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July 24, 2025 5 mins

The Justice Minister is moving to overhaul electoral laws, calling them outdated and unsustainable.

He'll end same-day enrolment and prohibit offering free food, drink and entertainment near a voting place.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper agrees with these proposed changes - and suggests it could speed up the vote-counting process.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And Barry soob Our senior political correspondents with me. Hey Barry,

(00:02):
good afternoon. He So, do you think these electoral changes
are justified? Let's start with the treating. The treating is
fair enough, isn't it so?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Because I think we're going to disagree here, and it's
unlike me to disagree with you herether but treating, yes,
I do believe that. And we saw it the manual
or mudrai last year oh sorry, last election, where people
were encouraged at the voting place to change roles and
offer often incentives to do that. And that's totally oppose.

(00:32):
It's not democratic as bringing pressure on people when they're
about to make their democratic vote. As far as the
drop kicks turning up on the day and expecting to
vote if they're not enrolled, I think they are drop kicks.
I don't think. I think if they want to take
part in democracy, they've got under these new rules, thirteen days.

(00:54):
That's a couple of days before early voting starts. Now
that the advertising campaign will there'll be a blitz and
people will be well aware that the elections not only on,
but when they should be enrolled and if they can't
get their butts into gear and enroll on time. Then
they've got themselves to blame if their vote's not counted.

(01:16):
The thing is either by narrowing this time down and
not allowing and rolling on the day. It means that
come election night we'll find out the result earlier than
what we do at the moment. It's about a fortnight
and it could be up to three weeks if this
ridiculous situations, And.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
How much earlier would we find out?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Oh? Hopefully you know that those special votes I guess
you know overseas voters, they have to be counted. But
this would preclude a lot of the nonsense that goes on. Oh,
I would imagine probably a week earlier.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Did you just make that up? Yeah? What's your problem
with it? I mean, what you're doing is you're punishing
them for being stupid allowed to vote.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Well, you know, I mean you should stupid people are
allowed to have as much as votes. I've got to say,
but I notice that you say with a more lean
to the left. So what you're saying is the left
voters are stupid, more stupid than those I have dug

(02:22):
yourself into a hole here as well.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
So this will affect people who are predominant who move
addresses right, So we're talking about students, we're talking about
we're talking about people who are I itinerant, maybe people
who are.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Making excuses for drop kicks.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
I just I just don't. I just I think that
the punishment is completely disproportionate to.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
The not allowed to vote. Well, I'll tell you what
nextection They will be out in time.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
Tell me what's happened with out here? Or why is
this a problem?

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Well? I love it because Winston can't stand the word
being used in a question in Parliament. He gets really
up tired about it. The word that he says that
this country is no or words is New Zealand. That's
what we are, not RT roller And there was only
ironically only one question on the order paper today that

(03:09):
are to Roller in it, and thank goodness it wasn't
directed at Winston because he refuses to answer. Well, I've
got to say to justify his case as to why
the word should not be used instead of New Zealand.
Peters quoted the New Zealand Geographic Board, which failed to
impress Speaker Jerry Browne.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
The board has no jurisdiction over the country name of
New Zealand And To change it would require an Act
of Parliament and of quotes. Members may speak in any
of the three languages at any time. If other members
do not like certain words, they do not have to
use them. In his time serving New Zealand the capacity
of Minister of Foreign Affairs, he would have presented the

(03:52):
New Zealand passport at various passport stations around the world
and never had questioned the fact that our passport has
the word Alta on the front of it. That's for
all of those he is I might use a term
familiar with the member, not a syllable, not a sound,
not a mutter, not a murmur, no condemnation whatsoever from

(04:12):
a compan he was part of. That is the end
of the matter.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
There you go. W'sdon take that, put that in your
pipe and smoke.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
Its stupid anyway. Okay, So what do they get on
the food prices today?

Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well, food price is never far away from their lips.
I've got to say. You know they say that when
you want nothing else to talk about, you talk about
the price of eggs. Well, we've been talking about the
price of butter. Labor's Barbara Edmonds, I came off second best.
I've got to say. When she was add nauseum quoting
frontline service providers and throwing their views at the Finance

(04:46):
min as to who came to the house, I've got
to say, well armed.

Speaker 4 (04:49):
Does she stand by her statements that quote, national will
take action to get food prices under control once more
unquote and if so, when will the price of butter
come down?

Speaker 5 (05:00):
An evidence of our progress on this. In December twenty
twenty two, food price inflation was ten point seven percent,
In March twenty twenty three, food price inflation was eleven
point three percent, and June twenty twenty three, food price
inflation was twelve point three percent. Since being elected, our

(05:23):
government achieved in the March twenty four point two point
four percent food price inflation in June twenty four zero
point two percent, Hi Bote.

Speaker 1 (05:35):
Come on hot, haven't you okay? Barry? Thanks very much,
Barry Soper, Senior Political correspondent.

Speaker 4 (05:40):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news Talks.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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