1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,639
Speaker 1: Now, the Ports of Auckland boss Roger Gray has called

2
00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:04,840
Speaker 1: out the key we know culture. He's given a speech

3
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:09,080
Speaker 1: in Auckland saying we're apparently referred to as no Zealand

4
00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:12,160
Speaker 1: when overseas, there's plenty of business to be done in

5
00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,280
Speaker 1: the country. We just need to start saying yes to it.

6
00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,280
Speaker 1: So let's talk to him. Hi, Roger, Heather, how were

7
00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,799
Speaker 1: these people you've been speaking to who called us no Zealand?

8
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,799
Speaker 2: Well that was about nine months ago. I was in

9
00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,080
Speaker 2: Miami talking to the cruise lines to try and understand

10
00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,280
Speaker 2: why they were dropping off their bookings, and the feedback

11
00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,040
Speaker 2: across the whole lot of the four cruise lines I

12
00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,640
Speaker 2: went to was they felt that New Zealand was just

13
00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,239
Speaker 2: simply too hard to deal with because people were so

14
00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:41,520
Speaker 2: negative about things.

15
00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,280
Speaker 1: They're onto something. Ah.

16
00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,920
Speaker 2: Well, what I think is interesting is that's where we

17
00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,720
Speaker 2: were and that was their perception. But the cool thing

18
00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,120
Speaker 2: is now I think there's a real change going on

19
00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,279
Speaker 2: amongst people. There's a real starting to be a positivity

20
00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,480
Speaker 2: amongst a lot of people. And you know, I think

21
00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,560
Speaker 2: the Bleddersone Northwarf is example if you can just get

22
00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:03,880
Speaker 2: on and do stuff. We've created two hundred and fifty

23
00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,640
Speaker 2: new jobs for Aucklanders and that wolf will be finished

24
00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:07,600
Speaker 2: by the end of next year.

25
00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you're onto something. I think that I

26
00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,840
Speaker 1: think it is changing. I hate to always, you know,

27
00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,800
Speaker 1: take everything back to politics, but I think it is

28
00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,400
Speaker 1: in part because we have some courageous political leaders who

29
00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,600
Speaker 1: are prepared to just kind of go against the flow,

30
00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:25,160
Speaker 1: like Wayne Brown for example. The guys and government at

31
00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:26,319
Speaker 1: the moment, would you put it down to.

32
00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:30,880
Speaker 2: That, I think that's right. People are seeing that occasionally

33
00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,280
Speaker 2: you need someone to specify a vision and simply make

34
00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:36,120
Speaker 2: the hard call. And I think the mayor is a

35
00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,080
Speaker 2: great example of someone who just gets on, articulates what

36
00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,000
Speaker 2: he wants and then just gets it done. And business

37
00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:44,199
Speaker 2: needs to follow that example.

38
00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:45,920
Speaker 1: But what about the rest of us. I mean, as

39
00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:47,840
Speaker 1: you say business needs to follow that example, what about

40
00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:49,640
Speaker 1: the rest of us? The unions who say no, the

41
00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,600
Speaker 1: locals who say no to gold mines, the rest of

42
00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,080
Speaker 1: us who just constantly don't want to say yes to things.

43
00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:56,720
Speaker 1: How do we change our attitude?

44
00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,760
Speaker 2: Yeah? Look, I think there's no doubt that people have

45
00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:02,559
Speaker 2: been doing it tough for the last couple of years,

46
00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,720
Speaker 2: Absolutely no doubt. But what I've got is great trust

47
00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,679
Speaker 2: in New Zealanders towards the fact that we are at

48
00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,720
Speaker 2: heart a logical, smart community. I think the economy is

49
00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:18,360
Speaker 2: actually better than people are actually saying. Most people are conservative,

50
00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:21,240
Speaker 2: they don't want to jinx the return. But you know,

51
00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,400
Speaker 2: we're seeing we unloaded eight thousand cars in the last

52
00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,320
Speaker 2: five days. Three thousand more arrive later this week. We've

53
00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,880
Speaker 2: had records container volume for the highest for nine years.

54
00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,799
Speaker 2: Last month. The economy has turned. I think everybody feels it,

55
00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,400
Speaker 2: but what they're seeing is they don't want to jinx it.

56
00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,000
Speaker 2: So yeah, maybe I think.

57
00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,640
Speaker 1: Don't you think though, this is actually part of our culture.

58
00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,600
Speaker 1: I think that we have a certain level of complacency

59
00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:48,760
Speaker 1: because life is actually pretty good in New Zealand most

60
00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,160
Speaker 1: of the time. So we're just pretty relaxed about things,

61
00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:53,840
Speaker 1: and therefore we say, no, what do you think?

62
00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:56,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, I do think there's a little bit of that.

63
00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:02,040
Speaker 2: I think there's also a natural conservativeness New Zealanders. And

64
00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,239
Speaker 2: you know, if I was asked what's the difference between

65
00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,360
Speaker 2: Australia and New Zealand, I'd say, well, let's take a

66
00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,720
Speaker 2: leaf out of their optimism book. I think Australians are

67
00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,440
Speaker 2: a bit more optimistic. Yeah, let's have a crack. We're

68
00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,560
Speaker 2: a bit more sit back and more conservative.

69
00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:18,600
Speaker 1: Now, Roger, I thought, geez, I read this on the

70
00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,880
Speaker 1: paper this morning. I thought, Roger, you're Australian and you're

71
00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:24,920
Speaker 1: saying this about the Kiwis. Do you know what? Is

72
00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:26,800
Speaker 1: everyone going to give you a hard time for this?

73
00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:29,440
Speaker 2: Now? I'm sure they will, Heather, but you know I

74
00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,400
Speaker 2: am in New Zealand. Now. I didn't do my citizenship,

75
00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,200
Speaker 2: so I've signed up. I'm a full fledged Kiwi now.

76
00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:38,720
Speaker 1: Okay, Well, beast of luck with that, Roger. Roger Gray,

77
00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:40,480
Speaker 1: Chief Executive Ports of Auckland.

78
00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,320
Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to

79
00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,440
Speaker 2: news talks the'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow

80
00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,200
Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio