December 14, 2024 • 9 mins
This week on the Sunday Panel, Director at 818 Chris Henry and partner and Freebairn and Hehir Lawyers Liam Hehir joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
The Herald's Claire Trevett has unveiled her top pick for 2024's politician of the year. Who would we choose? Who do we think has done the most for the country?
Police presence at large events - one Auckland MP has voiced concern about the amount of time police are spending at large-scale events and wants officers to be paid to attend. What do we make of this?
Prime Minister Chris Luxon has revealed he's only taking 10 days off work these holidays - are we taking more or less time?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And I'm joined today by a partner at Freeburn and
Hair Lawyers, Liam Here. Hi, Liam, good morning, and also
director at eight one eight Chris Henry. Good day, Chris, oh, Kyoda,
how are you good to have you both with us? Well,
of course Liam. At about this time of the year,
we start reflecting on the year and how it's been,
and of course we think about the best of and
(00:35):
I thought we'd start by politician of the Year. The
New Zealand Herald's Clear Trevette announced that Simeon Brown was
her Politician of the Year and actually I kind of
tend to agree with her purely from the amount of
work that he's managed to get through, what he's managed
to get done.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yeah, I agree. What's the caveat that I've known Simeon
personally for a long time. He's he's an MP who's
he's a young MP and he looks young and he's
had a lot of derision at him over the early
year parts of his career for every youthful countenance. But
(01:13):
in government he's been a complete dynamo and so you know,
whether or not you agree with his pro car agenda
or not, he's really taken the reins of the transport
portfolio local government too. And you know, he's been free
of any sort of hinterpersonal scandal. I mean, the fact
of the matter is that this is this guy is
at the top. He's in the top tier of the
(01:35):
government now. He's very much on the enner circle and
completely free of personal drama, completely free of factional strife.
I think a lot of people who may used to
make fun of him or to give him a hard
time probably eating their words a bit in twenty twenty
four quite possibly.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
What about you, Chris, have you got a politician of
the Year? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:55):
I mean I have to say is that as the
year comes by, Samian brand Death may seems to be
the politicians that has done the most stuff. So full
gritted to him for that, But apart from that, I
kind of feel like as the back end of the
year comes around, politics has really been pushed to the side.
For me, I'm into Christmas and I'm into the summer holidays.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, do you know what, Chris, I asked that question
at the top of the show because I was talking
I did a review on the eighteen the eighteen press
releases that were just released on Friday afternoon on their own,
they came, They came flooding in last week. Chris and I,
as someone who is in publicity, I wondered, whether you
know what the point is of of of releasing so
(02:32):
much at the end of the year when I think
a lot of people have already moved on.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
Well, perhaps four dsisions are just like us, and they're
trying to tie a bow, to use a corporate jargon
speak around everything they need for the year to be
wrapped up.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Think you right.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
I mean, there's no doubt that the news at the
moment is this. There is no room for for soft news.
So I suppose maybe they can just get it out
and all be done.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, it's not. It's not the worst thing in the world.
You've got bad things, so now it's always been the case.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
To be fairly. When I went through the review, there
weren't that many innouncements of announcements, and there wasn't a
lot of bad news. It was it was all pretty like, okay, no,
there's nothing to be worried about. You don't need to
release this at five o'clock on a Friday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
One pretty big one in terms of the theory though,
right So, I mean, you know that's me suppose it
wasn't Friday, But you know it's a it is if
they want to take advantage of a time and no
one cares that politics now is the perfect time.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Absolutely, But Liam, looking back, it feels like it's been
a year of building for all parties. It feels like
the you know, National New Zealand First and Act have
have all been building on their you know, their promises
and their parties. We've seen the Green Party that's had
to rebuild a lot this year, to Mighty Party, Uh,
(03:47):
to Party Maori have been rebuilding really as a sort
of an activist party. That that kind of probably sums
up the year for me when I look at politics, well.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
I think people are positioning themselves, you know, and that's
how our lictoral cycle works. I mean, frankly, you know
the same the right kind of guy. I don't think
it's been that great of a year in politics. You know,
we had we had the stick over the first hundred days.
You know, a lot happened. But the fact of the
matter is is that the economy is still still weak
(04:17):
and it's you know that dragged and dogged the government.
The national governments had to contend with New Zealm Ferson actors.
