1 00:00:09,133 --> 00:00:12,693 Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News talks 'B. Follow 2 00:00:12,773 --> 00:00:16,213 Speaker 1: this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:16,773 --> 00:00:20,053 Speaker 2: So Sad News. Earlier this morning, former National MP Nicki 4 00:00:20,133 --> 00:00:23,453 Speaker 2: Kay has passed away, aged forty four, after battling cancer. 5 00:00:23,533 --> 00:00:26,373 Speaker 2: Ka was the first national impeter win Auckland Central age 6 00:00:26,372 --> 00:00:28,853 Speaker 2: twenty eight, holding it from two thousand and eight to 7 00:00:29,013 --> 00:00:31,933 Speaker 2: twenty twenty. Joining us in studio as News talks 'B 8 00:00:32,412 --> 00:00:34,613 Speaker 2: senior political correspondent Barry Sopa. 9 00:00:34,693 --> 00:00:36,933 Speaker 3: Hey you, Barry, good afternoon guys. It was a good 10 00:00:36,933 --> 00:00:40,092 Speaker 3: segue talking about gray areas that you came to me. 11 00:00:41,973 --> 00:00:46,492 Speaker 4: You've got some beautiful gray areas, so yeah, and incredibly 12 00:00:46,533 --> 00:00:48,693 Speaker 4: sad news. You had a lot to do with her, Barry. 13 00:00:48,732 --> 00:00:50,772 Speaker 4: What what was Nicki Kay like as a person? 14 00:00:50,853 --> 00:00:53,092 Speaker 3: Oh? She was a great person. I mean she was 15 00:00:53,132 --> 00:00:58,333 Speaker 3: a kick ass type person that look, you always knew 16 00:00:58,333 --> 00:01:01,612 Speaker 3: where you stood with Nicki Kay, And I think all 17 00:01:01,613 --> 00:01:05,333 Speaker 3: her colleagues would say the same thing like you said 18 00:01:05,373 --> 00:01:08,653 Speaker 3: Tyler at the beginning, that she was the first notional 19 00:01:08,773 --> 00:01:12,573 Speaker 3: Party Auckland Central MP and the history of the seat 20 00:01:13,813 --> 00:01:17,173 Speaker 3: and the only one so far. Because the interesting thing 21 00:01:17,173 --> 00:01:19,453 Speaker 3: to me was that Jacinda ar Durn always tried to 22 00:01:19,533 --> 00:01:24,733 Speaker 3: knock her off her perch, and twice Ardurn was unsuccessful 23 00:01:24,813 --> 00:01:31,893 Speaker 3: and Nicky Kay beat her hands down. And somebody very 24 00:01:31,932 --> 00:01:35,732 Speaker 3: senior in the Greens said to me today that if 25 00:01:35,813 --> 00:01:38,853 Speaker 3: Nicki Kay had decided to stay on after twenty twenty, 26 00:01:38,932 --> 00:01:42,652 Speaker 3: maybe we wouldn't be talking about Chloe Swallbrick as the 27 00:01:42,693 --> 00:01:45,212 Speaker 3: co leader of the Green Stone. I think she was 28 00:01:45,212 --> 00:01:45,853 Speaker 3: probably right. 29 00:01:46,053 --> 00:01:46,253 Speaker 1: Yeah. 30 00:01:46,292 --> 00:01:48,613 Speaker 2: Will that be a big part of her political legacy, 31 00:01:48,653 --> 00:01:51,093 Speaker 2: do you think, Barry? I mean, those achievements at such 32 00:01:51,093 --> 00:01:53,813 Speaker 2: a young age and in that seat which has been 33 00:01:54,013 --> 00:01:57,373 Speaker 2: traditionally labor, Is that what people will remember Nicki for. 34 00:01:58,333 --> 00:02:02,133 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, Auckland is most certainly will. She is very 35 00:02:02,133 --> 00:02:04,733 Speaker 3: well known in the city and I think the mark 36 00:02:04,773 --> 00:02:07,693 Speaker 3: of the woman is the number of tributes that have 37 00:02:08,333 --> 00:02:12,213 Speaker 3: flowed in from across the political spectrum. And you know 38 00:02:12,293 --> 00:02:17,173 Speaker 3: she was she was a blue Green actually, and maybe 39 00:02:17,173 --> 00:02:21,453 Speaker 3: that's why Chloe Swarbrick was so successful after her, because 40 00:02:21,493 --> 00:02:25,133 Speaker 3: she really great laid the foundation. Don't forget she was 41 00:02:25,173 --> 00:02:28,493 Speaker 3: also the deputy leader of the National Party under the 42 00:02:28,573 --> 00:02:32,693 Speaker 3: disastrous period that fifty eight days. I think it was 43 00:02:32,733 --> 00:02:37,093 Speaker 3: that Todd Muller was the leader of the National Party 44 00:02:37,133 --> 00:02:39,173 Speaker 3: and that was when they were going through terrible times. 45 00:02:40,093 --> 00:02:42,733 Speaker 3: But I think, you know, when she decided to step 46 00:02:42,773 --> 00:02:45,493 Speaker 3: down from politics in twenty twenty, I think it was 47 00:02:45,532 --> 00:02:48,573 Speaker 3: a decision that was made by her that she had 48 00:02:48,573 --> 00:02:52,053 Speaker 3: done a lot in politics for a young person. She'd 49 00:02:52,053 --> 00:02:55,493 Speaker 3: probably had a gutfall of the place and decided because 50 00:02:55,532 --> 00:02:58,493 Speaker 3: it was a particularly difficult period for the National Party 51 00:02:59,013 --> 00:03:01,813 Speaker 3: and clearly she decided there were better things to do. 52 00:03:02,213 --> 00:03:06,853 Speaker 3: She sort of went bush on a great barrier for 53 00:03:07,013 --> 00:03:11,132 Speaker 3: some considerable time. Unfortunately, she was back in Auckland when 54 00:03:11,173 --> 00:03:14,893 Speaker 3: she died last Saturday. So you know, tributes, like I said, 55 00:03:14,933 --> 00:03:17,973 Speaker 3: have been flowing in for this rather wonderful woman. 56 00:03:18,453 --> 00:03:21,333 Speaker 4: So you say she was a blue Green, is that 57 00:03:21,373 --> 00:03:23,893 Speaker 4: still a movement in National Not to. 58 00:03:23,853 --> 00:03:26,693 Speaker 3: The same extent was my dear old late friend Rob 59 00:03:26,733 --> 00:03:30,813 Speaker 3: Fennick that really got it going, and unfortunately he passed 60 00:03:30,813 --> 00:03:35,333 Speaker 3: away several years ago. But Neckie Kay was very much 61 00:03:35,413 --> 00:03:38,453 Speaker 3: to the fore when it came to Green issues and 62 00:03:38,493 --> 00:03:41,293 Speaker 3: she was respected in her own party. And the other 63 00:03:41,333 --> 00:03:44,053 Speaker 3: thing was that John Key has come out and he 64 00:03:44,133 --> 00:03:48,253 Speaker 3: said that he talked to her for several or not 65 00:03:48,293 --> 00:03:50,533 Speaker 3: several hours, but about an hour and a half a 66 00:03:50,573 --> 00:03:54,333 Speaker 3: couple of weeks ago and said, you know, they exchanged 67 00:03:54,373 --> 00:03:56,413 Speaker 3: a lot. And some of her friends have been telling 68 00:03:56,453 --> 00:03:59,213 Speaker 3: me that a couple of months ago, even though she's 69 00:03:59,253 --> 00:04:02,373 Speaker 3: had that long battle with cancer, with breast cancer since 70 00:04:02,653 --> 00:04:07,373 Speaker 3: twenty sixteen, they've said that, Look, a couple of months ago, 71 00:04:07,693 --> 00:04:11,653 Speaker 3: she was in fettles. She was the old Nikki Kay 72 00:04:12,013 --> 00:04:14,933 Speaker 3: and unfortunately went downhill very quickly. 73 00:04:15,493 --> 00:04:15,653 Speaker 1: Yeah. 74 00:04:15,693 --> 00:04:19,013 Speaker 4: Yeah, so it's an incredibly sad situation. So if she 75 00:04:19,093 --> 00:04:21,293 Speaker 4: had so, you know, in that situation there with the 76 00:04:21,293 --> 00:04:23,733 Speaker 4: Todd Muller, if that hadn't happened like that, do you 77 00:04:23,773 --> 00:04:26,053 Speaker 4: think that you know, and obviously that what did happen 78 00:04:26,133 --> 00:04:28,253 Speaker 4: with her health, She seemed to me that someone that 79 00:04:28,333 --> 00:04:30,773 Speaker 4: was on the track to truly great things. 80 00:04:30,973 --> 00:04:35,013 Speaker 3: Well, absolutely, I think you know, you're always tainted by 81 00:04:35,173 --> 00:04:38,653 Speaker 3: leadership spills, and she was very much part of the 82 00:04:38,693 --> 00:04:41,453 Speaker 3: Todd Muller camp. Although Todd Muller hasn't done him that 83 00:04:41,573 --> 00:04:44,973 Speaker 3: much harm, but she was tainted and I think she 84 00:04:45,053 --> 00:04:50,773 Speaker 3: felt it quite strongly. But like in politics, time heals everything. 85 00:04:51,213 --> 00:04:53,573 Speaker 3: And if she had stuck around, if she's still there now, 86 00:04:54,093 --> 00:04:57,413 Speaker 3: I'd guess that she would have most certainly been part 87 00:04:57,453 --> 00:05:02,173 Speaker 3: of Chris Luckson's cabinet and because he knew her as 88 00:05:02,213 --> 00:05:05,693 Speaker 3: well as did many people in Auckland Central. 89 00:05:05,933 --> 00:05:09,093 Speaker 4: Yeah, well, thank you so much, Barry. That's incredibly, incredibly said, 90 00:05:09,213 --> 00:05:11,333 Speaker 4: because she was a very very nice person. 91 00:05:11,093 --> 00:05:15,413 Speaker 2: And well respected on all sides of the ILA said, Yeah, Berry, 92 00:05:15,453 --> 00:05:17,973 Speaker 2: thank you very much. That is senior political correspondent for 93 00:05:18,053 --> 00:05:19,373 Speaker 2: News Talks. That'd be very sober. 94 00:05:20,013 --> 00:05:22,613 Speaker 1: For more from News Talks a B. Listen live on 95 00:05:22,733 --> 00:05:25,693 Speaker 1: air or online and keep our shows with you wherever 96 00:05:25,733 --> 00:05:28,333 Speaker 1: you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.