Full Show Podcast: 24 March 2025

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Digging through the spin then to find the real story.
Or here it's Ryan Bridge on Heather dupers Ellen Drive
with one New Zealand, let's get connected and news talks.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
They'd be good afternoon at seven after four year on
news talks, they'd be welcome to your Monday afternoon. Chris
Bishop ripping up the RMA. I'll tell you what it's
got to do with a balcony on a new apartment
next door to your place, sin lay on its rebound
into profit. We're in Australia where an NRL mascot is
punching a kid, local government rates caps and Nicola willis.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
After six, Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
It's not often you find yourself an honest politician. Most
of them mean well, but they like to overstate their
abilities and understate their foibles, which is what made an
announcement caught my eye. Made an announcement by Arotto do
a counselor so darn refreshing read it at the weekend.
It was honest, it was straight up. It didn't cover

(01:01):
this politician in glory. In fact, it did quite the opposite.
And yet I immediately respected this person simply because they
told it to us straight Larni Kettyopa is her name.
I'd never heard of her before. She's the first term
counselor in Rotre and she's decided not to run at
this year's election. Here's what she told Local Democracy reporting.

(01:26):
This is her exact quote. I have so far failed
to achieve anything meaningful for my people during my time
on council. I believe my time and efforts would be
best placed elsewhere. I know how shockingly refreshing and there's
plenty more from the honesty box from counselor Ketiopa. She

(01:46):
had a specific goal in mind when she ran for council.
This was around housing for her farno and her EWE
and she was asked about this and this is what
she was quoted as saying, quote, I failed spectacularly. Quote brilliant,
absolutely brilliant. Too often people in power, particularly local government,

(02:08):
have no idea how shite they are at their job.
This is a counselor who knows she's no good, but
instead of sucking at something and continuing to do it
for another twenty years, Larni Kittyopa has hit us with
the honesty stick and I like the feeling same refreshing
honesty from Mark Sainsbury. A few weeks back. You might

(02:30):
remember that there was talk he was going to run
for mayor of Wellington, and Nick Mills asks him, are
you going to run for mayor? He responds again, I'd
quote the guy if I thought I could help Wellington,
if I genuinely thought that, I'd do it in a nanosecond.
I've never run a business. I've never run a large organization.
As much as I love the idea of it, and

(02:52):
I probably would love to do it. You've got to
be honest with yourself about what your skills are. Sains O.
Add honest and top bloke to your CV. Just today,
the commissioner appointed to babysit Wellington City Council. He comes
out he reckons we need an overhaul of the Local
Government Act quote in relation to the qualification for and

(03:16):
capability to hold office. In other words, make it harder
for twits to run for council. We'll have more on
that after five But none of this would be necessary
if we had more brave souls like Larni Kettioppa, who,
in standing down, has demonstrated more character, more promise and

(03:39):
more potential than all those underachievers. Around her who refuse
to admit the truth their crap, pray and bread. Rich
just gone ten minutes after four News Talk said B
nine nine two the number to text. Now. The government
is looking to tax charities more at this year's budget.
We'll have Nichola Willis on the show after six talk

(04:00):
about that. But after more than a decade of research
and charity law, a Wayacato law professor has changed her
mind on this very important issue. Associate Professor Juliet Chevellier
Watts is with me this afternoon.

Speaker 4 (04:14):
Good afternoon, Hello Ryan, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Good to have you on. Now. You changed your mind.
You used to say text them, and now you say
don't text them. What's what's changed?

Speaker 4 (04:26):
Yeah, so many years of research and suddenly discovering actually
how much religious charities and churches are worth economically to
our society, to New Zealand. It was it blew my
mind way, to be honest, and quite often the reason
we don't know about all of this amazing work that

(04:48):
they carry out is because they hide their lights under
a bushel. Unfortunately, they don't do themselves any faith many
favors doing that, and all of their good, much of
their good work is hidden away. So research has shown
has brought to light so much of this amazing work
and the economic relevance of it to New Zealand. So

(05:08):
from a tax payer perspective.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah, so I want to ask you about this because
you have said that that contributed an enormous six point
one billion dollars to our economy in a single year,
which you've said rightly, So it's bigger than some industries.
How have you calculated that? Like, how are they actually
doing that?

Speaker 5 (05:26):
Right?

Speaker 4 (05:27):
So this takes into consideration, It only takes into a
consideration a small amount of what they do, but this
is basically their total value of services. So but what
that doesn't do is it doesn't include indirect impacts such
as the stuff they have to do with tax compliance,
the charity law compliance, improved health, et cetera that you

(05:48):
get from being a religious entity. So yeah, we've really
only just scratched the surface on this research, to be honest.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
So how I mean, how are they six billions is a
lot of money? How is that?

Speaker 5 (06:01):
And help?

Speaker 2 (06:03):
What is that?

Speaker 4 (06:05):
So this is my work that I carry out with
a research colleague by the name of Professor Frank Scrimjaw
who's at the Wagata Management School, so he specializes an
accountancy and tax and he has gone through So we've
taken data from the Charity Services website. So all charities

(06:27):
provide data as it were to publicly available in Charity
Services Register being registered as a charity, and we can
and anybody can obtain that data, but it takes a
lot of time and energy to go through it. So
it will include things like how many volunteers they have,
what income they've got, what outgoings they've got, all of

(06:48):
those sorts of things that they're expenses. So we have
looked at all of that data just from twenty eighteen
and we've still got to do post COVID work yet
on us I.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Guess for people to understand. So are you saying that
they are doing six billion dollars worth of good?

Speaker 4 (07:05):
Is that that's pretty much what it boils down to. Yeah,
six point one billion New Zealand dollars of good for
the community. That was just in twenty eighteen.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Right, interesting, and so therefore we shouldn't tax them because
they're doing more good, more good than ham, so let's
help them rather than hinder them.

Speaker 4 (07:24):
Well to be honest, You've hit the nail on the
head there, to be honest, Ryan, because I think what
people are not really aware of is what it actually
takes to be a charity. So it's not just a
handout that churches or religious entities or any charity gets
for tax exemptions. This is to recognize the amazing good

(07:46):
works that they do and to recognize all the billions
of dollars that they contribute to study that the government
then doesn't have to fork out for saving taxpayer money.
So yes, my views are is that actually the prospect
of income tax or additional taxes on charities is a

(08:06):
really horrifying thing because we don't yet know exactly how much,
in addition to what we've really uncovered, how much an
addition they are worth to society. So say additional taxes
were imposed on them, well, they would then have to
remove so much of our money to pay tax and
instead of focusing on the good work that they do.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
Okay, interesting take. Dr Juliet Chevalier Watts. We appreciate you
coming on the program today. Thank you very much for that.
Associate Professor, our law expert at Wykata University says she's
looked into it and reckons they shouldn't be paying tax.
What do you reckon nine two nine till it's quarter
past four, Bryan Bridge, six billion dollars is a lot
of money. I think our mining sector at the moment

(08:48):
makes less than two billion dollars a year. So if
that is true that they do six billion dollars worth,
I mean, there's no doubt it is. It is slightly
disconcerting when we have a debate about chares and tax
in New Zealand right in the midst of the Destiny
Church thing, because everybody gets so wound up about one
particular group when you've got to look at it as

(09:09):
a you know, as a wider issue. Surely nine number
to text Elliott Smith with us next to the All
Whites while we're getting close and they are hopefully getting
close to the World Cup. That game tonight here in Auckland.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
It's the Heather Dupas Allen Drive Full Show podcast on
Iard Radio ower by News Talk.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
ZBB urteen on News Talk ZB. We're going to have
the Minister on This is our Chris Bishop after five
o'clock because they're ripping up the RMA and there'll be
celebrations and clapping and chairing all around the country as
I say that. Of course we knew that was going
to happen. But what are they replacing it with. He's
just spoken at postcab Our.

Speaker 6 (09:47):
Goal is to completely replace it with new laws based
on the fundamentals of a market economy, which is private property. Right,
we are going to do it.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
One of those will effect if someone's going to build
an apartment next door to your house, whether they could
put a balcony facing your house. Used to be covered
by the IRMA, that no longer will be. We'll get
Chris Bishop to explain that to us. After five, Ryan
Bridge right now, Elliott Smith here with sports. He's on tonight.
Hey Elliott, Hey Ron, good to see you, Lucklise. Nineteen

(10:18):
after four now the All Whites playing New Caledonia for
a World Cup spot tonight, looking good, looking good.

Speaker 7 (10:23):
They beat fig seven nil on Friday night in Wellington
semi final. They ranked sixty spots above New Caledonia. It
should be an easier path to the Football World Cup.
This is looking to be the third time New Zealand's
going to qualify for the men's World Cup. Nine to
eighty two. They had to really go the long waits,
the stuff of legends, the way they had to go through.
Twenty ten they qualified with the two legged trip, went

(10:45):
to Bahrain, first came back and Wellington sold out. This
time though with the forty eighteen World Cup it's a
lot easier and they should be far too good for
New Caledonia tonight. I mean the all Whites have can
call on Premier League experience, Chris Wood, all those sort
of players. So a fairly straightforward game, you would think.
But look if it it gets to halftime and it's
in the lull and a bit later on, we might
be sort of feeling the nerves a little bit. But

(11:06):
the should qualify for the World Cup this time in
twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
We've got Ben Sigmund on the program after five thirty tonight,
he says, because he was in that last year, Yes,
that went, and he said that they partied for five
days even though they did you know, the obviously didn't win.

Speaker 7 (11:21):
No, that was I mean that was huge, that World
Cup and the fact they went unbeaten there. It was
the stuff of legit and not aspired. A lot of
the current generation that are there now. Chris Wood was
in that group. That qualified back in Bahrain in two
thousand and nine, or back in sky Stadium against Bahrain.
He's now one of the leaders of this group in
twenty twenty five, So a lot of parallels. As I say,
list time should be a little bit easier than some

(11:43):
of the other adventures that the All Whites have been on.

Speaker 2 (11:44):
Hey, some lovely tributes today to Griz Wiley from Cantabrians
and rugby folk alike.

Speaker 7 (11:51):
Yeah, when you think of rugby hardman, that's just the
images Grizz Wiley in my mind. The eighties. He coached
the Canterbury team during that wonderful she already a previously
in All Black, had a hand at All Blacks coaching.
He really did it all in rugby administration as well,
and you know he was that Canterbury, that mainland sort
of hard man and you know, the mustache, everything about

(12:12):
him was iconic and you know he he had a
great career. He typified that staunch Canterbury player that was
there for so many years, played a great at All
Blacks level and really sad to see him gone, but
a lot of lovely tributes. You know John Hart, who
he coached the All Blacksworth was always seen this sort
of an acrimonious sort of peering. Gave a lovely tribute.
I saw last night as well. He had, you know,

(12:34):
all sorts of tales in his career, but I can
remember him growing up on bear ads and various things
in Canterbury. That's you know he was. He just sort
of typified that Kiwi man and a great loss for rugby.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
And we have two seconds, Eliot, but I can't go
past a bit of gossip. Tiger Woods is now he's
a bit of a he's been a ladies man. He's
got a type.

Speaker 7 (12:53):
It looks a lot like Elin has, the one that
he did the dirty on for a number of years,
but you know, with an different part. Potentially the Trump
family now, so it might be sort of a step
god step father to a number of Donald Trump's godchildren.

