OPINION
MONDAY
“Well,” I said to the Government caucus this morning, “let’s get on with it. Kia ora, everyone.”
“I think you had better rephrase that,” said Peters.
“That’s right,” said Seymour. “Don’t use that kind of talk in here.”
“But – "
“There’s no place for language like that,” said Seymour.
“That’s right,” said Peters. “What is this, the Stone Age?”
“But – "
“Just cut it out, and speak English, for God’s sake,” said Peters.
“That’s right,” said Seymour. “Caucus is no place for race-based wokeness.”
I sat down, and said, “Good morning, everyone.”
“Finally,” said Seymour.
“At last,” said Peters. “Let’s get on with it.”
TUESDAY
I got stuck in traffic this morning because of the Nationwide Māori Action Day protests.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer tapped on my car window. I wound it down, and she said, “We have a Government that has insulted and upset at least 20 per cent of the population.”
“But – "
“Your Government is disbanding, disestablishing and showing a true disconnect with tangata whenua across the motu.”
“But – "
“You as Prime Minister, together with your Government, have confirmed our worst fears.”
I wound the window up. She kept on talking, and then there were chants from the protestors. All I wanted to do was find a park, go to my office, and get on with it.
WEDNESDAY
“Well,” I said to the Foreign Affairs team this morning, “Let’s get on with it. Gidday, everyone.”
Top of the agenda was to follow up on my very strong calls made before the election that the New Zealand Government should expel the Russian ambassador.
“Well,” I said, “that was then, and this is now.”
Peters sighed, and drummed his fingers on the table.
“So,” I said, “the Government needs time to work through the issues.”
Peters groaned, and drummed his fingers on the table.
“Actually,” I said, “I think this is something that the new Foreign Minister should look at it.”
I sat down, and Peters got on with it.
THURSDAY
It had been a bit of a frustrating week. A challenging week. I needed a win. I needed to get rid of something deeply unpopular from the previous Government. I needed something that offered no resistance and was seen by everyone as something no one wanted anymore.
I looked across to the Opposition benches at Chris Hipkins and took great delight in getting on with it.
FRIDAY
I sat down with the team and went through the diary of functions and appointments in 2024. It was exciting to think of the future and the positive impact the new Government will have on New Zealand.
The room went quiet when one of the aides mentioned that a key date in the diary was February 6.
Another aide said, “We need to figure out how we’re going to handle that.”
A third said, “We need to get on top of this right now.”
They looked at me. I gave the matter some thought, and said, “You know what? It’s Christmas. It can wait.”
Ben Yang, 17, runs Yang's Fried Chicken from a food truck in Christchurch.
