Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on Nicola Willis firing back at the Taxpayers' Union

Nicola Willis is defending her economic track record in the face of a lobby-group's satirical campaign.

The Taxpayers' Union has sent MPs Nicola Willis-branded fudge, claiming she favours treats today and taxes tomorrow.

It suggests Willis should cut spending more.

Willis says the Government has reduced taxes and delivered significant cost savings - while keeping frontline services.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained why Nicola Willis is keen on making the debate with Ruth Richardson happen.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Very soper s heered Politics Bears Good Afternoon Afternoon, Rown
debates on next week.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
We'll be on next week. Yeah, it's really interesting. You
know why Nichola Willis is quite keen on this debate
because she is a debating champion. She was at the
Victoria University debating team when she was studying there and
took part in international competitions. She also, in the run
up to the two thousand and eight election, was working

(00:26):
for John Key and she coached him but also stood
in as Helen Clark for debates. So look, she's got
plenty of experience and I really think that Ruth Richeson
given her. She's been really pushing for it. Today they
gave Nikola Wallace a five pm deadline to agree to

(00:48):
a debate next week. She said, anytime any place, take
it or leave it, Minister, is.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
This getting fasticle?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
I love it. I think it's great. I'll be watching.
So she of of course, to remind your listeners, Ruth
Richardson was the mother of all budgets, but she's also
the chair of the Taxpayers Union, which is out to
discredit Nikola Willis. Nikola Willis would argue, and I was
looking today at what she would be saying, probably last year,

(01:17):
debt as a percentage of GDP remained level for the
first time, she would say in six years, spending as
a percentage of GDP foul. As she said, their physical
policy is to return the books to surplus and bend
the debt curved down. While that's what you'll be saying,
no doubt promoting that next week. So that is her argument,

(01:39):
But she's more than happy to have Ruth Richardson debate
it with her.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
She's looking in the shadows behind this campaign and what
she needs to desfront up. She needs to put her
face to the arguments. She needs to have the debate
with me. But what I want is a straight up,
honest debate to really analyze some of the claims that
she and her associates are making, to argue about actually
what the impact of some of the things that she
is calling for would be on everyday New Zealanders and

(02:05):
their families, to test what her tolerance for human misery is.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
See so you can see what the way this is
going to shape hard. One is going to be kind,
the other is cruel. The cruel one is Ruth Richardson.
And I was messaging Nichola Willis today and she said
she's so keen on doing it next week and she'll
do it on Thursday after the half year fiscal update.

(02:31):
Now you know that could not be that great for
the government.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Nevertheless, she'll take to push the service out again. Yes,
exactly great for Ruth. There was talk she wanted to
push the debate out till next year. I said to you,
I said, this is getting ridiculous, honestly that no one's
that interesting. Like, don't get me wrong, it's interesting.

Speaker 4 (02:51):
I will be watching.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
We are tragic, but I mean it's not. And also
PM wants a clear runway for it. You know, sta't
kick the year off.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
It's wrong.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
Cameron tonks No anyway, what's happening in the Parliament.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Well, the Electoral Changes Bill, it's before the House under
urgency that basically it sets a much earlier deadline for
enrolling to vote thirteen days before the election next year
and also disqualified disqualifies all sentenced prisoners. Before the Labor

(03:26):
Party introduced three years if you're three years in under
in prison you could vote. Well, this bill will do
away with that. The Maori Party's new MP. Your one,
your mate she hasn't been expelled yet incidentally, or any of.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
The few left.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
That's right, that's right. She didn't make much headway with
her argument in Parliament this afternoon that it's unfair to
make people enroll thirteen days before the election, and she
was also upset that prisoners will be prevented from voting.

Speaker 5 (03:59):
Does the man a the dispute evidence that shows that
denying prisoners the right to vote undermines rehabilitation goals, increases
social exclusion and ultimately increases the risk of offending.

Speaker 4 (04:12):
Well, of course, I tend to think more about the
needs of the victims of crime. Currently, it is the
law that if you're in prison for three years or more,
you lose your vote, and we are extending that earlier,
and we think that's fully justified.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Symour.

Speaker 5 (04:25):
Does he believe that New Zealanders of all races are.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
Equally capable of fulfilling this basic requirement? Yes, And I
have always been troubled by a particular party claiming that
their voters are disadvantaged by any changes which would imply
that their voters are less capable than other voters of
getting themselves enrolled, which is a strange way to talk
about your voters.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
So with that already didn't ask any more.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
Interesting. You know, you say she's my friend, and she
is and she was, but I tell you what, tried
to get her on the show a couple of times,
Barry and just sign.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
So much for friendship radio silence.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
Normally when you go into politics, you're chomping at the
bit to talk totally.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
When you're part of the Marlti party, you never know
whether you're Arthur or Martha, or whether you've got a
seat or.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Not exactly and who's pulling the strings exactly. And now
very quickly there's new visa policy. This is paying dividends.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
Well, it's just it's a good you know. To me,
it makes sense that if you've got a visa and
you come from China or the Pacific to visit Australia
and their visa requirements are quite strict, then the new
visa requirement was to allow them to come on to
New Zealand without having to go through the paperwork. Again, well,

(05:40):
that's seen in the past month ten thousand people coming
into the country and we're going to see many, many more. Obviously,
the point that the Immigration Minister made was that the
strong interest in the South Island in particular, for three
percent of Pacific visitors are going to Christchurch and onto Queenstown.

(06:05):
So it's a very good policy.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
Absolutely, Why why not just piggyback exactly. Very good to see.
You're Barry soapert Politics. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
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