Thomas Coughlan: NZ Herald deputy political editor on Prime Minister Luxon's response to Kīngi Tūheitia's death

Māori and non-Māori, are expected to make their way to Turangawaewae Marae to visit Kīngi Tūheitia as he lays in state.

The past two days were set aside for Iwi from the Tainui Waka.

The Prime Minister has visited the Marae and said he remembered the Māori King as kind and generous.

NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says the Government made a very 'moving' tribute to the deceased leader.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Joining us now is New Zealand here, Deputy editor, Political
Editor Thomas Coglin. How are you, Thomas?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Oh well, thank you excellent. Hey.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
A moment of great sadness this week for New Zealand
and married them. What has been the response to the
Murray kings deeth? I see that the Prime Minister for
Christopher Laxin paid his respects yesterday.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, yeah, very very very sad week. So the political
response swing into yet pretty quickly edged to speak, flags
on government buildings lower to half mauth on Friday, although
it's unclear whether actually that they remember to lower the
ones of Parliament itself. They seem to still be flying
out fullmath on on Friday night and Saturday. So so

(00:56):
this we've been of a small controversy. The year Christopher
Laxmon headed up to to don't know way wim I
He he'd just come back from the Pacific Islands Forum,
so he stopped on his way back and delivered the
speech yesterday, which seemed to be quite well received. It
was very very quite an emotional and personal speech talking
about the last time he and keny Hat had spoken,

(01:18):
which was obviously just a few days ago really at
the anniversary anniversary of key to Haiti's coronation. So Christopher
Luckkin spoke quite movingly of the fact that he did
not expect that there would be the last time they
would speak. So interesting. Obviously, your Christoph Luxe in less

(01:38):
than a year in the job, it's probably his first
kind of moment of national mourning, which is something you know,
all prime ministers have to do eventually, So it seems
to have handled it quite well at looks side. It
was quite well received and obviously, like Khanna was quite
a political event this year. It was quite robust and
it sort of sounds like quite a moving event yesterday

(02:01):
that that both sides have put down, put de cleared
the truth and yeah and and sort of claim together
for this moment. So yeah, very very.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Moving, Yeah, as they should. By partisan infrastructure push this
week from Chris Bishop, how's that been received?

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yes, it is, it is. It is one of those
you could almost set your watch by if every government
comes into office spins a whole lot of stuff. At
the last government did and and then coursled by partisanship.
Labor did it. They canceled effectively canceled a bunch of roads,
and they came in in twenty seventeen eighteen, and obviously

(02:40):
last year and early this year you'll remember National coming
in and binning Awsome light rail and the Lake Onso
battery project. And now Chris Chris Bishop, the Infrastructure Minister,
is calling for by partisanship. Admittedly he does. He did
seem to have a sense of self awareness about the
fact that that that this might this might sound a

(03:03):
wee bit to the end, it didn't seem to be
received very well to your to your question, Chris Siptims.
Chris Siptims took the mack out of it a week
better in a speech to Parliament sorry answering Questions of
Parliament and basically made the points that I've just made
that it's a bit rich for the government to come
and preach bipartisanship when only a few months ago it

(03:25):
was ripping up billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects
that labor planned. It is, it's a worthwhile idea, though,
I think it's something that's done that both sides of
the House trying to strive towards because the infrastructure sector
of New Zealand. Sahn Sweeny, the CRL chief Executives are
the outgoing chief executives, gave an interview to Q and
A a few weeks ago and basically said, look, you know,

(03:45):
we have all these week of people digging holes under Auckland,
putting in this incredible infrastructure, and then when when the
City rail Link is finished, they all go into the
next job, which is in Australia because there's no work here.
So that all the sector is just crying out for
that certainty. So that once projects like the City rail
Link finish, all those laborers, all those highly trained professional

(04:10):
tunnel diggers and track layers can say well right, we'll
pick up our tools and go and work in the
Wellington or christ Church and do infrastructure there. So the
sixers really crying out, Bretman, it's probably worthwhile for both
sides of the house to actually think about maybe this
is the same of time to work on the five partisanship.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well, maybe they could just dig a tunnel underneath the
Oakland Harbor there, Thomas, that would be helpful as well. Hey,
nice to catch up with you, Thank you for your time.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
To date.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
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