They say that they are still very much New Zealm
Ferston act clinging onto their separate identity, which may means
they're not the most easy coalition partners to deal with
all the time, and the multi parties to say it's
really researched. The only party that really I think has
(04:38):
been sort of treading water is probably Labor and I
suppose this year is the years. See just what next year?
Sorry is the years? What direction Labor goes in? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
No, very good points, Chris. Police presence at events, But
this is a really interesting thing that my local electorate
member of Parliament has has noticed and brought up, is
that if you're a community constable, you were spending maybe
fifty percent of your time attending large events or concerts
or sports events and things as opposed to actually kind
(05:10):
of being on the ground doing your job. And was
sort of saying, look, there's probably we could find a
really great solution for this. It's good to have police
presence at these events and things. Maybe it could be
something that police are paid to do in that over time.
Maybe if it's a really large profitable event, there could
be a fee pay to the police. If it's a
(05:31):
community thing, maybe not so much. I know that this
is kind of your field. How what do you think
about this?
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Well, absolutely, I mean I know that this has something
that's been coming up recently in Australia and it has
caused a huge amount of strife for promoters who essentially
have been unable to hold events due to the costs
that have been attached to them by the minimum amount
of police and ambulances and all that sort of services
that are required by their law to attend those events.
I think that police presence of events is fantastic. I
(05:58):
know that a lot of the people that we work
worth then and many of these events all have strong
relationships with the police and it's very important for them
to work together and be part of it. I suppose
my big question would be a lot of promoters are
putting a serious amount of money into security and making
sure that those events are safe. I suppose the conversation
needs to be had with the police around just how
many need to be there versus that directive coming from
(06:21):
the police itself.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, that makes a bit of sense. What do you
think then, is this a pretty simple way to keep
cops sort of on the street in their communities where
we want.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Them to be.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
No, I don't think it's anything really that simple about it.
I mean, why do we have police there, right because
at gatherings there's a possibility of disorder or crime happening,
so that therefore it's within the ordinary course of policing
right to be where there's an a sort of congregation
of people. I remember, you wouldn't remember that the freedom
(06:52):
to associate an assemble and a civil right, and you know,
people have the right to go and be with other
people they want for any purpose. And you know, it's
one of the things where the government just has to
suck up the cost of that. Sometimes it's part of
the cost of that of making sure it's police.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So you don't mind that Coldplay can come play to
over one hundred and fifty thousand people probably make a
nice little bit of cash for the back pocket and
head on out of the country and they haven't, you know,
and we've there were quite a lot of police there
and they haven't been you know, haven't had to pay
for that.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, what's the alternative, right that police don't go there.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
And that if you yeah, yeah, no, totally totally, But
I think that there is probably there's probably a fine
line where there's a very profitable event happening. We're a
small amount and it depends, as Chris is, what money
is already going into security and what extra they need
and yeah, sure we need them there and there's a
place there, but you know, even a bit of a
token gesture to get to you know, get you get
(07:49):
some cops along.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Yeah, Well, I think if ever relying on the cops
to do something, a donation to the cops social club
is always something that Lee should go down to. So
I think that's something to that.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Perhaps, Chris, how much time do I know you don't
take much time off over Christmas because you've got tennis
tournaments to be organizing and all sorts of things. But
are you impressed that the Prime Minister is only taking
ten days off and then getting back into work.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Well, I mean I'm a firm believer, outside of obviously
my own work, that you should take the time off
while the people are off. So I think you should
be definitely taking these ten days, possibly even more because
we need him to be fitting ready for the year ahead.
So I think rest is really important from outside probably
not the longest break over the Christmas period, but also
(08:37):
there's some great exciting stuff coming up, so I'm very
much looking forward to that. I'll take my holiday at
the end of January when everyone goes back to work.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
That's what That's what I do too. Chris, what about you,
leam me. Are you impressed with the Prime Minister's assistance
that getting back into things early in the year.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Well, I can understand it, right, so lawyers, lawyers know
that we always traditionally took most of January off and
come back after one to the weekend on the sort
of roundabout two stiftly is the twentieth often and I
always took advantage of that, and I love doing it.
I would just make sure like almost a whole month
to sort of just actually unwine. But things change when
(09:13):
you own the firm. We're two years under our new firm,
and all of a sudden, I think, hey, wait a minute,
I'm gonna have money coming in and where's it coming from.
