Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says his Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms) Nicole McKee is not a liar and is doing a good job as minister.
“She still holds the position that high-capacity magazines need restrictions on them,” Luxon told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking Breakfast.
“The Arms Act is 40 years old, so it does need some reviewing," he said.
“It’s entirely appropriate we revisit the Arms Act and make sure it’s fit for purpose.
On Associate Minister of Health Casey Costello, Luxon said “she is really fixated on lowering smoking rates”.
Pressed on whether he believed giving tax cuts to tobacco companies was a smart move, Luxon said Costello was trying to find alternatives for people to use in an effort to quit smoking.
Luxon said, “Nicole McKee is very focused on gun safety and Casey Costello is very focused on reducing smoking rates”.
He said they were being targeted by Opposition criticism.
“They are good ministers who are focused on what I’ve asked them to do,” he said.
On Dunedin Hospital, Luxon dodged repeated questions about where he got the $3 billion construction estimate from.
“We’re not making it up,” he said.
Luxon said a replacement of HMNZS Manawanui would depend on funding priorities.
“Now, with an unanticipated loss, we’ll have to consider that.”
Speaking on the healthcare budget, Luxon said Health NZ commissioner Dr Lester Levy had been “sorting it out”.
Luxon said any flood-risk-home buyouts was a responsibility for landowners, councils and central government.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
But as Tuesday, the Prime Minister is with us. Very
good morning to you, good Mike, Howaya very well into
a couple of quick things. Nicole McKee, Is she a liar?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
No, No, she's she's doing a great job.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
She cares about gun safety and she's doing a good
job reviewing an arms Act that's over forty years old
and needs some bit of work.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
The inference from TV one appears to be she was
hired by Paula Bennett to do a report. They found
a loophole. She claims that she raised it with Bennett.
It's not in the report she wrote. Bennett says it
was never raised. Therefore she said she raised something she didn't,
hence the infant She.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yes, yeah, Look, I mean the bottom line, she's always
advocated for restrictions on what's called high magazines, high capacity magazines,
and she still does to today as well. But that
report was about illegal firearms that Paula was running at
that time, and actually high capacity magazines was actually out
of scope of that report. You know how these reviews happened,
and so there are lots of ways that advice has
(00:53):
passed through, but it didn't need to be in the report.
For her to hold that position, and so she still
holds that position, which is high capacity magazines need.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Restrictions on them.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
But that report was about illegal firearms, not high capacity magazines.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Just for Clarity's sake, yea. If she wasn't in chargeable,
there just seemed to be tremendous numbers of people angsty
about what she's trying to do or not trying to do.
If she wasn't in charge of this, would you still
be doing the same thing legally speaking?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well, I mean, or is this all act Tod McClay
and I had talked about before the election at The
Arms Act is actually forty years old, and it actually
does need a bit of overhauling and reviewing because we've
got to make sure that we've got good gun safety.
We would have also been looking at the review of
the register because we want to make sure that's actually
working efficiently, we want to make sure that it's actually
getting good levels of compliance. There's a bunch of things
(01:38):
that we would do, So yeah, we would have done
some of the same things. But this is you know,
we've got a program of work after forty years of
an arms that actually does need to be real.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Wrestled the stuff that people. We were doing it in
like four.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Phases, and one of the basics was, like, you know,
I saw a report this week saying, look, you know
there's a loophole now for gang members at gun rangers. Well,
no disrespect, but a gang member is not going to
a gun range where you learn gun safety.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Through the politics of this workout. Do you believe in
what you're doing, whether Nicole mc key's running it or not.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, I think it's entirely appropriate. We revisit the Arms
Act and do a good rewrite and make sure it's
that's for purpose and it's driving safety.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Is Casey Costello a distraction now?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And as she trouble, Well, she's I mean, honestly in
my conversations with her, she is really fixated on lowering
smoking rates, genuinely. So yes, she's we've tried some things
around heated tobacco products. She's put some better security around
vates and child proofing and all that good stuff. So look,
I think you know she's actually very focused on on.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Well, she may be focused, but do you believe that
what she's doing by giving tax breaks effectively to a
tobacco is a smart move?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Yeah, yeah, because I mean, we've got some of the
lowest smoking rates in the world. Right, We've gone from
eight points six down to six point eight percent. We've
got the Smoke Free twenty twenty five, which gets us
to five percent daily smoking. We're on track to deliver that.
