The Country 02/02/26: David Seymour talks to Jamie Mackay

The Act Party leader and Deputy PM comments on Act's ag policy, Winston’s election campaign in full swing, and whether Waitangi Day will be divisive this year.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, David Seymour, after a bit of a false start,
let's try that again. Hello, David, how are you very
well these Well, I'm pleased you didn't, as I say,
say nothing nasty that would incriminate either of us when
we accidentally went to air over the ad break. Apologies
for that one, but it isn't undane.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Not that there's anything we could possibly say.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Well, I was going to say, my initial introduction for
Where Have all the Cowboys Gone? Wasn't about me running
the desk. It was about you and Winston cannibalizing the
national vote.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, I tell you what, There's lots of eople talking
about politics, but I'd rather talk about what sort of
policies are going to ensure in New Zealand stays first world,
balances the books and there's a country where people have
a clear sense of who we are that they can
be proud of. We start looking at questions like that,
all the cowboy stuff less interesting.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Well, let's look at ad policy. What are you got?
What you got coming?

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, what we've got is long held principled position. I
was the only one that voted against the zero CARBONAC
Now we have changed those meat targets so people can
keep farming. I've said forever we need to replace the
resource management law and base it on property rights. That's
now before Parliament, ready to be legislated and signed off.

(01:17):
In the middle of the year before the election, I've
said that actually you don't punish firearm owners for the
sins of one terrorist, and a new Arms Act that
treats licensed fire ourmoners respectfully is once again actually happening.
And then you look at Brooklyne Valden's Holidays Act and
Health and Safety. We are making it easier to do

(01:40):
business in New Zealand and especially easier to farm in
this country. And that's not to mention what Andrew Hoggard's
done in biosecurity, basically making sure that we keep the
really critical threats at bay while accepting the realities of
having to do the business. So look, I think we
can point to a pretty strong representation and progress in

(02:02):
this government. As the year goes on, perhaps at Field
Days we'll be listening to what people have said about
how far we've got, areas we may have missed, and
there'll be a whole lot more to come. But you know,
it's still over nine months the election, So you'll forgive
me if you know we were not telling everyone exactly
how we plan to build on the progress we've made

(02:24):
to date.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Well, don't worry about that, David, don't worry about that.
Labor haven't given me any egg policy yet. Just a
couple just to throw out there, because I think you
do have positions on both of these emissions policy and
Paris agreement.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yeah, well, Paris is pretty simple. Either it needs to
change or we need to leave. We don't want to
be and we can't afford to be the last people
left at the party, and with the US pulling out
for the second time, we have to ask ourselves. So
we want to be part of an agreement that doesn't
respect the fact that methane is different and leaves New

(02:59):
Zealand farmers for my customers buying from less efficient higher
for losing farmers offshore, while we shoot ourselves and both feet,
the economic foot and the environmental foot. So that's that's
a critical plank, and we've talked about that before. It's
an extension of our advocacy on the methane targets domestically
in the zero carbonate and then then you come to

(03:22):
other things like, you know, how do we bed in
this resource management reform we're making so that it actually
gives people real autonomy and control. So the answer is
not you know, can I get permission for this? But
the question is why shouldn't I do this right now? Okay?
A mission's policy, Well, once again we've got it's mainly

(03:44):
driven now by Paris, and that the truth is, whoever's
in government, they're not going to send a whole lot
of money off shore. It's just not going to happen.
So therefore we have to be a bit realistic and say, look,
you know, what does it look like to change Paris
that will drive your omissions policy?

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Just to finish on of course Friday, why Tunguy Day?
Will you be up there for the annual scrap?

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Well some people say that no, I'll be up there
because there is a voice and a perspective that needs
to be represented, and we've done it consistently. And that's
very simply that we're not going to solve our problems
by ranking each other by when our ancestors arrived in
this country. We can solve our problems by fixing what matters.
And access is a very good story to tell charter

(04:31):
schools run by Malori formality engaging kids in education that
weren't formally engaged, or rung a tama riki you know,
now a much safer place for children at risk to go.
And unfortunately those kids are disproportionately Mari. That's run by
Karen Sure. So we'll be telling the story of how
we actually make it easier to get an education, build

(04:51):
a home, have a job, and be safe. And we'll
be saying, actually, you know, that's based on equal rights
for all. It doesn't come from getting a bunch of
elites who happened to be distant relatives putting them in
positions of power just because of who they were born at.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
Plus there's time equal now. Plus there's no Treaty Principal's
Bill on the table this year, it's bound to be
a more peaceful gathering.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Well we'll see. I mean, you look at the Treaty
Principals Bill. We may have lost the vote, but we
didn't lose the argument. And I'm quite certain that well
within my lifetime, New Zealand will be a country where
each of us has the same basic rights and duties,
and the Treaty is understood that way, rather than the
rather divisive partnership between racist model that the courts have invented.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
David Seymour, enjoy yourself on Friday. If you see a
bit of mud or a dildo coming your way.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
Duck, don't worry. I'm well practiced.

Speaker 1 (05:46):
David Seymour, the Active Party leader