 mins
Tonight on The Huddle, Men's Health Week director Mark Sainsbury and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
The coalition Government has committed to reversing Labour's restrictions on speed limits. From July, speed limits will be readjusted to pre-2020 levels. Is this sensible or too risky?
New research shows the difference between what mayors earn and what councillors earn. Auckland mayors and councillors bring in the most money - but a Stratford councillor get $23,000. Does this need to be changed?
What did we think of Kevin Spacey's infamous interview with Piers Morgan? Will he ever get another acting job?
Coal-generated electricity has risen by 99 percent, while gas supply has decreased 12 percent in the March quarter. How much trouble are we in?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The huddle with New Zealand Southeby's International Realty unparalleled reach
and results.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm huddled with me this evening. We have Richard Hill's
Auckland counselor and Mark Sainsbury Men's Health Weak Director. Hello
you two, saying zo, how do you feel about this
your first time? Do you have trepidation or were just
like taking.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
It in my stre neither. I had to take a
sedative before I came on, and I was just getting
so excited.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I like the fact that you've come in all hot
and just given us a hard time. I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
She's way nicer than she pretends she is.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
This is what Richard has to do. He has to
go around all his lefty friends saying she's not actually
that bad. She's really nice.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
She tells me that she pays me to do that.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, yeah, and they still don't believe it. Rigid. The
speed limit reversals, how good.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
I think it's a bit weird that they are all
about localism, telling you know, local councils that can do
everything three waters, and then they're going to make us
spend tons of money to reverse all these changes right across.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
You shouldn't have done it in the first place. But
you spent money in the first place.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Yeah, I know, but most of it was the request
I get from my community, from schools. Some of them
are angry that we haven't put it in. You've got
town centers, all of it has been consulted on. I
don't know what they keep talking about. These blanket restrictions,
our blanket possibilities. They were actually brought in by a
national before Labor Craig Foss and others led a program
around safe for communities because we have we're twenty ninth
(01:19):
out of thirty three OECD countries for deaths and serious injuries.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So from what I saw, it sounded to me like
it has to reverse unless the locals want it right.
So there's still the opportunity for localism.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Right, so we'll have to know. Well, what I read
from today is that we've got to reverse them all
then consult again. But we've already consulted, like schools, everyone,
local town centers around Devenport, everyone. You know, the submissions
were in favor of those things, so it's kind of
weird that we have to remove them all. I don't
know how much is going to cost to do that
and then consulting.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Say, are you ever being consulted on a speed limit?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
No?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
No, me neither. It's weird that Richard is getting all
this consultation. Are you into the reversal?
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Well?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Look, I mean, you know, I like driving. I think
some of the roads if if they could have a
high speed limit. I mean, like those big the new
big huge motorways, the Whycatter Expressway and things like that.
I've got no problem with the highest speed limit on that.
Our biggest problem here is we've just got to improve
our driving if we're going to have highest speed limits.
That's the biggest problem of the New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Are you of the view saying so that we are
not good drivers in this country?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Look, we all all think suffer a bit of the
problem that we think we're really good drivers. I'm guilty
of that myself. And then you catch yourself out doing
something stupid, you know, and you change, I think as
you get older. But there's that lot of aggression on
the road, you know, and that sort of And I
remember talking to a psychiatrist about it once on a
radio show I had, and he said, when you get
(02:45):
into a car, it's like your own little space, you know.
And it's the same as you know, people do weird
things inside their cars, you know. You know you drive
past and someone's picking their nose. Why because they're obliv reading.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, yeah too, Right do you do these things?
Speaker 4 (03:05):
Richard? No, mostly on the bus so I can read
my emails and do my tweet. Yeah, I do.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I do. The thing says are where I sing in
the car? I think that nobody's going to see the
psycho singing over there?
Speaker 4 (03:16):
You do that, then you look and there's a bus
of night people looking down there.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I haven't looked at you. All right, we'll take a
break with you guys, come back very shortly. Right, you're
back with the huddle, Mark Sainsbury and Richard Hill's mark.
There is some analysis OWT today. It shows the huge
difference between what some people in local government get paid
in others like Auckland's mayor gets about three hundred thousand,
but then counselors in Stratford get twenty three thousand dollars.
