Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on Prime Minister Chris Luxon's plans for Waitangi Day

The Prime Minister's revealed he'll be spending this year's Waitangi Day in the South Island. 

Chris Luxon is not visiting the Treaty Grounds this week - he's instead sending a Ministerial delegation including Erica Stanford, Tama Potaka, Paul Goldsmith and Mark Mitchell. 

Luxon's office has this morning revealed he'll celebrate the public holiday with Ngāi Tahu, at Banks Peninsula's Onuku Marae.

Luxon's previously said not all Prime Ministers commemorate the day at the Waitangi grounds - and he plans to go to different marae across the country over the course of his tenure in office. 

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it would be a better look if Luxon fronted up.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So apparently Daisley Simpson thinking about running from here of Auckland,
and Bernie has texted and say, hey, Ryan, has Michael
would because I said maybe he'd come in and deal
with the vote splitting on it as Michael would sold
those airports shares yet and probably not. Barry Soper is here.
Hey Barry, Ryan, how you see you?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Well, it's nice to be back for such a long break.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
I must say you're looking actually quite festive with your
summer shirt on. You're almost as bad as Chris Hopkins
who came.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Back because Christmas. That's my problem.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Hey, do you think Dearsley's going to run?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Oh? Yeah, I think she will, almost certain.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
But it's she'll split the vote.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Waiting, I think. And I just hope that she learns
to put the sunglasses on her nose and not on
the top of her head. It seems rain, hail or shine,
she's got those bloody sunglasses on top of her head.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
If you're going to spend fifteen hundred dollars on a
pair of sunglasses, Berry, everybody needs to see that. Probably, hey,
Luck said, finally telling us where he's going to be
on White tonguey Day.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yes, it's interesting because an Akarah I mean not known
for violent protest against the treaty on Treaty Day. But
he's going to be there with the Governor General. Cindi
Kiro's going down there as well. And Akia has a
population of under eight hundred, but it is the oldest

(01:24):
town in Canterbury, was settled by Europeans in eighteen forty,
the same year as we know that the treaty was signed.
But he's not going to get much of a fight
with Naitahu, who will be hosting them in the small town.
But it's an interesting choice, isn't it when you consider that. Look,
there are other places that maybe you could get a

(01:45):
better profile and a bit more debate, but that's going
to get in a kara.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
That's exactly what he doesn't want, isn't it. I mean
he's basically running to the other side of of the country.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Well, you know I'm running, But I've got to say
the way the people are talking up at White Tongy
as they always do ahead of it, saying look, politicians,
reception is going to be hot. We're told by a
man called Tippeny who's one of the organizers up there,
and they warn the politicians every time before they go

(02:16):
there that they're going to get a rowdy reception. If
you're a politician, why would you bother? Winston Peters is going.
David Seymour, the architect of the Treaty Settlement's bill, he's
going to be there, and good luck to him. I
think he should go on front up. And this has
got exactly what David Seymour wants, and that's debate on

(02:37):
the treaty. So good thing.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
This is Raeli newspaper, so we were talking about this
last week. It was the visitor visa and the soldier
coming here apparently denied entry on the basis of being
a soldier. Whatever. These writing newspaper now correcting the story.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, it took them a long time, didn't it. I
mean it caused an international uproar, which is extraordinary for
a story when you consider that in Israel, if you're
a male or a female, you're required to do military
service of up to thirty six months. So everybody that
comes here from Israel above a certain age will have

(03:13):
done military service somewhere, So why should we put them
to any other test? I think that argument has sort
of been lost in this whole thing. And Winston Peters
has been accused of trump Ism for saying it was
fake news. Well, indeed, it was fake news. They said
that when they must have known full well that New

(03:34):
Zealand had not changed its visa requirements for anyone, and
neither it's your for Palestinians nor for Israeli.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Yeah, but that kind of story has the potential to
do real damage to our reputation in America. Right, And
when I saw Ted Cruz treating about it, I thought, oh.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Shed crew saying we're not ollies. Well for his information.
I mean, we've always been seen as very very close
friends until Gondaleza Rice and battered islands at Winston Peters
at one stage and she said, we're back to the
ally status again. Well if that, if Ted Cruise has
got his way, we're not even there yet.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
I know, changes to the benefit system, the traffic light system,
We've had a couple of changes.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, and look they're not that significant really when you
think about it. They're going to there's a bill before
Parliament at the moment. These changes will be part of that.
And look, if you're unemployed, you should be off your
butt out looking for work. So anybody that's a naysayer
on this one. I think you know they're pushing the

(04:37):
wrong barrow if you like, And of course they're always are.
You've got Riccardo Mendez March. He's having the standoff with
Shane Jones at the moment. The Green MP says it's
another punitive measure that would punish beneficiaries deeper and push
them deeper into hardship.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Does he really think that they doing it as punishment. Honestly,
it's it's designed to try and help them to get
off the thing.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
To apply for jobs, to do some training. It was
interesting you saying, I think you had the same apprenticeship
as me. It sounds like the paper run. I had
a paper run. The gore end sign I used to deliver.
It used to be called the Materian sign on those days.
Then I went on and I did the milk run,
did that running around with the milk bottles, keep fit.

(05:27):
And then I worked in a tobacco shop, and then
in JT. Sharp and Sons, a men'swear store. All this
was available to us before we left school. I loved it.
It was great.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
There you god great. So you've got to start somewhere,
don't you and you start close to home, which is
you know, just the paper run. Hey, thanks for that, Barry.
Nice to be back, Great to have you back, and
great to see you. Barry Soper News Talks. He'd be
senior political correspondent.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
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