In fact, the new Zealand legislation has worked incredibly well
to give us lower smoking rates in the world, or
some of them. She's now saying, look, let me let
us try any alternative to get people off cigarettes. We've
(03:01):
done obviously with vaping coming in. I think over that
period there's been in that four year period, there's been
two hundred and thirty thousand people give up cigarette smoking.
If heated tobacco products work in the sense of it
gets people off cigarettes, that's a good thing. That tax
loss of tax ex size excised tax, just so you're clear,
is actually us putting accounting treatment aside saying, look, depending
(03:22):
upon how much people switch, depending upon whether these products
are made available in the Zealand marketplace or not, and
our compliant with our childproof regulations, that will depend upon
how many people move off smokes into the heat of
tobacco products. And therefore, if it was a mess amount.
We've got a big number put aside as we should do.
If not, the tex Scise revenue will go up from
because there'll be people still smoking.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
The reason I asked the question is that both of
these aren't your ministers. They are your ministers, but they're
not from your party. Is it optically getting awkward? Look?
Speaker 3 (03:50):
I mean, I appreciate these politics at play, and they
want to you know the other side we want to
go after them. But I can tell you Nicole McKee
is very focused on gun safe and I can tell
you you know, Casey Casselle is very folks us on
lowering smoking rates.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
And I'm comfortable.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Okay. So by the time you then add this up
Casey Costello, who have been your target since you've been
in government? Casey Costello, Penny Simmons, Nicole McKee, Karen Chuaw
all women all new Yeah, if you read a new
thing into.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
That, well, I just think that's an opposition tactic to
go after new ministers and many of those are actually
outside cabinet as well. And and Penny Simmons is probably
the other one that's been in the gun at times
as well.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So you know that's why I'm saying no, no.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
You sacked her.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah no, no, no, no, we focused. We've refocused.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
No, you sacked her, you sacked I've refocused them.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
We can depeat that all day long. But but what
I had to say to you is they.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Are good ministers who are focused on what I'm asking
them to do, which is lower smoking rates, make sure
our gun laws are safe.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Makes Casey Costello, Nicole McKee are safe in their portfolios.
They're doing a good job. They're backed by the government.
We're all on this. We're all on the same page. Yes, okay.
Dunedin Hospital the three billion dollar number, where is that?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Well, that's our latest assessment that it's approaching three billions.
Who it's basically the one point nine that we've put in.
We put another three hundred million in. It started at
one point two, we went to one point six, gone
to one point nine. There's been a latest review where
it's several hundred million dollars over there's another four hundred
million dollars of ancillary stuff on it, and that gets
you approaching three billion.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Who's done the review because it's not public. There's three
billion dollars isn't public, No one can see find it
and so the inferences you're making it up.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
No, we're not making it up.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
This is just a labour special that we've inherited. Where
it's been fairies, school project, school buildings, or now to
need an hospital. All of these things are ideas that
end up running without budget that actually backs them up
from behind. I tell you, at three billion dollars, that
would be the most expensive hospital building.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
If it is three billion dollars, we haven't seen the
three billion. We've only got your word on it. If
it isn't three billion and it's say two point one
or two point two, that's a whole different scenario. And
you've got a really angry town, as you found out yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
but that's look, I get the frustration. I mean, I'm
frustrated as a new government ten months and have to
clean this mess up and sort it out.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
But we said we'd make tough decisions. We said that
we get financial discipline in the joint and we've taken
the budget from one point six to one point nine.
We can build a very good hospital in Otago for
the people of the South for one point nine billion dollars,
but it will be one point nine billion dollars. And
that's why we've got the urgent review with Chris Bishop
and Shane Retti looking at do you stage the old
site or do you scale back the new site. But
(06:23):
we've got to get this thing back within the one
point nine billion we're up for. We'll do that very
quickly and then we've got to get it.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
But if you're running it on one point nine and
what the suppose to what the region actually needs? What
if one point nine becomes basically a ten shed on
the corner of the site blows out again?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I just look at all around the world, you can
build some pretty amazing buildings for one point nine billion dollars.
We don't number we need to, and we need to
get a hell of a lot better at building infrastructure.
