1
00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,160
Speaker 1: Heather duplicy Ellen. So I don't know what's worse the

2
00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,640
Speaker 1: fact that Willow Gene Prime is a lazy and disinterested

3
00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,200
Speaker 1: waste of space and Labour's team, or the fact that

4
00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:11,760
Speaker 1: Labour's been busted almost lying about this. So let me

5
00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:13,760
Speaker 1: get you across what happened. You can decide for yourself.

6
00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,080
Speaker 1: In March, Willow Gene Prime took over the Labor Party

7
00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,640
Speaker 1: Education portfolio from jan Toinetti and her National Party counterpart

8
00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:23,239
Speaker 1: Erica Stanford, sent her a text to say congrats and

9
00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:25,599
Speaker 1: also need to get you up to speed with the

10
00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,720
Speaker 1: NCEEA change process. Would be good if we could meet

11
00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:30,520
Speaker 1: first and I can run you through where we're at.

12
00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,239
Speaker 1: There is a policy advisory group of principles who are

13
00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,440
Speaker 1: working on the details. You can have access to them

14
00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:39,120
Speaker 1: as well as my officials and also NZQA. Willo Gene

15
00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,279
Speaker 1: does not bother to reply. Two months later, in May,

16
00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,120
Speaker 1: Erica's offer sends an email saying basically, haven't heard from

17
00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,440
Speaker 1: Willow Gene. Would like to ensure cross party engagement can continue.

18
00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,480
Speaker 1: Can we set up a meeting? Willow Gene doesn't bother

19
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,160
Speaker 1: to reply. A month later, in mid June, Erica personally

20
00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:59,040
Speaker 1: writes again Willow Gene, Yeah, you know, doesn't bother to reply.

21
00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,240
Speaker 1: Next month July, Erica then goes up a level and

22
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:04,920
Speaker 1: writes to Chippy. He doesn't reply either, but then the

23
00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,280
Speaker 1: next day Willowjene finally does reply, and she says she

24
00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,039
Speaker 1: declines your invitation. Fast forward now to the twenty fifth

25
00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,760
Speaker 1: of July, and suddenly Willow Jane writes to Erica wanting

26
00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:16,280
Speaker 1: to meet because she's read in the Herald that the

27
00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,600
Speaker 1: NCAEA changes are coming soon. Erica writes back basically says

28
00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,200
Speaker 1: to her, make you, mister chance, we have already made

29
00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,520
Speaker 1: the decisions. Chippy meanwhile complains publicly that the government aka

30
00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,320
Speaker 1: Erica Stanford hasn't been consulting with him and Willow Jane

31
00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,200
Speaker 1: on the NCAEA changes. So tell me now, having heard that,

32
00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,160
Speaker 1: what do you think is worse? That Willow Jane can't

33
00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,080
Speaker 1: be bothered doing her job properly, or that Chippy has

34
00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:42,039
Speaker 1: an amazing ability to lie with a smile. Now Here

35
00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,280
Speaker 1: are the key learnings from this incident. Willow Jane is

36
00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,040
Speaker 1: not a serious, hard working or clever person, and it

37
00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,880
Speaker 1: is not ready to be a minister. Chris Hipkins is

38
00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,520
Speaker 1: not as honest as his lovely smiling face would make

39
00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,080
Speaker 1: you think Labour is thin on the ground for talent

40
00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,680
Speaker 1: if Willow Gene Prime is number eight in their party,

41
00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,920
Speaker 1: and don't mess with Eric because she will pull a

42
00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,200
Speaker 1: beautiful hit job on you, which is exactly what's happened here.

43
00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,560
Speaker 1: But also, labor are just rude and unprofessional. It doesn't

44
00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,760
Speaker 1: kill you to reply to a message. For more from

45
00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,120
Speaker 1: Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks. It'd

46
00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,200
Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.