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Speaker 1: Labor says it's keen on foreign investment here into New Zealand,

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Speaker 1: but not at any costs. Labour's finance spokesperson Barbara Evans

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Speaker 1: addressed investors at the investments summit in Auckland today. She's

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Speaker 1: with me now, Barbara, good evening. Hi, Rian, Hey, thanks

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Speaker 1: for being with me. A lot of confusion today about

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Speaker 1: because there was talk going into this it's all bipartisan

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Speaker 1: and morle comb by are and a little bit of

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Speaker 1: confusion today about exactly what you're saying no to. So

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Speaker 1: what is your position? Thanks? Ryan.

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Speaker 2: I mean, the reason why I went there was actually

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Speaker 2: show where we will work together and where our boundaries

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Speaker 2: are as the Labor Party. So what we've said no

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Speaker 2: to is we welcome foreign investment, but it needs to

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Speaker 2: be for the right type of assets. And we've said

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Speaker 2: no to schools, houses, prisons and critical infrastructure like the ferries.

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Speaker 1: So everything else is open open season. So any roading project,

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Speaker 1: you're up for tolling, you're up for all sorts, but

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Speaker 1: just not on those bunge've outlined.

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Speaker 2: We're open to it, and we said to the government,

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Speaker 2: keep us briefed. We've said to investors, keep us brief

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Speaker 2: so that we know where you're up to in the

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Speaker 2: negotiations and how you're going with the contract, because we

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Speaker 2: know there is a place for PPPs, but actually we

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Speaker 2: also want to keep some of our critical infrastructure.

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Speaker 1: Okay, what about you mentioned in your speech about the treaty.

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Speaker 1: You said we will not do anything that doesn't honor

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Speaker 1: the treaty. What does that mean?

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Speaker 2: So around the treaty, you know, we have the Rima

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Speaker 2: and some of the treaty principles and the reflections of that.

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Speaker 2: We had wee Marty leaders and Marty businesses who were there.

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Speaker 2: They were really strong on that as well, and they

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Speaker 2: were saying, we're open, but you also need to understand

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Speaker 2: we have values.

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Speaker 1: So does that mean no fast track?

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Speaker 2: Well, we actually fast track came through under labor and

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Speaker 2: through the advocacy of communities. They changed it so that

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Speaker 2: it goes from the panel to ministers. So that's the

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Speaker 2: sort of you know, that's the sort of stuff where

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Speaker 2: we if we can support we will support it. But

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Speaker 2: we also have to listen to our communities who telling

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Speaker 2: us things and they want us to fight for it,

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Speaker 2: so we will.

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Speaker 1: So that you can't have it both ways though, can you?

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Speaker 1: I mean this is the problem. We've got the Prime

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Speaker 1: Minister up there saying this is great, We've got these projects,

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Speaker 1: we can fast track them, We've got all the ad options,

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Speaker 1: and you're saying now, on the one hand, yes to

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Speaker 1: fast track. On the other hand sort of.

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Speaker 2: No, Well we're saying yes to where the benefits New

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Speaker 2: Zealand and where there are where it's values New Zealand.

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Speaker 2: And so actually afterward, when I speaking to investors, they

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Speaker 2: were just happy there was clarity around that.

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Speaker 1: But what does that actually mean? I mean, doesn't it

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Speaker 1: all benefit New Zealand?

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Speaker 2: Well, is it going to be cheaper?

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Speaker 1: Then?

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Speaker 2: What that's the question? Will it be cheaper? Will it

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Speaker 2: be cheaper than doing it if the government did it?

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Speaker 2: Given the government can borrow cheaper or can actually access

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Speaker 2: some capital that's much cheaper than through private means.

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Speaker 1: So why would you in the beta?

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Speaker 2: Why would you bother different projects?

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Speaker 1: Why would you bother them? I mean, if you're coming

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Speaker 1: on here saying that it's cheaper for the government to

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Speaker 1: borrow money, why would you ever bother doing a PPP?

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Speaker 1: And why are you going to the summit to talk

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Speaker 1: to foreign investors?

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Speaker 2: That's what I was invited to and I was very

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Speaker 2: clear with the government at the time. I said, when

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Speaker 2: I come, this is what I'm going to talk about.

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Speaker 2: These are the boundaries. We even slop speeches with Minister Bishop.

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Speaker 2: So I was there because it's good for a New

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Speaker 2: zealent Ink that we were there. That's what we were

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Speaker 2: really pleased with. That's what the government was pleased with them,

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Speaker 2: and we were pleased to be there.

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Speaker 1: But actually, at the end of the day, it's not

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Speaker 1: really what you're into.

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Speaker 2: Well again, Ryan, unless you have the details. We take

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Speaker 2: a considered approach to this and we wanted to make

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Speaker 2: sure to investors we were really clear about what's off

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Speaker 2: the table for us and also we were open.

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Speaker 1: But you're not clear. I mean you're not clear though,

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Speaker 1: are you. You've just told me in the same breath

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Speaker 1: that you're into PPPs that you'd rather do it with

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Speaker 1: government borrowing.

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Speaker 2: Oh. What I was saying is we're open to some PPPs,

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Speaker 2: but not for housing, sorry, not for health, not for prisons,

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Speaker 2: not for schools and critical infrastructure. That was really clear

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Speaker 2: at the summit and really clear in all do coms

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Speaker 2: and the investors were really pleased with that.

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Speaker 1: Okay, And with the treaty you've said, you know nothing

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Speaker 1: that breaches to tidusy or white tangy. So if the

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Speaker 1: Waititangi Tribune, for example, says, I we don't can't do

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Speaker 1: that project, don't like that project. It's a breach of

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Speaker 1: the of the treaty rights, would you then not do it.

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Speaker 2: I didn't say breaches the treaty. I said honors tits.

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Speaker 2: Those are the values that I set out. And again

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Speaker 2: it was the same message that they would have heard

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Speaker 2: from EERY leaders as well.

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Speaker 1: Right, what is honoring the treaty mean?

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Speaker 2: And again it's those principles you know, and it's again

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Speaker 2: it's they're still littered throughout different acts, in particular Rima.

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Speaker 2: So that's what I meant by honoring the treaty. Also

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Speaker 2: around honoring the partnership with Marty, and that's why Marty

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Speaker 2: was there, because they're saying we're open for business, we

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Speaker 2: want to work with you as well. So it was

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Speaker 2: really consistent with the other things in the summit.

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Speaker 1: All right, clear as mud Barbara, I sincerely hope that

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Speaker 1: you guys can get on the same page, the National

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Speaker 1: Party and the Labor Party, so that you know, we

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Speaker 1: can all benefit from from potential benefits Barbara Edmunds, the

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Speaker 1: Labour Party Finance spokesperson. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,

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