January 28, 2025 • 4 mins
Labour says it's nonsense to suggest the private sector does things better - after National has said it will campaign on asset sales next election.
ACT has proposed health and education as starting points.
But Labour leader Chris Hipkins says we only need to look at electricity companies gouging New Zealand consumers for profit.
He says the companies stopped investing in new generation since becoming private.
"Every New Zealand household's paying higher power prices - when the National Party said that if we privatise them, power prices will come down."
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Privatization well and truly back on the political agenda. The
Prime Minister, Christoph Luxe and Nicola Willis are both talking
about it and they're waiting advice on what plans they
might take to twenty twenty six. So far, lux has
ruled out state houses, but he's open to a conversation
with voters about other asset sales next term. Labour's leaders
Chris Hipkins is with me this evening, good evening, good Ryan.
(00:23):
Why do we own Land Corp?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well Landcorp. It owns quite a significant amount of strategically
important land for New Zealand, and it's land that we
want to have some control over what happens to it.
You know, we don't want our high country farmstand and
forestry necessarily, you know, we want to make sure that
it's used in the best interests of all New Zealanders.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Hang on a minute.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Didn't a whole bunch of farms go to forestry under
your reign?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Private many private farms? Did?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I mean, can you say, but can you just putoth
and the gum boots of a farmer for a second
and just understand how incredibly ironic that state was?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, no, because a lot of farmers don't want to
see farms turned into forestry either. It is a challenge
facing the country that we have been converting farmland, good
productive farmland into forestry and at something farmers all.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Right, fair enough.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
So if farmers don't want high country farms turned into
forestry either, then why not sell it to them and
they'll hold on.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
To it well because in some cases some of that
land isn't appropriate for private farming. So there's good reasons
why we've ended up with the parcels of land Inland Corps.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
So the reason that we own land corn is not
because it might make money. It's because they're high country
farms that we don't want anything to happen on.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
No, they're currently being farmed right, but in many cases
they are not a profit for private farming.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
I mean we're subsidizing. So last year, do you know
what the loss was for Land Corp last year?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Oh? I haven't got the figures off the top of
twenty six million.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I mean we're wearing a loss so that we can
have farming happen there.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah. Someone else is that people end up buying it
and changing the purpose for which that land is being used.
In New Zealand's best.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
You can legislate against that.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
In fact, the government and who would want to buy it?
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Farmers?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
But if it's not making a profit and it's not profitable,
one would.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
They want to Well, because here's an idea, maybe a
private farmer might be able to turn a profit.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I mean, that's just that's just it's just your typical ideology. Oh,
a private sector does it better. A private sector makes
a bigger profit. How's that working out with the electricity
companies who are gouging New Zealand consumers higher power prices
to make bigger profits. Every New Zealand household's paying higher
power prices. When the National Party said if we privatize
them that power prices will come down, power prices have
(02:36):
gone up and the electricity company's investment in new generation
to bring prices down has actually stopped. Since privatization, This
idea that the private sector does everything more efficiently as nonsense.
Let's take the health system. If private provision was that
much more efficient, why is it that the Americans have
one of the least efficient health systems in the world,
(02:57):
where they spend more on healthcare per person under their
privatet eize health model than just about any other country
and get worse health outcomes. I mean, privatization is not
the panicy for public services in u Z. No.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No, but hang on a minute.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
You're getting carried away with you, but you're getting carried
away on yourself. No one's saying will sell the hospitals?
Speaker 3 (03:15):
All right? What we're talking about here a specific state.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
On the enterprise will sell the hospitals. He's going to
be the deputy Prime Minister and he's saying that we
should sell the hospital which is?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Which is?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
This is a live.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Debate, It's a symbolic role, Deputy Primeship. I mean he's
not going to be running the policy unit QV Why
do we own that TV and Z made a net
loss of twenty eight million dollars? I mean, can you
name an so O E that is performing well well?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Television New Zealand like all media, there are many media companies.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Can you can you name it?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
We shouldn't have public broadcasts.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
No, but can you name any countries in the world.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Broadcasters that aren't making any money?