And so that's part of the thing that maybe there's
some different ways of doing this. We've said we're open
to public private partnerships. There's all sorts of ways that
we could deliver it, but we are going to deliver.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Get the Chinese and you remember when we came along
and they built those hospitals. Yeah, and they've built the
little week and everyone said they're fall down. They didn't
fall down. Why you get the Chinese, Well, we will
look at all options. I won't be the Chinese, but
we will look at all options. The Chinese, Well, we'll
look at all options to make sure we can build
a kick ass if hospital down in another south. What's
the problem with the Chinese.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
No, there's nothing wrong with the Chinese. But I'm just saying, well,
we're up for anything to look at getting this infrastructure
built because we do a problem like I mean, you
would have seen it with the school property buildings, right.
I'm sure that report came back saying, man, we've got
messive mission crepe. We've got all these architectural buildings, everything's bespoke,
huge costs, four hundred and fifty schools from memory, you know,
a couple almost two billion dollars. Not that's we do
(07:38):
a standardized way.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Because I was watching Bishop and Erica stand there in
front of these new buildings. I understand what they're buildings.
So they're building prefair buildings. I get that. But what
I don't get, because I haven't seen the three billion dollars,
is whether the three billions real or you're just making
it up for excuse yet not getting the hospital they
deserve and we're promise no, no, did Eve, We'll.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Get the hospital. They'll get a great hospital for one
point nine billion dollars. That's what we're going to do.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Because you need another hundred million plus for the ship
that's sunk. So are you going to replace it?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Well, it'll be dependent upon our defense capability plan that
we've got going on. So what I've asked, we've got
new leaders of the military on all the three forces.
We've actually got a new minister with Judith Collins, and
a new Secretary of Defense. I've asked that new leadership
group to write us a strategy for the next ten
to twenty years because I actually want to know that
where we're going to add value to our relationships now partnerships,
you know.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Particularly Australia.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
So we've got to choose, as a small country, what
we're going to be really brilliant and well class at
and capability we're going to bring to our alliance partners,
and choose actually what we're not going to do. And
so I want that strategy and that leadership team to
come together. That plan will come together probably end of
year early next year, and obviously now with an anticipated
loss of this ship, we need to put that into
(08:48):
the consideration mix.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Can you believe what's going on in this country at times?
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We've got a lot of things to sort out, my friend. Yeah,
as there are moments where you pick up every rock
and you go jeeves. Okay, the healthcare Sistin's got some
challenges education, but we can fix that might.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Speaking of healthcare, the deficits blown out nine hundred and
something million dollars has lester the leady. Actually, I'm not criticizing.
I'm just asking has he actually done anything yet, because
he's the fear When you got appointed, it was a
billion dollars and.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
They started in July one, and those reports that that
fits out of finances to June thirty.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I saw labor have a go at.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Us trying to sort of distract from having botched the
system up by saying, oh, I know we've we've faked
the numbers.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
We haven't faked the numbers.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
The reality is, even if you put the pay equity
money on that side of the financial year, you still
have six hundred million dollar sort of deficits. So now
he's doing a great job and he's trying to he's
got you know, he's got a lot to sort through.
You know, you've got to make sure they've got financial capability.
And we understand when we're putting seventeen billion dollars more
in and we're putting two billion into farmacs, six hundred
(09:45):
million more into those cancer drugs, were putting a lot
of money in and I need to know that good
money is going into a good organization, not a bad one.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
And so he's sorting it out.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
I asked Chris Bishop this yesterday. But you're sitting in
the studio this morning because once again parliament's not sitting
in this country. And one of the things you need
to do when you open parliament is past the fast
track law. Yes, so we can get on and build
some stuff. Yes, why aren't you opening parliament and passing
the fast tracked law.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Well, we will have that as law before the end
of the year. We have the oil and gas ban
overturned by the end of the year. We've got a
big program between there and Christmas. So Chris's Leader of
the House, he's got to work that schedule up with
the other political parties in the Parliament and the Speaker.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
But you know, we've got a lot of work to do.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Okay, just quickly from Dannigan yesterday. The other heat you
got was this business of an alleged buyout or whatever.
So Mitchell says the blueprints coming is a buyout of
any description in difficult parts of the country. Your problem
or a council's problem.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Well, actually it's a number of players challenges and that's
why we want a proper a thought, you know, we
want to need a proper sort of framework and approach
to it over many years, because it's going to be
over decades. But actually the property owner has a piece
of this and some rest to share, banks, insurance companies,
local government, regional councils and central government. And it's going
to be our generation but also to be the generation
in thirty years time.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
But is anyone addressing this because I mean South the
Needin has been flooding forever. We all know it's a
base and so when it's a basin yet again and
they go, what do you do now?
