January 29, 2026 • 9 mins
Michelle Watt talks politics, walking fundraisers and YFC District Finals.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Michelle wat as the executive producer of the Country out
of Dunedin and joins us in this afternoons country crossover.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Michelle how things.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Yeah, No, not too bad, Andy. It feels like January
is just speed by, to be honest. It's almost over
and people are talking about why Tonguey next Friday, and
that's scary.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
We're talking Southern field Days this time in two weeks.
We're getting towards the conclusion, but at the moment it's
just flared out there at way.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Mumu Oh, I'm excited. I have not been to a
field Days before, so this will be Can I say
this on air? Andy popping my field Day's cheery?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
You're a field Day's virgin.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah, this will be the very first one I've been to,
so whymmory can take that on it.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
It's a good event.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
It's a great event actually, and being part of the
committee out there at the moment, just people being rusted
on to do what they can to help out and
it certainly turns into a mini city for a week
or so and it's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Look you guys had Winston Peters on the show yesterday.
Oh o, Winny.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
He likes to play to the audience, doesn't he He does.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Indeed, I mean that's why he's been in politics so long.
I think Andy is that he plays to the people.
He plays to his strengths. He knows how to work
a room or work his crowd, so to speak. As
far as voting goes, and I mean the polls on
the aren Z are the RNZ parl current what it
was called now this week kind of showed that when
they rose up to I think third in the polls
and actually climbed up a little bit higher. And I
(01:31):
think he took the preferred prime minister potential spot over
Chris Luxon as well. I have to check that one out,
but yeah, it's really interesting times. I think he definitely
plays to his strengths. He knows what his voters want
to hear.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
It's an inter recing New Zealand first, talking a lot
of what people want to hear, especially in the rural sense.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
But ironic, he never gives policy.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Yeah, it's probably it might be a little bit too
early in the piece yet.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
But he never has that. That's my thing with Winston.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I've never heard Winston Peter's come out and give policy
regarding anything that's true.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
She likes to come out and just attack what other people.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, exactly, because that's what he does so well, and
that's why the wily old dog's been in Parliament as
long as he has.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
He's a very clever individual and for someone to have
been in politics that long, he knows a lot of stuff.
So it'll be an interesting watch come around up until
November seventh. I think from now on to me, Winston
has and I said this to Jamie the other day,
actually I feel like Winston has already started the engines,
thrown down the throttle and put on the accelerator, and
the rest of the parties are all still sitting on
the start line with the engine's idling.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Hey, Judith Collins, she's retiring very shortly out of parliament.
She's been there a very long time, and you've got
to give credit to crush her. It's a long time
to stay in that role or in the roles that
she's held.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Absolutely, I think it was twenty four years she's been
in parliament.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, twenty twenty two. I think she came in. Watch
is a lot sorry, two thousand and two.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
This is she's seen, yeah, which is twenty yeah, twenty
four years ago, which is a long a long time
to be in Parliament. I mean, not as long as Winston. Obviously,
he's been there since it began, it feels like since
the dawn of dinosaurs or whatever. But she has been
around for a very long time, seeing a lot of things,
and obviously and held in quite high regard in Parliament
and within her staff as well. I've heard.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
One of the comments I heard was that she stayed,
she stayed very headstrong and was predominantly a male world.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I think it's hard for females in politics and especially
earlier in the peace holding those positions are very male.
It was a very male dominated area, and I think
it's very hard to be female and play your strengths
in those positions. So I always, you know, tip my
hat to anybody who holds a position high up that
has to compete in that world. I mean, you'd like
(03:48):
to think things have changed now, but I don't know.
I think it's still sort of viewed that way a
little bit, where you have to play things a little
bit tough, and she did that very well. I mean
you remember crushing that car, yes, yeah, I mean that was.
I mean, I don't think anyone will ever forget that.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
It was just classic Judas.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Now this kind of leads into what we want to
talk about NIXT about being open minded. Open mindedness because
you've got quite the background regarding psychology in the life.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Is that correct.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
I have a Bachelor of Science that made it in psychologists.
