“Give Us a Rocket Ship and We’ll Take You to the Moon” | Hon Mark Patterson

Hon Mark Patterson is New Zealand First's Minister for Rural Communities and Associate Minister of Agriculture, and the party's candidate for Taieri. Before entering politics, Patterson was a farmer who went from advocating for farmers through Federated Farmers to being a minister as part of the current coalition government. We get into what surprised him most about the transition from lobbying government to being in government, what farming taught him about solving problems, and the biggest challenges he's faced as a minister. We also discuss the cost of living, housing and tertiary education, including what Patterson thinks young New Zealanders need from the government as they graduate from university and enter the workforce. Also covered: New Zealand First's priorities for the election, the party's approach to young people and why MMP is so important to NZ First, how the government can create more opportunities outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and what Dunedin and the Taieri need to do to retain young people after university. We also ask what the region's biggest economic opportunity is over the next decade, what Wellington overlooks about the Taieri, and how voters in the electorate should approach local and party votes to give NZ First the best chance of returning to government. Chapters: 0:00 Cost of living: "We're being farmed" by the gentailers, supermarkets, and banks 2:14 Use it or lose it: will a block of butter be any cheaper? "No" 3:37 Why National hasn't picked it up, and what would actually cut the price of butter 5:25 Is home ownership, a family, and independence out of reach for young people? 6:46 Merit-based med school entry, rural pathways, and bonding doctors to the regions 9:47 Universities vs trades, fees-free recycled into apprenticeships, and AI eating entry-level jobs 11:41 NZ First on AI: data centres must "bring their own energy" 12:47 A dam? A coal plant? Plus AI in classrooms, and does he use it? 14:49 Data centres on the Tiwai Point lines: the nail in the coffin? 16:00 Taieri: 1,443-vote majority, 3,069 votes, and Winston's split-vote call 18:05 Dunedin Hospital: who does a list MP actually work for? 20:04 Behind closed doors, and the pathology lab: "a rounding error" 21:13 Happiest city, lowest wages: "Dunedin is a bit lazy" 24:31 The city vs the hinterland: should rural Dunedin get its own council? 26:32 If he were 20 again: the primary sector and a small business tax cut 28:09 What sets NZ First apart, and the pitch: "Give us a rocket ship"