The Huddle: Winston Peters v Kiribati - where do we go from here?

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Labour Minister Stuart Nash joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 

The Prime Minister is pushing hard for asset sales - and he aims to seek a mandate for them in the next election. Do we think this is a good idea?

New Zealand's diplomatic relations with Kiribati are on the rocks - and aid money has been put on pause. Given how close the region is with China, is it wise for Winston Peters to play hardball like this?

Arnotts has convinced Woolworths supermarkets in Australia to move the Tim Tams to the fridge section. What to we make of this?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Huddle with New Zealand Southby's International Realty, local and
global exposure like no other.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
On the Huddle of this evening Shuston Willis pr Trish Shurson,
good evening, Good evening, and former Labor Minister Stuart and
as Sure, good evening.

Speaker 3 (00:14):
Ryan, Trish, how are you very well?

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Very well?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Thank you. I'm struggling to sort of come to terms
with what exactly was going on there, Trish.

Speaker 4 (00:21):
I think there's only two words that need to be said,
and it's utter nonsense.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Stuart, bloody, outrageous.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Very weird. Let's move on talk about something more important,
privatization and asset sales. I'm just happy that people are
talking about this because as a country we're obviously in
the pickle, you know, worst growth last year in the
developed world, so we have to do something. We've got
to do a stock take as a country, Stuart, Is

(00:53):
it not okay just to even ask the question, what
is the right mix, a sensible mix of assets to own?

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah, it's not a bad question. But the bottom line, Ryan,
is that the government has a role, not necessarily to
make a profit out of its assets, but to provide
services to the public. Right now, the private sector has
the primary role to maximize the profits out of these
So the risk you run when you sell government assets
is that the focus changes from providing a really valuable

(01:23):
service to communities to making a profit, and when that happens,
you run the real risk that those who can't afford
those services miss out. We should be looking at doing
things differently of that, there is absolutely no doubt. I
just don't think that selling off assets is the way
to go about it.

Speaker 4 (01:39):
Well, I funnily enough, I disagree on that. I think
this is absolutely the right time to talk about big
structural changes like asset sales. New Zealand is asset rich
and cash poor, and we all know what that means.
You've got to go through the list of the things
you own and just in the same way that a
household would do, think about, you know what do we

(02:01):
need to get rid of what's really important to us.
The government needs to do that as well. We are
not going to get to where we need to be
by having incrementalism. And in my view, the New Zealand
Electorate has moved on on assets sales like it has
done on the whole GM debate. So we went from
GM GE to ge technology and no one has batted

(02:24):
an eyelid. We have a big set of assets on
our books that are underperforming, and the right question to
be asked now is like, as David Simo says, why
do we own these? And then the job of the
National Party in government is to say, Okay, what we're
going to do is get Simmy and Brown to go
through the list, do a cost benefit analysis on these assets.

(02:46):
Then we'll take a program to the next election and
put it to the electorate. And I think, actually on
the center right, that is the way national acts should
be working. I am pleased to see David Seymour actually
talking about the economic forms that X should be pushing
national on.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Do it very quick. On the break you said you disagree.
Do you think keywis do want asset sales? Sorry, don't
want to.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
I think I think kiwis expect the level of service
from the government, and the government should provide a level
of service that's available to all keywis, not only those
who can afford it. And what we're finding in this
country at the moment right is the gap between the
very few at the top and the majority is growing
wider and wider. So You're going to end up with
a whole group, a whole group and across our communities
and society that just can't afford the service is provided

(03:31):
by a privatized community.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
But they hang on land land Corp. I mean, what
are we getting from land Corp?

Speaker 3 (03:40):
Well, I would I would be very intes to see
from the figures from land Corp whether they are turning
apropm on I twenty one about higher performing.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Is twenty six million dollar loss. There was a report
done in twenty twenty one that found we could get
two billion dollars if we flogged it off. Twenty six
million dollar loss last year, poor financial management and even
at a board level.

Speaker 4 (04:00):
And this is the point.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
This is about their farms to foreign owners, don't This is.

Speaker 4 (04:04):
About asset recycling. This is about selling off what is
not working and not performing so that the government has
the money to invest in better services.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
But Trius can I ask, why do you think that
the private sector can run assets better than the government.
There's been a belief on the right that government has
no role in managing businesses or managing assets because they
just can't do it competently. And I reject that. I
completely reject.

