March 30, 2025 • 8 mins
Minister for Rail Winston Peters is expected to finally reveal his long-awaited plan for Interisland ferry replacements today - but will we see the full details of the new ferries?
Also, Finance Minister Nicola Willis is seeking advice on whether the supermarket duopoly needs to be broken up. Is it likely we'll see decisions on the grocery sector soon?
To answer those questions, Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls joined Nick Mills for the Beehive Buzz.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Said B.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Direct from news Talk, said Bee's team at Tolerance, the
Bee Hive, buzz.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hier joining us for the Bee High Bus.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
This morning is news Talk, said B's political edit to
Jason Wolves.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Morning, Jayson, Oh, good morning neck.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
How are you top of my game? It's a Monday.
Don't you love a Monday?
Speaker 4 (00:32):
I do love him Monday. I love it even more
now that the Prime Minister is doing his morning media
rounds on a Monday morning. It means that I get
up with a spring of my step, I have my oats,
and then I listened to the right Honorable Winston Winston Peters,
right Honorable Chris Luxon in the car with the right
honorable mate Hosking. So it's a great way to start
you today.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Can I give you a little quick story before we start.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
I know we've got to be quick because we've got
this big announcement coming up, but I don't want to
ever be too quick with you. I went into that
underground Willis Slane yesterday afternoon with my family just to
do it a little bit of a have an ice.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Cream and have a look around it. Who was sitting
there having an ice cream with his partner? Chris?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Was it Winston, Reyman, Peters, Chris Hopkins.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Now we were laughing about it, but we were talking
about it this morning in the newsroom.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
How twelve months changes things? Do you think he could
have done that twelve months ago?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
No? No, I mean it's always a bit of a
tell when you see I mean he's the opposition now
leader now, but in public of prime minister you see
the DPS first, that's the security guard. So I always
clocked them. I'm like, oh my gosh, where is he?
And then you kind of look around the room until
you spot the prime minister. It was the same with
Ardan as well. But yeah, it's it's a heck of
a twelve months.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
It's been have an ice cream with your partner with
no worries in the world. Right, Let's talk about Nikola
Willis's announcement on grocery competition yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
What did you make of it?
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe I was a little bit
too ambitious. I was expecting something a little bit more.
She again put the supermarkets on notice. And I'm not
really counting here, but if I were this would about
be about the fourth or fifth time that she's put
the supermarkets on notice. Like we had a Commerce Commission
inquiry into this. She's got up into that same theaterrette
about three times now and talked about the next steps.
(02:15):
And it's starting to wear a little bit thin. And
I know that she's actively doing things and the government
is actively trying, but I think they might need to
start stop billing. These announcements is quite significant if there
isn't something very significant that is going to be announced.
What basically happened is that she said she was considering
a possible breakup of New Zealand's supermarket duopoly in an
(02:37):
effort to boost competition. Now, if she'd come out and
said I am going to be breaking up the duopoly,
then I would have been like, hot, damn big announcement.
That is something quite significant. But just her saying that
she's looking into it, it doesn't really cut the mustard
from me. She says that she doesn't take this step
lightly and she's putting the supermarket on notice, But as
I said, next, she's done that before.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
It almost feels like, is that story the boy that
called Wolf? Is that the story that you know that
we cried, wolf is it? You know, You're is so excited,
and you know, I was putting off things to wait
for this announcement yesterday, and I was thinking, this is
going to be major, this is going to be big.
And I can't help say I was very underwhelmed, very disappointed.
And I don't believe it's the first time that she's
had a crack at the supermarkets.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
No, No, it's about the fifth or sixth time. And
listen again, things in this department do not move quickly.
I get it. And I think that if we were
expecting her to come out and saying, by the way,
Asda is coming to New Zealand, that's probably a little
bit shortsighted. But the fact that they keep putting on
these press conferences to make these little, slowly slowly steps
(03:40):
in what is a very big structural problem. I think
it's going to come back and bite them.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
You know what.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I was convinced it was going to be Jason. I
was convinced it was Audi. I thought they were coming in. Yeah,
I thought they'd done a deal. It was going to
be four one christ Year's Wonder Need and one Auckland
and one Wellington to start the ball game, and we've
got this position there. That's where they're going in Auckland,
that's where they're going in Wellington, and we've done a
little bit to help them out. We've given them a
fifty year lease for nothing on their land and we're
going to help build the infrastructure. That's what I thought
(04:07):
was going to.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Come out at it, and I will see you. In
Nikola Willis's defense, it is quite significant to her pointing
that there could be a possible breakup of the New
Zealand's supermarket duopoly. But again it's just possible. She's considering it,
and I don't think it's going to happen. I think
that she stood there and is essentially again putting the
supermarkets on notice and just using this is a big
old stick to say if you don't comply, we're going
(04:29):
to hit you with this.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Right now, let's move on to the big decision or
the big announcement today, Today is d day for Winston's
Peter's plan for then to Island Ferries. Now, for me,
I got this right right at the beginning when this
all happened. I picked it and Nichola Willis came on
the show, Our Christmas Show and said I picked it right,
that she had a decision, she had a plan, she
had all sorted out. But Winston says, no, he wanted
(04:53):
it to be rail capable, and he's got a new
onance to have a crack at it. He wants to
be minister and he's now having a cracket. This would
be a major blow to Winston's ego if he doesn't
come up with something decent today.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, I mean I think it would. But Winston is
the one that is announcing it today. So you would
assume based on that it's Winston's plan that they're going
with to just kind of take it back a few
steps here. Nicola Willis had a plan, she was ready
to progress forward with that, but Winston essentially said, well,
actually I can do better. So cabinet said, okay, put
your money where where your mouth is, mate, go out
(05:28):
and find a better deal. So that's why we had
that ridiculous announcement of an announcement in December or November
last year where Nichola Willis essentially said, hey, we're going
to be taking a couple more months. It was those
months that Winston had to find the new deal, and
so He was actually in the House on Friday where
he talked about.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Sorry, my headphone has just been dead on me. So
what do you actually think is going to happen? What
do you think is actually going to happen? What do
you actually what's the plan?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Because you know what the Prime Minister said this morning,
the fairies are still good for another few years.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Yeah, I'll tell you what. I'll do you one better
instead of me telling you what's going to happen. Here's
what Winston said in the House on Friday, oh Thursday.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
We said on the eleventh of December that we would
but an update on this program by the end of
marchless year. This means outlining first the type of fairies
and the infrastructure plan that we will be pursuing. Second
and update following our worldwide engagement with ship builders, and
third an update following an alternative proposals process. There is
(06:23):
a performance indicator in the freight world called default in short,
delivered in full on time. We're on track to deliver
the goods in full and.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
On time and on time. So watch this space.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Okay, I'm getting excited now you gotta be going now.
Anything else happening in the behind this coming week. I
am excited because I knowing Winceton, like we all know,
he's no way he's going to put off anything.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
No, Well, it's interesting. I mean if I've been let
down by multiple governments when it comes to a bit
in rusher announcement, so I never hold my breath anymore.
It's the same with projects, It's the same with any
infrastructure we hear about it. So I'm like, fantastic, it's
probably not going to happen, or if it does, it's
going to be really really late in the future. So
I've been wound down and worn down so much that
(07:11):
I'm not not actually excited about it because in my brain,
he's just going to come out and say we have
we have, We've been able to secure a pathway forward
that relates to the structure of a deal which will
be concluded in a matter of time or a word
soup like that. So call me skeptical, but I'm not
as excited as you.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Yeah, I'm going to say he's going to make the announcement.
I've got this boat coming this state and this state
it's going to be a long time away, but I'm
saying I'm.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Going to go that he's going to make it. I'm
going to call it. I'm going to I'm going to
back him. There you go, so.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Again I'm I'm doing the I'm doing the opposite. So
let's let's put a put a coffee on.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
It, and we will because you're already owe me one,
so that could be too and coffees are getting more
expensive as as you wait to deliver on your promise.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
If only I.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Knew somebody that owned a cafe next, that would make
think so much easier for me.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
You know, no such thing as a free coffee, Jason.
You know you should work that one out now. Listen,
I'm going to make a public public announcement on the
show tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I'm going to apologize tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
If I've got it wrong, go and and I'll signal
you out as having it right, and I will be
very reluctant to go at you again.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Thank you very much. Always great to have a chat.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Be Hi Buzz with News talks here Beast political editor
to Jason Walls and he says it's going to be
another sort of wait and see announcement on the ferries.
I say it's going to be a lot more stronger
than that.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks There'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Said B.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Direct from news Talk, said Bee's team at Tolerance, the
Bee Hive, buzz.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hier joining us for the Bee High Bus.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
This morning is news Talk, said B's political edit to
Jason Wolves.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Morning, Jayson, Oh, good morning neck.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
How are you top of my game? It's a Monday.
Don't you love a Monday?
Speaker 4 (00:32):
I do love him Monday. I love it even more
now that the Prime Minister is doing his morning media
rounds on a Monday morning. It means that I get
up with a spring of my step, I have my oats,
and then I listened to the right Honorable Winston Winston Peters,
right Honorable Chris Luxon in the car with the right
honorable mate Hosking. So it's a great way to start
you today.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Can I give you a little quick story before we start.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
I know we've got to be quick because we've got
this big announcement coming up, but I don't want to
ever be too quick with you. I went into that
underground Willis Slane yesterday afternoon with my family just to
do it a little bit of a have an ice.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Cream and have a look around it. Who was sitting
there having an ice cream with his partner? Chris?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Was it Winston, Reyman, Peters, Chris Hopkins.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Now we were laughing about it, but we were talking
about it this morning in the newsroom.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
How twelve months changes things? Do you think he could
have done that twelve months ago?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
No? No, I mean it's always a bit of a
tell when you see I mean he's the opposition now
leader now, but in public of prime minister you see
the DPS first, that's the security guard. So I always
clocked them. I'm like, oh my gosh, where is he?
And then you kind of look around the room until
you spot the prime minister. It was the same with
Ardan as well. But yeah, it's it's a heck of
a twelve months.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
It's been have an ice cream with your partner with
no worries in the world. Right, Let's talk about Nikola
Willis's announcement on grocery competition yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
What did you make of it?
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe I was a little bit
too ambitious. I was expecting something a little bit more.
She again put the supermarkets on notice. And I'm not
really counting here, but if I were this would about
be about the fourth or fifth time that she's put
the supermarkets on notice. Like we had a Commerce Commission
inquiry into this. She's got up into that same theaterrette
about three times now and talked about the next steps.
(02:15):
And it's starting to wear a little bit thin. And
I know that she's actively doing things and the government
is actively trying, but I think they might need to
start stop billing. These announcements is quite significant if there
isn't something very significant that is going to be announced.
What basically happened is that she said she was considering
a possible breakup of New Zealand's supermarket duopoly in an
(02:37):
effort to boost competition. Now, if she'd come out and
said I am going to be breaking up the duopoly,
then I would have been like, hot, damn big announcement.
That is something quite significant. But just her saying that
she's looking into it, it doesn't really cut the mustard
from me. She says that she doesn't take this step
lightly and she's putting the supermarket on notice, But as
I said, next, she's done that before.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
It almost feels like, is that story the boy that
called Wolf? Is that the story that you know that
we cried, wolf is it? You know, You're is so excited,
and you know, I was putting off things to wait
for this announcement yesterday, and I was thinking, this is
going to be major, this is going to be big.
And I can't help say I was very underwhelmed, very disappointed.
And I don't believe it's the first time that she's
had a crack at the supermarkets.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
No, No, it's about the fifth or sixth time. And
listen again, things in this department do not move quickly.
I get it. And I think that if we were
expecting her to come out and saying, by the way,
Asda is coming to New Zealand, that's probably a little
bit shortsighted. But the fact that they keep putting on
these press conferences to make these little, slowly slowly steps
(03:40):
in what is a very big structural problem. I think
it's going to come back and bite them.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
You know what.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I was convinced it was going to be Jason. I
was convinced it was Audi. I thought they were coming in. Yeah,
I thought they'd done a deal. It was going to
be four one christ Year's Wonder Need and one Auckland
and one Wellington to start the ball game, and we've
got this position there. That's where they're going in Auckland,
that's where they're going in Wellington, and we've done a
little bit to help them out. We've given them a
fifty year lease for nothing on their land and we're
going to help build the infrastructure. That's what I thought
(04:07):
was going to.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Come out at it, and I will see you. In
Nikola Willis's defense, it is quite significant to her pointing
that there could be a possible breakup of the New
Zealand's supermarket duopoly. But again it's just possible. She's considering it,
and I don't think it's going to happen. I think
that she stood there and is essentially again putting the
supermarkets on notice and just using this is a big
old stick to say if you don't comply, we're going
(04:29):
to hit you with this.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Right now, let's move on to the big decision or
the big announcement today, Today is d day for Winston's
Peter's plan for then to Island Ferries. Now, for me,
I got this right right at the beginning when this
all happened. I picked it and Nichola Willis came on
the show, Our Christmas Show and said I picked it right,
that she had a decision, she had a plan, she
had all sorted out. But Winston says, no, he wanted
(04:53):
it to be rail capable, and he's got a new
onance to have a crack at it. He wants to
be minister and he's now having a cracket. This would
be a major blow to Winston's ego if he doesn't
come up with something decent today.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, I mean I think it would. But Winston is
the one that is announcing it today. So you would
assume based on that it's Winston's plan that they're going
with to just kind of take it back a few
steps here. Nicola Willis had a plan, she was ready
to progress forward with that, but Winston essentially said, well,
actually I can do better. So cabinet said, okay, put
your money where where your mouth is, mate, go out
(05:28):
and find a better deal. So that's why we had
that ridiculous announcement of an announcement in December or November
last year where Nichola Willis essentially said, hey, we're going
to be taking a couple more months. It was those
months that Winston had to find the new deal, and
so He was actually in the House on Friday where
he talked about.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Sorry, my headphone has just been dead on me. So
what do you actually think is going to happen? What
do you think is actually going to happen? What do
you actually what's the plan?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Because you know what the Prime Minister said this morning,
the fairies are still good for another few years.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Yeah, I'll tell you what. I'll do you one better
instead of me telling you what's going to happen. Here's
what Winston said in the House on Friday, oh Thursday.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
We said on the eleventh of December that we would
but an update on this program by the end of
marchless year. This means outlining first the type of fairies
and the infrastructure plan that we will be pursuing. Second
and update following our worldwide engagement with ship builders, and
third an update following an alternative proposals process. There is
(06:23):
a performance indicator in the freight world called default in short,
delivered in full on time. We're on track to deliver
the goods in full and.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
On time and on time. So watch this space.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Okay, I'm getting excited now you gotta be going now.
Anything else happening in the behind this coming week. I
am excited because I knowing Winceton, like we all know,
he's no way he's going to put off anything.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
No, Well, it's interesting. I mean if I've been let
down by multiple governments when it comes to a bit
in rusher announcement, so I never hold my breath anymore.
It's the same with projects, It's the same with any
infrastructure we hear about it. So I'm like, fantastic, it's
probably not going to happen, or if it does, it's
going to be really really late in the future. So
I've been wound down and worn down so much that
(07:11):
I'm not not actually excited about it because in my brain,
he's just going to come out and say we have
we have, We've been able to secure a pathway forward
that relates to the structure of a deal which will
be concluded in a matter of time or a word
soup like that. So call me skeptical, but I'm not
as excited as you.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Yeah, I'm going to say he's going to make the announcement.
I've got this boat coming this state and this state
it's going to be a long time away, but I'm
saying I'm.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Going to go that he's going to make it. I'm
going to call it. I'm going to I'm going to
back him. There you go, so.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Again I'm I'm doing the I'm doing the opposite. So
let's let's put a put a coffee on.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
It, and we will because you're already owe me one,
so that could be too and coffees are getting more
expensive as as you wait to deliver on your promise.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
If only I.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Knew somebody that owned a cafe next, that would make
think so much easier for me.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
You know, no such thing as a free coffee, Jason.
You know you should work that one out now. Listen,
I'm going to make a public public announcement on the
show tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I'm going to apologize tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
If I've got it wrong, go and and I'll signal
you out as having it right, and I will be
very reluctant to go at you again.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Thank you very much. Always great to have a chat.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Be Hi Buzz with News talks here Beast political editor
to Jason Walls and he says it's going to be
another sort of wait and see announcement on the ferries.
I say it's going to be a lot more stronger
than that.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks There'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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