Speaker 2 (13:07):
Grain is our world, isn't it. So it's Donald Trump
Junior's ex wife. Yes, as sober talking.

Speaker 7 (13:13):
I can't name the wall, but Kai Trump is, Yes,
she spoke it others, Yeah, she spoke it as rallies.
So some stepsiblings for Tiger's other children.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
Brilliant, Elliot, Thank you, Elliot Smith, sports talk host seven
o'clock tonight, News Talk ZB. It is twenty two minutes
after force. So much to talk about today. I barely
have time, but I definitely want to talk about Canada
for a second, and I also want to talk about
Wellington and whether the mayor was driving any of those
speeding cars.

Speaker 1 (13:38):
Getting the facts, discarding the fluff. It's Ryan Bridge on
Hither dup c Allen drive with one New Zealand let's
get connected News TALKSB.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
Twenty five minutes after four. We will cross to Australia
with our correspondent after the news, Oliver Peterson with us
from Perth Labor. They're promising a rebates for power bills. Also,
the rabbit mascot is accused of punching a kid. Not
a great thing for any sports team. You would have
thought for a mascot of any team really, So we'll
talk about all of that. Plus the White House is

(14:12):
they haven't announced anything officially. This is all coming through
back channels to the Wall Street Journal. But April second
is the big day. That's D Day, Tariff Day, T day,
let's call it for reciprocal levies as Trump likes to
refer to them tariffs. So we're all watching obviously on agriculture.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that they might be

(14:32):
looking at scaling back or pulling back the extent of
some of what they're going to announce. The administration now
focusing apparently on applying tariffs to about fifteen percent of
nations with persistent trade imbalances. By the way, we are
not one of those the US hit the White House
calling them through back channels the dirty fifteen. So these

(14:54):
are the countries that apparently will be hit the hardest.
You're talking Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan,
South Korea, Mexico, Russia, and Vietnam plus more So, maybe
he's looking at the stock market and thinking the same
thing we're all thinking, who slow down? What are you
doing on the farm? Anyway, we'll have more on that

(15:15):
later in the show. Plus we'll get to Wellington and
who's speeding in the council cars. News Talks d be.

Speaker 1 (15:31):
Pudding, the challenging questions to the people at the heart
of the story. It's Ryan Bridge on Hither duplusy Ellen
Drive with One New Zealand Let's Get Connected.

Speaker 3 (15:41):
News Talks a b.

Speaker 2 (15:51):
Get afternoon twenty five away from five News Talks. It'd
be a surprise surprise local government New Zealand who last week,
remember we had a guest on who said that they
were just left wing. We're basically a left wing propaganda machine.
They're on the show after five point thirty, probably spewing
more left wing propaganda. I'd imagine what they don't like
is the idea of a rates cap, and the government

(16:12):
has proposed not in full and not hard and fast
a rates cap, which would mean that you know, your
average fifteen percent that we all got smacked with it
in the last year, wouldn't be able to happen now
a local government New Zealand, surprise, surprise, doesn't like this,
So we'll ask them about that, and also ask them
about this fascinating letter from the Commissioner, the guy that

(16:35):
they've put into babysit training Wills Wellington City Council. He
has written to the Minister with an idea that actually
maybe we might need to have a qualification for people
to be able to allow them to run for political
office a local council level. They actually might need to
have some level of understanding of what it is that

(16:56):
they're supposed to be doing. So a fascinating idea. We'll
put that to the left wing propaganda machine upter five
thirty two. It's twenty four away from five.

Speaker 1 (17:04):
Now it's the world wires on newstalks, Eddy Drive.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
The new Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, has called
a snap election. I have just requested that the Governor
General dissolve Parliament and colon in an election for April
twenty eighth. There we go. If he loses, Carney will
become the shortest serving Canadian prime minister in history. Luckily

(17:28):
for him, he's neck and neck. That's the Conservatives and
the Liberals at the moment in the polls. Protests kicking
off in Turkey worse than a decade. People on the
streets for five nights in a row. This after that
candidate in the presidential election was arrested and charged with corruption.
The protesters say that President Erduwe ordered the arrest for
political reasons. We have right to wold, we have right

(17:50):
to choose. Why would we want to rule us?

Speaker 8 (17:52):
But he is taking that right. We want democracy, We
want people to choose the elected.

Speaker 2 (18:00):
Finally, this afternoon from Los Angeles to Shanghai has had
to turn around and land in San Francisco because one
of the crew forgot their passport. The plane had been
traveling west across the Pacific Ocean for nearly two hours
when the crew member realized the mistake. The flight made
a U turn, changed crews in San Francisco, and then

(18:21):
eventually reached Shanghai six hours later than scheduled.

Speaker 1 (18:25):
The huddle with Music International correspondence with Ends and Eye
Insurance Peace of mind for New Zealand business.

Speaker 2 (18:32):
There was a rumor it was the pilot with the passport,
but we couldn't quite figure that out, so we haven't
reported that. But apparently it was the pilot. Oliver Peterson
is with US six PR PERS Life presenter Oli Good afternoon,
Hello Ryan, Nice to have you back on the show. Now,
Labor is promising over there a rebates on power bills.
How much is that worth?

Speaker 9 (18:53):
Well, it's going to be at the cost of almost
two billion dollars one hundred and fifty dollars off the
power of Australian households. This is obviously as we very
quickly approach a federal election which hasn't been called. The
Treasurer Jim Chalmers was simply asked, you're buying votes and
he denies that.

Speaker 2 (19:10):
I think he certainly is. But you might also recall
that the National Energy.

Speaker 9 (19:15):
Regulator has approved price increases of up to nine percent
from the first of July. So this is the second
time that Australians will get one hundred and fifty dollars
off their power bills.

Speaker 2 (19:25):
Takes it to three and a.

Speaker 9 (19:25):
Half billion dollar energy bill relief. We probably get a
few more cost of living relief measures in the budget
handed down tomorrow night. We already know that the government
wants to put downward pressure on medications and prescriptions. They're
also opening up more opportunities to go and see a
GP for free, so expect more of those type of
announcements tomorrow night when the Treasurer is at the dispatch

(19:48):
box in the Federal Parliament in Canberra, and I reckon
we will be calling an election by the end of
the week.

Speaker 2 (19:53):
Well it's about time, OLLI. We've been talking about this
for so long. Hey, we don't even have a date
the Australian woman who has died in a boat that's
capsized in Balley. What can you tell us? Well, this
is really awful, isn't it.

Speaker 9 (20:08):
This happened on Friday, a thirty nine year old woman
named Anna Blight who lived in Melbourne. She was actually
celebrating her birthday, went out on a snorkeling expedition off Bali.
The weather though, was not particularly kind in those sorts
of conditions, and this whistleblower is actually just quite surprised
the boat ever even depart of the dock because the

(20:28):
reports are that the weather, as I said, wasn't fantastic.
The currents were particularly dangerous and the seas were particularly high.
So you just wonder what sort of occupational health and
safety measures were being put in place before making a
decision to launch this group of people into the water
to decide to go on a snorkeling expedition. The boat

(20:49):
they are on, the Sea Dragon too, it capsized in
some of those rough waters about half past eight on
Friday nights, and as I said, unfortunately, Anna Marie, the
thirty nine year old who was originally from Canberra, he
died during that snorkeling troop. A second wave tipped over
that boat. What we don't know though, is what sort
of investigation is being undertaken by Indonesian authorities. And as

(21:09):
I said, this whistleblower from Australia who was on the
same boat the day before, was just quite surprised that
this boat ever even departed the docks. So yeah, it
doesn't sound like a good situation and a big warning
for obviously Aussies and Kiweed's who were thinking about going
to Bali and go snorkeling.

Speaker 2 (21:25):
Yeah. Absolutely, Hey, Ollie reads you the Rabbit did he
do it?

Speaker 3 (21:29):
Well?

Speaker 7 (21:30):
I don't know, this is it right?

Speaker 9 (21:32):
Eighty year old Charlie Gallico. He has been Reggie the
Rabbit forever and a day. This is obviously the mascot
for the South Sydney Rabbit Oz.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
He has been accused of.

Speaker 9 (21:41):
Assaulting a boy on the weekend during the Souths and
Cronulla match. There's allegedly a bit of footage of this
an altercation with a young Sharks fan. The son had
been reprimanded, according to the mother, by a security guard.
Both clubs are investigating making any comment. But this is
the last thing in the world I thought I'd be
talking about. Reggie the Rabbit accused of assault of a

(22:02):
boy at a rugby league match. I mean, I don't
much like the Rabbit o's myself, but I wouldn't have
thought that the mascot Tod be getting into this sort
of behavior, right.

Speaker 2 (22:10):
I wouldn't have thought. So. Did you say he's eighty.

Speaker 9 (22:13):
He's eighty years of age.

Speaker 2 (22:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (22:15):
The guy, the guy that dresses up is Reggie. He
really loves his football club so much so in fact,
when the Rabbit O's were playing in Vegas, he went
along and a couple got married with Reggie the Rabbit
instead of Elvis.

Speaker 2 (22:27):
So I mean he's bigger than Elvis. To some rugby
league supporters, you should think you'd be having trouble breathing
under that big hot soup Oi, thank you for that.
Absolutely undred's punching children. He's struggling for Rea. Poor guy
Olli Peterson, six pr pers live present in his talks.
He bea It's eighteen away from five ran briguation. Drugs
in our wastewater system. The police have released their numbers

(22:49):
for twenty twenty four, and it's not as big as
surprise as we thought it would be because we already
knew some quarterly results. But it's confirmation that twenty twenty
four saw an unpreced in ninety six percent increase in
methan phetamine consumption in New Zealand when compared to twenty
twenty three. Supply up, demand up, price obviously down. It's

(23:13):
regional North Island towns that are worst affected. That is
pretty bad, isn't it. That's one hundred percent increase in
a year. How is our border protection looking to you? Now?
I would ask eighteen away from five Barry Soper next politics.

Speaker 3 (23:28):
With centric credit, check your customers and get payment.

Speaker 2 (23:31):
Certaintyb it's quarter to five, will have the minister on
the RIMA changes after five o'clock. Barry Soapa is here
right now, Senior political correspondent Barry Good afternoon, Good afternoon,
right hey, just a text to kick us off, Barry says, Hi, Ryan,
we knew the government we're going to replace the RIMA,
so today is just an announcement of an announcement to
say it's still two years away? Is that about? It's

(23:53):
from Lloyd? Is that right?

Speaker 10 (23:54):
Well?

Speaker 11 (23:54):
Well known Lloyd? And fairness to the government today and
the Prime Minister Cohorts have just got off a stage
as I walked into the studio here. It's we did
know that they were going to change the RMA, but
this was cabinet signing off the two pieces of legislation
that they'll have in place to do that. So's that's

(24:17):
what they've decided today. But look, you're right, to an extent,
we've heard so much about the RMA. This is not
to be confused with the fast track legislation because that's
already gone through and that's but essentially in many cases
by passing the RMA. Anyway, And look, this was written,
this Act way back in nineteen ninety one. I remember it.