So I'll be coming back on that. I'll be taking
about ten days after coming back. So it's six or
seventh of January, and you know, this is like the
Prime Minister. I've got lots to do, so you know,
it's just it's not going to get done if I'm
not doing it. So I think you need to at
(09:35):
least take that ten days to decompress. So I think
it's an absolute minum and otherwise just go insane.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Well, Liam, thank you so much for your time. Nice
to talk to you and Liam here there and Chris
Henry on the panel.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And I'm joined today by a partner at Freeburn and
Hair Lawyers, Liam Here. Hi, Liam, good morning, and also
director at eight one eight Chris Henry. Good day, Chris, oh, Kyoda,
how are you good to have you both with us? Well,
of course Liam. At about this time of the year,
we start reflecting on the year and how it's been,
and of course we think about the best of and
(00:35):
I thought we'd start by politician of the Year. The
New Zealand Herald's Clear Trevette announced that Simeon Brown was
her Politician of the Year and actually I kind of
tend to agree with her purely from the amount of
work that he's managed to get through, what he's managed
to get done.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yeah, I agree. What's the caveat that I've known Simeon
personally for a long time. He's he's an MP who's
he's a young MP and he looks young and he's
had a lot of derision at him over the early
year parts of his career for every youthful countenance. But
(01:13):
in government he's been a complete dynamo and so you know,
whether or not you agree with his pro car agenda
or not, he's really taken the reins of the transport
portfolio local government too. And you know, he's been free
of any sort of hinterpersonal scandal. I mean, the fact
of the matter is that this is this guy is
at the top. He's in the top tier of the
(01:35):
government now. He's very much on the enner circle and
completely free of personal drama, completely free of factional strife.
I think a lot of people who may used to
make fun of him or to give him a hard
time probably eating their words a bit in twenty twenty
four quite possibly.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
What about you, Chris, have you got a politician of
the Year? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:55):
I mean I have to say is that as the
year comes by, Samian brand Death may seems to be
the politicians that has done the most stuff. So full
gritted to him for that, But apart from that, I
kind of feel like as the back end of the
year comes around, politics has really been pushed to the side.
For me, I'm into Christmas and I'm into the summer holidays.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, do you know what, Chris, I asked that question
at the top of the show because I was talking
I did a review on the eighteen the eighteen press
releases that were just released on Friday afternoon on their own,
they came, They came flooding in last week. Chris and I,
as someone who is in publicity, I wondered, whether you
know what the point is of of of releasing so
(02:32):
much at the end of the year when I think
a lot of people have already moved on.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
Well, perhaps four dsisions are just like us, and they're
trying to tie a bow, to use a corporate jargon
speak around everything they need for the year to be
wrapped up.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Think you right.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
I mean, there's no doubt that the news at the
moment is this. There is no room for for soft news.
So I suppose maybe they can just get it out
and all be done.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, it's not. It's not the worst thing in the world.
You've got bad things, so now it's always been the case.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
To be fairly. When I went through the review, there
weren't that many innouncements of announcements, and there wasn't a
lot of bad news. It was it was all pretty like, okay, no,
there's nothing to be worried about. You don't need to
release this at five o'clock on a Friday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
One pretty big one in terms of the theory though,
right So, I mean, you know that's me suppose it
wasn't Friday, But you know it's a it is if
they want to take advantage of a time and no
one cares that politics now is the perfect time.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Absolutely, But Liam, looking back, it feels like it's been
a year of building for all parties. It feels like
the you know, National New Zealand First and Act have
have all been building on their you know, their promises
and their parties. We've seen the Green Party that's had
to rebuild a lot this year, to Mighty Party, Uh,
(03:47):
to Party Maori have been rebuilding really as a sort
of an activist party. That that kind of probably sums
up the year for me when I look at politics, well.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
I think people are positioning themselves, you know, and that's
how our lictoral cycle works. I mean, frankly, you know
the same the right kind of guy. I don't think
it's been that great of a year in politics. You know,
we had we had the stick over the first hundred days.
You know, a lot happened. But the fact of the
matter is is that the economy is still still weak
(04:17):
and it's you know that dragged and dogged the government.
The national governments had to contend with New Zealm Ferson actors.
They say that they are still very much New Zealm
Ferston act clinging onto their separate identity, which may means
they're not the most easy coalition partners to deal with
all the time, and the multi parties to say it's
really researched. The only party that really I think has
(04:38):
been sort of treading water is probably Labor and I
suppose this year is the years. See just what next year?