Speaker 4 (04:30):
It well, I would say based on the current state
of the New Zealand economy, it is an absolute lesson
in why the government needs to own less tri.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
When we have problems about productivity. Our tax system isn't working,
productivity isn't working, in the labor market isn't working. The
cost of capitals incredibly high. There are things that need changing.
Of that, there is absolutely no doubt. But selling off
assets is a political slogan that really just does not work.
Address the fundamentals of the economy and you'll grow productivity.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Attritions to it. Back in just a second on the
hud Good evening. It is twelve away from six on
news talks. Here be Trice, Hurs and Sheston Willis Prre's
on the huddle tonight with Stuart Nash, Formal Labor Minister.
Welcome back to you guys. Let's talk Winston Peters and
this diplomatic tiff is what we're calling it between Kitabas
and New Zealand, so mix up apparently over the dates

(05:18):
and one hundred million dollars of aid at stake. It's
currently paused under review. Trish, can you see what's going
on here? I mean Winston Peters clearly wants to get
out and say to the people of Kidabas. Look, I've
tried to meet with your leader. He's not meeting with me.
That's not acceptable, and this is why we've paused the AID.

Speaker 4 (05:35):
What's your tak It's always very hard to pick about
pick apart these kind of stories just reading them in
the media. But what I would say is that I
have faith and confidence in Winston Peters as our foreign minister,
and when I look at these stories by read on,
what he is actually saying is he's trying to put

(05:57):
a bit of pressure on the president of Kittabas, who
seems to be playing a little bit of silly buggers
with Winston Peters. And so I am not opposed to
him being a little bit tougher and saying, well, hey,
it's a quid pro quo here and treat us with
respect and happy to hand over the AID money. If not,

(06:18):
we're going to put a pause on it.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah. Interesting because obviously China is involved in this. They
want more influence in the region. You know the fact
that Kittabas has recognized in China over Taiwan, et cetera.
All of those things that going on in the background.
Do you think that Winston Peters is striking the right
balance or tone here star It.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah, I completely agree with Trisha on this one. I mean,
Winston is the most senior diplomat probably in the Pacific.
He's loved in the Pacific, he loves the Pacific. He's
a huge fan of the Pacific. And I agree with Trisha.
I mean he he's the consummate diplomat. If Winston says
this is the story and this is what's happening, that
I believe one hundred percent, and I would say go
hard once and represent aer interests well because he always does.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yeah, I tend to with both of you. Let's talk
about this arn It's campaign. Well, we think it's a
campaign in Australia, so they obviously selld Tim Tams and
in Australia and Woolworst they've managed to convince them to
stop the Tim Tams in a fridge for a set
amount of time, kicked off a huge, big social media

(07:19):
for rawry over and across the Tasman. Do you keep
your Tim Tams in your fridge or do you keep
them in your pantry? These are the types of discussion
that we're having a Trish.

Speaker 4 (07:28):
Well, I'm a I'm not allowed Tim Tams.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
They probably don't. They probably just in your mouth.

Speaker 4 (07:33):
But me if I was, I am a cold chocolate lover.
But to me this seems like an absolute joke for
the Aussies because in you know, thirty eight to forty
degree heat, by the time you got your Tim Tams
out of the supermarket into the car and home, they
would be in a puddle anyway. So what's the point
the whole thing unless you're going to scoff the whole
packet in the car and.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
John Trish, You've got to admit the company responsible for
the PR for Arnot has done a bloody good job
because we're talking about Tim Tams on the most popular
radio show in New Zealand. I mean, you can't get
better advertising than that. So I've got to take my
head off to the PR agency that's in charge of
on It's But I agree with you on that one.
I mean, do people still eat Tim Tams? I suppose this.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
Stut. I know you're very health conscious. Have you ever
even eaten one?

Speaker 3 (08:22):
Look, they're not my favorite type of bickets if I
had to choose, But like I said, I didn't even
know about this, and I read about it all your
listeners now know shit, I'm going to go to the supermarket.
I'm going to have a look at the fridge and
see if there are tim tams there.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
I tell you what it will happen tonight in houses
in towns and cities around the country. There'll be a
husband who's sent out to the dairy at about eight thirty.
That's sort of what I would call magna maur when
the wife thinks, all I just need a little sweet treat.
Will we tim tams tonight?

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Somebody who's said the plural of tim tam is tim tam,
not tim tams.

Speaker 3 (08:55):
Oh my gosh, there you go. Why to debate? But
I'm like to be honest, right, if I am eating chocolate,
I do befer it cold, but my wife prefers at warm.
So you know, there you go.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
In my house at the moment, we're only allowed ninety
percent cocoa chocolate, which tastes funny enough like cocoy, very dry.

Speaker 4 (09:13):
And that's why you only have two pieces of it.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, no, that's true. That's which I think is the point.
It's mean to taste as disgusting as possible. Thank you guys,
great to have you on Good Debate tonight. Tric Jerson, Huson,
Willis pr Stewart Nash, former labor minister.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
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