(24:40):
I was in Parliament at the time. Mold Jeffrey Palmer,
he was the Prime Minister and also the Environment Minister
when he wrote this piece of legislation, which is now
a thousand pages long. I found it interesting some of
the opening comments of the of the Prime Minister and
the Peace that we're on stage with them. Essentially they

(25:03):
were talking about the changes. That was the Prime Minister,
the Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop, and the Undersecretary Acts Simon Court.
Here they are in that.

Speaker 12 (25:13):
Order have at this RIMA has enabled a cottage industry
of lawyers and consultants drafting thousands of pages of papers
and reports, all designed to block new roads, new wind farms,
new apartments in our central cities and farming in rural
New Zealand. It's the culture of no that I spoke
about earlier in the year brought to life.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
Keywis are sick of it.

Speaker 13 (25:32):
I'm sick of it.

Speaker 12 (25:33):
We're all sick of it, and now we're taking action
right now.

Speaker 6 (25:35):
Every individual council in New Zealand determines the technical rules
of each of their zones. Across New Zealand there are
one than one hundred and seventy five different kinds of zones,
and the entirety of Japan, which uses standardized zoning, there
are thirteen. These are one hundred and seventy five different
sets of technical zoning rules in a country the size

(25:58):
of New Zealand. Our view that it's totally nuts. There
is really no legitimate justification for the maximum building height
in a residential zone to be eight meters in capity
and nine meters indoneda.

Speaker 14 (26:09):
It's one point three billion annually spent on consenting, according
to the Infrastructure Commission. At a recent peak, around forty
thousand consents were demanded in a year. Most of the
stuff we've been doing for years. We know how to
do earthworks, we know how to install a culvert under
a road. We know how to build a wastewater treatment
plant while protecting the environment.

Speaker 11 (26:31):
You know, those three statements to me summed up why
this Act is absolutely.

Speaker 2 (26:37):
A dog's breakfast.

Speaker 11 (26:39):
How on earth do you interpret one zone from another
zone by bureaucrats, which are the council officers sitting in
there behind their desks. You know, people demanding because they
have to under the Act. That many applications in a year,
over forty thousand.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
I mean, you know, the.

Speaker 11 (26:59):
Country's gone, it's run by rules and regulation. You can't
get rid of some of them. We're not going to
progress at all.

Speaker 2 (27:06):
No, the problem they'll have, though it's already be able
to come out and say this, but the problem I'll
have is passing this legislation and then keeping the legislation
once they've gone well.

Speaker 11 (27:15):
Yes, well that's true. Labor did change make changes to
the RMA, and it was in fact old David Parker
that came up with the idea of the fast track.
So and he's been credited with it rather sarcastically in
the House day after day. But Labor had started. But
this is I think the real reform. And unfortunately, you know,

(27:36):
people go, oh, for God's sake, and our listener said,
we don't see it until twenty twenty seven. Normally, change
like this takes more than two or even three years,
so they are moving pretty quickly.

Speaker 2 (27:50):
Winston Peter's in his State of the Nation at the weekend.
Few protesters as well. From I mean, it was it
was taking back. It was every man and his dog,
wasn't it.

Speaker 11 (27:58):
Well, he would have loved it. And it reminded me
just watching the the meeting that he was speaking to
that Rob Muldoon many many years ago, and some of
your listeners might remember. It was in the Dunedin Town
Hall and Rob was pointing at people in the audience,
telling the police get rid of them, get rid of them.

(28:20):
The cops would move and they'd be fighting. And I
remember there were three nuns standing the well. They were
at the front of the mezzanine floor and they all
of a sudden stood and bared their breasts. I want
to do They weren't nuns, of course, they were making
a point. But Lork Winston loves this like Muldoon loved

(28:43):
it because you can pick them out. And the thing
is that he had anticipated the disruption because in his
speech notes it was sort of written in you know,
that's how communist, fascist, anti democratic losers work, and that's
how they look, you know. I mean, it's all there.
So it was lovely and pre orchestrated for Winston. I

(29:03):
think the protesters did them a great favor.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
Yeah, they looked nutty too, did they. What Now, very
quickly with the duneedan cultural spend that's brought the attention
of the taxpayersing into it.

Speaker 11 (29:14):
It's a pr consultancy in the city and it's an
EWE owned consultancy firm. Over the past three years they've
spent the council has one point three sixty five million
dollars on advice and it's a ratepayers of the Taxpayers
Union who have put it out. I'm sure the rate

(29:35):
payers Union should be looking at it as well. But
items like more than one hundred thousand on the Harbor
City cycle Way cultural interpretation, so that's not even for
the building of it, it's giving them advice on the
cultural aspect to it. The George Street design work another
one hundred grand. The council basically told the consultancy firm

(29:58):
gave them seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars for handouts
to clubs and groups. You know, if I was a
rate player in that town, spending another seventeen and a
half percent on our rates this year, got on the
Taxpayer's Union for bringing it to the four.

Speaker 2 (30:13):
Thanks very much, Barry Barry soapers. Then you put a
correspondent on rates the government wanting to cap rates and algae,
and they'd firing back. We've got them on the show
after five as well, just gone eight minutes too.

Speaker 1 (30:24):
Putting the time questions to the newspeakers, the Mike asking breakfast.

Speaker 15 (30:28):
Public Service Minister Judith Collins as well as I've been
through these things before. When you say are there savings
to be made, they come back and say, we'll have
different bunds at morning tea and we'll save on paper clips.

Speaker 3 (30:38):
It's a waste of time.

Speaker 11 (30:39):
Well, I don't know that it is.

Speaker 16 (30:41):
Actually, when we took over and government just over a
year ago, the pucket service had grown in six years
by thirty four percent. As well as consultant spending is
going right through the roof. There will be some people
who think this is a bit of a joke, but
the words that are used in this sense all the
way through it, there is no money from guts tax

(31:01):
payers money. That's something that needs to be rammed home.

Speaker 15 (31:04):
Back tomorrow at six am the Mike asking Breakfast with
the Rain driver of the lah News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
Five to five on Newstalk zed B. After five we're
going to talk to Chris Bishop about the RMA changes
that their mate, well, just scrapping the rmail together and
coming up with two new laws right now, Tory Faro
the Wellington mayor hate to keep returning to Tory, but
just the headlines keep coming, don't they. So remember when
she sold her car to pay well she said Initially
she said I sold my car to pay for my

(31:31):
bills because I'm under financial pressure like everybody else, to
seem relatable, and then she backtracked on that she said, no,
I didn't, And so from then on no one really
believed anything she said because it all just seems a
bit shady. Well, now, the mayor's car, in other words,
the ratepayers car has been pinged along with other council cars,

(31:52):
speeding not once, not twice, hundreds of times. Now. To
be fair to them and to the staff who are
using these cars, it's in the thirty kilometer area and
that is I mean everyone does that. I mean, be
honest with yourself. Have you ever been more than thirty
k's in a thirty k zone? If you're not answering, yes,

(32:13):
you're lying. Now the data this is what the Council's
office said the dark because the question is in who's driving?
You know who's driving? Was it Tory? Well, the data
we hold is linked to vehicle registration number rather than
names of the officers driving the vehicles at any given time,
says the spokesperson. So we have asked the mayor if

(32:33):
she's ever sped in a council car, and we'll have
the response for you later in the show. But the
real story here is the thirty kilometer an hour thing.
I mean, you are better off you get there faster
getting out of your car and walking or running, which
I guess is what they want, isn't it. They don't
want you driving in your car. But if the people,
if the that's a too polite term, if the tyrants

(32:55):
who force us to go thirty kilometers an hour can't
even stick to the speedlan, then what hope have we none?
RMA Reform and auditing A Tamady Key next her hellus.

Speaker 1 (33:23):
Questions answers, facts, analysis, the drive show you trust for
the full picture. Brian Bridge On, Heather Duplicy Ellen Drive
with One New Zealand let's get connected.

Speaker 3 (33:35):
News Talks b New Talks.

Speaker 2 (33:36):
Said b RMA reform in just a few moments. Seven
after five. Great to have your company. This evening. A
woman who'd escaped her abusive partner had her address and
details revealed to that ex partner by ordering a Tamadi key.
This has been revealed in a review of OT's approach
to privacy, which apparently is not that great. This woman

(33:59):
was subsequently abused, re abused by that ex partner. Karen
draws the Minister for Children. She's with me now, High Minister.

Speaker 17 (34:07):
Hi, Ryan, thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2 (34:09):
Good to have you on. How do you feel reading
these cases?

Speaker 17 (34:15):
It's absolutely horrifying to be perfectly honest. Oh wear two
hats in this building, and one is the prevention of
family harm and sexual violence. And when I read that
about a mother or about a woman being re abused
because of something that a staff member and ordering a
tamatique has deliberately done, that gives me grave concern, which

(34:38):
is why I set an expectation with what I'm atomaticae
around privacy and privacy breaches that they are unacceptable, they
won't be accepted, and they can't continue like this. People
rely on us and trust us with their personal details
that are often very hard to share in the first place,

(34:58):
and those details be treated with dignity or respect.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
When you say this was deliberately done, what do you mean?
Do you mean that this person knew they could be
putting the woman at risk?

Speaker 17 (35:09):
Well, just reading what was written and said, a staff
member took a screenshot of a mother's file and shared
it with the child's father, leading to further physical abuse. So,
just going off that sentence, when I read that, that
horrifies me. And I haven't looked further yet into the
details of that, but reading statement, if it's taken, of

(35:31):
course I will and if it's taken at face value
from what is written there, it is completely unacceptable. But
what I might add also is that this pre dates.
This comes into twenty twenty two and twenty twenty three,
pre dates from when I was here. But I have
set that expectation that this won't continue, And I'd just

(35:52):
like to note that we have not had any of
these notifiable privacy breaches in the last twelve months. The
expect is that people privacy is treated with dignity and respect.
This is people's lives we're talking about here, their lives
on piece of paper, and we need to treat it
as such.

Speaker 2 (36:12):
Minister, thank you very much for your time. That's Karen Shaw.
She is the Minister for Children in charge of OT
and will be investigating that screenshot nine after five brand Now.
The government today replacing the dreaded RIMA with two new
laws due to be passed before the next election. A
Planning Act will focus on the development and use of land,

(36:34):
and the Natural Environment Act will look at the use
and protection of the environment. Sounds about right. Minister for
RMA Reform Chris Bishop is with me now, High Minister,
good afternoon. In a nutshell, what are you changing.

Speaker 6 (36:47):
We're going to make fewer plans, there will be less
need for resource consents. That will be greater standardization around
the country what's called permitted activities, So as long as
you meet the standards and you are using your own
proper you can go off and do it. So fewer plans,
fewer resource consents, much more standardization, a much simpler system,
and it will lead to less cost and more ability

(37:10):
to do with your own property what you would like
and make it easy to build the houses and infrastructure
and projects that he Ze needs to get ahead.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
So I own a three bedroom home on a five
hundred square meter section in a city in New Zealand,
can I go three.

Speaker 6 (37:22):
Floors depending on the zoning of the council.

Speaker 5 (37:26):
Yes.

Speaker 6 (37:27):
But one of the things we'll be looking at is
standardized zones. So in New Zealand at the moment, there
are one one hundred and seventy five different types of
zones around the country. Canterbury alone has over two hundred
different zones. It's an absolute nightmare for builders and from fact,
for anyone.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
To work their way through.