I'm not a psychologist. I didn't do a massive master's
degree in anything like that. But I think it's just
the open mindedness thing. I was thinking about it coming
into election year, and there's always a lot of opinions
flying around and people get sort of stuck in one area,
and I think you've got to remember. I like using
(04:39):
this saying Andy, open your mind like a parachute sometimes
because it's good to reach it out wide, get different
opinions about things and not just stick in the same
way bubble. Sometimes.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
It's a really interesting quote you use here. It reminds
me of something that used to be on Telly in
the telemarketing days in the mid nineties, Passion profit and
power learning to expand your mind.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, I think we've got to remember you've got to
get information from different places and different sources and make
sure that you expand on things a little bit. If
you see an opinion online, don't just take that for word.
And I think that happens a lot now, especially on
social media. You'll see a headline on social media it's like, yep,
that's the one. Make sure you go and research that
stuff a little bit more deeper, because I think you'll
find there's a lot more opinions than just that one.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
It's like Twitter back in the day. It's cause it's
called the X now, but it's still referred to as Twitter.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
And rightly so.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
And it used to be a really interesting place to
get a lot of interesting comparisons and respectful but now
it's just been dominated by the left, by the right,
and everything has just gone down an absolute rabbit hole.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah. I think social media in general is a little
bit like that. Yeah, it's dominated by a certain crowd
and the loudest voices get heard, if that makes any sense,
And that happens in real life as well. Well. The
loudest voice, you know, the one who shouts the loudest,
is the one who people listen to. Just remember, the
person who shouts the loudest quite often doesn't believe or
have the authenticity and what they're saying now.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Shane Beck and doing this walk down the South Island
for a fantastic cause. He's going through North Otago at
the moment, slowly making his way down south. I think
he's due through the getting them into a deep South
early next week.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah, this is really great, such an amazing cause. I
think last time I looked at him give a little page,
he'd raised over fifteen k andy, which is insane. It's
amazing that people are really getting behind this. And I
know you and Chitty have talked to him over the
course of the last couple of weeks as he's come
down from the top of the South Island and it's
been a pretty tough journey for him. We're other wise
his cause of causes to raise money for the aftermath
(06:36):
of suicide, so those who are left behind, families and
that it had been affected and things like that, and
it's it's an amazing cause that he's walking for. Him
and his wife are just the most stunning, beautiful people.
They do so much in the community from down and
Milton and just absolutely amazing people.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yeah, a really interesting and respectful guy when especially when
you have a yarn to him, and he's really appreciative
as well of getting in touch because the cause he's doing,
and you're hearing a lot of people doing these things,
they're just such they just going to such a relevant situation.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah, I think that he's such a humble guy, Shane,
And he didn't expect when I text him the other
day and said, hey, did you realize you give a
little page has got to hear and he was he
was like yeah, he said, I'm I'm just just blown
away by people's generosity. And I think that's the most
amazing thing. Stuff like that always brings out kindness and
the woodworks and his stories which I'm sure that you've
(07:27):
heard from him about people meeting him while he's been
walking on the road telling them his you know, their
stories and sharing their experiences and saying, you know, what
a great thing he's doing. Walking with him as well
is just such a cool thing. And I think that's
the bigger picture of these fundraiser is when people do
things like that. I mean, the money's obviously a good
a great part of it, but it's also a chance
(07:48):
for people to connect.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Just finally, Young Farmer's Regional Finals.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Happening down here for a Targo South and anyway next
weekend the regionals are happening in God, that's going to
be a goodie.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I'm just looking at the finalists now that I've got
on here, and there's a good mix on there for
the Tigo South and of course our Range regional finals
the first one that's happening tomorrow, so it'll be exciting
to see who comes out of that one. Of course,
one of the names I noticed on the our rangy
was George Leatham, who has been in a Grand Final before.
(08:19):
And on the Tigo Southend ones and is there anyone
who's been in the Grand Final before that you.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
RECOGNI Grand Final Cam Smith's pulled out. There's a lot
of names in there from last year as well that
competed this. Looking at the lists, so it'll be interesting. Hell,
it will involved it always is. But the great thing
about Young Farmers is it's an organization on the charge.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Oh I love Young Farmers. All of these organizations Xander McDonald,
things that are bringing young people up, giving them opportunities
within a sector is just an amazing thing to see.
So go forth and conquer, I say, go.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Forth and conquer.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Good Michelle we'll speak again and enjoy coming Down Away
movie in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
We'll do I'm excited for it.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Now, what on the Country Crossover, we're catching up with
Tessamela Nicks. Now, she's got a really call award or
a scholarship that she's going to start very shortly, and
she's going to tell us all about it.
Michelle wat as the executive producer of the Country out
of Dunedin and joins us in this afternoons country crossover.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Michelle how things.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Yeah, No, not too bad, Andy. It feels like January
is just speed by, to be honest. It's almost over
and people are talking about why Tonguey next Friday, and
that's scary.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
We're talking Southern field Days this time in two weeks.
We're getting towards the conclusion, but at the moment it's
just flared out there at way.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Mumu Oh, I'm excited. I have not been to a
field Days before, so this will be Can I say
this on air? Andy popping my field Day's cheery?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
You're a field Day's virgin.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah, this will be the very first one I've been to,
so whymmory can take that on it.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
It's a good event.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
It's a great event actually, and being part of the
committee out there at the moment, just people being rusted
on to do what they can to help out and
it certainly turns into a mini city for a week
or so and it's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Look you guys had Winston Peters on the show yesterday.
Oh o, Winny.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
He likes to play to the audience, doesn't he He does.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Indeed, I mean that's why he's been in politics so long.
I think Andy is that he plays to the people.
He plays to his strengths. He knows how to work
a room or work his crowd, so to speak. As
far as voting goes, and I mean the polls on
the aren Z are the RNZ parl current what it
was called now this week kind of showed that when
they rose up to I think third in the polls
and actually climbed up a little bit higher. And I
(01:31):
think he took the preferred prime minister potential spot over
Chris Luxon as well. I have to check that one out,
but yeah, it's really interesting times. I think he definitely
plays to his strengths. He knows what his voters want
to hear.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
It's an inter recing New Zealand first, talking a lot
of what people want to hear, especially in the rural sense.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
But ironic, he never gives policy.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Yeah, it's probably it might be a little bit too
early in the piece yet.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
But he never has that. That's my thing with Winston.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I've never heard Winston Peter's come out and give policy
regarding anything that's true.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
She likes to come out and just attack what other people.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, exactly, because that's what he does so well, and
that's why the wily old dog's been in Parliament as
long as he has.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
He's a very clever individual and for someone to have
been in politics that long, he knows a lot of stuff.
So it'll be an interesting watch come around up until
November seventh. I think from now on to me, Winston
has and I said this to Jamie the other day,
actually I feel like Winston has already started the engines,
thrown down the throttle and put on the accelerator, and
the rest of the parties are all still sitting on
the start line with the engine's idling.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Hey, Judith Collins, she's retiring very shortly out of parliament.
She's been there a very long time, and you've got
to give credit to crush her. It's a long time
to stay in that role or in the roles that
she's held.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Absolutely, I think it was twenty four years she's been
in parliament.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, twenty twenty two. I think she came in. Watch
is a lot sorry, two thousand and two.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
This is she's seen, yeah, which is twenty yeah, twenty
four years ago, which is a long a long time
to be in Parliament. I mean, not as long as Winston. Obviously,
he's been there since it began, it feels like since
the dawn of dinosaurs or whatever. But she has been
around for a very long time, seeing a lot of things,
and obviously and held in quite high regard in Parliament
and within her staff as well. I've heard.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
One of the comments I heard was that she stayed,
she stayed very headstrong and was predominantly a male world.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I think it's hard for females in politics and especially
earlier in the peace holding those positions are very male.
It was a very male dominated area, and I think
it's very hard to be female and play your strengths
in those positions. So I always, you know, tip my
hat to anybody who holds a position high up that
has to compete in that world. I mean, you'd like
(03:48):
to think things have changed now, but I don't know.
I think it's still sort of viewed that way a
little bit, where you have to play things a little
bit tough, and she did that very well. I mean
you remember crushing that car, yes, yeah, I mean that was.
I mean, I don't think anyone will ever forget that.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
It was just classic Judas.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Now this kind of leads into what we want to
talk about NIXT about being open minded. Open mindedness because
you've got quite the background regarding psychology in the life.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Is that correct.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
I have a Bachelor of Science that made it in psychologists.
