Kevin Milne: A tribute to former Prime Minister Jim Bolger

Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger passed away this week. He served from 1990-1997 and secured National's largest ever victory in the 1990 election. 

Kevin Milne joins Jack Tame to share his personal experiences with Jim Bolger, who he once met at a café on the Kapiti coast. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks. A'd be.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Sixteen minutes past nine. Thank you for your feedback this morning.
Peter has emailed me this morning to say, Jack, those
were moving comments about Park River. I cannot believe it's
fifteen years since the disaster. Those families have been well
and truly let down by the system. Can't wait to
see the film though. The film is Yeah, it's really
affecting for all New Zealanders. I think it's also beautiful,

(00:37):
like beautiful. It has this incredible opening on there's shots
of the West Coast. It's just like, oh my god,
it's just a stunning part of the country. I'll get
to more of you comments in a few minutes ninety
two ninety two if you want to send us a text.
Kevin Milner is here with us this morning.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
Kilder, Kevin Culder Jack. I'm looking forward to seeing the
Park River film too. I'm falling behind a bit with
the New Zealand movies. I said, I haven't seen Prime
Minister and the movie about an artist we both love,
Robin White. I haven't seen that yet.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, I haven't seen either of those documentaries. Either, which
are shocking. So I'm with you. I've got an excuse that, Kevin.
I've got an eight month on home at home, You've
got no yess, I have to get a rigg alone.
But you've got a story for us this week about
meeting someone where you least expected it.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, it's as you probably know, Jack, I love to
tell an anecdote, and sometimes the anecdots and themselves mean
very little, but I'm hoping that the listeners will find
them moderately interesting. One day, about ten years ago, I
was sitting in a cafe not far from where we
lived in rayk Larungi on the Cobedy Coast, sort of

(01:47):
out of the way really, and I was having a coffee.
Then an odd thing happened. I heard someone at a
table behind me go and it was so weird that
I chose not to turn around. This could only be
some sort of odd ball. Next, I hear in a
loud of stage whisper coming my way, Hey Hey. It

(02:12):
was the soft voice of an elderly man. He clearly
felt that he knew me, but couldn't remember my name.
I turned around and got a hell of a shock.
It was a man i'd never met before Jim Bolger,
three term Prime Minister of New Zealand, New Zealand Ambassador
to the US and at the time I think Chairman

(02:34):
of New Zealand Post. What the hell was Gentleman Jim,
the Great Helmsman as he was known, and one of
New Zealand's most successful leaders doing, sitting at a table
on his own in a modest little cafe in my
neck of the woods. More to the point, why was
he trying to get my attention in this most unusual way.

(02:59):
The answer to those questions were one, he had just
bought a retirement home in why Ca and I near
where where I lived, and he didn't know many locals too.
As he pointed out after it had invited me over
to his table, silly, we should both be sitting on
our own, separate tables when we both know who the

(03:21):
other person is. I was related to discover that that
comment in a way some Jim Bolger up, pragmatic, unpretentious,
speaks his mind friendly And I was going to actually say,
and the producers pointed it out, and I think you

(03:43):
were happily came to my rescue. I was going to
call him, Sir Jim Bulger, but he turned down that offered.
Is that right?

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, yeah, he turned it down because of his Irish
Catholic groups. Yes, and he said no, I don't know.
It would be my twoperin would be turning in their graves.
They knew that I took a knight over from the Queen.

Speaker 3 (04:04):
I'd always considered Jim Bolger to be a rather predictable politician,
a conservative rural net. I think he used to be
called Potato or spud or something while he was half
alongside Labour's leader David LONGI he might have appeared even
dull anyone would, But in retirement I thought he was magnificent.

(04:26):
He had this to say, Jack, in retirement, as I
look across the world and observe poverty and injustice and
climate change, I'm not convinced we're working hard enough. He
then quotes John F. Kennedy. If a free society, he
cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save

(04:47):
the few who are rich. Jim Bolger pointed out that
in a speech that I actually heard him give, that
the Partti Harker movement should be studied if the world
wants peace. It had accepted large numbers of refugees from
the land wars. Then instead of fighting, declared there was

(05:09):
enough for all. He said, if the world embraced that philosophy,
we would at last be moving towards peace.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
So he was.

Speaker 3 (05:18):
He's a conservative man, but gosh, he when he flowed,
I think when he retired and got to speak his
mind about it around the different things uninhabited by political parties,
et cetera. So Jim Bolder a great prime minister, and
miss and is a great fellow retiree.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
That's a lovely story, Kevin. You know what I love
about it. It's just it's so New Zealand. There are
a handful of countries at most where that would happen,
you know, just that they're sitting there and you gassed
by a former prime minister who's sitting behind you, and
both of you know, and it's just it's relaxed enough.
And he could say, well, look, you know I've never met,

(06:00):
but I know you are, and you know who I am,
both of Nicola Woods. I come and join me for
us gone.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
You know, only bold you would say that you know
I am, I know you you are. It's sort of
at the same table.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
Lovely, Yeah, And I think you're right. I think I
think so. I Jim Bolder was the first prime minister.
I can remember. I was born in eighty seven, right,
so I can I can remember hearing Jim Boulder on
the radio and things, and you know, as a child,
you don't really have a you know, a comprehensive sense
of what politics is and how power works and governing

(06:33):
and all that kind of thing. But my sense, from
my position now is that he is someone who has
consistently been led by his principles and that as you
as you kind of alluded to that. In the years
after he left office, I think more and more people

(06:55):
came to appreciate him for the leader he was. You know,
like it's one of those people that, with the fullness
of time and when you kind of get out of
the day to day sparring of politics, people go, you
know what, actually that guy is an extraordinary leader. And yeah,
it's really respected to that. So yeah, well said, thank
you so much, Kevin, have a great weekend, and we

(07:16):
will catch again very soon. And thank you for your
messages this morning beautifully said this morning, Jack said, Marina,
I really appreciate that, Marine Jack. I've never lived in
Greymouth or even visited the place. But every time I
hear the words Pike River, my ears open, tears well
in my eyes. You're opening comments this morning.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
We're brilliant.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Well said says Kevin. Thanks Kevin, Can I just say
Kevin as and Kevin, who's just texted me go to Graymouth. Honestly,
the South Islands west coast is fantastic. Have you never
been to the west coast of the South It is remarkable.
So much of it is kind of like a land
before time. You know, you can just be going along
stretches where you see no sign of human beings anywhere,
and you know you've got the bush meeting the sea,

(07:54):
incredible vistas and mountains. It really is a gorgeous part
of the country.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
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