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yeah, but I just say, actually, what was good having
gone down there yesterday and seen Actually what they did
is like the pump station guys, so I actually went
and met with them that do wastewater and stormwater pumping.
Incredible job, like they were moving six thousand liters a
second of stormwater out of that system. They kept South
to Need in great shape and are through that. And
so the eleven red stickert buildings that are down there
(11:24):
are actually more to do a slip risk at the moment.
So we just need to ascertain whether that's red stickt
as we would talk about here in Auckland or in
Hawk's Bay or not, and we'll work that through with
the council.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Good see Good See Christopher Luxem for more from the
Mic Asking Breakfast.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Listen live to news talks they'd be from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
But as Tuesday, the Prime Minister is with us. Very
good morning to you, good Mike, Howaya very well into
a couple of quick things. Nicole McKee, Is she a liar?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
No, No, she's she's doing a great job.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
She cares about gun safety and she's doing a good
job reviewing an arms Act that's over forty years old
and needs some bit of work.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
The inference from TV one appears to be she was
hired by Paula Bennett to do a report. They found
a loophole. She claims that she raised it with Bennett.
It's not in the report she wrote. Bennett says it
was never raised. Therefore she said she raised something she didn't,
hence the infant She.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yes, yeah, Look, I mean the bottom line, she's always
advocated for restrictions on what's called high magazines, high capacity magazines,
and she still does to today as well. But that
report was about illegal firearms that Paula was running at
that time, and actually high capacity magazines was actually out
of scope of that report. You know how these reviews happened,
and so there are lots of ways that advice has
(00:53):
passed through, but it didn't need to be in the report.
For her to hold that position, and so she still
holds that position, which is high capacity magazines need.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Restrictions on them.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
But that report was about illegal firearms, not high capacity magazines.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Just for Clarity's sake, yea. If she wasn't in chargeable,
there just seemed to be tremendous numbers of people angsty
about what she's trying to do or not trying to do.
If she wasn't in charge of this, would you still
be doing the same thing legally speaking?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well, I mean, or is this all act Tod McClay
and I had talked about before the election at The
Arms Act is actually forty years old, and it actually
does need a bit of overhauling and reviewing because we've
got to make sure that we've got good gun safety.
We would have also been looking at the review of
the register because we want to make sure that's actually
working efficiently, we want to make sure that it's actually
getting good levels of compliance. There's a bunch of things
(01:38):
that we would do, So yeah, we would have done
some of the same things. But this is you know,
we've got a program of work after forty years of
an arms that actually does need to be real.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Wrestled the stuff that people. We were doing it in
like four.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Phases, and one of the basics was, like, you know,
I saw a report this week saying, look, you know
there's a loophole now for gang members at gun rangers. Well,
no disrespect, but a gang member is not going to
a gun range where you learn gun safety.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Through the politics of this workout. Do you believe in
what you're doing, whether Nicole mc key's running it or not.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, I think it's entirely appropriate. We revisit the Arms
Act and do a good rewrite and make sure it's
that's for purpose and it's driving safety.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Is Casey Costello a distraction now?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And as she trouble, Well, she's I mean, honestly in
my conversations with her, she is really fixated on lowering
smoking rates, genuinely. So yes, she's we've tried some things
around heated tobacco products. She's put some better security around
vates and child proofing and all that good stuff. So look,
I think you know she's actually very focused on on.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Well, she may be focused, but do you believe that
what she's doing by giving tax breaks effectively to a
tobacco is a smart move?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Yeah, yeah, because I mean, we've got some of the
lowest smoking rates in the world. Right, We've gone from
eight points six down to six point eight percent. We've
got the Smoke Free twenty twenty five, which gets us
to five percent daily smoking. We're on track to deliver that.
In fact, the new Zealand legislation has worked incredibly well
to give us lower smoking rates in the world, or
some of them. She's now saying, look, let me let
us try any alternative to get people off cigarettes. We've
(03:01):
done obviously with vaping coming in. I think over that
period there's been in that four year period, there's been
two hundred and thirty thousand people give up cigarette smoking.
If heated tobacco products work in the sense of it
gets people off cigarettes, that's a good thing. That tax
loss of tax ex size excised tax, just so you're clear,
is actually us putting accounting treatment aside saying, look, depending
(03:22):
upon how much people switch, depending upon whether these products
are made available in the Zealand marketplace or not, and
our compliant with our childproof regulations, that will depend upon
how many people move off smokes into the heat of
tobacco products. And therefore, if it was a mess amount.
