Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on Kapa-Kingi's day in court

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper talked to Heather du Plessis-Allan about today's political hot topics.

Expelled MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi was heard by Justice Radich in the Wellington High Court in regard to her interim injunction against Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attended the IKEA opening in Auckland today.

And, head of the Justice Ministry, Andrew Kibblewhite, defended Sunny Kaushal’s work as chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for victims of retail crime, including more than $227K in pay and a $3200 morning tea.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barry Soper, senior political correspondence with US Hallo, Barry, Good afternoon, Hill.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
So what did we get out of court with the
Maori Party?

Speaker 3 (00:05):
Well, nothing as yet, but Kappa KINGI seems to think
there'll be some sort of decision. I mean, she is
appealing against her expulsion from the party, and she's seeking
an injunction against the party, and in her firing line
is very much John tammaheady. And you know, she emerged

(00:26):
from the court, she seemed quite happy with the way
it was conducted, but she did leave no one in
any doubt that party president John Tammaherry is firmly in
her sight.

Speaker 4 (00:38):
It requires a certain way of being, you know, and practice,
and from my experience and my point of view and
my observations, those things aren't evident. And so I think
we're ready for a new leadership actually at that executive
and council level. And it's my it's my party. And

(00:59):
I'll cry if I'm neither confident or not confident. But
I'm glad to have had one day in court, I
guess you might say.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
And it's interesting that she doesn't even though she lives
in the same Oh sorry shares the same office as
Takuta Feras. She's not sure whether he's joining in any
court action. He in the past has said no, I
don't want it. But look, there is an AGM coming
up very shortly and I guess all cards will be
on the table.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
Then.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
See the Prime Minister turned up in Ikea today.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
Isn't that wonderful?

Speaker 4 (01:30):
You know?

Speaker 3 (01:30):
I think it's great. And a lot of the media
turned up, and you know this is.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
A lot of the media. Didn't the entire media turn
Oh maybe they.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Did, Yeah, And I think, look, it's it's a great
day for New Zealand when a big international company decides
to open up here, and I think we should be
celebrating that rather than many have been criticizing it. And
I can't quite understand because we are looking for good
things in this country and this is one good thing,

(01:58):
just like Costco was well. So you know, apparently shoppers
were gathered outside at four forty five as early as
four forty five am this morning. It opened at eleven
o'clock and there wasn't the goodlock of traffic. Apparently people
that were still car parks when people arrived at the
opening time of eleven o'clock. But look, the Prime min

(02:21):
is to cut an appropriately blue ribbon to declare the
megastore open. And for all the detractors, he had this
to say.

Speaker 5 (02:30):
He got a large multinational that's may have chosen to
make its first investment in New Zealand. It's taken some
time to get to this point. It creates local employment opportunities.
There's five hundred and forty staff here already. Most of
them have never worked for a care before, they've been trained.
And importantly, you've also had a whole bunch of economic
activity with contractors and people that are supporting the retailer here.
So you know, it's a good news story. It's a

(02:52):
classic case of where investment creates opportunity in jobs as
well as more competition. That's just a good thing for
New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Were you yawning?

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Then what did he buy? He bought something and he
wouldn't tell anybody what he bought.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
Well, apparently what he bought was and I thought it
was rather unusual for a teetotaler. Rather surprisingly, he bought
a set of wine glasses for entertaining others. Of course,
i'd imagine a watering can to presumably called down or
called down the over and bibers that use the wine
glasses and a blue Now I've never heard of one

(03:27):
Franca bag and that's it's blue of course, and I
assume that's got something to do with designer.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
What he did, he just went around and was like
he was. He was just like what can I buy?
What's quick?

Speaker 3 (03:38):
That?

Speaker 2 (03:38):
That gone? That's what he did.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
Eh, yeah, and good on them for being out there.
This is a success story.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Now have the questions have been asked about Sonny Koschel?

Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yes, and I know you've asked questions before about what
what Sonny is being paid? Well, yeah, just as ministries before.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
The Scrutiny Week.

Speaker 3 (03:57):
Scrutiny Week had Parliament to the head of it. He's
defending Sunny Koschal's workers, chairman of that ministerial group. Including
the two hundred and twenty seven dollars and eighty five,
five hundred and eighty five dollars in pay and three
two hundred dollars for a morning tea event in Auckland.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
Surely not just for himself.

Speaker 3 (04:22):
Well, no, so.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
I think Barry's dying engine.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
No, Sonny might be, well, he's not that large. I
don't think he could manage that, but look, it's really
interesting labor MPs. They revealed that Koshal had built so
many hours between February and July that he almost certainly
worked weekends in public holidays. Well, the head of the ministry,

(04:50):
kibble White, Andrew Kibblewhite, he says that, look, he's a
very hard worker and he may well have done that,
but he also earned you know, he's earned a lot
of money on top of but he's kershel himself, is
it back saying that labor is playing politics, And then
he did exactly the same thing himself. He said basically

(05:11):
that this is a declaration or a distraction from the
real problem, and that's retail crime that's doubled since nineteen
twenty nineteen under the Labor watch. So he was playing
the same game as he couzing. Thank you very much,
making a lot of money out of it.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah, thank you, Erry very so for senior political correspondent.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
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