Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
For a Monday morning. The Prime Minister is with us
A Christopher Luxem Very good morning to you. Well we
part of the coalition of the willing phone call over
the weekend. Yeah I was.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I spoke with those leaders over a video conference on
Saturday night, very late Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Are you bullish on anything that may or may not
happen this week?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Well, look, I mean what we agreed on that call
is that we want to see a thirty day cease
fire implemented from Monday, and that's got to be without conditions,
and it's across land, sea and air. And really now
it's the bulls in Russia's court because you know, we
can put an immediate cease fire in place and start
conversations and negotiations. But it's very simple. It looks to
me like that stalling. And the question is they started
(00:38):
this war, the are the ones that can finish it,
and Putin just needs to show up and actually agree
to that cease fire and then get into the negotiations.
So you know that's why we are very you know,
we're saying there's now a plan and a proposal. Thirty
day cease fire unconditional starts on Monday, the Americans have
been behind it. The European leaders are all united in it.
I joined the call with Australia and Canada as well
(01:01):
spoke to that particular point as well. And then if
Russia doesn't show up, then we've got to apply more
sanctions and we've got to continue to stand with Ukraine.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
All right before I forget it, just sort of re
China and the US. If they cut some sort of deal,
and the US and the UK have cut some sort
of deal and the UK gets some products into America
tariff free, we have been lumped with ten percent universal
Would we change our mind on trying to do something
about that because we're materially then worse off than we were.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, we don't want to be any worse off than
anybody else. I mean, the reality is the BRIT's actually
had tariffs that were above ten percent on cars, as
you know, and steal it.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
But they can get Rolls Royce in there for zero.
So if they're getting other stuff in for zero and
we're not getting stuff in for zero, we're losing, aren't we.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well we've got our officials and they've had them in
there before the announcement of tariff's Tom mcclay's got another
trade meeting coming up with his trade representative who has
equivalent essentially coming up at an APEC meeting very shortly
next month. So we continue to make the case for
why tariffs applied to New Zellan Dane makes sense. But equally,
when you talk to our exporters, actually many of them,
(02:05):
and I spoke to a few last week again, are
actually saying, look, this is a big market, three hundred
and seventy million people. There's lots of wealthy consumers in
that market, and if we've got premium products and services
we want to sell to them, we should keep targeted
that those very very closely, and so we'll monitor it,
we keep the engagement high, but importantly we just get
on with the business and actually make sure we no
worse off than anyone else.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Act agree to disagree. Where does this go from here?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
On the guns, Yeah, well, I mean on firearms, my
position is pretty clearly we want to make sure we're
enhancing public safety. I've said that time and time again.
We think the registry has been effective at that and
particularly if you think about straw man sales going to
gangs and criminals, that's been good we're living in an
MP world. As I said, from day one, they feel
differently about that. The cabinet didn't support the proposal that
(02:51):
went through and the way that they wanted it to go,
and so we're very pragmatic. We haven't agree to disagree
where they can.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
And that's just like it's done.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Yeah, so it's done. So the cabinet decision is the
Cakey decision. They didn't agree with that, and we gave
them an agree to discreena.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Well on the subjects of act social media. So you've
seen to Erica Stanford. Is she the only talented person
you've got in the room?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Now?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
I mean, how come she does everything? I mean? For goodness?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
So look just back up the truck of that where she's.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Got immigration education, she's doing the victims of abuse, and
now you're telling her to wonder often solve social media problems.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Her and I have very aligned on the social media
piece that she's got a lot of passion about. Just
think about what the work Nicola Willis is doing to
clean up and ungodly mess that we inherited. Think about
what Bishop's doing.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Bishop's busy about.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
What about you know, Sam and Brown, Martin Mitchell on police.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Give it was only police though he's only emergency. I mean,
let's look, I'm not I'm just saying, don't you have it?
What I'm asking though, with ACT and social media, if
they don't agree, what are you going to do? Numbers wise, Well, again, we'll.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Work at They've sort of started to shift their position
a little bit on the weekend, which is good, So
let's just see where we get to with them. There
might still be a pathway through all of that, but
let's let's see and if not, will continue to reach
out to other parties as well.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
So you go with labor, We'll look to try and
go with labor. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Well, I mean to me, Mike, it's not actually a
political issue. Whose parents you know, the kids, which parties
their parents vote for is irrelevant. This is actually something
where our parents and our principles and teachers saying, look,
it's out of control. We have controls in the physical world,
but we don't have any in the virtual online world. Yep.
It's hard, as you've highlighted over the course of the
week in terms of implementation, but cheap as I mean,
(04:26):
I had people telling me the phone band was going
to be impossible to implement and lab behole. We found
a way through. So yeah, it's more complex than that,
no doubt about it. But actually you've got to believe
in this day and age, we can find a way
through that.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Okay. So you as seeming answer my question, I would
argue not not because I don't agree with you, but
I don't know anyone who's done what you're looking to do.
Do you know something we don't technically speak?
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, there is technology being tried, for example in Australia
about how you do age verification. Now you've got the EU,
the UK, the US, States, Canada all looking at the
same piece of work, and some are much more developed
than us. In fact, where probably a bit fast following
rather than leading on this. And you know that's what
I've asked Eric to do is go away, look at
all the jurisdictions, get something pragmatic and practical in place
(05:09):
for New Zealand, and let's take that bill to cabinet,
make a cabinet decision that.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
It was a little bit about this, you being the
bad guy, like the school phone band. In other words,
so parents can go look, the government told us that
you've got to be sixteen and then'll do.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah. Look, I think it was interesting learning from the
phone band. You know, for about two or three weeks,
I had Principles coming out against it, and unions and
everybody and some parents. But actually at the end of
the day now when you talk to the parents, the teachers,
the principles, they're actually quite grateful we took control because
they were out of control. And I think that's sort
of criticism. It's just the reality of it. It's too overwhelming,
(05:44):
and so by us stepping in and being the bad guys,
I think and just said that's the setup. It just
gave clarity to everybody. And I think it's the same
kind of challenge we've got here as well. I mean,
the incidence is Mike of you know, the cyber bullying
in New Zealand is huge. We've seen a big decrease
of that with the phone band. You know, the balls
are going through freaking glass windows again, which is great
(06:05):
because kids are actually talking to each other face to face.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Novel idea. Okay, you're at the tourism thing last week. Yeah,
you made your announcement. I told you about that, and
I'm not the only one. I told you about the
thing you announced months and months ago. Too slow.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
No, isn't it great that we listened to you.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
No, it's not about that. It's about pulling every lever
you can to get people back into the country. But slow, slow, slow, slow.
I just say, I.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Think when you've seen a twenty three percent growth and
tourism expenditure in the last twelve months and it's accelerating
in the last three to three to six months, that's
been pretty good.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
And the good thing about that conference, Mike, to be honest,
is I walked those stores and spoke to each of
you know, many of those individuals. They were really up.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
We had four and in last week who said the
same thing that he was seeing some increasing amount of confidence.
So you would argue, but here's the thing. What came
out of that conference. The headline that came out of
the conference is quote unquote the new normal. Eighty six
percent of where we were is the new normal. Apparently,
sort of attitudes.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
That, no, that's not right, that's not the attitude at all.
We want to see. We want to restore to pre
COVID levels fast. You're seeing markets like India in the
US that are well ahead of where they were pre COVID.
That's great. The Australians are coming on song pretty quickly.
I think that're up to ninety five percent. We've got
challenges with the Chinese, as we've talked about. That's and
but the other the Indians are up, you know, one
(07:22):
hundred and thirty percent. When I was in India, I
had a big tourism event up there and we had
a record number of buyers from the travel industry in
India come down to this trends event, thirty two of
them from memory, and it was great. They really turned
on to it. So we just got to get to
China and make the case again for tourism.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
So in making the case in China, is that because
they don't want to come here or they can't afford
to come.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
To be really honest, I think in that six year
period where we were very myopicant and weard looking and
our foreign ministers and our trade ministers and our promises
didn't go into Southeast Asia or Northeast Asia or China
or in the end of Pacific, we actually lost share
of mind within China. And so it's an awareness story
that we have to unpack again in there. It's a
big market. There's still big seams of wealthy people that
(08:04):
can still come to New Zealand from China and a
market of one and a half billion people, and so
we just have to do a better marketing sales job
of actually making the case for New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Okay, Tama Potiker, this is on me. I assumed he
was out there doing a review on the tribunal. Why
tang you tribunal? And then on Friday he comes out
and announces after a year and a half of doing
lord knows what, we're suddenly going to have a review
what he do all day.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
And he's got the process organized, He's off to do
the engagement by the middle of the year. He'll have
advice back to him by September this year, and then
you have there's two years and to legislative options in
place by the end of the year, and then we'll
be introduction into the bill early next year. Why wasn't
it done day one? Well, there's a lot of other
things we had to do. I mean, you'd argue that
I should have done at day one. You'd argue that
should have been doing everything day one. But if I'm
(08:50):
boiling the ocean doing everything all at once and not
staging or sequencing it. I'm telling you we're not getting
anything done with it.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
This review is a review with a view.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
To what, Well, there's no predetermined outcome here, but what
the looks? No, No, there is a need for us
to actually say what the way you something?
Speaker 1 (09:07):
If you've got no view, why are you reviewing? Then? Well?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
No, What I'm saying is we are there's no predetermined outcome,
but the rationale for us changing the role of the
white tongue a tribunal and what it is about in
the future, it's very very clear. Irrespective whether you're on
any side of that debate, go look at Chris fin
Layson's book In a post treaty settlement world, which we've
got through the last vast majority of it. You've got
to ask the question, what is the role of the
white tongue a tribunal and what is it and what
(09:31):
isn't it going to be going forward? And define it?
And that's what I'm expecting him to do. So that's
a legitimate question that we can ask and should be
asking to find their role going forward.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Do you do anything for Mother's Day? Did you do
anything nice? Do anything well?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
I've got a twenty five and a twenty three year old,
so life is. Did they manage to get Amanda a
six racket tennis bag between six I don't know, but
she's only got two rackets, so I don't quite know
what they were thinking, but she seemed to like it,
which was exciting. And some special body wash that I'm
not allowed to use in the shower now apparently, so
(10:04):
that's all I know.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So do you have separate body washes? We do?
Speaker 2 (10:07):
We do? You know slot doesn't come together?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Can I give you a tip? We have superate showers?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Do you really?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
If we do? So, therefore you can have your own.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
You do have separate bread rooms?
Speaker 1 (10:18):
No, we don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
We don't rooms, only separate showers. This has gone on
every day. Is Valentine's Day in the hospital house?
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Exactly right? Well see advice to see it. For more
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