Mike Hosking Leaders Breakfast: Judith Collins

National leader Judith Collins is being grilled on why her party should lead New Zealand through a pandemic and the economic fallout during the first of Newstalk ZB's Leaders Breakfasts today.
Mike Hosking will put the questions to Collins over two hours, starting from 7am.
Collins has used her extended interview to announce new policy - in the first 100 days of Government to launch an inquiry into Auckland Council - in particular council controlled organisations, including Auckland Transport and WaterCare.
"I have a particular beef with Auckland Transport, I just think it's destroyed the central city," said Collins, who criticised cycle lanes in her electorate and what she claimed was the organisation's desire to "make everything cycling or walking".
She also denied politicising her faith, after being photographed praying in a church yesterday: "We just happened to be voting in a church....the minister said, would you like to pop in and have a prayer?...I didn't invite the media in."



The National leader talked up the economic potential of oil and gas, saying "we have potential to be, basically, the North Sea in the south...there is enough there, according to the geologists...that's how places like Norway became so rich."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will front next Monday, as she lays out her alternative vision for the country.
Is Collins politicising her faith?
The first question put to Collins by Hosking was whether she was politicising Christianity, after being photographed praying at St Thomas Church in Auckland yesterday, before casting an early vote.
Collins said she wasn't, and had been a Christian all her life.
"We just happened to be voting in a church....the minister said, would you like to pop in and have a prayer?...I didn't invite the media in."
Collins said she prayed for general guidance, rather than specifics. She prays once a day.
"It just happened to be that I was in a church...I was hardly going to turn it down."
On the border, Collins said National would have strong protective measures in place, and the current government didn't appear confident in safeguards.
Would Auckland be at level 1? "Obviously...the whole thing is getting to the stage where it just seems to be wallowing in Covid...it is causing immense hardship, economically and also stress level-wise for people."
Collins indicated Auckland had been in level 2 for too long, and said Taiwan, for example, had managed much better without lockdowns.
On Labour's announcement of wanting to look into supermarket and building supply prices, via market reviews done by the Commerce Commission, Collins said Labour had been talking about a supermarket inquiry for a long time.
The National leader said Emma Mellow had a very good shot at winning in Auckland Central - "it is a three horse race...we have momentum".
A "toxic" problem at Canterbury DHB, RMA reform and not being a "closed shop" to international students
On Canterbury DHB's huge deficits, Collins said the population in Canterbury had been underestimated in the past, and the whole situation was a "mess".
"The DHB and the Ministry currently have an absolutely toxic work relationship."
Both National and Labour have pledged to repeal and replace the Resource Management Act (RMA). Collins said it needed to be replaced by two pieces of legislation, one on planning and development, and another on environmental standards.
"There is an opportunity to cut through a lot of the red tape...it might upset a few really busy-body type people."
Should the borders be more open to international students? Collins said they had to be, given the importance to the economy. National would work with the universities and accommodation providers, with quarantine processes checked by officials.
We couldn't be a "closed shop".
"$5.1b industry...it is the flow-on effect for all the out...

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