Speaker 6 (37:45):
Japan, by the way, has just thirteen different zones, thirteen
different land zones in which you can work out what
you do. So we want to radically simplify the number
of zones and end up with standardized zones around the country.
So the key point will be this rhyme. If you
want to build a three bedroom high home up to
a certain height limit in Lower Hut, it will be
the same in Lower Hut as it will be in

(38:05):
another part of the country. Because the standardized zone.

Speaker 2 (38:07):
Okase. The problem you run into always is with councils
is the special character areas, isn't it? And they're different
in different places. But will you have a carve out
for areas where Wellington and Auckland and christ whatever might think, oh,
these houses are pretty and we don't want people to
be able to build up nine stories here.

Speaker 6 (38:30):
There will be a safety valve through the legislation for
some types of deviation from standardized zones.

Speaker 3 (38:38):
That is important.

Speaker 6 (38:39):
There will be unique cases, but as a general principle,
there won't be the ability to do that. That is
precisely for example, why the eleven story green building which
was due to replace a gravel pit next to a
city rail Link station in Auckland got turned down precisely
because of those that sort of behavior and we want
to stop that.

Speaker 2 (38:59):
Minister, thanks very much for your time. That's the minister
in charge of ripping up the RMA and doing something different,
Chris Bishop. It is twelve minutes after five if you
saw this story out of Palmerston North, but it's one
of those stories that just grabs your attention. It's Featherston
Street and Palmerston North for those who know it, beautiful
street quite wide, well, it was quite a wide, lovely street.

(39:20):
Now they've put the cycle lanes in. And this is
a story that is repeated up and down the country.
You will know the story in your town or neighborhood,
wherever you live. Niceboog wide street. Now there's a cycle
lane down the side, and there's the bus stop the
buses going down the roads which are now much narrower,
thank you very much, counsel. And they've also put the

(39:40):
bus stops, four of them on Featherston Street, and the
buses must stop in lane, so all of the cars
back up behind them, and the traffic is so bad
that the other buses are now pulling out to go
around the bus that stopped to pick up and drop
off passengers. The city is grinding to a halt. Don't

(40:03):
eve enough. We call Palmeston North the city, but it
should be, and it won't be with these types of rules.
So what have they done to Featherston Street in Palmerston North.
I've got more on this after five point thirty We
are going to talk about funny enough about councils and
rates and the rates cap. After five point thirty, before
the huddle as well. Next, it's the all whites and

(40:25):
their hope, their dream of heading to the World Cup tonight. Now,
as you will know, gold is one asset class that's
enjoying stellar growth right now. Uncertain times can do that
because gold is renowned as one of the most secure
of all investments. Over the last twenty years, gold has
risen in value get this, seven hundred and thirteen percent.
That includes a forty seven percent increase in the last

(40:47):
year alone, forty seven percent. New Zealand Gold Merchants, a
family business of fifty years standing, you'll know the name
be Leaves. Gold ownership should be accessible to every day
save is not just the wealthy. So what they've done
is quite smart. They've created Gold Saver. It's a modern
alternative to traditional savings. It's simple. You can start really small,

(41:08):
begin with as little as fifty dollars a month and
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(41:28):
Saver click and grow your nest egg at go gold
dot co dot nz. Cray Bridge, you're on newsbooks. There'd
be seventeen after five Ryan. They're currently doing exactly the
same thing on Great North Road between k Road and
Surrey Crescent and Auckland. Another says in Auckland Point Chevalier
Road is the same thing. This is the buses where

(41:50):
they now have buses. Instead of them having to pull
over into the side of the road and let passengers
on and off, the bus lane just is the lane
is the road, so they have to stop and all
of the cars behind them have to back up. And
this is a parmesanal story we were talking about earlier,
and somebody says it's actually in both directions as well.

(42:11):
Can you imagine how frustrating that would be? Eighteen alf
to five news Talks, he'db Bryan Bridge. The All Whites
will be taking on New Caledonia at seven tonight at
Eden Park. It's all happening very soon. It's the game
that'll decide finally decide whether the New Zealand gets a
spot at the twenty twenty six feet the World Cup.
In North America or not. Ben Sigmund was on the

(42:31):
team the last time that New Zealan made it to
the World Cup, back in twenty twenty. He's sorry back
in twenty ten and he's with me now, hello, good eight.
So we haven't made it to World Cup since you
were in the team fifteen years ago. Do you reckon
we'll do it this time?

Speaker 17 (42:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (42:47):
Yeah, it's looking pretty positive at this stage. And yeah,
like if a playlight they did Friday night against Fiji,
I think they'll be too good and too classy and
bring it home for sure.

Speaker 2 (42:58):
How much of this is to do with Chris Wood?
I mean, I know we're obviously the qualifying the criteria
is a lot different this time, and some would say
a lot easier, But how much of how they're playing
is to do with Chris?

Speaker 5 (43:13):
He's a massive part and he's certainly inspirational around, you know,
being the leader and the captain. The whole team is
pretty well balanced now. She actually look at the starting
team from the other night, like most people are probably
playing in Europe are overseas. Tim Payne a league player,
and most of them are in decent leagues over throughout

(43:34):
the world now, So as much as Chris Wood is
a massive you know, I guess the rock solid striker
that just can't stop scoring. But you know there's a
pretty well grounded team and you know they played Fiji
off the park on Friday night and hopefully they can
do the same again tonight.

Speaker 2 (43:52):
What was it like when you when you made it
there to the World Cup? What was it like being
part of the buzz?

Speaker 5 (43:59):
Well, I was saying and someone the other day. We
celebrated and partied for about a week afterwards, and even
my granddad eighteen years of ages out until five in
the morning, so that probably counts you something. But there
was just a hype and the build up was massive,
you know. And you know we obviously went to Bahrain

(44:21):
and drew Nillo over there and then came back to
New Zealand and it was all to play for We're
back in Wellington, you know. So it was a big
moment and it was probably a career highlight by a
long shot for me. You know, it was just inspirational
around what this country did and what it did for
the game, and you know, hopefully we can do it again.
I know that we keep talking about it's not as

(44:43):
hard getting there and they've opened up another spot and
all those things. But for the game in New Zealand,
if the boys can go to another World Cup, it's
just it's a pinnacle of sport and you know, these
guys will be buzzing and it's a great achievement if they.

Speaker 18 (44:56):
Can do it.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
He is hoping they do, and here's hoping they party
like you did. Like it's twenty ten. Ben Sigmund All
White at the twenty ten World Cup. It's twenty one
minutes after five on news talks, there'd be just to
update you the stadium that everyone's been talking about, you know,
is Auckland going to go with Eden Park a revamped
Den Park? Are they going to go down in the
waterfront where the fancy new design the artist's impression we

(45:19):
all know that picture. We don't know yet. That's the
long and the short of it. They're not going to
announce it. And by the way, we won't find out
today what the council thinks, just what the staff at
the council think. And of course the staff tell the
councilors what to think, don't they, So we know that's
what the answer will be. Anyway, that will happen apparently
around seven or eight o'clock tonight, so you might get

(45:39):
it just in time for Elliott's show, Alex Smister Show
tonight with Sport after seven twenty one minutes after five.
Now on the Huddle tonight, we have Tris Shuson and
Mike Munroe. Lots to talk to them about. Next though,
I'm going to tell you a little story about Willie Jackson.

Speaker 1 (45:55):
Checking the point of the story, it's Ryan Bridge, John
either dupla see Ellen.

Speaker 3 (45:59):
Dry with one New Zealand let's get connected.

Speaker 2 (46:03):
News talks'bi twenty four on News Talk said, be a
very good afternoon to you and to Willie Jackson. Willie,
I know you listen to this program, and I know
you'll text me after I say this, but I was
reading your sit down with Audrey Young in the Herald
this morning and here's the problem with it. I'll just

(46:24):
read you a little excerpt from it. Jackson talks a
lot about funding. This is from Audrey. He said that
in twenty seventeen, when Labour was elected to power, the
combined targeted funding for Mardy was about one hundred and
twenty million bucks, so Labor was spending one hundred and
twenty million on maldy Well. The national was before Labor
took over, but in the second half of its six

(46:44):
year term it was averaging one billion for Marty initiatives
including health, funner order, housing and employment. The problem here, Willie,
is not how much you were spending, but what Mardy
were getting from it. Material hardship for Chill children went
up by the time Labor left office in November December

(47:04):
twenty twenty three. Material hardship affects more than any other
group Mardy children. So how can you be proud, Willy,
of spending more money when the outcome was worse? Throwing
money at a problem and dancing around celebrating a check
being signed is so twenty twenty voters have learned the

(47:28):
hard way. Beware the politician who celebrates the funding announcement.
The proof of the pudding, as we all now unfortunately know,
is in the eating Bryan Bridge twenty six minutes after five,
Donald Trump, over in the States because that's where he lives,
has done something very funny. So the Colorado State Capitol

(47:52):
Building has a portrait of Donald Trump, and it's not
to his liking to be fair, as it does look
a bit ugly. And you know what it's like. One
of your friends puts a photo up of you on
social media, you know, your friend Barb on Facebook, and
you look haggard and you haven't you know, you haven't
had a good sleep and maybe you've had too much
to eat that week and you're just not feeling great.

(48:14):
Can you take it down, Barb? That's what Donald Trump
is doing to the Colorado State Capitol building. He said
the picture is bad, and he says, nobody likes a
bad picture or painting of themselves. It was, he says,
purposely distorted to a level that even I perhaps have
never seen before. He said, maybe the artist haven't got

(48:37):
time to read her name. We'll find it out, but
it hasn't. Perhaps the artist has gone bad, he says,
that's one. The photo is bad, the portraits bad. Nothing
to do with him. Twenty seven after five news talks,
he'd be the huddle coming your way next and local government,
New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (48:53):
After making the news, the news makers talk to Ryan first.
It's Ryan Bridge on. Here's a duplessy ellendro with one
New Zealand. Let's get connected news talks, it'd.

Speaker 11 (49:04):
Be just songletin.

Speaker 2 (49:10):
Songle Bon, You're just it is twenty five away from
six year on news Talks here B. It is Monday evening.
Doesn't mean you can't have a bit of fun though,
does it, And we will do that this evening. Nicola
Willis is here after six o'clock and interesting, she will
tell us that there has been a deal done over

(49:30):
the fairies and we will find out, hopefully in the
next week. We will find out what it is. They're
also going to make an announcement about their next steps
on supermarkets inside the next week, so Nicola Willis will
have the details after sex here on news Talks here B.
We've got the huddle standing by Trish Huson and Mike
Munroe will be with us in just a few moments.
And Bridge Rich councils are starting to freak out a

(49:52):
little bit at the idea of the government's floated of
putting a cap on future rate increases. Forget your fifteen
percent or your twelve percent, you eighteen percent, if you're
really unlucky, it'd be more like two or three. It's
just a proposal at the stage. We have no concrete details,
but local government New Zealand unhappy last week Ratings Agency

(50:13):
SMP downgraded eighteen councils and three CCOs council controlled organizations
across the country. Now, ALGAE and Z is saying things
could get worse if you put a cap on our rates.
Sam Broughton is the President of Local Government New Zealand.
He's with me now, Hi Sam, Yeah, good afternoon. So
what's the problems. What don't you like about a rates cap?

