The Hard Stuff With Nigel Latta - What Do Our Politicians Actually Do?

Politicians...I mean, they're disliked because they do a lot of crappy things. They do a lot of things that we disagree with, and...they are the targets of our anger.

– Political scientist Bryce Edwards is asked why people have a low opinion of politicians, at the start of this episode

They are a special subset of society. In a sense, maybe they are our ruling class, you know? And we don't have the deference to them that we used to have — which I think is good.

– Political scientist/commentator Bryce Edwards on politicians, at the start of this episode

Is it about public service? Is it ambition? Or is it about a desire for power?

– Nigel Latta wonders about the driving forces behind becoming a politician, near the start of this episode

Listen, people are suspicious of politicians; they'll always be suspicious of politicians. What I say is there's 121 people who are members of parliament in this current parliament. They are all driven to get here — no one gets to this place unless they're absolutely driven by ambition, and I think genuinely, a will to make this country better. Now there's a great variety of opinions about how to do that, and that's democracy at work.

– Speaker of the House David Carter

I'm uncomfortable with the pay I'm on. I'm also aware that bank CEOs are earning 4.1 million dollars a year. We're not the heart of the problem, but we are symbolic of inequality, and its harder to advocate strongly and get people's trust when they see you in a very unrelatable situation.

– Green Party List MP Jan Logie on earning around $150,000 per year

It's a wrought, as simple as that! So politicians get choose how legislation impacts the world, and they've chosen an exemption for themselves.

– Political scientist/commentator Bryce Edwards on the Official information Act not applying to politicians

It doesn't apply to the detail of what we’re doing, as far as the spend, and that sort of thing, but we actually are more transparent now than we've ever been. It's all credit cards, all receipts on what we’re claiming back — are all made public, and the media have a great time trawling through how much you paid for that cup of coffee.

– National Party MP Paula Bennett on politicians having to reveal information about their expenses

I think the vast bulk of people come here passionate about making New Zealand a better place. Quite a chunk of them are wrong in how they want to do that, but ... everyone's hearts, I think, are in the right place.

– Labour Party MP and Chief Whip Chris Hipkins discusses the motives behind becoming an MP

..when you wander round this place, it feels a bit like being lost in Hogwarts.

– Nigel Latta wanders around the Beehive

Democracy is about disagreement and argument, and if we didn't have disagreement and argument, then we may as well not have a democratic system. A benevolent dictatorship would be the most efficient form of government, but that's not what we want. We want a democratic system where there is a contest of ideas, where people actually get to choose every three years who they want to lead them and govern the country.

– Labour Party MP and Chief Whip Chris Hipkins

Well, if you want to listen to the answer, then just...zip it, sweetie, I'm getting there.

– National Party MP Paula Bennett in action in the debating chamber

There's no doubt that the media in this country has become more aggressive, and they’ve become particularly aggressive towards public figures and politicians. And I think that’s good and bad. It's obviously bad in the sense of the trivialisation of politics, and making it more about the gaffs and the slip ups of politicians. But it's also good that politicians are held to account, and I think they are more held to account by the media and the parliamentary press gallery than they used to be.

– Political scientist/commentator Bryce Edwards on New Zealand's media