1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,000
Speaker 1: You report out this morning, This from the New Zealand

2
00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:05,200
Speaker 1: Initiative reckons our MMP system needs a four year term

3
00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,840
Speaker 1: and get this fifty more MPs. It says, parliament's about

4
00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,440
Speaker 1: thirty percent smaller than other countries. We need more. Nick

5
00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:13,920
Speaker 1: Clark is author and senior fellow at the initiative, joins

6
00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:14,720
Speaker 1: me Now, morning.

7
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:16,960
Speaker 2: Nick, morning, Ryan, are you are you good?

8
00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:18,120
Speaker 1: Are you trolling us? Nick?

9
00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:22,480
Speaker 2: No? No, it's actually quite serious. The four year term

10
00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:27,160
Speaker 2: is something which has been debated and isn't under consideration

11
00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,720
Speaker 2: right now. It's not a radical.

12
00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:32,800
Speaker 1: It's fine, that's fine, but what can one hundred and

13
00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,040
Speaker 1: seventy MPs do that one hundred and twenty can't.

14
00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,599
Speaker 2: Yeah, we have a very small parliament by international standards.

15
00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,640
Speaker 2: Most countries are certain European countries around about our size,

16
00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,680
Speaker 2: and that are very successful countries, the Scandinavians, Ireland, et cetera.

17
00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,199
Speaker 2: They all have between around one hundred and seventy and

18
00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,680
Speaker 2: two hundred MPs, all around the same size as you

19
00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,440
Speaker 2: see on intensive population. Now, the reason why to answer

20
00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,320
Speaker 2: your question is why do we need more here in

21
00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,080
Speaker 2: New Zealand. I think it's probably fair to say that

22
00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:07,399
Speaker 2: we have difficulty with select committees in terms of the

23
00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,800
Speaker 2: ability for them to properly scrutinize legislation. And that's partly

24
00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,560
Speaker 2: because the MPs that we do have available are so

25
00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,400
Speaker 2: thinly stretched. We have MPs that end up on city

26
00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,560
Speaker 2: on multiple committees. They can't get a good handle on

27
00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,240
Speaker 2: what's going on as much as they perhaps should. They

28
00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,200
Speaker 2: get inundated with submissions. It's a good idea, I think,

29
00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:27,920
Speaker 2: to just spread the load a bit more by having

30
00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,920
Speaker 2: some more MPs. Also, the electrics that we have are

31
00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:35,160
Speaker 2: very large, both geographically and in population terms, and they're

32
00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,560
Speaker 2: becoming increasingly difficult for MP to service the rather complex

33
00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:41,720
Speaker 2: and intense needs.

34
00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,320
Speaker 1: These extre MPs will be electric MPs, not this one.

35
00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,480
Speaker 2: Some of them will be yep, yep, yep. We'd be

36
00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:47,600
Speaker 2: looking at the fifty fifty s.

37
00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:49,760
Speaker 1: Look, I don't think anyone's going to go for this nick,

38
00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:52,320
Speaker 1: but I do like your idea of getting cabinet down

39
00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,240
Speaker 1: from fifteen twenty to fifteen ministers. We also have something

40
00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,880
Speaker 1: like eighty portfolios. It's like the Grand Central Station trying

41
00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:02,960
Speaker 1: to wrangle these portfolio ministers. It's outrageous.

42
00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,040
Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, and we put out a report a few

43
00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,480
Speaker 2: weeks ago a couple months ago, maybe that talked about

44
00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:13,120
Speaker 2: this in more detail, but we have a bloated, fragmented executive.

45
00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,480
Speaker 2: It's really hard to tell who's responsible for what. We

46
00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,960
Speaker 2: need to get that executive down in size. That they

47
00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,400
Speaker 2: also dominate the government parties, so it means it affect.

48
00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,080
Speaker 2: Was a great way to control a caucus by having

49
00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,280
Speaker 2: more executive members. It's also a great way to divvy

50
00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,840
Speaker 2: up the spoils of war after an election with coalish

51
00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:31,639
Speaker 2: and partners getting down Nick.

52
00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:33,639
Speaker 1: Nick, appreciate your time this morning. Thank you, author and

53
00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,079
Speaker 1: senior fellow at the New zeal Initiative. For more from

54
00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,320
Speaker 1: Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to News Talks

55
00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,640
Speaker 1: it'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast

56
00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:44,560
Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio