CSB - Jason Walls - Newstalk ZB’s Political Editor based in the Press Gallery

Week in politics. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cricket field to the cowshed. It's the Country Sport Breakfast
with Brian Kelly on Gold Sport talking politics.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Jason Wallerson Wills was in Samoa at the moment with
our Prime Minister, who's had a busy twenty four to
forty eight hours Jason, good morning, So, good morning meeting
what the British Prime Minister had a couple of meetings
with him and he's going to meet what King Charles today? Yes,
that's right.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
So the Prime Minister met with Kiirstarmer last night. It
was their first bilateral meeting. The pair of met before
earlier this year. Of course, Kiirstarma has only just recently
been elected, but yesterday was the first time the pair
could sit down and have what we like to call
a bilateral meeting. And at the top of that they
have what we like to call a griff and grin

(00:45):
where they shake hands for the camera and grinn for
us and then make a few opening remarks before they
go into their meeting. And it's all really soft, sort
of fluffy stuff that it's really not that exciting, Like
our two country trees are in a great relationship. We're
looking forward to have a fruitful discussion and a couple
of jabs about various different sports teams beating each other,

(01:08):
et cetera, et cetera. So we don't really know this
at this stage what they talked about. I talked to
the Prime Minister's office yesterday and they said it was
a good discussion where the pair discussed various different parts
of both of their domestic agenda, whatever that means. So
the Prime Minister will be happy to take that one
off his list. And today, yeah, he'll be meeting with
King Charles, as he says, it's his first time meeting

(01:31):
with the Monarch and there's a number of different events
lined up today. So all go here in Samoa, which
is shocker block full of activity. I mean there are
not left not enough hotel rooms left on the islands,
so we're actually staying in a cruise ship, so that
is quite fun for us.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Oh, absolutely, talking about ships, I guess another point of
discussion is the is the New Zealand Navy ship sinking
just off Samoa as well, So no doubt that's being
touched on.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Absolutely. The Manawanui's sinking was always going to threaten to
overshadow the events here, but so far Chris Luxon has
done a relatively good job at downplaying any of the
environmental impacts. He said that there's been practically no pollution
risk as a result of the sinking, and the clean
up efforts have been going quite well. And yesterday the
first thing that he did after he jumped off the

(02:22):
plane and avoided the massive downpour of rain of about
ten seconds after he got inside, was go to visits
the Manawanui Task Force here and spoke to a bunch
of the NZDF personnel on the ground here and thanked
them for their work. And at one point, as he
likes to do, he'll spot another bald guy in the
room and we'll make a beeline for him and say, oh,

(02:43):
well done, my bald brother, or something like that, or
great haircuts. So that was definitely what he did yesterday
when he spotted another hairless man. So yeah, it's all
about Yesterday was all about thanking the personnel and looking
forward to the next steps.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
And of course back home here prior to going to
somehow he had a fair bit of distraction with the
Minister Andrew Bailey, didn't.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
He indeed, And it has been the story that has
kind of dominated news coverage this week. Any sort of
ministerial scandal always will, and of course you would have
known about what happened by now unless you've been living
under a rock. Andrew Bailey allegedly, during a ministerial visit,
told someone to take some wine and f off because
they were working when everybody else was having a bit

(03:27):
of a relaxation time and having a bit of a drink.
I mean, Andrew Bailey denies using the F word, but
didn't deny putting the shape of an L on his
forehead and sayings loser, loser. Andrew Bailey has you know,
said that this is meant in a lighthearted sort of
bantery way. But this person who seemed to be so
aggrieved to take their complaint not just to the Prime

(03:47):
Minister's office but to the leader of the opposite opposition
as well. So it has been speculated there is some
political motivation behind this, but nevertheless it has dominated the
news cycle this week. And you know, Andrew Bailey hasn't
been demoted for this. I don't think it will. I
think that probably would be too harsh of a punishment
for something that was just a stupid little slip up.

(04:08):
But nevertheless, it has really been a distraction from the
Prime Minister.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
And the other distraction I guess is the involvement with
the government now in the Wellington City Council situation.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Well, yes, I mean the fact that they're now installed
a Crown observer is a bit of a nod to
what they've been saying in previous weeks that the Wellington
Council is quote a bit of a shambles. That's it
that they were unable to pass their long term plan
because they did a big one eighty on their decision
to sell the shale sell shares in the Wellington Airport.

(04:40):
So a Crown observer it's the first step. It's pretty
much the lowest step when it comes to Crown intervention,
but it's still significant as it means that it puts
the government right at the center of central government here
in the capitol.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Alrighty, well enjoy you stay on the cruise ship in summer,
you get all the good gigs and we'll talk again
next week.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Thanks mane. I'm just about to head up to the buffet.
So it's a hard way for me on the road.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
It's tough. I can just imagine and on a cruise
ship off some beautiful Jason Wolves joining us this morning.
Here on he's had new talk. They'd be a chief
political reporter out of a