1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: Afternoon. Nicki Kay has been remembered as a tireless advocate 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: and a politician who was respected by both sides, all 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,639 Speaker 1: sides really of Parliament. The former minister and Auckland Central 4 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:10,879 Speaker 1: MP died over the weekend. Are just forty four years 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: old after quite a long battle with cancer. Now. In 6 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: her valedictory speech in twenty twenty, she talked about wanting 7 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 1: to quit politics when she first found out that she 8 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: had breast cancer. 9 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 2: In twenty sixteen, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and 10 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:26,639 Speaker 2: as I've said before, my world broke. I tried to 11 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,479 Speaker 2: resign and the only reason that I was able to 12 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 2: become Minister of Education was that John Key, as I 13 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 2: cried my eyes out, said you're not going anywhere. 14 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: And former Prime Minister, Sir John Key is with us. 15 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 3: Now, Hey, John, hey, her? 16 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: Is that what you actually said to her? 17 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,959 Speaker 3: I think so, yeah. I think she think she got 18 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 3: it right. Yeah, look when she came in. The whole 19 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 3: thing actually is that Nicki's been a very brave little 20 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 3: warrior the whole way along. Because while she had breast cancer, 21 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 3: actually the diagnosis was more serious. It morphed in the 22 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 3: other parts of her body and so the prognosis wasn't great. 23 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 3: And what I actually said to as well, I said, 24 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 3: lot Nikki, if you were married and you had a 25 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,479 Speaker 3: couple of kids, I'd say to you, you know your 26 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 3: rolling the diecere go home and spend your time with them. 27 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 3: But I said, you don't. And your great motivation and 28 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 3: passion is helping people and doing things, and that's politics, 29 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 3: and you're going to beat this thing. So go and 30 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 3: take as much time as you need. Go and get 31 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 3: the treatment. I actually said to her, lot she had 32 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 3: a great oncologist in New Zealand. I said, you've got 33 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 3: to get another opinion and then look at some experimental 34 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 3: drugs in the United States. But you're coming back and 35 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 3: that's going to give you the motivation to get through 36 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 3: all this. So and you know, for a very long 37 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 3: time she you know, she fought really valiantly and did well. 38 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: And did she actually think that she had beaten it? 39 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 3: You know, I spoke to us three weeks ago. I mean, 40 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 3: on and off, it'd was very uncertain. I mean, you know, 41 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 3: it wasn't in remission and she was in stage four, 42 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 3: I guess, and it was just you know, taking the 43 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 3: treatment and the drugs and doing various different things, and 44 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 3: you know, we go up and down a little bit, 45 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,799 Speaker 3: but you know the way these things work. I think 46 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 3: in anyone that's you know, listening to your show and 47 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 3: understands this sort of stuff, will know that it's it's 48 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 3: a battle of time. If you can last longer the 49 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 3: way new treatments and new drugs are coming along, then 50 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 3: you know you you really have real hope and you've 51 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,079 Speaker 3: just got to do the distance if you can. And 52 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 3: so she was always on that journey, if you like. 53 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 3: But when I spoke to her three weeks ago, a 54 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 3: really long chat too, and she was in hospital, and 55 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 3: she said, look, I don't know, she said. I mean 56 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 3: I've said a couple of different on COOLDUS coming and say, 57 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:47,239 Speaker 3: you know this is not going to en well, and 58 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 3: we're really quite negative. But she said her us on 59 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 3: coldis was still saying, look, you know it is one 60 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 3: of those things where miracle cures can come along and 61 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 3: just take every day as it goes. But as I've 62 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 3: sort of said to a couple of other people's day, look, 63 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 3: she was in a very good space. She said to me, 64 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 3: I'm a really spiritual person. I'm at peace with what's happening, 65 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 3: and as I've kind of said, you know, look, it's 66 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 3: the life you get out of the years, you know, 67 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 3: not the years you get out of the life. And 68 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 3: she packed an awful lot in forty four years. 69 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:20,839 Speaker 1: Yeah too, right, John, Thank you very much for talking 70 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 1: us through it. Really really appreciates Sean Key, former Prime Minister. 71 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 72 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: news Talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 73 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.