David Seymour: Deputy Prime Minister on stepping into his new role

New Zealand has a new Deputy Prime Minister. 

ACT Leader David Seymour has officially been sworn in, taking over from New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. 

He is the first ACT Party member to take on the role. 

David Seymour joins the show for his first official interview with Newstalk ZB as Deputy Prime Minister. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
On Saturday, we got ourselves a brand new Deputy Prime Minister,
David Seymour, the leader of axworn In, having taken over,
of course from Winston Peters. His first official week in
the role gets underway today with a first official interview
on This is the Big David, good morning to you
and congratulations.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Oh well, good morning Andrew, and thank you and congratulations
to everyone who was waking up today with a royal honor,
Dames and knights and every other award. It's a pretty
cool thing to go through those lists and the lead
up to King's Birthday or New Year's even See, there's

(00:54):
actually a lot of people doing good in our country,
so good on them.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
And you are too. You've been honored, and I said
that before, you've been honored, your now Deputy Prime minister,
the first ever from an act party and the bad
old days who you were the only person in the house,
you'd never think it.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
Well, that's true. I'd probably say I'm not sure I
got an honor. I think I got a job. And
you know the thing about political jobs. They're almost the
opposite of an honor sometimes, but you can use them
to do some good. And it's true, you know, when
you and I first started interviewing ten years ago, very pleasant,

(01:28):
but you probably wouldn't have imagined this. I had people
suggest it once or twice and I thought that's ridiculous.
But you know, I think of anything, it shows that,
you know, you just never quite know what will happen
in the future and be if you can be a
bit quirky, but if you've got your heart in the
right place and you put in the hours, then things

(01:49):
can happen.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
So what do you say to people who say it, Well,
what the role is very symbolic.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah, and I don't disagree that all political positions are
ultimately symbolic. You know, lots of people hold lots of
positions in politics. The question is do they leave better
policy because they'll be gone from that role sooner or later,
and the policies that make a difference to New Zealand's future.
So I kind of get that at one level. On

(02:19):
the other hand, you know, if it was just entirely symbolic,
it wouldn't have been so unthinkable. So it does mean
something but I'm under no illusion that the reality is
that we're going to sort out the challenges that people face.
One of my main roles as Minister for Regulation far
too much red tape in this country and one of

(02:40):
the things I know will be judged on for these
three years is how much red take did we get
rid of?

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Would you have preferred to be the second Deputy Prime
Minister in this term the way Winston Peters is because
it would free your hand to really promote act policy.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Not really. You know, first of all, quite a lot
is made of the change, but the reality is both
of us are still cabinet ministers bound by collective responsibility,
just like everyone in cabinet, including Chris lux and the
Prime Minister. So you know, we all have that regardless

(03:15):
of our exact position. And the other thing is, I
don't think if you look at Winston, it hasn't really
stopped him saying what he wanted to say at various
times in the last eighteen months. And my basic view is, look,
you know, I'm very proud to have the role, but
it's not going to stop me thinking and I think
something that I believe is relevant to the people I represent.

(03:38):
I'll suddenly be saying it.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
David, I was around when Allen Gibbs first started this.
I used to work for Alan Gibbs. I remember happening
in the offices that we were working in, and he
had big dreams and you're making him come true the
way no other athlete has. So I congratulate you. Thank
you for coming to work this morning to talk to
me and enjoy your term as Debty Prime Minister. And
that is David Seymour.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
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