1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,720 Speaker 1: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Elon Musk is 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: to receive a top secret briefing on US war plans 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: for China. This is not a joke. This is a 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Wall Street Journal report quoting two unnamed US officials. I'll 5 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: get to that a little later on. But Barry Sape 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:16,479 Speaker 1: is here now, high Barry. 7 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:20,799 Speaker 2: That's President Musk exactly. I mean, this man is South African, 8 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 2: which you know, which is incredible when you think about it. 9 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 1: Well, what's wrong with South Africa? 10 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 2: No, no, nothing, No. But he's an immigrant, yes, but he's 11 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 2: an immigrant when you look at Donald Trump and his 12 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 2: view on immigrants making all the decisions for them. 13 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: And he's got one at home as well, but I don't. 14 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 2: Know whether she's at home all the time. 15 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: But anyway, he counsels that get to a hurry up 16 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: over delays in building consents. 17 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 2: Berry and this is not the full time. I mean 18 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 2: it was Chris Pink, the construction Minister. He said to 19 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 2: councils building authority consents, they have to start keeping a 20 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:06,759 Speaker 2: quarterly record of them so that there is some transparency 21 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 2: and they know what's happening in the system. Well, clearly 22 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 2: they've got that back, he said, time is money for tradees, 23 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 2: and there's no doubt about that. He said that officials 24 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 2: estimate a twelve working day delay because of a request 25 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:26,759 Speaker 2: for further information can cost around four thousand dollars a dwelling. Now, 26 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 2: last year, ninety four and a half thousand applications triggered 27 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 2: a more information, so it extended the life of a consent. Now, 28 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 2: I've personally had many issues with councils over the years, 29 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 2: to the point that you know, they said, we need 30 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 2: an architects drawing for that, So you get an architect 31 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 2: and then they want something else, and then they tell 32 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 2: you you're getting a consent now. And then the person 33 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 2: that's giving the consent somebody he dies in the family, 34 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 2: so you're told, I'm sorry, the person's on leave. Now 35 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 2: you left. Wait happen? 36 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: How dares somebody die on your well? 37 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 2: Wouldn't you think they would hand it on to somebody else? 38 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 2: Consent was ready to be signed off. Now you know, 39 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 2: it's a disgrace. So what Chris Pink says that in 40 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 2: the next few months he'll finalize decisions on speeding up 41 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 2: these consents, and I think a lot of builders would 42 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 2: be happy with that. Not only builders, though, even though 43 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 2: they're sitting on their hands waiting, you've got people that 44 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 2: are waiting to get the job done and it's costing 45 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 2: them daily. As some council of often sits on his 46 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 2: hands in his office and has a cigarette and a 47 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,959 Speaker 2: coup of coffee, and you know it forgets about giving 48 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 2: the consent. But it seems. 49 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: Like I'm interested to know from the minister exactly who 50 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: is to blame here, whether there are applications that are 51 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: going and that are not being filled in properly, you know, 52 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: or whether it's at the council site. 53 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 2: So one of the things he's going to do, and 54 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 2: I think it's a good approach he's looking at mainly 55 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 2: getting builders themselves, builders with reputation to do their own consents. 56 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:21,639 Speaker 2: Now that's to worry leaky buildings, that comes to mind. 57 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 2: But if you've got a reputable firm doing the job, 58 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 2: you'd say, well, why do they have to go to 59 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 2: a boffin and a council to get signed off? 60 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, I couldn't agree with that part more. Someone just 61 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: drove past the Waikata District Council. It's a friday. They 62 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: were all working from home today. That should be made 63 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: to go in there and get my consents done. Another 64 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: bad survey, this is the IPSOS survey thumbs down for 65 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: the government. 66 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is the worst rating the government's had since 67 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 2: they've started keeping these surveys in twenty seventeen, ironically, which 68 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 2: was of course, when Jasin Dardun took over the reins 69 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 2: of government. And here in New Zealand, forty one percent 70 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: of respondents to the IPSOS survey rated the government's performance 71 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 2: between zero and three out of ten. Now, when you 72 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 2: look at the years of the Dern Hipkins government, of 73 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 2: course they spent like drunken sailors. So essentially we didn't 74 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 2: feel the impacts that we could otherwise have felt. So 75 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 2: you know, I mean this government has a mess, has 76 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 2: had a mess to clean up, so you know, we 77 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 2: can't take too much or put a place too much 78 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 2: faith in that. But they looked at the issues and 79 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,799 Speaker 2: the top five issues no surprise, healthcare, hospitals, the economy, 80 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 2: housing and crime and law and order. Well, you know, 81 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 2: I think that's a foregone conclusion. The point that David 82 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 2: Seymour made the other day when he was the acting 83 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 2: Prime Minister is that he said people essentially vote on 84 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 2: the economy as much as they do vote voting for 85 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 2: a government. And I think that's right. And he says 86 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 2: once things start getting better, and of course we've talked 87 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 2: about this week the GDP, once they start getting better, 88 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:11,799 Speaker 2: I think people get better. 89 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: There's a lag though between the numbers and feeling. Wasn't 90 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: there Now I want to get to the story. We 91 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: haven't got much time, but Wellington councils spending on portaloos 92 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: is causing a stink with the taxpayers Union. 93 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 2: It is. And initially I thought, well, for goodness sake, 94 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 2: you had tens of thousands of people. I was there 95 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 2: myself in Wellington during the treaty HKUOI that they had 96 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 2: on Parliament. 97 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:36,360 Speaker 1: It was taught. 98 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 2: Yeah, they spent twenty one or almost twenty two thousand 99 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 2: on portloos around the city. Now the point that the 100 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 2: taxpayer made, and initially I thought, well, it's ridiculous and 101 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 2: the taxpayer shouldn't be Taxpayer's Union shouldn't be complaining about this, 102 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 2: because you can imagine what the streets of Wellington might 103 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 2: look like without the portal loose. But what they say 104 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 2: is that generally the all organizers of these events, they 105 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 2: supply their own portal loos and they've probably got a 106 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,359 Speaker 2: point on that when you consider that the rates in 107 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 2: Wellington this year have gone up eighteen and a half percent. 108 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:14,840 Speaker 2: So if you're a rate player there paying for porter 109 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 2: loos for people turning up protesting the treaty changes that 110 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 2: were never going to take place, you'd really have to 111 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 2: ask a question, wouldn't you. 112 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: You would be yeah, I mean literally flushing money down 113 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: the toilet, and aren't they? And I actually thought when 114 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: you started talking about the story, I thought maybe people 115 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,040 Speaker 1: are so scared the pipes are so broken, you're too 116 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: scared to do your business in your own Look, they're 117 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: having to used portal loops. 118 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:40,279 Speaker 2: But yeah, exactly. 119 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: Goodness make Barry thank you for that. We'll see you 120 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: later on Barry Soper, Senior political correspondent Here on News Talks. 121 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 2: The'd be for more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen 122 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 2: live to News Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, 123 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 2: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.