Each week, the Listener brings you quotes from New Zealand and around the world that best highlight what has happened in the past seven days.
“I have no words, I’m in shock. What we have done is remarkable. This is the dream of any soccer player. I can’t ask for anything more.” – Spanish FIFA Women’s World Cup team midfielder Aitana Bonmati
Spain won the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final on Sunday, August 20, celebrating a 1-0 win against England in their first-ever cup victory. The match at Stadium Australia in Sydney saw over 75,000 people in attendance, adding to the almost 2 million people that have gone to the games in Australia and New Zealand over the past few months.
“I know I died a little that day, my innocence died. So quite a big burden to carry.” – Mike Andrews, Countdown New Lynn terror attack first responder as reported by Sunday
Sunday has exclusively interviewed seven survivors of the 2021 countdown terror attack, which saw an armed man, known to police as holding extremist views, unwrap a knife from the shelves and go on a stabbing rampage. Mike Andrews used his t-shirt to try and stem one of the first victim’s blood loss while also trying to reassure her. He was initially classified as a witness, before being offered some limited victim support services 20 days after the incident.
“It would make much more sense for kids to teach Labour MPs about money.” – Act leader David Seymour on Labour’s financial literacy policy via X
On Sunday, August 20, Seymour posted the quote alongside a screenshot of an article headlined “Labour vows to teach kids about money” on social media. The article was about the party’s election promise to make financial literacy a compulsory subject in New Zealand schools.
It would make much more sense for kids to teach Labour MPs about money. pic.twitter.com/VpYD6446zK
— David Seymour (@dbseymour) August 20, 2023
“Hana is our succession plan. She embodies the future of this country.” – Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi on bringing the youngest MP to Parliament in 170 years
Te Pāti Māori has announced Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke (Ngāti Porou, Te Atiawa and Ngāi Tahu) as its candidate for the Hauraki-Waikato electorate. The 20-year-old is a published author and, according to RNZ, is a descendent of Hana Te Hemara, who led the Māori Language Petition 50 years ago.
“Although this is something I wish had never happened to me, it has been an amazing teacher. [It’s] made me into someone who I think is a better human being.” – Dai Henwood on his incurable cancer diagnosis
In January, Kiwi comedian Dai Henwood revealed to The Project that he had been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, which his oncologist declared incurable. Since then, Henwood says he has had four or five months of chemotherapy so he could plan for Christmas and an end to 2023. In hopes to raise money for the Cancer Society, he hosted ANZ presents: The Comedy Treatment on Thursday along with some of his friends and fellow comedians including Justine Smith and Chris Parker.
“I did not enjoy that.” – Jenni Hermoso after being kissed on the lips by Spain’s football president after the team’s FIFA Women’s World Cup win
Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales has been criticised by viewers of the FIFA Women’s World Cup final after kissing Spanish player Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the trophy presentation. While Hermoso has said she didn’t enjoy the act, Rubiales has reportedly defended it by saying it was “two people having a minor show of affection”.
“It’s a sign of the racist underbelly in the city.” – Tauranga iwi leader Buddy Mikaere on a local quiz team dressing up as the KKK
A group of people dressing as the Ku Klux Klan for a quiz night community event on Saturday, August 19 has sparked outrage in Bay of Plenty’s Kaimai. A spokesperson for the quiz organisers, the Kaimai Settlers Committee, said that they did not remove the group as no one complained at the time. The team has since apologised saying they were “deeply ashamed and embarrassed” by their “poor judgement and lack of awareness about the gravity of the situation”.
“It never really looked like Alan at all, did it?” – Investigator Tim McKinnel on an identikit sketch police said was Alan Hall in 1986, as reported by 1News
Alan Hall was sentenced to life in prison in 1986 after being convicted of murdering Arthur Easton. Police at the time deliberately altered vital evidence from a key eyewitness and the prosecution withheld crucial documents from Hall’s lawyers. On Friday, Hall received the largest wrongful conviction compensation in the country’s history of $5 million for the 18 years he spent in prison and added time on restrictive parole. Hall also received a public apology from the government.
“I think we should cancel his citizenship.” – Prime Minister Chris Hipkins joking about punishment for Steve Hansen coaching the Wallabies
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was asked by a reporter at Parliament on Tuesday what the former All Blacks coach’s punishment should be for accepting a job with the Australian national rugby team. The Prime Minister was quick to clarify his response of revoking his citizenship was a joke. Hansen has since confirmed he was only assisting his friend and Wallabies coach Eddie Jones and will be gone by the end of the week.
“Life is precious – very, very precious.” – Emmy-winning American Actor Ron Cephas Jones, who died August 19
Actor Ron Cephas Jones died, aged 66 due to an ongoing pulmonary issue. He was best known for his role in the television show This is Us, for which he won a guest acting Emmy in 2018 and again in 2020. Cephas Jones’ daughter, Jasmine, performed in the Original Broadway Cast of the musical Hamilton and has also followed in her father’s footsteps, winning an Emmy award in 2020 for her role in the TV show #FreeRayshawn.
