Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on Shane Jones threatening to stop funding for the Waitangi National Trust

New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is threatening to withhold Waitangi funding, over recent actions at the commemorations.

Protesters turned their backs on ACT leader David Seymour as he addressed the crowd, with some displaying messages around honouring Te Tiriti.

Some took his microphone off him, and others sang as he spoke.

Jones has since asked what the point of funding the Trust is - if it has not made Waitangi a more hospitable place.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says there's been debate about misbehaviour on the Waitangi grounds every year.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barry Sobers here, Hey, Barry.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Good afternoon, Raun. The Palestinian people would be dancing in
the rubble, wouldn't they? With Donald Trump moving in, turning
it to the river era of the Middle East.

Speaker 1 (00:10):
His clients said, I mean it's I mean, it's hard
to know with Donald Trump exactly what's going on, but
it's not a military intervention thing. It's more of a development,
a development opportunity sounds of it. He Seymour feelings, the
feeling the heat at Whitehanging Well.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
You'd have to say, wouldn't you, Ryan, If you're a
center right politician going to White Tangey, you've got to
be something of a masochist. I mean, we saw Stephen
Joyce having a dildo thrown at him once, we saw
Don Brush having mud slung at him. We saw John
Key being roughed up. That spat at well today the

(00:45):
Treaty Settlement's Bill. Did David Seymour know good at all?
And I think you know, Chris Luxon made the right
decision and staying away from the place. If these people
can't listen to argument, then what's the point of the
politicians being there. I mean, you know, it's great for
the opposition politicians because they can turn up and say, look,

(01:06):
we'll do everything for you. And indeed, Labor did do
a lot for Marty in terms of appeasing their every wish.
But now that we've got to suffer the consequences of that.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
To be fair to everyone, on them and I though
not everybody agreed with the action that they took taking
away that microphone, did they? So there was a commander
who brought it back, you know, So he's obviously disagreement
about the behavior that went on.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Well, the behavior towards David Seymour was very bad, indeed,
but it wasn't just the Maldi behavior towards David Seymour.
He certainly did feel the flat from Marty. But the
most inflammatory exchange came from the former partner of Disgrace
Green's MP Goldriz Garriman, a fellow by the name of

(01:50):
Guy Williams.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Ever listen touring Poison in One's Ear as a quote
from Hamlet about putting mistruths in people's minds, and I
believe that's what people have done about my bill.

Speaker 4 (01:59):
Say that's what you're doing, You're spreading misinformation.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Well, can you give him an example?

Speaker 4 (02:05):
You're trying to say that Moldier causing divisions and racist
when it seems like that's what you're doing.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
No, I've never said that at all. I've said this
many times.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Don't lie to me.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
No, I've never said that at all. That's why you're
not a real journalist. These guys are. How do you
actually get some sense of hope in your life? That's
what will improve the relationship for all New Zealand does
not just Mardy you.

Speaker 4 (02:25):
You don't really believe this though, like you're saying, I'm
not a real journalist. But even though I can see
for this bullshit like you're spinning shit, you're started about you.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
It's worse than that. You're not even a real comedian.
You know when I when I grew up as a
kid in this country, comedians were funny, they were clever,
they were wissy. What's gone wrong?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
I think?

Speaker 4 (02:42):
I'm all right?

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Yeah, I know you're only you're the only person that
thinks that.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
You know what he did the David Murray does have
a pretty good sense to humor. He then turned to
Simon Wilson from the Herald and said, look, I'll take
a question from use thinks to be desperate. So I
was quite funny. I mean, you know, I mean he
did turn what was a completely offensive situation into something

(03:12):
that I thought was quite funny.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
That is, that is that's tickled That's really tickled me up.
I actually went to university with guy Williams. He lived
in the room next to me for about a year.
He's a nice guy. He actually wanted to be a
politician when he was at.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
He's not going to get there by that sort.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Of Hey, Shane Jones, meanwhile, he might be a bit
hangover from his party last night. He's saying, we'll take
your money off you white tongey.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Yeah, well, what Shane Jones is saying. And as you say,
he did come out of his party of four hundred
and fifty people last night, so he wouldn't been feeling
that well this morning. I wouldn't have thought. But he
says there's something seriously awry about the architecture of the
whole day and how it shakes down. And I think,
you know, most reasonable people, although every year we say

(03:59):
that same thing, you know, we see a repeat year
after year after year. I think it is a good idea,
and I remember, you know, Helen Clark she broke away
from the Treaty grounds and took her presence elsewhere on
Waitangy Day. And I think, you know, if this sort
of behavior continues, then you'll find more politicians following suit.

(04:21):
But it was incredible that Shane Jones handed out ten
million bucks today to the Waitangi National Trust. Now that's
the organization that keeps up the Treaty ground and organizes
the White Tangy festivities. So it's a lot of money.
And he said that he'll be having a word to
his caucus and maybe looking at the decision that he

(04:45):
made this morning and announced, maybe overturned. I don't think
that's going to happen at all, but never there. It's
all Shane sounding off. Obviously had a good night last night.

Speaker 1 (04:55):
It sounds like he did very Thank you very much
for that. Very soper that his News Talks, he'd be
senior political correspondent for.

Speaker 4 (05:01):
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