1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: Now, Chrishipkins, let's talk about him. He's given a State 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: of the Nation's speech to the Auckland Business Chamber today, 3 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: laying out his vision for the future of New Zealand 4 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:08,799 Speaker 1: before we go to the polls in November. 5 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 2: Right now, too many New Zealanders feel the futures slipping 6 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 2: away from them, not through lack of effort. People are 7 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,240 Speaker 2: working so hard and they're playing by the rules. But 8 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 2: hard work alone no longer guarantees the chance to get ahead. 9 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 2: And I hear that everywhere I go, that anxiety about 10 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: the future, not just about paying today's bills, but about 11 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 2: where the New Zealand's heading in the right direction at all. 12 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: Right, so let's talk to the Labour Party leader Hi. 13 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:36,639 Speaker 3: Jipie get A Heather. 14 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: The thing that everybody's observed from the speech is that 15 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,840 Speaker 1: there is no policy. When should we expect policies coming 16 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: from Labor. 17 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 3: I've set out our priorities, which are around jobs, health 18 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 3: and homes, so good paid, good well paid jobs, healthcare 19 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 3: when you need it, that's affordable and that's accessible, the 20 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 3: ability to be able to buy your own home, and 21 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 3: affordable rentals. These are things for the basic bills in 22 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 3: blocks for a good life in New Zealand. More specific 23 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,960 Speaker 3: policies will come after this year's government budget, because I 24 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 3: only want to promise stuff that I know that I 25 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 3: can deliver on. 26 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: You do you anticipate doing things a bit differently to 27 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: how you guys have done it in the past, because 28 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 1: historically labor has been ramp up, the taxes, increase the 29 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:20,839 Speaker 1: spending to fix the problem. Is there another idea? 30 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 3: We're absolutely going to be doing things differently, And one 31 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,320 Speaker 3: of the things that you know you've already touched on 32 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 3: is that we're not going to be making big, sweeping, 33 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,399 Speaker 3: expensive promises that we can't deliver on. We're going to 34 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 3: be promising things that we know we can deliver on 35 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 3: that are actually going to make a difference, that are 36 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 3: actually going to solve the problems that we've got as 37 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 3: a country, because I think people have had enough of big, 38 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 3: nice sounding initiatives that don't actually move the country forward. 39 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: Okay, there is a part of me listening to your 40 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: speech today, Chippy, that felt a little bit like witnessing 41 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: the arsonist complain about the fire. Do you know what 42 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: I mean? 43 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 3: I totally disagree with that, Heather. Ultimately, the situation that 44 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 3: we're and as the product of In many cases there 45 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 3: are some long term things and they're shore but the 46 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 3: current government's priorities, the current government's choices have been the 47 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 3: wrong choices, and they've led us to the situation that 48 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 3: we'll what is it? 49 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: What is it? What are you talking about? What part 50 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: of the economy is their fault? 51 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 3: Oh? If you look at the increasing rate of unemployment, 52 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 3: a lot of that's driven by the fact that government 53 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 3: cut back on things like infrastructure, and that's just you 54 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 3: know that. 55 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,519 Speaker 1: You know, but chippy, be fair, that's bs the rate 56 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: of employment. Unemployment is where it is because Adrian or 57 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: had to engineer a recession because of the level of 58 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: spending that the Reserve Bank and Grant Robertson did. This 59 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:41,079 Speaker 1: is directly sheeted back to your government. Next example, please. 60 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 3: It was then to an increased in unemployment either, but 61 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 3: cutting back on government investment right at the time when 62 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 3: the Reserve Bank were ramping up, ramping up interest rates 63 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 3: made that's worse than it needs to be cut the 64 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:58,359 Speaker 3: Reserve You are responsible to worry about jobs. You're responsible. 65 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: What is the next what's the other thing you're blaming 66 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: the government? 67 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 3: Well, one of the first things that this government did 68 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 3: was changed the laws, so the Reserve Bank doesn't need 69 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 3: to even think about whether or not they're going to 70 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 3: cost people their jobs when they're making decisions on interest rates. 71 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 3: That was Nicola Willis's first priority. 72 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: This is because it probably wasn't much of a consideration 73 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: given that they had something else that they were fighting, 74 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: which was inflation, which again was your fault. It peaked 75 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: in your government. 76 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 3: That's just not true, heretimply not true. 77 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: What do you look true about that statement? 78 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 3: There was a global spike in inflation after the COVID 79 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 3: nineteen pandemic in New Zealand was around about the middle 80 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 3: of the pack in countries and dealings. 81 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: What caused what caused a global spike? What caused the 82 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: global spike in inflation? Though should be it was governments 83 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: opening the fire hose of money, including your government. You 84 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: can't pretend it wasn't you. So at the moment, the 85 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: two things you're blaming this government for are inflation and unemployment, 86 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: both of which is actually your fault. 87 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 3: We made the choice to keep New Zealanders in work, 88 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 3: and I'm very proud of that choice. You had record 89 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 3: low unemployment at a time when other country saw unemployment 90 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 3: spiking during the pandemic. We actually kept New Zealanders in jobs. Yep. 91 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is it is 92 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: a little bit like watching the Look. I'm not going 93 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: to be the only person having this experience, Chippy. There 94 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: are a lot of people watch who will have watch 95 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: your speech day and gone, how are you complaining about 96 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: the thing that you have started? Do you think that 97 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: do you think that you guys can somehow provide solutions 98 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: or get over this narrative and this feeling that we 99 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: have and maybe erase our memories by November. 100 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,679 Speaker 3: Oh, you're doing very good job of speaking from Nicola 101 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 3: Willis's talking points. But the reality is we have said 102 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 3: out a number of things that we'll do differently. The 103 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:42,279 Speaker 3: establishment of the New Zealand Future Fund so that we're 104 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 3: backing New Zealand businesses to create more jobs here in 105 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 3: New Zealand. The introduction of the targeted capital gains tax 106 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 3: so that we're shifting investment away from the speculative housing 107 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 3: market into businesses that will and investments that will actually 108 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 3: create jobs for New Zealand. These are things that we're 109 00:04:57,880 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 3: going to do that will make a. 110 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,839 Speaker 1: Difference now, just to prove to you that I am 111 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:06,279 Speaker 1: not speaking from Nikola Willis's song sheet, will you nix 112 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 1: the gas levy if you come in, which is their 113 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:10,479 Speaker 1: idea and a terrible one. 114 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 3: What I said today was if we can get out 115 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 3: of that, we will. What I'm not going to do, though, 116 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 3: make an irresponsible commitment like the Nicola Willis did with 117 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 3: the Inter Island Fairies and try and cancel a contract 118 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 3: that they've already signed that costs more to get out 119 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:25,840 Speaker 3: of than to go ahead with. But if we're at 120 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 3: a point where we can get out of that, we will. 121 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 1: All right, Chippy, thank you as always always appreciate your 122 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: time in the fact you come on the show. That's 123 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: Chris Hopkins, the Labour Party leader. 124 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 125 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 2: news Talks. 126 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 127 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.