Jamie Ensor: NZ Herald political reporter on how the Government can move forward from Mike King controversy

One expert predicts the Government will be grilled over the Mike King saga once Parliament returns from its recess.

Labour has called for Gumboot Friday's funding to be pulled after its campaigner told Newstalk ZB alcohol is a solution for mental illness.

King stands by his statements and says there will be evidence proving him right - but has not provided research.

NZ Herald political reporter Jamie Ensor says Minister Matt Doocey says the Government will continue to fund the charity - despite Labour's opposition to the move.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB and.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's time to do local politics now and I'm joined
by New Zealand Herald political reporter Jamie Enzel. How are
you this morning, Jamie?

Speaker 3 (00:20):
Very goods?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Excellent.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hey.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
I started the show by talking about how an ill
considered comment by Mike King has put I am Hope
back in the spotlight and it's really just time that
we all stop politicizing youth mental health and get on
with doing the job that we're supposed to be doing.
But of course the opposition has sort of said that
the government needs to deal with this. What are they
wanting the government to do and what should the government

(00:44):
do just to kind of put all this to bed
and so we can move forward and get on with
the job of looking after our kids.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
Very good points. Yeah, Parliaments will return from a recess
week this week and you can expect that this whole
drama around Mike King and his comments about alcohol will
be front of minds for members of the Labor Party.
Now said the government needs to review its funding of
the gun Boot Friday program a light of whit what
Mike King has said. Now the Minister for Mental Health,

(01:13):
Matt Doocy has told the Heroes that even though he
disagrees with the comments that Mike King made with regard
to alcohol, he defended continuing defund Gumboot Friday, saying that
it will help young people access free mental health counseling
and that it was an impressive program. But Labor says
that you know, these deeply problematic comments, those were the

(01:33):
words of Labour's Ingrid Lary. They send the message to
young people that alcohol uses a recognize treatment for mental
health issues when it isn't, and that to continue funding
gun boot Friday would be the wrong thing to do. Now.
The Prime Minister responded to that by saying that Labor
was trying to politicize this issue. But you would have
to say it's been a fairly political one from the beginning.

(01:56):
It was parties in this government that pledge to give
Monday the money to gumboot Friday during the election campaign
would help the usual contestable process for public money. So
wait and see what happens in question time this week,
but it definitely will be a hot topic.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, no, I mean, look, the government has politicized it
by their actions. But they also now just need to
get on. They need to They need to be measuring
the targets, they need to be making sure it works,
do all that.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
You know.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
They just need to get on do their child, don't they? Anyway?
Let's move on to party Mary has admitted that one
of its MP's is fall short of their expectations. That's
an admission that they don't often make. And this was
a comment I believe it a a select committee, was it?

Speaker 3 (02:37):
It happened during the Justice Select Committee this week. It's
considering some amendments to the Foreshore and Seabed legislation and Takuta,
Theorist who is its party Maori MP, had been questioning
two of the submitters about their support for the legislation
when he was cut off by the chair of the committee,
National's James Mega. Now as Mega tried to move on

(02:58):
to the next submitter, Feris could be heard saying, be
seeing racist now making such a comment in a public
session with admit is there, It was pretty shocking for
a politician. An act is now written to the Speaker
to raise this as a matter of privilege. That means
that they believe faeris has broken some of the most
important rules of Parliament and it will be up to

(03:19):
the Speaker decide whether to escalate this to the Privileges Committee,
which is essentially Parliament's court. Now. Ferris is already facing
a complaint at the PRIVILEGEUS Committee over whether he misled
the House last month when he appeared to call some
other MP's liars but then deny of doing so. Mass
is a privilege don't come up all that often. It's

(03:40):
very rare to see an MP face one, so for
Fairest to be potentially facing two complaints at the same
time as really notable. But like you said, to Party
Maldi's co leaders have said Ferris's conduct full short of
the expectation, and that's really rare for to Party Maldi
to admit, and it speaks to how serious of an

(04:00):
issue this is. So we'll have to wait and see
what the Speaker says potentially sometime this week during its session,
but this is definitely going to be one to watch
for Takuta theists.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Jamie, thanks so much for your time this morning. That
was Jamie Insaw, a New Zealand Herald political reporter for.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
More from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin. Listen live
to News Talks A B from nine am Sunday, or
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