What do you think is the right level? Like should
(03:42):
councilors be paid less or more?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
What?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Less than the less than the maya?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Low the lower end? Like should we be looking at
paying counselors around about twenty three thousand dollars. You're making
it a job for people who are competent but don't
need it for the money. Or should we be lifting
it and then tracting better people in well do you see?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I mean this is a good thing Richards here because
you look that Stratford you're getting twenty three thousand. Now
a council in Auckland is getting paid more than four
times that. So are they doing four times for work
or there four times small responsibility or is it just
as Stratford count afford to pay them.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Well, Stratford, I worked out that if it was based
on population, I'd be paid four and a half million
dollars a year because Stratford has we have more staff
members than Stratford has their nine thousand.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I mean you would be doing more work than a
counselor in Stratford, right.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Yeah, So it's differently in place, full time, nighttime, weekend
job like And you know, I think most people don't
realize and this is not defending counselors because everyone hates
counsel anyway, but you know, we have three times the
population of an MP does in our ward. So I'm
dealing with request constantly, and we don't have like an
office like an MP does of people that just I
(04:50):
don't know, do our comms and stuff for us. So
I think it has to be based on effort. I
know there's some counselors that do not put in the effort,
but it is a.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Name name Richard name names I.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Will not but it is a significant role and in
some areas maybe you do need to look at That's
why amalgamation I think is a good thing, because you
have brought a you know, people working full time instead
of just like a oh go in the Wednesday meeting
and you're not really thinking about the council would all yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Is it expected to be a full time job?
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Yes, we're paid over one hundred thousand dollars, I would.
I am assuming most people would expect us to be
full time.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
And I'm definitely what about in Wellington saying so is
that expected to be a full time job for your counselors?
Speaker 3 (05:30):
And I think it is because I'm so surprise the
MIA and Wellington on it's one hundred and eighty three thousand.
We've got a tug down here.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
No, I don't think No, I don't think you do,
saying so we'll have a little chat about what Tory
has been up to. Hey sayin so, do you reckon
Kevin Spacey post the Pierce Morgan interview?
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Will ever be back? It's funny. I don't know where
this climate said. It was interesting watching him and he
was talking about things. Yeah, like it wasn't you know?
He was offend of the tomb broke. I was engrossing people,
I was caressing them and all the sort of And look,
we've all worked in officers. We've seen people who behave
(06:07):
appallingly doing and it just sort of got waved away.
But he's he's been out there, it's in public. It's
can you possibly come back? I just think it'd be
so hard, right, Yeah, I think he should.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah, as my boss said to me today, Richard, I
think he should too. Right, he hasn't done anything that's
been proven to be wrong. But as my boss heat today,
but who's going to put money behind this guy? Who's
going to be like, I'm spending millions and millions and
millions of dollars on a film and you're the guy
that's going to star in it.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Well, that's the thing that the public will be the public.
They're going to put their dollar where they want to.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I'd go and watch him, would you, I'm not.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Sure I didn't. I did watch Use of Cards and
didn't you think he was awesome? Well, I don't know that.
I didn't watch the interview, but having an interview with
Piers Morgan is probably a bit of a red flag
at this point of time, do you think so?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Well?
Speaker 4 (06:56):
I think Peers Morgan tries to be the kind of
anti everything guy at the moment, doesn't he try and
rack everyone up? So I didn't watch the interview. It
will be up to the people, like they're always going
to put their money.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
You see all sorts of celebrities go up and down
in their careers, and that's largely because, as you say,
they'd go and pull the community and go. Would you
watch a movie with X person in it and they
disappear or they might come back? So right?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
So's are you a little worried about the gas situation
and what's going to happen with the power this winter?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean this whole you know, I keep
trying to get my head around the whole gas situation.
I've knowing people have been in the sort of the
guest industry, and I remember at the times when you know,
when they're cutting back on exploration and that then that
whole argument of you know, why we're burning filthy stuff
from Indonesia when we should be even you know, it's
(07:46):
more ecologically sound to sort of harvest it from here.
So but that whole I mean, that's listening to listening
to that that guy he was It was actually quite frightening,
wasn't it, Beau, If you're talking about major industry can't
actually tune out what they need to to keep the
country going.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
So we are Yeah, I agree, I reckon that is
the word that I that I think sums it up.
I'm a little bit scared of where this is going, Richard,
aren't you?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (08:12):
I think we do need to look at what the
whole world is going is dropping off coal, So US
Europe we are not going to well, we only have
popped up in twenty twenty two, and the using figures
this year from a quarter last year was our lowest
in thirty years. So I think people are trying to
use a bit of shock taxics by saying this is
one hundred percent worse than last year. Well, if last
year was our lowest since I was off lis the
(08:35):
then let's not go over the top. But we do
need to look at that time. How do we be
resilient in this time when we are decarbonizing. You look
at all their businesses Fonterra are you know, changing all
their coal boilers to electric and schools are doing that.
But you don't want to flip it that you're electrifying
everything and then having to use coal. That's right, but
I think there is that We just need a bit
(08:56):
of sense in there. But I honestly believe if all
the parties around Parliament can work together instead of this
back and forth all the time, because I think if
you have a series of facts, then you don't upset
those communities and people can feel like you're.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
A grouping you're going to do it and work towards it.