Sorry is the years? What direction Labor goes in? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
No, very good points, Chris. Police presence at events, But
this is a really interesting thing that my local electorate
member of Parliament has has noticed and brought up, is
that if you're a community constable, you were spending maybe
fifty percent of your time attending large events or concerts
or sports events and things as opposed to actually kind
(05:10):
of being on the ground doing your job. And was
sort of saying, look, there's probably we could find a
really great solution for this. It's good to have police
presence at these events and things. Maybe it could be
something that police are paid to do in that over time.
Maybe if it's a really large profitable event, there could
be a fee pay to the police. If it's a
(05:31):
community thing, maybe not so much. I know that this
is kind of your field. How what do you think
about this?
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Well, absolutely, I mean I know that this has something
that's been coming up recently in Australia and it has
caused a huge amount of strife for promoters who essentially
have been unable to hold events due to the costs
that have been attached to them by the minimum amount
of police and ambulances and all that sort of services
that are required by their law to attend those events.
I think that police presence of events is fantastic. I
(05:58):
know that a lot of the people that we work
worth then and many of these events all have strong
relationships with the police and it's very important for them
to work together and be part of it. I suppose
my big question would be a lot of promoters are
putting a serious amount of money into security and making
sure that those events are safe. I suppose the conversation
needs to be had with the police around just how
many need to be there versus that directive coming from
(06:21):
the police itself.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, that makes a bit of sense. What do you
think then, is this a pretty simple way to keep
cops sort of on the street in their communities where
we want.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Them to be.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
No, I don't think it's anything really that simple about it.
I mean, why do we have police there, right because
at gatherings there's a possibility of disorder or crime happening,
so that therefore it's within the ordinary course of policing
right to be where there's an a sort of congregation
of people. I remember, you wouldn't remember that the freedom
(06:52):
to associate an assemble and a civil right, and you know,
people have the right to go and be with other
people they want for any purpose. And you know, it's
one of the things where the government just has to
suck up the cost of that. Sometimes it's part of
the cost of that of making sure it's police.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So you don't mind that Coldplay can come play to
over one hundred and fifty thousand people probably make a
nice little bit of cash for the back pocket and
head on out of the country and they haven't, you know,
and we've there were quite a lot of police there
and they haven't been you know, haven't had to pay
for that.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, what's the alternative, right that police don't go there.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
And that if you yeah, yeah, no, totally totally, But
I think that there is probably there's probably a fine
line where there's a very profitable event happening. We're a
small amount and it depends, as Chris is, what money
is already going into security and what extra they need
and yeah, sure we need them there and there's a
place there, but you know, even a bit of a
token gesture to get to you know, get you get
(07:49):
some cops along.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Yeah, Well, I think if ever relying on the cops
to do something, a donation to the cops social club
is always something that Lee should go down to. So
I think that's something to that.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Perhaps, Chris, how much time do I know you don't
take much time off over Christmas because you've got tennis
tournaments to be organizing and all sorts of things. But
are you impressed that the Prime Minister is only taking
ten days off and then getting back into work.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Well, I mean I'm a firm believer, outside of obviously
my own work, that you should take the time off
while the people are off. So I think you should
be definitely taking these ten days, possibly even more because
we need him to be fitting ready for the year ahead.
So I think rest is really important from outside probably
not the longest break over the Christmas period, but also
(08:37):
there's some great exciting stuff coming up, so I'm very
much looking forward to that. I'll take my holiday at
the end of January when everyone goes back to work.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
That's what That's what I do too. Chris, what about you,
leam me. Are you impressed with the Prime Minister's assistance
that getting back into things early in the year.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Well, I can understand it, right, so lawyers, lawyers know
that we always traditionally took most of January off and
come back after one to the weekend on the sort
of roundabout two stiftly is the twentieth often and I
always took advantage of that, and I love doing it.
I would just make sure like almost a whole month
to sort of just actually unwine. But things change when
(09:13):
you own the firm. We're two years under our new firm,
and all of a sudden, I think, hey, wait a minute,
I'm gonna have money coming in and where's it coming from.
So I'll be coming back on that. I'll be taking
about ten days after coming back. So it's six or
seventh of January, and you know, this is like the
Prime Minister. I've got lots to do, so you know,
it's just it's not going to get done if I'm
not doing it. So I think you need to at
(09:35):
least take that ten days to decompress. So I think
it's an absolute minum and otherwise just go insane.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Well, Liam, thank you so much for your time. Nice
to talk to you and Liam here there and Chris
Henry on the panel.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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