We've got a big number put aside as we should do.
If not, the tex Scise revenue will go up from
because there'll be people still smoking.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
The reason I asked the question is that both of
these aren't your ministers. They are your ministers, but they're
not from your party. Is it optically getting awkward? Look?
Speaker 3 (03:50):
I mean, I appreciate these politics at play, and they
want to you know the other side we want to
go after them. But I can tell you Nicole McKee
is very focused on gun safe and I can tell
you you know, Casey Casselle is very folks us on
lowering smoking rates.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
And I'm comfortable.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Okay. So by the time you then add this up
Casey Costello, who have been your target since you've been
in government? Casey Costello, Penny Simmons, Nicole McKee, Karen Chuaw
all women all new Yeah, if you read a new
thing into.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
That, well, I just think that's an opposition tactic to
go after new ministers and many of those are actually
outside cabinet as well. And and Penny Simmons is probably
the other one that's been in the gun at times
as well.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So you know that's why I'm saying no, no.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
You sacked her.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah no, no, no, no, we focused. We've refocused.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
No, you sacked her, you sacked I've refocused them.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
We can depeat that all day long. But but what
I had to say to you is they.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Are good ministers who are focused on what I'm asking
them to do, which is lower smoking rates, make sure
our gun laws are safe.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Makes Casey Costello, Nicole McKee are safe in their portfolios.
They're doing a good job. They're backed by the government.
We're all on this. We're all on the same page. Yes, okay.
Dunedin Hospital the three billion dollar number, where is that?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Well, that's our latest assessment that it's approaching three billions.
Who it's basically the one point nine that we've put in.
We put another three hundred million in. It started at
one point two, we went to one point six, gone
to one point nine. There's been a latest review where
it's several hundred million dollars over there's another four hundred
million dollars of ancillary stuff on it, and that gets
you approaching three billion.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Who's done the review because it's not public. There's three
billion dollars isn't public, No one can see find it
and so the inferences you're making it up.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
No, we're not making it up.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
This is just a labour special that we've inherited. Where
it's been fairies, school project, school buildings, or now to
need an hospital. All of these things are ideas that
end up running without budget that actually backs them up
from behind. I tell you, at three billion dollars, that
would be the most expensive hospital building.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
If it is three billion dollars, we haven't seen the
three billion. We've only got your word on it. If
it isn't three billion and it's say two point one
or two point two, that's a whole different scenario. And
you've got a really angry town, as you found out yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
but that's look, I get the frustration. I mean, I'm
frustrated as a new government ten months and have to
clean this mess up and sort it out.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
But we said we'd make tough decisions. We said that
we get financial discipline in the joint and we've taken
the budget from one point six to one point nine.
We can build a very good hospital in Otago for
the people of the South for one point nine billion dollars,
but it will be one point nine billion dollars. And
that's why we've got the urgent review with Chris Bishop
and Shane Retti looking at do you stage the old
site or do you scale back the new site. But
(06:23):
we've got to get this thing back within the one
point nine billion we're up for. We'll do that very
quickly and then we've got to get it.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
But if you're running it on one point nine and
what the suppose to what the region actually needs? What
if one point nine becomes basically a ten shed on
the corner of the site blows out again?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I just look at all around the world, you can
build some pretty amazing buildings for one point nine billion dollars.
We don't number we need to, and we need to
get a hell of a lot better at building infrastructure.
And so that's part of the thing that maybe there's
some different ways of doing this. We've said we're open
to public private partnerships. There's all sorts of ways that
we could deliver it, but we are going to deliver.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Get the Chinese and you remember when we came along
and they built those hospitals. Yeah, and they've built the
little week and everyone said they're fall down. They didn't
fall down. Why you get the Chinese, Well, we will
look at all options. I won't be the Chinese, but
we will look at all options. The Chinese, Well, we'll
look at all options to make sure we can build
a kick ass if hospital down in another south. What's
the problem with the Chinese.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
No, there's nothing wrong with the Chinese. But I'm just saying, well,
we're up for anything to look at getting this infrastructure
built because we do a problem like I mean, you
would have seen it with the school property buildings, right.
I'm sure that report came back saying, man, we've got
messive mission crepe. We've got all these architectural buildings, everything's bespoke,
huge costs, four hundred and fifty schools from memory, you know,
a couple almost two billion dollars. Not that's we do
(07:38):
a standardized way.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Because I was watching Bishop and Erica stand there in
front of these new buildings. I understand what they're buildings.