Speaker 3 (03:54):
And understand it's a very difficult.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
As well as it was before. Either doesn't mean we
should do away with it, although that might have something
that might have something going for it.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Chris, can you name any soowey that's performing well?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well, he's in many cases are in markets challenging.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Come on, if you can't name one that's performing well,
and you're the leader of the Labor Party against asset sales,
what hope have they got?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Well, there are private secting companies that aren't performing very
well at the moment. The economies in recession because this
government's driven the economy off the cliff.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
All right, thank you very much for your time this
seven and great to talk. As always.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
That's Chris Sipkins, who's the labor leader firmly against the
sale of asset For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Listen live to news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Privatization well and truly back on the political agenda. The
Prime Minister, Christoph Luxe and Nicola Willis are both talking
about it and they're waiting advice on what plans they
might take to twenty twenty six. So far, lux has
ruled out state houses, but he's open to a conversation
with voters about other asset sales next term. Labour's leaders
Chris Hipkins is with me this evening, good evening, good Ryan.
(00:23):
Why do we own Land Corp?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well Landcorp. It owns quite a significant amount of strategically
important land for New Zealand, and it's land that we
want to have some control over what happens to it.
You know, we don't want our high country farmstand and
forestry necessarily, you know, we want to make sure that
it's used in the best interests of all New Zealanders.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Hang on a minute.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Didn't a whole bunch of farms go to forestry under
your reign?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Private many private farms? Did?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I mean, can you say, but can you just putoth
and the gum boots of a farmer for a second
and just understand how incredibly ironic that state was?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, no, because a lot of farmers don't want to
see farms turned into forestry either. It is a challenge
facing the country that we have been converting farmland, good
productive farmland into forestry and at something farmers all.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Right, fair enough.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
So if farmers don't want high country farms turned into
forestry either, then why not sell it to them and
they'll hold on.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
To it well because in some cases some of that
land isn't appropriate for private farming. So there's good reasons
why we've ended up with the parcels of land Inland Corps.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
So the reason that we own land corn is not
because it might make money. It's because they're high country
farms that we don't want anything to happen on.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
No, they're currently being farmed right, but in many cases
they are not a profit for private farming.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
I mean we're subsidizing. So last year, do you know
what the loss was for Land Corp last year?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Oh? I haven't got the figures off the top of
twenty six million.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I mean we're wearing a loss so that we can
have farming happen there.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah. Someone else is that people end up buying it
and changing the purpose for which that land is being used.
In New Zealand's best.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
You can legislate against that.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
In fact, the government and who would want to buy it?
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Farmers?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
But if it's not making a profit and it's not profitable,
one would.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
They want to Well, because here's an idea, maybe a
private farmer might be able to turn a profit.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I mean, that's just that's just it's just your typical ideology. Oh,
a private sector does it better. A private sector makes
a bigger profit. How's that working out with the electricity
companies who are gouging New Zealand consumers higher power prices
to make bigger profits. Every New Zealand household's paying higher
power prices. When the National Party said if we privatize
them that power prices will come down, power prices have
(02:36):
gone up and the electricity company's investment in new generation
to bring prices down has actually stopped. Since privatization, This
idea that the private sector does everything more efficiently as nonsense.
Let's take the health system. If private provision was that
much more efficient, why is it that the Americans have
one of the least efficient health systems in the world,
(02:57):
where they spend more on healthcare per person under their
privatet eize health model than just about any other country
and get worse health outcomes. I mean, privatization is not
the panicy for public services in u Z. No.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No, but hang on a minute.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
You're getting carried away with you, but you're getting carried
away on yourself. No one's saying will sell the hospitals?
Speaker 3 (03:15):
All right? What we're talking about here a specific state.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
On the enterprise will sell the hospitals. He's going to
be the deputy Prime Minister and he's saying that we
should sell the hospital which is?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Which is?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
This is a live.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Debate, It's a symbolic role, Deputy Primeship. I mean he's
not going to be running the policy unit QV Why
do we own that TV and Z made a net
loss of twenty eight million dollars? I mean, can you
name an so O E that is performing well well?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Television New Zealand like all media, there are many media companies.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Can you can you name it?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
We shouldn't have public broadcasts.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
No, but can you name any countries in the world.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Broadcasters that aren't making any money?
Speaker 3 (03:54):
And understand it's a very difficult.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
As well as it was before. Either doesn't mean we
should do away with it, although that might have something
that might have something going for it.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Chris, can you name any soowey that's performing well?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well, he's in many cases are in markets challenging.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Come on, if you can't name one that's performing well,
and you're the leader of the Labor Party against asset sales,
what hope have they got?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Well, there are private secting companies that aren't performing very
well at the moment. The economies in recession because this
government's driven the economy off the cliff.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
All right, thank you very much for your time this
seven and great to talk. As always.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
That's Chris Sipkins, who's the labor leader firmly against the
sale of asset For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Listen live to news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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