Speaker 13 (50:33):
Well, councils do want to see more affordable rates for
their community, so that's something as a country we definitely
need to address and one of those ways is to
provide more funding tools for councils. So at the moment,
the government really only gives councils one way of paying
for the services that we need to and that's around
collecting rates. There's a little bit of user charges and
then using debt to fund into generational infrastructure, but rates

(50:56):
is the only thing. If we could have a share
of the GST on new builds, or use some congestion
charging or rate payers Assistant scheme which we're talking to
the government about stuff that the Crown is interested in
the share of cround mineral royalties, then that would actually
reduce the burden that's on rates at the moment. We
could take a more user pays approach. The thing with
a rates cap is really it's an artificial tool. That

(51:19):
would mean that we wouldn't necessarily be able to invest
in the community infrastructure that we need to. And New
Zealand's got a mess of you know, a billion dollars,
billions of dollars of infrastructure deficit at the moment because
we've kept rates artificially low over duperation.

Speaker 2 (51:33):
See here's the thing. I buy all of your argument
up until you say we could have done this, well,
we could also have not wasted a whole bunch of
money on raised site, raised crossings. Yeah.

Speaker 13 (51:45):
I think if you look at the MILLIONIC council spend
and use my counsel as an example, over eighty six
percent of our capital spends is on transport, order and
waste water infrastructure.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
You know, exactly, really key, exactly how many raised crossings.
You know, how many cycle ways that no one uses.
This is what the problem that you're run into. When
you're coming out and saying no, I don't want a
rates cap because of X Y Z, people say, well,
maybe if you didn't spend money on dumb stuff. We
would agree with you.

Speaker 13 (52:15):
Yeah, and rates capping is just not the tool what
we're saying. We do want more affordable rates, but we've
seen international examples in Australia use them. South Australia doesn't
have rates capping, Victorian New South Wales do. When you
compare the rates costs for those two communities.

Speaker 2 (52:31):
What about spending on dumbelw What if we cap spending
on dumb stuff? So would that help it?

Speaker 17 (52:37):
You know?

Speaker 13 (52:38):
I think I think that's what councils do as they
think through their transparent way of talking to communities. We
have long term plans. We have people coming in and
talking to us about what they do and don't want
us to spend it. I think you're right the transparency
of council decision making is important, but a rate camping doesn't.

Speaker 2 (52:53):
Solve that, Sam, What do you say to people like
Margaret Murray Bene who was on the program last week.
Western Bay have plenty council they've pulled out of local
government New Zealand. They say that you're just a left
wing propaganda machine.

Speaker 13 (53:09):
Yeah, oh man, Local government New Zealand is made up
from people from councils all across New Zealanders, a full
mix across political spectrums. And yeah, to say that just
doesn't sort of let'st onto the reality of what elg
and Z is.

Speaker 2 (53:23):
Okay, so you wouldn't consider yourself a left wing propaganda machine,
no way, okay, all right, Sam, thanks for your time.
Sam Bratton, who's the president of alg and Z not
a left wing propaganda machine. Twenty one minutes away from
Sex on News Talk ZB the.

Speaker 1 (53:41):
Huddle with New Zealand Southeby's International Realty, the ones with
Local and Global Reach.

Speaker 2 (53:46):
Tris Shehurson Hirson willis pr with us tonight, Hay Trish, Hey, Ryan,
good to have you on as always. And Mike Munroe,
former chief of staff to just Sinda Adonis here too.
Ho Mike, good I Ryan, Now, what are your thoughts
first of all on rates cap? I mean Sam has
a point that it's not that I mean, it's not
a solution, it's not a long term solution and certainly

(54:08):
not going to help with infrastructure. Mike, Yeah, I think he's.

Speaker 18 (54:13):
Got a point.

Speaker 19 (54:14):
You know.

Speaker 18 (54:14):
My concern here is Ryan that if we put in
a cap, put a cap in place, we just sort
of kicked the can down the road and some future
council has to deal with the you know, with the
with the escalating costs which which have been faced now,
and that means, you know, future rate payers have to
deal with it, maybe our kids. So so I agree
with him, it's quite an artificial tool. And I just

(54:36):
think we need to go back at some point and
just look at the whole model of local government and
how we operate it. We've been sort of mucking around
at the fringes for a long time now and we
have the same arguments of generation after generation. It seems
like maybe we need to sort of re examine the
model and how we do local government in New Zealand
and whether it's fit for purposes. We go into these

(54:57):
times of you know, enormous infrastructure costs sort of staring
us in the face. And I'd also say something about
the long term plans I think are really important because
that's where you know, if we do those in an
open and transparent way, we can see where the costs
are going to be sort of a loaded on us
over the next three, five, ten years. So I think

(55:19):
a great emphasis on those plans being really transparent would
help as well.

Speaker 2 (55:22):
Trish What is the core of the problem with counsels?
Are there too many voices? Are there too many people
at the table?

Speaker 18 (55:30):
What is it?

Speaker 8 (55:32):
I agree with Mike that fundamentally the model is broken.
In my view, in a country of our size and
scale a we've got way too many councils. If you
looked at relative population sizes overseas, you would not have
anywhere near this. That leads to cost and complexity. The

(55:53):
issue for rate payers is the huge uncertainty that has
been called caused by exponential rate rises. So just to
give you a feel for the numbers, there was a
great story by Jonathan Killick in the Sunday Sometimes in
feb they went back and to have a look at
so in Wellington that council has delivered rate increases of

(56:15):
twelve point eight, eight point eight, twelve point three and
eighteen point five percent in the last four years. The
projected increase means that that rate increase is going to
go up by more than one hundred and seventy five
percent over the next ten years. So you just can't

(56:37):
realistically expect people to be trying to pay a mortgage
and live in their own homes with wild rate increases.

Speaker 2 (56:46):
Like that, especially when you don't and Mike people don't
feel like well, not only do they not feel like it,
it's it's self evident they aren't getting more for it.
In fact, in a lot of cases, they're getting less.

Speaker 18 (56:58):
Yeah, and that's what we need to go back and
look at the model. You know, We've got to ask
some really big questions like take water, for example, is
water is so important from a public health point of
view in terms of clean water, waste waters disposal, et cetera.
Maybe the states you look after that, maybe that should
be fully funded centrally in New Zealand, so that so

(57:19):
that councils can go back to looking after the basics,
the bread and butter issues like you know, like your
rubbish collection in your foot paths and whatever. So if
we go on the same way, we're just going to
have the same pressure year after year because the cost
of running these cities and rebuilding these cities, especially the
water infrastructure, it's going to get higher and higher. So
I just don't see an end in sight if we

(57:40):
just go on the same old way.

Speaker 8 (57:42):
In the meantime, I think there are a couple of
useful things that the government is doing don't forget that.
Number one, they are later this year introducing legislation that
will force councils to get back to basics. So that's
that's in an attempt to stop waste on stuff they
shouldn't be doing. And then number two they will also

(58:05):
every year make a report available nationally, so if I'm
a rate payer in Auckland, I can go on and
essentially compare my rates and the value for money I'm
getting against someone in Wellington or christ Church. I think
that will be a useful tool for for people voting
in local body elections to hold elected councilors to account

(58:30):
for the money that they're spending.

Speaker 2 (58:31):
Yeah, hey, we'll leave it here, guys and come back
and just a second. Tricius and Mike Munroe on the
huddle tonight. This is from Angus Ryan of councils, dump
cycle ways, ludicrous traffic management and hideously costly resource consents.
They probably wouldn't need a rate increase.

Speaker 1 (58:46):
The Huddle with New Zealand Southeby's International Realty find you're
one of the kind.

Speaker 2 (58:50):
Tricians and Mike Munroe on the Huddle to night thirteen
Away from six Winston went pretty hard on Labor during
his State of the Nation speech at the weekend, which
was of trish, you know, intentional. Winston doesn't do anything
that he hasn't thought very carefully about. You know, there
often the polls he's potentially a threat. Winston's just reminding everyone, Hey,

(59:11):
this is what this guy, this is his record.

Speaker 8 (59:15):
Yeah, I agree. I mean there's no surprises. I don't
think that he went after Labor, and I noted the
PM was asked about that at his post cabinet press
conference for instant and he was very positive about Winston
being the attack dog on Labor on Sunday. But I
do think that both Winston and the Prime Minister have

(59:39):
a point, and that is that it is outrageous what
happened under Labor, the waste, the mismanagement, and they have
left a massive hole that New Zealand has to climb
out of. The problem for New Zealand first and national
an act is that the electorate is is very impatient

(01:00:01):
at the moment and they won't look kindly on keeping
on blaming Labor. They'll say, well, hey, you know, you
guys have been in now for fifteen fifteen months, so
it's a it's a fine line to tread. I think
the other interesting thing though about Winston's speech and Labor
was if you if you read it on face value,
it's essentially saying New Zealand first will not work with labor.

(01:00:27):
He called them a bunch of unreformed losers, I think
if I'm quoting him correctly. So so that was interesting
this far out. Don't forget before the last election he
also ruled out working with labor, but we've never seen
it this far out.

Speaker 2 (01:00:41):
Yeah, and I think specifically Hipkins he ruled out this
morning as well. Mike, does does any of this surprise you?
And do you think is this a sign that Winston
actually is a little bit worried about labor? Well?

Speaker 18 (01:00:56):
Yeah, right now Labor's living in his head rent free,
it seems.

Speaker 2 (01:00:58):
Actually.

Speaker 18 (01:00:59):
Look, this was built as a state of the Nation speech,
and that was actually false advertising. It wasn't a state
of the nation speech. It was the start of the
twenty twenty six Labor election campaign. So sorry, folks, it
might only be some March twenty twenty five, but the
twenty six campaign is underway. Look, you know so much
has been going on Ryan under this a net government
with treaty issues and failing health services and the bunding

(01:01:22):
over the Cookshaite fairies, the school lunches issues. I guess
Winston's fair is that people are starting to forget about
why they rejected labor at the end of twenty twenty three,
So he's just wanting to give them a refresher on
recent history, and he chose this audience in this state

(01:01:43):
to do that. The other thing about the speech that
amused me is that about seven days ago we saw
Winston the statesman in Washington, DC, doing a great job
as the country's foreign affairs minister, acting like a statesman,
and he comes home and sort of lows himself to
this level of renting on about woke issues, this sort
of pathetic, weird obsession that the political right have with

(01:02:05):
the state of the world. It just showed you the
two faces of Winston, so you know, in the course
of a few days, and and like you in many ways,
it shows you why it's such a good politician. You
can sort of switch from one to the other quite quickly.

Speaker 2 (01:02:15):
Yeah, do you think it's a weird obsession? I mean,
clearly it's got some it's got some push through with
in the America at least I don't know about here,
but I mean, well, it's not just like a myth
that that politicians talk about it and therefore it exists.
I think people do genuinely feel aggrieved about something, don't they.

Speaker 18 (01:02:36):
Well, work has just become synonymous with sort of lefties
or liberals, and and you know he's appealing to all
those sort of high ground people in the racist and
reactionaries and those with you know, a great intolerance of
all things Mardi. That's who he's talking to. That's the
support base. So I think when he when he uses woke, yeah,
he's talking more about the sort of lefty liberal agenda,

(01:02:56):
which he doesn't like, and he's imploring his supporters not
to like as well.

