The Country 11/02/26: Christopher Luxon talks to Jamie Mackay

The Prime Minister reminisces about his t-shirt faux pas from last year’s barbecue, before discussing the free trade agreement with India.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We got the boss here as well. I might get
see what his view is on the Indian Free Trade Agreement,
Christopher Luxen. And I'm pleased to see he hasn't. Just
as he comes in there you go friendly shake of
the hands with his former deputy Prime minister. All right,
so he's softened me up. He's told me the real

(00:21):
truth Prime Minister about the Indian Free Trade Agreement. And
well done for not putting your National Lamb Day T
shirt over suit.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
I have just jumped off a plane, I have raced
through this building to get to you today. I chucked
the T shirt on while I was walking. I managed
to not.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
This year put over the top of the suit coat,
which is a major achievement because it was a fashion
faux part. But I put a lot of attention on
National Lamb Day. I thought last year there were two
things that I think drove National Lamb Day last year.
One was me wearing a T shirt over the top
of my suit because I had to go straight.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Back to Parliament.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
And the second thing was you came here and very
respectfully pete in the bushes and no, I know, yeah,
I don't think you've done that this year.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
No, No, No, I haven't. Obviously haven't had enough coffee
this morning. I had a bit of a night on
the town last night at Wellington. Did you go to
Oh well, interestingly at backbench. Yeah, Federated Farmers turned up
and drove so they were all there. And the rumor
running rife. He's around here somewhere. I've got to ask him.
Is that Wayne Langford the president is going to stand

(01:17):
for labor in West Coast Tasman. Have you heard that rumor?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
I haven't heard that at all.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
No, that was the one doing the rounds last night.
So we won't let the truth get in the way
of a good story. So Winston has kind of said,
you're telling porkies on student visas and we're going to
get twenty thousand Indians in here. This is all about immigration.
It's not about free trade as far as he's concerned.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Oh look, I mean what it is about free trade.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
It's actually about New Zealand getting in on the ground
floor with a growing economy that's going to be moving
increasingly into the middle classes. That's got huge demand for
New Zealand's products and services, including lamb and red meat
and other things. So you know, WinCE he's had a
long standing policy of opposing for every agreements. You know,
we saw that with the China, We've seen it now
at the Indian FTA. Frankly, he's wrong. I respect him,
but he's just wrong and he's entitled to his point

(02:05):
of view. He's got a different point of view. But
I can tell you from our end. You know, we've
done an outstanding deal. And as you've seen even the
European deal come through, you've seen others in recent periods.
The fact that we're in there early with the Indians
is fantastic. And let's just fast forward five, ten, fifteen,
twenty years from now. You can't tell me, with the
biggest population in the world, the third biggest economy, one

(02:27):
of the fast the fastest growing G twenty economy in
the world, that us being well positioned with the Indians
is a good thing for New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
What do you make Because I've got lots of people
to chat to. A final question for you, and I
threw this one at Winston, who had a sort of
grumpy face on today. How do you get on arguing
with him when he's got his grumpy face on?

Speaker 3 (02:45):
Oh? Look, we have some robust conversations. But that's what
you'd expect and makes you it's part of the good sports.
But no, look, I mean, as you've seen, you know,
we have differences, you know, and that's okay. In an
MMP environment where you put three parties together, that's the
electoral system is voted for time and time again. You
go to election night, you then chance to form a
government and to try and make it work. And doesn't

(03:06):
mean we agree on everything, but actually we agree on
the important stuff and we agree with there's common ground
on you know, the core agenda of this government.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Okay. Well my question to him was, and I'll throw
it at you for to believe the polls. Maybe if
to party Marie only win one or two seats, does
that spell the end of a labor led coalition?

Speaker 3 (03:22):
Well, I think what's going to spell the end of
any labor prospects of government as a capital gains tax.
And then you heard him con standing there beside Chloe
Swarbrick not ruling out eighty billion dollars worth a new
taxes on wealth taxes and trust taxes and death taxes
and every other sort of tax. So you know that's
not what New Zealand needs right now. We've we've worked
damn hard over the.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Last two years to get this recovery in place, and
you're going to snuff it out in a heartbeat by
doing that. I'm telling it immediately, so you know, frankly,
their policies are wrong.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
They're going to spend more like they did last time,
wasteful spending. They're going to tax more, and they're going
to borrow a hell of a lot more.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Okay, Prime, honest, thanks so much for your time on it.
You have a lamb shop and we'll see you in
Gore or why murmur on.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
We start watch that, mate. It's going to be great.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
That's great, that's probably.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
Just stay out of the bushes, please down here, Jamie.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
Well, if they would open Parliament up and let us
have a p in the building there, it's probably.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
A bit like I'm leaving on occasions.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
There we go. That was last year. That was so
twenty twenty five.