I'm not a psychologist. I didn't do a massive master's
degree in anything like that. But I think it's just
the open mindedness thing. I was thinking about it coming
into election year, and there's always a lot of opinions
flying around and people get sort of stuck in one area,
and I think you've got to remember. I like using
(04:39):
this saying Andy, open your mind like a parachute sometimes
because it's good to reach it out wide, get different
opinions about things and not just stick in the same
way bubble. Sometimes.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
It's a really interesting quote you use here. It reminds
me of something that used to be on Telly in
the telemarketing days in the mid nineties, Passion profit and
power learning to expand your mind.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, I think we've got to remember you've got to
get information from different places and different sources and make
sure that you expand on things a little bit. If
you see an opinion online, don't just take that for word.
And I think that happens a lot now, especially on
social media. You'll see a headline on social media it's like, yep,
that's the one. Make sure you go and research that
stuff a little bit more deeper, because I think you'll
find there's a lot more opinions than just that one.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
It's like Twitter back in the day. It's cause it's
called the X now, but it's still referred to as Twitter.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
And rightly so.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
And it used to be a really interesting place to
get a lot of interesting comparisons and respectful but now
it's just been dominated by the left, by the right,
and everything has just gone down an absolute rabbit hole.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah. I think social media in general is a little
bit like that. Yeah, it's dominated by a certain crowd
and the loudest voices get heard, if that makes any sense,
And that happens in real life as well. Well. The
loudest voice, you know, the one who shouts the loudest,
is the one who people listen to. Just remember, the
person who shouts the loudest quite often doesn't believe or
have the authenticity and what they're saying now.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Shane Beck and doing this walk down the South Island
for a fantastic cause. He's going through North Otago at
the moment, slowly making his way down south. I think
he's due through the getting them into a deep South
early next week.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah, this is really great, such an amazing cause. I
think last time I looked at him give a little page,
he'd raised over fifteen k andy, which is insane. It's
amazing that people are really getting behind this. And I
know you and Chitty have talked to him over the
course of the last couple of weeks as he's come
down from the top of the South Island and it's
been a pretty tough journey for him. We're other wise
his cause of causes to raise money for the aftermath
(06:36):
of suicide, so those who are left behind, families and
that it had been affected and things like that, and
it's it's an amazing cause that he's walking for. Him
and his wife are just the most stunning, beautiful people.
They do so much in the community from down and
Milton and just absolutely amazing people.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yeah, a really interesting and respectful guy when especially when
you have a yarn to him, and he's really appreciative
as well of getting in touch because the cause he's doing,
and you're hearing a lot of people doing these things,
they're just such they just going to such a relevant situation.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah, I think that he's such a humble guy, Shane,
And he didn't expect when I text him the other
day and said, hey, did you realize you give a
little page has got to hear and he was he
was like yeah, he said, I'm I'm just just blown
away by people's generosity. And I think that's the most
amazing thing. Stuff like that always brings out kindness and
the woodworks and his stories which I'm sure that you've
(07:27):
heard from him about people meeting him while he's been
walking on the road telling them his you know, their
stories and sharing their experiences and saying, you know, what
a great thing he's doing. Walking with him as well
is just such a cool thing. And I think that's
the bigger picture of these fundraiser is when people do
things like that. I mean, the money's obviously a good
a great part of it, but it's also a chance
(07:48):
for people to connect.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Just finally, Young Farmer's Regional Finals.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Happening down here for a Targo South and anyway next
weekend the regionals are happening in God, that's going to
be a goodie.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I'm just looking at the finalists now that I've got
on here, and there's a good mix on there for
the Tigo South and of course our Range regional finals
the first one that's happening tomorrow, so it'll be exciting
to see who comes out of that one. Of course,
one of the names I noticed on the our rangy
was George Leatham, who has been in a Grand Final before.
(08:19):
And on the Tigo Southend ones and is there anyone
who's been in the Grand Final before that you.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
RECOGNI Grand Final Cam Smith's pulled out. There's a lot
of names in there from last year as well that
competed this. Looking at the lists, so it'll be interesting. Hell,
it will involved it always is. But the great thing
about Young Farmers is it's an organization on the charge.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Oh I love Young Farmers. All of these organizations Xander McDonald,
things that are bringing young people up, giving them opportunities
within a sector is just an amazing thing to see.
So go forth and conquer, I say, go.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Forth and conquer.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Good Michelle we'll speak again and enjoy coming Down Away
movie in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
We'll do I'm excited for it.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Now, what on the Country Crossover, we're catching up with
Tessamela Nicks. Now, she's got a really call award or
a scholarship that she's going to start very shortly, and
she's going to tell us all about it.
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