Speaker 2 (01:03:01):
Trish the stadium. Which where would you prefer? Would you
prefer we jazz up and tart up Eden Park or
head down to the waterfront.

Speaker 8 (01:03:10):
Well, well, you know, no one in Auckland. Yeah, no
one in Auckland would argue that trying to put lipstick
on Eden Park is the soul of New zeal that
Auckland needs to be a world class city. And I
was reflecting the other day on the comments of one
of the big Ossie sports guys who came over and
had a look at the new stadium in christ Church

(01:03:32):
and he said, isn't this fantastic purpose built covered roof.
You can have sports in here all year round anywhether
all of the transport links are here. You can walk
quickly into town and get a drink. And I thought,
you know, Auckland should have been first to have a
facility like that.

Speaker 2 (01:03:50):
So basically, goodbye, goodbye Eden Park. They've wasted all of
those free tickets inviting all of those boring counselors to
come to all of their concerts. Mike, do you agree
to build something new?

Speaker 18 (01:04:02):
Yeah, well, I think it's disgraceful that Auckland City doesn't
have a world class stadium, especially a rugby stadium. I mean,
you know, we are a rugby powerhouse of the world
largely still and it's our national sport and big rugby
games are going to be a huge part of Auckland's
sporting life for the foreseeable future. And so it's about
time they got on and made a decision about it.

(01:04:23):
And again I just can't believe this of fluffing around
about this. You know, I was working for the Helen
Clark lady government back in nearly two thousands when there's
a huge debate and I thought we got very close
actually to making a decision about building a new flash
waterfront stadium in Auckland. But that seems like ancient history now.
That must have been fifteen sixteen years ago, and here
we are still going around and around in circles trying

(01:04:43):
to work out where the best location is and what
the sort of dimensions should be. So yeah, my message
to Orkand is, for Christ's sake make a decision, is
to get to head and do it.

Speaker 2 (01:04:54):
Trustees in a mic run row. Thanks guys. We will
find out by the way this evening what the Council recommends,
the Council Laws decide, then the Council Laws themselves will decide.
On Thursday, it's seven to six news Talks. There'd be
Nicola Willis after six.

Speaker 1 (01:05:12):
It's the Heather Duple c Allen Drive Full Show podcast
on iHeart Radio powered by Newstalk.

Speaker 2 (01:05:17):
ZB News Talk ZB. It is four minutes away from Sex.
Nicola Willis with us after six o'clock. Also, we're going
to talk after six thirty to the acting CEO of Sinlay.
They are back in profit. After remember pretty terrible ninety
six point two million dollar loss for the last year.
They are now back a four point eight million dollar

(01:05:39):
profit for the first half of this year. So how
did they achieve that and how sustainable is it. We'll
talk to them after six thirty. Lots of texts, so
many texts on Eden Park and whether you get away
do away with that and go down into the city.
Someone says, built Auckland Stadium in that hole that doesn't
have anything built on it. I think they're talking about
Mount Eden. Ryan Land at the waterfront is not owned

(01:06:03):
by the government for a new stadium. Just bowl over
eden Park and have a total redo. Since Michael, everyone
has an opinion and loves to have an opinion on
Eden Park. It's just gone three minutes away from the Sex.
We'll get to Nichola Willis after news.

Speaker 1 (01:06:40):
What's down one with a major calls and how will
it affect the economy? The big business questions on the
Business Hour with Ryan Bridge and Mass Insurance and investments,
Grow your.

Speaker 3 (01:06:54):
Wealth, Protect your Future? News talks at.

Speaker 2 (01:06:56):
Ben get a seven up to Sex coming up on
the prom this our Shane Solly Harbor Asset Management on
the markets, the Sinlay boss on the company's turnaround, and
Gavin Graves in the UK right now, the Finance Minister,
Nichola Willis minister. Good evening, good evening, now the cook
straight Fairies. We've got a one week left on the
countdown clock for Winston Peters. Is there a solution in

(01:07:17):
hand yet?

Speaker 17 (01:07:18):
Do you know?

Speaker 19 (01:07:19):
Everything's progressing well? And announcements will be made shortly.

Speaker 2 (01:07:23):
Which would indicate there's something to be announced.

Speaker 19 (01:07:26):
There will be there will indeed be Oh.

Speaker 2 (01:07:28):
Okay, so he's actually managed to do a deal.

Speaker 19 (01:07:32):
Well, kednich will make decisions and when we've made them,
we will announce them. But I can report to you
that everything is progressing well.

Speaker 2 (01:07:40):
Okay. Interesting, So the talks were for obviously fruitful and
can okay, let me put it this way, because I
know you'll be tied up in riddles. Is it is
it your option that you'll be going with no?

Speaker 8 (01:07:53):
Well?

Speaker 19 (01:07:54):
What New Zealanders have always wanted to know is can
you deliver the fairies by twenty twenty nine with a
more affordable budget that is more deliverable than the last government.
And the answer to both of those questions is yes,
and we will be making announcements that demonstrate that in
a week when we make the announcements, run.

Speaker 2 (01:08:15):
Hey, Local Government New Zealand, pushing back at the suggestion
of a cap on rates, are you actually proposing one?

Speaker 19 (01:08:22):
Well, we are progressing work on that because we make
no apologies to the fact that we're on the side
of rate payers, and ratepayers have had a guts full
with massive rate increases, and we're not going to let
local government completely off the hook. We're going to continue
to demand that they show more discipline in their spending
and we are looking at options for getting them to
focus the spending they do on the basics, on infrastructure,

(01:08:46):
on waste management, on those things rather than some of
the things that they have been funding. I mean, here
in Wellington, our council has literally been funding stand up
comedy sessions, interpretive dance shows and place that's not what
your rates should be spent on.

Speaker 2 (01:09:03):
You won't find that. You won't find anyone listening who
doesn't agree with you on that. But Local Government New
Zealand says it'll have a perverse impact on them if
you limit their rates. If you put a cap on rates,
their borrowing costs will go up. It'll actually make servicing
the much needed infrastructure even harder.

Speaker 19 (01:09:21):
Well, we do want to make sure that councils are
able to fund the infrastructure needed to support growth. Of course,
government funds a lot of that directly, whether it's roads
or the contribution we make to local roads, but we're
also expanding the council's funding options away from rates. So
that's both things like the development levy system which we've announced,

(01:09:41):
which is about growth in housing areas paying for the
growth and infrastructure costs. But it's also by looking at
the borrowing limits, ensuring that the local government funding authority
is able to extend good terms of lending to local
government authorities who are having to invest in infrastructure for
the future. So we're looking at a number of funding mechanisms.
We don't think the full burden of all costs should

(01:10:04):
fall on ratepayers. There are a number of other ways
of funding some costs, like what like lev's on developers
who are developing land for new housing that they can
help meet those costs and the eventual homeowners can help
meet those costs.

Speaker 2 (01:10:19):
The Child Poverty Action Group I've written your letter about
school lunches. When does the funding run out for that.

Speaker 19 (01:10:26):
Not until the end of next year. So we are
in contracts that don't end until next year, and we
won't be letting those contractors off the hook. We want
to see them deliver what they promised to the schools involved,
and we want to get value for that money. The
other thing that the Child Poverty Action Group have forgotten
is that by making the savings that we did, we
were able to extend a food lunch, a food program

(01:10:50):
to ten thousand children in early childhood centers who were
particularly in need of nutrition. And we were able to
deliver an increase in working for family support to many
low income family So every dollar has multiple uses, right.

Speaker 2 (01:11:06):
So that's basically though. No funding running out till the
end of next year, so no decisions about whether to
either cut or to extend or whatever would be made
anytime soon. You're continue continuing as is.

Speaker 19 (01:11:19):
Yeah, continuing with the status quo about driving the contractor
to deliver. That should be our focus on. Behalf of
text path very.

Speaker 2 (01:11:26):
Good as it should now. The Australian Supermarket inquirer, I
don't know whether you caught up with this, but the
ageable ce have I got that round the right way
or it's c triple A over the aguablecy So they
basically came out and said things aren't as great as
we think they are. You know, we look at Australia
supermarket operation and think, oh, well, isn't that lovely. Everything's
so cheap over there. They came out and said, actually,

(01:11:48):
it's quite uncompetitive, it's overly profitable. It's not perfect over there. Eider, No,
it's not.

Speaker 19 (01:11:55):
And in particular that I've identified something we have identified,
which is that there are real barriers to a large
scale new entrant. And the point is that it's good
having a niche grocery provider open, but unless you get
someone who's opening up multiple stores, it's hard to get
that competition impact. So that's something I've been engaging with

(01:12:17):
a range of smaller players and that's something I've identified,
and it's clear to me that the government will need
to take further action in this space. Cabinet has made
some decisions here and we will be making announcements in
the next week.

Speaker 2 (01:12:30):
About super So that's about land banking, about our.

Speaker 19 (01:12:34):
Next steps to encourage more competition in the supermarket sector.

Speaker 2 (01:12:38):
Problem is the more I mean, you will never make
more profit out of a supermarket in New Zealand than
you do right now.

Speaker 19 (01:12:46):
So it's a super profitable sector and so we're coming
at the expense of consumers.

Speaker 2 (01:12:51):
I got yeah, I get it. But if we can't
attract I mean, you're talking about more regulation. If we
can't attract an entrant with the most profit you'll ever
make and the lowest regulation, now, what hope do we
have with more regulation and less profit?

Speaker 19 (01:13:07):
Your concern is precisely mine, I want to understand, and
the Government will have further announcements to make on this.
The structural market barriers that mean even are cashed up
investor looking to make profits goes ooh, if you go
and invest in that sector in New Zealand, you're on
a hiding to nothing. And what the Australian report shows,

(01:13:28):
and what reports in New Zealand of Sean, is that
there is such significant market power in the existing dreopoly
that anyone wanting to enter our grocery sector goes that's
going to be a hard road and we need to
address that because if they're going to face predatory pricing,
if they're going to face problems that make them think
you just can't do it. I think we have an
obligation to New Zealand shoppers to do something about it.

Speaker 2 (01:13:51):
All right, Minister, anything else you want to drop or
leak on this show. You have a habit of giving
us a little nugget every week. I don't we've had
sufficient nuggets yet.

Speaker 19 (01:14:02):
This is a government with lots of nuggets. Today we've
announced Radical Resource Management Act reform that's going to make
it easier to build things in New Zealand. Very detailed
piece of work. And look that's been a massive head
one for our economy for many years and we're finally
the government who's going to fix it.

Speaker 2 (01:14:18):
That's a no nugget nugget from Nicola Willis, the Finance Minister.
Thanks for coming on the show every Monday, as you do.
Fourteen after six News Talks, there'd be Shane Soley on
the markets next. How are they reacting to forecast for growth?

Speaker 3 (01:14:31):
It's the Heather.

Speaker 1 (01:14:32):
Dupless Allen Drive Full Show podcast on my Heart Radio
empowered by News Talk Zebbie.

Speaker 2 (01:14:39):
Six seventeen Ryan, this is from Greg Ryan. Just because
you have what they call a third entrant into the market.
This is Supermarkets who were just talking to Nicola Willis
about the prospect of someone else coming in. But even
if someone else does come in, look at Australia, it's
not they're perfect. They've just had a report from their
Commerce Commission equivalent saying things aren't that great. About seventy

(01:15:01):
percent of all everything that goes in your mouth in
Australia food wise, it comes from a super one of
two supermarkets.

Speaker 3 (01:15:13):
Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 2 (01:15:15):
Greggs says. Sorry. Greggs says, just because you have what
they call a third entrant into the market, Costco is
not competition to the big two. You need to have
somebody who could have multiple sites around the whole of
New Zealand, not just one situated in little old West Auckland. Greg,
thank you for that. Now it's eighteen minutes after six Shane,
Ryan Bridge, Shane solis Here, Harbort Asset Management. Hi, Shane,

(01:15:38):
get it.

Speaker 8 (01:15:39):
Ryan.

Speaker 2 (01:15:39):
Give us an overview of how global markets are doing
as we start the week.

Speaker 11 (01:15:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 20 (01:15:45):
Look, there's been a few bumps to shear markets so
by this year, but there's a few signs that things
are starting to stabilize. Last week the uisure market was flat.
Now that doesn't sound great. The it's actually better than
we've seen for a little while. And it was on
this sort of more dubbish signals from the US EDUL Reserve.

Speaker 3 (01:15:59):
They were worried about.

Speaker 20 (01:16:02):
Increasing rates and the market continues to struggle with this,
the konom of growth slowing down and trade concerns. So
you todate we're sending US market down three percent. But
mister Trump, he's come out and said that he will
be flexible on terrorists with China, and you may actually
it's open stinkingdoms to g so could be a better
signalance as the market's going forward. Europe's been the star.
The Riant's up eleven percent year to day, all about

(01:16:24):
defense and infrastructure spending. China not bad, only down two percent,
and it's all about stimulus. Here in your on note,
the market was sort of slightly up today, a bit
of strength and AUK and Airport, Meridion, main FRAT, but
we're still down seven point six percent year to day.
So this is a few months, but we're starting into
some better science.

Speaker 2 (01:16:43):
How worried are they you mentioned growth? How worried are
markets about global growth and the prospect? Yes, it might
be taking a turn.

Speaker 20 (01:16:51):
It's a really this is what it's all about. And
you've heard on there. This is why markets are said
volatile and certainty around growth forecast, particularly rather the tray
and government efficiency drives. You know, we shouldn't be surprised,
but we've had a pretty good recovery last year and
so market's a pretty weary. There's a few data points
coming up this week that actually might help with that. Tonight,
we've got US Russia talking, and there's this purchasing manager

(01:17:16):
and desees out of Europe and the US. And what
a PMI is is it's a lead indicator for activity.
And then we get later in the week, we get,
particularly on Thursday, what's called the Core Personal Consumption Experisure
PCI Price Index, and that's what the US for the
reserve users to set rates. And then we end a
week on Friday with the University of Michigan Sentiment, which
is all about consumer confidence. There's a few real key

(01:17:38):
data points coming up, but we're all going to keep
watching to see what mister Trump's is next.

Speaker 2 (01:17:42):
Certainly, well, Shane, thanks for that, Shane, Sally Harbor Ract Management.
We'll have the Sinlay story for you after six point
thirty as well. We'll speak to the acting Sinlay boss
about that incredible turnaround. It's just gone twenty up to
six now. And earlier in the show, we spoke to
Chris Bishop, he's the man in charge of reforming the RMA,
the Resource Management Act. A couple of interesting things. One

(01:18:05):
so we knew this was happening. Obviously, they were getting
rid of the RMA. They've scrapped Labor's changes. Now Labour's changes.
According to the bureaucrats, Labour's changes, we're going to get
rid of about seven percent of all of the red
tape bureaucratic nonsense. These changes, according to the same bureaucrats,

(01:18:30):
will get rid of forty nine percent of all of
the red tape bureaucratic nonsense. So you'd have to say,
at least on paper, according to these bureaucrats, but at
least on paper, that this is a far bigger bite
out of the apple than what Labor was attempting to
do with their RMA reforms. However, I asked Chris Bishop
about this earlier on one of the big sticking points

(01:18:51):
in the cities when it comes to building houses and
getting apartments shot up. All that kind of stuff is
your character areas and people saying, oh no, I don't
want that next to my house because it's you know,
it's a bungalow or whatever. There's still going to be
a carve out. Have a listen to this quick Q
and A. The problem you run into always is with
councils is the special character areas, isn't it? And they're

(01:19:16):
different in different places. But will you have a carve
out for areas where Wellington and Auckland and christ At
whatever might think, oh, these houses are pretty and we
don't want people to be able to build up nine
stories here.

Speaker 6 (01:19:31):
There will be a safety valve through the legislation for
some types of deviation from standardized zones.

Speaker 2 (01:19:39):
That is important.

Speaker 6 (01:19:39):
There will be unique cases, but as a general principle
there won't be the ability to do that.

Speaker 2 (01:19:46):
There you go the old safety valve. Everyone needs a
safety valve. Why because you need to be re elected.
That's basically what safety valves are for. If you're in
a particular area, a particular election in New Zealand and
there's enough opposition to a big bill like this, then
you need a safety bell. Everyone needs one twenty two

(01:20:07):
after six.

Speaker 3 (01:20:09):
If it's to do with money, it matters to you.

Speaker 1 (01:20:12):
You have a business hour with Ryan Bridge and Mair's
insurance and investments. Grow your wealth, Protect your future, can use.

Speaker 3 (01:20:20):
Dogs v Six.

Speaker 2 (01:20:22):
We'll get to Gavin Gray in the UK before seven.
Ryan the Capital Coast District Council. We were talking earlier
about council spending, council waste, the idea of a rates
cap with LGNZ. Ryan the Cavity Coast District Council wasted
money on a very flash bus shelter with a roof.
That roof, they had a garden on top of it. Complete,

(01:20:43):
complete waste of money. Does seem odd place for a
garden on top of a bus shelter. Bit they're infinite wisdom.
Who am I to question? In Canada, Mark Carney is
going to the polls. Carney's calling a snappy. He had
to because it's basically constitutional convention, so that is not surprising.
He's going to the polls. Canadians will vote on April

(01:21:06):
the twenty eighth. What is interesting is just how quickly
this whole thing is turned around. He is now seriously
seriously a contender for being re elected Prime minister. And
he remember he is only there because Trudeau left, But
the Canadians are seriously considering re electing the Liberals after

(01:21:28):
three terms of Justin Trudeau, who was wildly unpopular by
the end, same as everywhere, the voters wanted to punish
the incumbent. They had the same cost of living problems
that everywhere else had, same problems with their economy, in
fact worse in some places. You know, they could have
run a lamp post and they would have whoever the

(01:21:49):
lamppost was would have beaten Trudeau. That is how bad
it was. And now there's an election on April the
twenty eighth, and the Liberals and Karni are in with
a really good chance. It's about fifty to fifty. And
I think it's because they have someone else to hate
and to hate even more than they hated Justin Trudeau.

(01:22:09):
And that person is Donald Trump. You know, he is
the what this is the lines that they're running. He's
the existential threat to the country. He's going to make
everything worse. Hate him, and people do, because when there's
the cost of living crisis, when the economy is not
looking good, you want to hate someone, you know what
I mean, You want to blame someone. And they have

(01:22:30):
very successfully as a political strategy, made a big bulls
eye around Donald Trump and it's working. So the party
that attacks Donald Trump the most wins and so far
that is the Liberal Party. April twenty eight, we'll find
out who won twenty eight minutes after six News Talks.
They'd be the sin Lay story and the turnaround.

Speaker 3 (01:22:51):
Next where croaching the numbers and getting the results.

Speaker 1 (01:23:12):
It's Ryan Bridge with the Business Hour and mass Insurance
and investments, Grew your wealth, Protect your future News Talks b.

Speaker 2 (01:23:26):
N beaving. It is twenty four away from seven. You're
on news Talks. There'd be lots of your texts coming
and we'll get to those shortly. We'll also get to
Gavin Gray, who's in the UK for us this evening
before top of the Hour, and the Australian politician whose

(01:23:46):
husband got involved in her campaign and the worst way imaginable.
He'll have a lot of explaining to do. I'll tell
you that story in a minute as well. Right now though,
it is the story of Sindlay. The dairy company has
shaken off its trouble from twenty twenty four and return
to profitability four point eight million dollars. That is the

(01:24:06):
profit it's posted for the first half of the year.
That compares pretty favorably with the ninety six point two
million dollar loss the company posted last year. Tim Carter
is the acting CEO. He's with me now, High Tim,
Hey Ran, how are you good? Thank you? So it's
been a very troubling time for you guys. This must
be a welcome result, albeit a modest one.

Speaker 21 (01:24:28):
Yeah. Look, today is as really as a positive news
day for Cineley. We've announced the return to profitability in
the first half, as you've mentioned, and given the position
Sinley was in twelve months ago, this really is a
considerable commercial achievement and something we're really proud of.

Speaker 2 (01:24:42):
How did you do it?

Speaker 21 (01:24:44):
Look a heck of a had a lot of hard
works gone in but probably four key areas of focus.
Our advance nutrition demand has been really strong, which is
really pleasing. That's really helped i think a north on
An asset which has been a real drag on the
p and l over the years. We've we've started to
optimize that and although there's a long way to go,
that's certainly certainly reduced the losses. So that's certainly helped,

(01:25:08):
you know, training conditions across commodities globally. The lead bucket
that we talked about the skim and fat lead bucket
that's there along with FX as has been the other driver,
and the fourth one is just proud and cost management.
You know, we're really focused on that era in our
business and making sure that they were optimizing spend and
optimizing our operation.

Speaker 2 (01:25:30):
In particular, you mentioned the North Island asset drag. I'm
assuming you're faring to Pocono what's happening with it.

Speaker 21 (01:25:37):
So look, you know, the big fix there, Ryan is
all about volume and new customers, and so what we're
enough to do is really target that plant for advanced nutrition.
And what that's meant is we we've no longer taken
in raw milk into that facility. By doing that's allowed
us to reset our cost space and right size that.
What we've also done is through new customers, we've got

(01:25:58):
a little bit more volume through that plant, and so
that's certainly helping us. As I said, the real silver
bottlers get more volume through that plant, the efficiencies will
come and then we ideally we want to get that
into a positive contributing factory.

Speaker 2 (01:26:12):
Yeah, does it make sense to have it as a
non milk product factory.

Speaker 5 (01:26:17):
Yeah?

Speaker 21 (01:26:17):
Absolutely, you know, right now that is the right option
for us. As I said, it stops the decline and
stops the losses or reduces them. So that is the
right decision. And look, we look at our customer based
on our new business development in particular, we bring that
in and through a funnel. And look, we have some
really good customers that we're qualifying right now that I

(01:26:38):
think in twenty twenty six if we can realize them and.

Speaker 2 (01:26:40):
That demand, some of that volume will go through there.
So it absolutely makes sense. For now you've said and
you said it reduces the losses, not stops the losses.
So presuming it's still loss making, is it for sale?
Would you sell? Look like anything?

Speaker 21 (01:26:56):
Right now we're not actively selling it, but sure if
a credible offer, and would certainly recommend the board considerate.
But you know, that's more of a hope strategy right now.
As management, our job is to increase the demand, optimize
the cost base, and get it back to profit.

