Pollies: National's Mark Mitchell and Labour's Ginny Andersen talk the Golden Bay Cement bailout, RMA reforms, Question Time
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Ginny Anderson's with us. Mark Mitchell's with us. Good morning. Morning, morning, morning, morning. Morning, morning, morning, Ginny. Ginny, how cool was it to have question time back yesterday, eh?
What happened in Question Time and how did the MPs prepare their questions?
It was wonderful. It was exciting.
You didn't ask a question, though.
No, I'm not. Maybe today. We'll try again today.
Have you got one today lined up?
I've got one lined up.
Yeah, I do. Okay. Tell us what it is.
I've got two, actually.
Give it to me now. Give it to me now.
Okay. Oh, no, because then they get surprised. Do you want to know? Because then they're like, oh, no. So there's a couple. You've got two? No, you put up a couple. Yeah, you think of different ones.
Oh, no, your supplementaries. I don't want your supplementaries because they're the surprise ones. What's your main question? And who's it to, by the way?
Well, there's two education potential ones, and there's one to Nicole McKee for firearms. So there's three in there in the mix, and we have a meeting at – to nine that decides who gets up. You do your pitch, you do your elevator pitch.
Who's the final determiner of whether your question gets across the line?
Oh, it's across, usually, because Kieran McAnulty is shadow leader of the house, so he'll have a think about which one sounds the best. You'll go, oh, that's a good one, Jenny. That's a good one, Jenny.
You got him there.
Yeah, that's a cunning one. Go for that. He sounds Australian, though, when we do him. He's not really Australian, is he?
He sounds Australian. He wears chinos and hats like he's Australian. Having said all that, does he go for your supplementaries? If I give you that one, Ginny, what's your supplementary?
So you determine how many we get in a day, and we divvy those up, right? Usually the first question, which would go to Chipie or Barbara Edpins or whoever's taking the lead, they'll get a couple more, and then the rest of the subs get divided out over the other people who are asking questions. Is this making you nervous, Mark?
Between four and six. You're quaking, Mark?
Not really, no. You're standing by. I think the listeners are probably thinking, can we move on from this?
No, no, question time is not for you.
Mike loves this. If I do nothing else. Mike loves question time.
I love question time. And if I do nothing else in my career, I'm going to make sure that more New Zealanders are aware of the joy that is Question Time. That's a good idea. I love that about you, Mike. You get a few honourable mentions in Question Time, is all I have to say, Mike. Yes, I do. Now, neither of you, correct me if I'm wrong, I'll start with you, Mark. You weren't there when Bill Birch was there, were you?
No, but he worked with my grandfather.
No way.
Yeah, he was in cabinet with my grandfather and just so we knew the family and just huge respect, incredible man, very humble, very smart, made a massive contribution to our country through public service. Yeah. He still turned up to National Party functions. He's still there. He still listened. He gave advice. He's one of those guys that didn't disappear. He was still there supporting us right through to the end.
I think even you would agree with, I mean, you may not agree with all the policies, Jenny, but I mean, that was a serious contribution, wasn't it, to New Zealand political life?
Well, you always had those people in Cabinet, and I suppose you still do, who do more of the work and who do that back work. And I actually listened to, it was that podcast I mentioned previously. You're going to mention it. Oh, the democracy thing? Yeah, the one that goes, it's put up by Toby Manhire. And they've done – and he features in that. So it's really interesting to see those people behind the – who aren't always right in the front, but they're often the ones doing a whole lot of the back work in the background.
He was a string puller of great influence. Now, let's talk – we'll start talking. Mark, Golden Bay Cement – so let's not try and make this too political because you've done what you've done. You've written a $60 million cheque.
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