So they're building prefair buildings. I get that. But what
I don't get, because I haven't seen the three billion dollars,
is whether the three billions real or you're just making
it up for excuse yet not getting the hospital they
deserve and we're promise no, no, did Eve, We'll.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Get the hospital. They'll get a great hospital for one
point nine billion dollars. That's what we're going to do.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Because you need another hundred million plus for the ship
that's sunk. So are you going to replace it?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Well, it'll be dependent upon our defense capability plan that
we've got going on. So what I've asked, we've got
new leaders of the military on all the three forces.
We've actually got a new minister with Judith Collins, and
a new Secretary of Defense. I've asked that new leadership
group to write us a strategy for the next ten
to twenty years because I actually want to know that
where we're going to add value to our relationships now partnerships,
you know.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Particularly Australia.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
So we've got to choose, as a small country, what
we're going to be really brilliant and well class at
and capability we're going to bring to our alliance partners,
and choose actually what we're not going to do. And
so I want that strategy and that leadership team to
come together. That plan will come together probably end of
year early next year, and obviously now with an anticipated
loss of this ship, we need to put that into
(08:48):
the consideration mix.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Can you believe what's going on in this country at times?
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We've got a lot of things to sort out, my friend. Yeah,
as there are moments where you pick up every rock
and you go jeeves. Okay, the healthcare Sistin's got some
challenges education, but we can fix that might.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Speaking of healthcare, the deficits blown out nine hundred and
something million dollars has lester the leady. Actually, I'm not criticizing.
I'm just asking has he actually done anything yet, because
he's the fear When you got appointed, it was a
billion dollars and.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
They started in July one, and those reports that that
fits out of finances to June thirty.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I saw labor have a go at.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Us trying to sort of distract from having botched the
system up by saying, oh, I know we've we've faked
the numbers.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
We haven't faked the numbers.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
The reality is, even if you put the pay equity
money on that side of the financial year, you still
have six hundred million dollar sort of deficits. So now
he's doing a great job and he's trying to he's
got you know, he's got a lot to sort through.
You know, you've got to make sure they've got financial capability.
And we understand when we're putting seventeen billion dollars more
in and we're putting two billion into farmacs, six hundred
(09:45):
million more into those cancer drugs, were putting a lot
of money in and I need to know that good
money is going into a good organization, not a bad one.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
And so he's sorting it out.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
I asked Chris Bishop this yesterday. But you're sitting in
the studio this morning because once again parliament's not sitting
in this country. And one of the things you need
to do when you open parliament is past the fast
track law. Yes, so we can get on and build
some stuff. Yes, why aren't you opening parliament and passing
the fast tracked law.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Well, we will have that as law before the end
of the year. We have the oil and gas ban
overturned by the end of the year. We've got a
big program between there and Christmas. So Chris's Leader of
the House, he's got to work that schedule up with
the other political parties in the Parliament and the Speaker.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
But you know, we've got a lot of work to do.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Okay, just quickly from Dannigan yesterday. The other heat you
got was this business of an alleged buyout or whatever.
So Mitchell says the blueprints coming is a buyout of
any description in difficult parts of the country. Your problem
or a council's problem.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Well, actually it's a number of players challenges and that's
why we want a proper a thought, you know, we
want to need a proper sort of framework and approach
to it over many years, because it's going to be
over decades. But actually the property owner has a piece
of this and some rest to share, banks, insurance companies,
local government, regional councils and central government. And it's going
to be our generation but also to be the generation
in thirty years time.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
But is anyone addressing this because I mean South the
Needin has been flooding forever. We all know it's a
base and so when it's a basin yet again and
they go, what do you do now?
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yeah, but I just say, actually, what was good having
gone down there yesterday and seen Actually what they did
is like the pump station guys, so I actually went
and met with them that do wastewater and stormwater pumping.
Incredible job, like they were moving six thousand liters a
second of stormwater out of that system. They kept South
to Need in great shape and are through that. And
so the eleven red stickert buildings that are down there
(11:24):
are actually more to do a slip risk at the moment.
So we just need to ascertain whether that's red stickt
as we would talk about here in Auckland or in
Hawk's Bay or not, and we'll work that through with
the council.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Good see Good See Christopher Luxem for more from the
Mic Asking Breakfast.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Listen live to news talks they'd be from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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