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RNZ News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
David Seymour takes reins as deputy prime minister
David Seymour has taken over from Winston Peters as deputy prime minister. A ceremony marking the ACT leader's transition took place at noon at Government House in Auckland. Seymour vowed to keep speaking freely, as he takes over the role at the halfway point of the current government. The official paperwork making David Seymour the new deputy prime minister. Photo: Felix Walton / RNZ He said the transition - in most respects - would be "business as usual", adding, "I've actually been the acting prime minister several times and we're all still here, so don't worry". Seymour admitted he felt the position was largely symbolic. "Any position in politics is only an opportunity to be good and do good, and I will be judged by how much we deliver for the people of New Zealand," he said. "All of the people, those who support ACT and those who don't. "However, I also believe that for many people who never ever thought an ACT leader could be deputy prime minister, there is some significance in the position." Reflecting on his career to this point, he poked fun at his history. "If I've proved anything, it's that anyone can dance, not always that well, but well enough to earn people's respect and give a lot of entertainment along the way." Seymour was featured on Dancing with the Stars NZ in 2018, in which he finished fifth. Seymour's first task as deputy prime minister was to confront media questions about cabinet minister Chris Bishop's behaviour at Thursday night's Aotearoa Music Awards. Bishop acknowledged he should have kept his comments to himself, after saying "what a load of crap" during Stan Walker's performance, which prominently featured Toitū Te Tiriti banners. Musician Don McGlashan confronted Bishop, telling him to "shut up, you dickhead". Seymour denied the hubbub had distracted from his big day. "Only the people watching or reading your news can decide that, and I suspect that there'll be people who think Bish was absolutely right," he said. "People who think he was wrong, people who don't care... each person will make up their own mind. "Just because you become a senior minister, it doesn't mean you should stop having opinions and it might well be that, based on [what] Chris saw in that moment, he was correct. It may be that people will agree with him." Despite his elevated position, Seymour promised to remain "quirky", although declined to elaborate on what that meant. "Well, the great thing about quirkiness is it's spontaneous, it sometimes just happens. Anyone who plans to be quirky is, to quote Don McGlashan, a bit of a dickhead." Watch the press conference at the conclusion of the swearing-in. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Deputy PM handover: Seymour vows straight talk, Peters fires up campaign
Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas David Seymour has vowed to keep speaking freely as he takes over as deputy prime minister, while an unshackled Winston Peters shifts into campaign mode, planning to avoid another handover next term. And both men were quick to demonstrate their fire after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told RNZ he still regards the number two job as largely ceremonial. The handover of the deputy prime ministership, as agreed during coalition negotiations , marks a new milestone for the government and the half-way point of its term. Seymour will head to the governor-general's official residence in Auckland on 31 May to be sworn in. In separate sit-down interviews with RNZ, the ACT and NZ First leaders remarked on the honour of holding the position, though downplayed the significance of the change. Seymour told RNZ the transition - in most respects - would be "business as usual", adding, "I've actually been the acting prime minister several times, and we're all still here, so don't worry." Peters too was matter-of-fact: "We signed up to that in 2023 - so we don't have reflections on it. Just stick to your word and keep going." The position was one of the last points of contention to be resolved during coalition negotiations. At the time, Luxon sought to play down its importance, saying it was "largely a ceremonial role". Eighteen months on, Luxon told RNZ he stood by that, noting Peters and Seymour were only ever left in charge for brief stints: "When I do my trips [overseas], I'm pretty fast - in and out and back home pretty quickly." To that, Seymour sniped: "He doesn't think it's ceremonial when he leaves the country and relies on you to act for him. "A couple of times when I've been acting prime minister... we had the CrowdStrike [IT outage], we had the Chinese ships ... you're the person on the spot for those decisions." Peters also gave Luxon's comments short shrift: "When he [first] said that, he had no experience himself of the job, so how would he know?" He pointedly noted that the opposition asked him far fewer questions during Parliament's Question Time than they ever did Luxon: "I kind of think that tells you something... experience matters, big time." David Seymour wants to show New Zealanders that ACT is politically competent. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Asked whether the new role would temper his at-time-outspoken style, Seymour was defiant. "I'm astonished you believe that my tone would need moderation or my remarks would need constraint," Seymour told RNZ. "I certainly won't be losing my freedom to think and to speak and to express what people in our communities are thinking." Seymour denied ever criticising his coalition partners, saying he had only ever responded to criticism: "Hopefully that won't be necessary again in this term of government." He stressed he intended to discharge his new responsibilities "very well" to demonstrate the ACT Party was "a serious player". "My responsibility is going to be regulation, education, finance and health, just like the day before," Seymour said. "My job will be to show New Zealanders that ACT is politically competent and can deliver and execute in government. This is another chapter of that - becoming DPM." Seymour said he'd not sought - nor received - advice from his predecessor, saying Peters had taught by demonstration. "Some of those lessons, I'll take. Others I might leave with him." Winston Peters says he'll have more time to focus on his party's election campaign. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The NZ First leader said his role as deputy prime minister had been to "offer experience... in a environment where a lot of ministers were new". Peters said the privilege of the position also came with "serious constraints" including a heavier workload and limits around expression. "Speaking your mind is marvellous - but we're not in a free-think society here. We're in a coalition, and one should always remember it." With his duties reduced, Peters said he would now have more time to focus on NZ First's election campaign, with a series of roadshows - "not eating sausage rolls" - planned around the country. "We took the first turn [as DPM], not the second one," he said. "It works out like a charm." Peters also planned to ease back his relentless travel schedule as foreign minister, as previously signalled. He will be overseas at the time of the handover, visiting Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India. By his return, he will have visited 44 individual countries in the past 18 months. "We've slogged it out trying to make up for the massive deficit that we inherited... it was pretty exhausting, and in that sense, it is going to be less now." As for what his election campaign would look like, Peters said he had learned the "bitter lessons" of 2020 and would bypass the mainstream media to speak directly to hundreds of thousands of "forgotten New Zealanders" over the next 18 months. "This time, we're getting the firepower, the army ready," he said. "We are better prepared than we've ever been in this party's political career." And Peters made clear he would seek to avoid another handover of the deputy prime ministership next term. "If we'd have been given a fair go in the 2023 election, there'd be no need for a handover," Peters said. "It's our intention to remove any doubt next election." The exact date of the next election remains unset, though Labour has stirred mischief by raising the spectre of an early vote. Peters said he was "not really" preparing for that possibility: "You can never forecast any of those things, but our plan is the full term and stable government." Seymour also dismissed the idea his time as deputy prime minister could be cut short. "It's in absolutely nobody's interest - except perhaps the complete Looney Tunes in the Greens and Te Pāti Māori and their enablers in Labour. "There's only about 60 odd people in New Zealand - and they are odd people - who would benefit from an early election." Even Labour leader Chris Hipkins told RNZ he thought it unlikely: "Turkeys don't vote for an early Christmas."
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
It's time to take the UAE-UK relationship to the next level
Oliver Dowden is the MP for Hertsmere and former deputy prime minister of the UK