You I've had a text saying exactly the same thing.
I think you bang on guys, It's so good to
talk to you. Thank you. Mark Sainsbury for Men's Health
Week and Richard Hill's Auckland counselor seven Away from
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Six 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
The huddle with New Zealand Southeby's International Realty unparalleled reach
and results.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm huddled with me this evening. We have Richard Hill's
Auckland counselor and Mark Sainsbury Men's Health Weak Director. Hello
you two, saying zo, how do you feel about this
your first time? Do you have trepidation or were just
like taking.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
It in my stre neither. I had to take a
sedative before I came on, and I was just getting
so excited.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I like the fact that you've come in all hot
and just given us a hard time. I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
She's way nicer than she pretends she is.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
This is what Richard has to do. He has to
go around all his lefty friends saying she's not actually
that bad. She's really nice.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
She tells me that she pays me to do that.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, yeah, and they still don't believe it. Rigid. The
speed limit reversals, how good.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
I think it's a bit weird that they are all
about localism, telling you know, local councils that can do
everything three waters, and then they're going to make us
spend tons of money to reverse all these changes right across.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
You shouldn't have done it in the first place. But
you spent money in the first place.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Yeah, I know, but most of it was the request
I get from my community, from schools. Some of them
are angry that we haven't put it in. You've got
town centers, all of it has been consulted on. I
don't know what they keep talking about. These blanket restrictions,
our blanket possibilities. They were actually brought in by a
national before Labor Craig Foss and others led a program
around safe for communities because we have we're twenty ninth
(01:19):
out of thirty three OECD countries for deaths and serious injuries.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So from what I saw, it sounded to me like
it has to reverse unless the locals want it right.
So there's still the opportunity for localism.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Right, so we'll have to know. Well, what I read
from today is that we've got to reverse them all
then consult again. But we've already consulted, like schools, everyone,
local town centers around Devenport, everyone. You know, the submissions
were in favor of those things, so it's kind of
weird that we have to remove them all. I don't
know how much is going to cost to do that
and then consulting.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Say, are you ever being consulted on a speed limit?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
No?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
No, me neither. It's weird that Richard is getting all
this consultation. Are you into the reversal?
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Well?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Look, I mean, you know, I like driving. I think
some of the roads if if they could have a
high speed limit. I mean, like those big the new
big huge motorways, the Whycatter Expressway and things like that.
I've got no problem with the highest speed limit on that.
Our biggest problem here is we've just got to improve
our driving if we're going to have highest speed limits.
That's the biggest problem of the New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Are you of the view saying so that we are
not good drivers in this country?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Look, we all all think suffer a bit of the
problem that we think we're really good drivers. I'm guilty
of that myself. And then you catch yourself out doing
something stupid, you know, and you change, I think as
you get older. But there's that lot of aggression on
the road, you know, and that sort of And I
remember talking to a psychiatrist about it once on a
radio show I had, and he said, when you get
(02:45):
into a car, it's like your own little space, you know.
And it's the same as you know, people do weird
things inside their cars, you know. You know you drive
past and someone's picking their nose. Why because they're obliv reading.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, yeah too, Right do you do these things?
Speaker 4 (03:05):
Richard? No, mostly on the bus so I can read
my emails and do my tweet. Yeah, I do.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I do. The thing says are where I sing in
the car? I think that nobody's going to see the
psycho singing over there?
Speaker 4 (03:16):
You do that, then you look and there's a bus
of night people looking down there.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I haven't looked at you. All right, we'll take a
break with you guys, come back very shortly. Right, you're
back with the huddle, Mark Sainsbury and Richard Hill's mark.
There is some analysis OWT today. It shows the huge
difference between what some people in local government get paid
in others like Auckland's mayor gets about three hundred thousand,
but then counselors in Stratford get twenty three thousand dollars.
What do you think is the right level? Like should
(03:42):
councilors be paid less or more?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
What?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Less than the less than the maya?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Low the lower end? Like should we be looking at
paying counselors around about twenty three thousand dollars. You're making
it a job for people who are competent but don't
need it for the money. Or should we be lifting
it and then tracting better people in well do you see?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I mean this is a good thing Richards here because
you look that Stratford you're getting twenty three thousand. Now
a council in Auckland is getting paid more than four
times that. So are they doing four times for work
or there four times small responsibility or is it just
as Stratford count afford to pay them.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Well, Stratford, I worked out that if it was based
on population, I'd be paid four and a half million
dollars a year because Stratford has we have more staff
members than Stratford has their nine thousand.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I mean you would be doing more work than a
counselor in Stratford, right.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Yeah, So it's differently in place, full time, nighttime, weekend
job like And you know, I think most people don't
realize and this is not defending counselors because everyone hates
counsel anyway, but you know, we have three times the
population of an MP does in our ward. So I'm
dealing with request constantly, and we don't have like an
office like an MP does of people that just I
(04:50):
don't know, do our comms and stuff for us. So
I think it has to be based on effort. I
know there's some counselors that do not put in the effort,
but it is a.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Name name Richard name names I.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Will not but it is a significant role and in
some areas maybe you do need to look at That's
why amalgamation I think is a good thing, because you
have brought a you know, people working full time instead
of just like a oh go in the Wednesday meeting
and you're not really thinking about the council would all yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Is it expected to be a full time job?
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Yes, we're paid over one hundred thousand dollars, I would.
I am assuming most people would expect us to be
full time.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
And I'm definitely what about in Wellington saying so is
that expected to be a full time job for your counselors?
Speaker 3 (05:30):
And I think it is because I'm so surprise the
MIA and Wellington on it's one hundred and eighty three thousand.
We've got a tug down here.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
No, I don't think No, I don't think you do,
saying so we'll have a little chat about what Tory
has been up to. Hey sayin so, do you reckon
Kevin Spacey post the Pierce Morgan interview?
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Will ever be back? It's funny. I don't know where
this climate said. It was interesting watching him and he
was talking about things. Yeah, like it wasn't you know?
He was offend of the tomb broke. I was engrossing people,
I was caressing them and all the sort of And look,
we've all worked in officers. We've seen people who behave
(06:07):
appallingly doing and it just sort of got waved away.
But he's he's been out there, it's in public. It's
can you possibly come back? I just think it'd be
so hard, right, Yeah, I think he should.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah, as my boss said to me today, Richard, I
think he should too. Right, he hasn't done anything that's
been proven to be wrong. But as my boss heat today,
but who's going to put money behind this guy? Who's
going to be like, I'm spending millions and millions and
millions of dollars on a film and you're the guy
that's going to star in it.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Well, that's the thing that the public will be the public.
They're going to put their dollar where they want to.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I'd go and watch him, would you, I'm not.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Sure I didn't. I did watch Use of Cards and
didn't you think he was awesome? Well, I don't know that.
I didn't watch the interview, but having an interview with
Piers Morgan is probably a bit of a red flag
at this point of time, do you think so?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Well?
Speaker 4 (06:56):
I think Peers Morgan tries to be the kind of
anti everything guy at the moment, doesn't he try and
rack everyone up? So I didn't watch the interview. It
will be up to the people, like they're always going
to put their money.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
You see all sorts of celebrities go up and down
in their careers, and that's largely because, as you say,
they'd go and pull the community and go. Would you
watch a movie with X person in it and they
disappear or they might come back? So right?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
So's are you a little worried about the gas situation
and what's going to happen with the power this winter?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean this whole you know, I keep
trying to get my head around the whole gas situation.
I've knowing people have been in the sort of the
guest industry, and I remember at the times when you know,
when they're cutting back on exploration and that then that
whole argument of you know, why we're burning filthy stuff
from Indonesia when we should be even you know, it's
(07:46):
more ecologically sound to sort of harvest it from here.
So but that whole I mean, that's listening to listening
to that that guy he was It was actually quite frightening,
wasn't it, Beau, If you're talking about major industry can't
actually tune out what they need to to keep the
country going.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
So we are Yeah, I agree, I reckon that is
the word that I that I think sums it up.
I'm a little bit scared of where this is going, Richard,
aren't you?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (08:12):
I think we do need to look at what the
whole world is going is dropping off coal, So US
Europe we are not going to well, we only have
popped up in twenty twenty two, and the using figures
this year from a quarter last year was our lowest
in thirty years. So I think people are trying to
use a bit of shock taxics by saying this is
one hundred percent worse than last year. Well, if last
year was our lowest since I was off lis the
(08:35):
then let's not go over the top. But we do
need to look at that time. How do we be
resilient in this time when we are decarbonizing. You look
at all their businesses Fonterra are you know, changing all
their coal boilers to electric and schools are doing that.
But you don't want to flip it that you're electrifying
everything and then having to use coal. That's right, but
I think there is that We just need a bit
(08:56):
of sense in there. But I honestly believe if all
the parties around Parliament can work together instead of this
back and forth all the time, because I think if
you have a series of facts, then you don't upset
those communities and people can feel like you're.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
A grouping you're going to do it and work towards it.
You I've had a text saying exactly the same thing.
I think you bang on guys, It's so good to
talk to you. Thank you. Mark Sainsbury for Men's Health
Week and Richard Hill's Auckland counselor seven Away from
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Six 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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