Speaker 2 (01:27:12):
Fair enough, Now, let's talk about the suppliers. How many
suppliers are still wanting to get out.

Speaker 21 (01:27:20):
Yeah, so I think what's interesting there our farmer progresses.
You know, go back six months ago, we probably had
a milk crisis. Right now, we're in a really good
position when we look at the twenty sixth season. You know,
we have ample milk next year coming our way when
we go to twenty seven and we can now say
that we have a majority of our milk in the
South Island no longer underseas, which is really promising. And

(01:27:44):
we also have a lot of interest from new milk
down here in the South Island, whether that's coming from
existing farms with different processes or interesting enough conversions. There
seems to be a few conversions in the pipeline down
here as well, and that really interested in our in
our offer and what's something they can do for them. So,
you know, we're really confident we have momentum. What's really

(01:28:07):
important for those farmers that that have that are still
under cease was today's announcement. You know, the feedback has
been that, you know, we just want to know that
that you're doing well, you're back on track and is
the future. So you know, this announcement today will certainly help.
That will help give those farmers confidence and we're looking
forward to the next week and seeing those cease ceases

(01:28:27):
being pulled over the over that period, do you.

Speaker 2 (01:28:29):
That's what you're hoping will happen. Have you had any
indication yet since announcing today's result that that will happen?

Speaker 5 (01:28:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 21 (01:28:36):
Absolutely, And you know, every every hour, every day, Ryan,
that number of changes in terms of what's coming in.
So we are very confident in terms of those ceases.
And remember we have a majority right now that is
not under cease. It's about closing out the rest.

Speaker 2 (01:28:51):
Okay, And what about Donald Trump? Do you lie wake
at night worrying about him in his agricultural tariffs?

Speaker 17 (01:28:58):
Yeah?

Speaker 21 (01:28:58):
Absolutely, I think you know there's so much unknown there, Ryan,
but is you know what is going to happen around
taris what does that mean globally? And then what does
that mean for supply and demand? You know, everything from
tariffman in US, probably even through the foot and mouth
out of Europe and what does that mean? And if
that spreads further, what can that do to milk flows

(01:29:20):
in Europe? And then ultimately what does that do for
supply globally? So those are all I think any book
process in New Zealand right now, I was watching that.
I think we're well placed to navigate that, but it
is obviously an ongoing concern coming You.

Speaker 2 (01:29:32):
Know, this is first half obviously second half looking not well.
Things aren't looking great for the full year. Would it
be fair to say no?

Speaker 21 (01:29:41):
I don't think that's fair to say. I think what
we're what we're trying to say here, Ryan is Look,
the second half won't be quite as strong as the
first half, but overall the EBITDA performance for the full
year will be a significant improvement year on year, and
I think that's really important.

Speaker 2 (01:29:55):
You know, we do have some headwinds.

Speaker 21 (01:29:56):
I talk about the milkstream returns. That's from a skim
and fat lead bucket through to a whole book lead bucket,
and so that just presents a few headed winds. But
the key messages is the end of year is still
looking really really promising. It just won't be as strong
as the first stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:30:13):
All right, Tim, Nice wrapping with you there. Tim Carter
acting simile CEO with us returning to profits seventeen away
from seven. You're on news talks there b We'll get
to Gavin Gray out of the UK next, whether.

Speaker 1 (01:30:23):
It's macro, microbe or just playing economics. It's small on
the business hours with Ryan Bridge and theirs. Insurance and investments,
Grow your wealth, Protect your future.

Speaker 2 (01:30:36):
It is a quarter to seven on news talks. There
be Gavin Gray in the UK in just a few seconds.
But an update for you, if for just joining us.
The government has announced today their replacement for the RMA.
It's two separate bills that they will and Cabinet has
decided on the shape the outline of them, the blueprint
if you will, of these bills. And that's what they

(01:30:56):
have announced today. So to our earlier texter, yes, it
is ethnically an announcement about an announcement, but I suppose
there is some detail and I'll give you some of
it now. A couple of the things that they're looking at.
Property rights, that is what the whole both of the
acts will be based on. Will include starting presumptions that
a land use is enabled unless there is a significant
enough impact on either the ability of others to use

(01:31:19):
their own land or on the natural environment. On the environment.
This is all they have said today about environmental limits.
A clearer legislative basis for setting environmental limits for our
natural environment will provide more certainty around where development can
and should be enabled whilst protecting the environment.

Speaker 22 (01:31:42):
Do you think Royan, we need some sort of objective
measure of what as an announcement, Like for something to
be an announcement or not announcement of an announcement, they
need like a minimum number of words. And then we
can go through and take certain words out, like clear
legislative basis that don't really tell us anything, the nonsense
word Yeah, yeah, okay, sorry, Now those don't count to
your fifty words that we need from this for this
to be a real announcement.

Speaker 2 (01:32:01):
Well, I thinkive it's not about the number of words
that are in a state. In fact, if anything, there
are more words in a statement, they're less meaningful, you know,
because obviously the person who's writing this doesn't know what
they're talking about or doesn't have anything to say. They
just know that it's Monday, postcams coming. Shit, we've got
to say something, you know.

Speaker 22 (01:32:20):
It's just kind of filling time by saying not very
much at all, just because it's something we never do
on this show.

Speaker 2 (01:32:25):
No, we would never do that. But there is one
part of the bill that at the very top where
they describe and it's one particular example which they give,
which is the only tangible thing really that you can
hold on to, which is if someone is going to
build an apartment block next to you. You can complain

(01:32:47):
and you can go to the RMA and you can
get your lawyers about where the balcony would be positioned
on that apartment block. Because it was like, oh, well,
if the balcony is facing my backyard, I don't want that,
because you know it should face somewhere else. I'll hear
people talking, well, that will be gone under this new legislation.
There will be no ability or no recourse to worry

(01:33:07):
about your neighbor's balconies. Twelve away from seven Bryan Bridge.
Kevin Gray's in the UK for US tonight. Hi, Gevin,
morning round. Good to have you on.

Speaker 9 (01:33:17):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:33:18):
Tens of thousands of protesters are marching across Turkey. This
is about the Duan arresting the rival or potential political rival.

Speaker 10 (01:33:27):
What's the latest there, Yeah, so a very very big
protests overnight they're having So far in the last three
nights now been more than seven hundred arrests. And this
really ramped up yesterday with some of the worst unrest
the country seen in over a decade. Police used tear gas,
rubber bullets, water cannons, and pepper spray at protesters rallies

(01:33:51):
took place in at least fifty five of Turkey's eighty
one provinces, more than two thirds of the country. And
all this is about the detention of Ekrum Immomolu. He
is the mayor of istan Bull and was due to
be selected as the Republican People Party's twenty twenty eighth
presidential nominee. The current president, Rejiptaia Birdawe, has been in

(01:34:16):
power twenty two years and his critics say he's desperate
to cling on to it whatever is necessary. So just
on the day or a couple of days before the
Mayor of Istanbul was due to stand as the presidential
nominee candidate or be selected, he was arrested. He's now

(01:34:37):
been charged as well, formally charged with quote, establishing and
managing a criminal organization, bribes, extortion, unlawful recording of personal data,
and has remained in custody. And of course that would
suggest he will find it very difficult to run. And
now we learn as well that the University of istan

(01:34:58):
Bull is revoking his degree. Why does that matter, well,
because if it is all presidents must have completed higher
education to hold office, and if he didn't complete it,
then he won't be allowed to hold office, So yet
another attempt I think to stop him gaining power.

Speaker 2 (01:35:14):
Really interesting, now, this Heathrow fire. When we spoke on
Friday afternoon Friday morning your time, I assumed it would
have been the smoke and the giant flames that were
stopping the planes. Was it actually something to do with
the substations? What's the story with this?

Speaker 10 (01:35:31):
Well, we've now discovered and this has come out as
they're starting to investigate what happened. Then electricity to Heathrow
was still available for using other substations. However, it's revealed
that that was not considered to be an option because
it would have taken so long to close everything down,

(01:35:52):
restart it and test it, which the boss of Heathrow
described as an enormous operational complex requiring a significant challenge.
So they decided just to shut the airport, affecting almost
a quarter of a million travelers, it's been estimated. Now
this change of tack from there's been a fire, we've

(01:36:13):
got no electricity sort of tag has been quite startling
to lots of people who've been stranded around the world.
And I think now we've got two investigations underway about
what happened. One that the government is organizing, another one
that heather Airport is organizing. And there are lots of
calls for the boss of Heathrow to resign, saying he
made the wrong decision. At the very least hethro should

(01:36:36):
have tried to shut down and restart, even if that
delayed flights considerably. But Heathrow operates at almost ninety five
ninety six percent capacity the moment something goes wrong, it's
a house of cards.

Speaker 2 (01:36:50):
Yeah, absolutely, And wonder what it will mean for Rechel
Ruth's planes to expand the thing even bigger. Not looking good. No, givin,
thank you for that. Givin UK and you're a correspondent.
Eight to seven News Talks VB.

Speaker 1 (01:37:04):
It's the Heather tops Allen Drive Full Show podcast on
iHeartRadio powered by NEWSTALKSZBB.

Speaker 2 (01:37:11):
News Talks VB. It is coming up to six away
from seven. Just after five this evening, Karen Shaw, who's
the Children's Minister, told us that she thinks so what
happened was ordering A Tamadiki gives the details of a
woman to her ex partner. This is the address of
the woman to her ex partner. Who had previously assaulted her.

(01:37:35):
This individual then assaults her again after the details are
handed over. The Minister told us this evening she thinks
this was done deliberately and she's going to investigate that
because a screenshop from an ot staff member was shown
to the X to the man to the ex partner,
So why else would you do that. She's going to
be looking into that. Quite a serious case and quite

(01:37:57):
a serious allegation to be made on the show this evening,
five away from seven. That is it for us for tonight?
And what have we gone out to?

Speaker 22 (01:38:05):
Going out to some jua lipa and it's a special
treat as well tonight. Actually, she has been playing her
shows in Australia and a little gimmick that she's doing
on her tour is that she will do a cover
of a song that was made by someone from the
country that she's in. So she's been covering various Australian
songs and then the special treat for the Melbourne show
is she went to cover a Troy Sevanne song and

(01:38:25):
then didn't sing it because she then revealed that Troy
Savann was on stage with her and he sang the
song and They then followed up after that by revealing
that the song that she released in twenty twenty Physical,
her and Troy Savan recorded a remix of it together
back then, but it just never got released. And she
then held up a USB drive saying, hey, I've got
the song here on this USB drive. Does someone in

(01:38:46):
the crowd want to leak it please, and then handed
it over to this member of the audience and now suddenly,
here we have on the internet a brand new remix
of Physical featuring both Jualipa and Troy Savan. She's playing
in Auckland on the second and the fourth of April.
I mean, I realize it's Melbourne, so she's going to
be having all the tricks over there. She might have
some very clever things in store for her shows.

Speaker 2 (01:39:03):
You're right, how many USB sticks? Does do a leaper?
Heb up her sleeves and what that was and what
we saw was she going to cover?

Speaker 22 (01:39:10):
Is she going to do Bliss?

Speaker 2 (01:39:13):
Hope not? Thanks Thanks for all your ticks and feedback
to unt of them tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (01:39:36):
Co for more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive listen live

(01:40:13):
to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio,

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