It is media studies day at Kia Kaha Primary School!
Ms Barry says,
We are going to watch a TV interview where people try to draw a line under something.
She says,
When you want people to stop talking about something, you say, âI am drawing a line under this.â
Amelia says to Miss Barry,
Miss, I don't get it when people say that.
Why, Amelia? asks Ms Barry.
Amelia says,
Well, it makes it sound like once you draw a line under something you won't be able to see it any more. But, like, I have a picture I drew in my exercise book of our cat being sick on the carpet. I could draw a line under it, but you would still see the cat and the sick.
Ms Barry says,
thatâs a good point, Amelia.
Ms Barry says,
Anyway today we are going to watch an interview with the new leader of the opposition and his new deputy. Can anyone tell me their names?
No-one has their hand up.
No one knows.
That is the problem when you keep drawing a line under your leader of the opposition and picking a new one.
Ms Barry presses PLAY
There is a man and a lady sitting in a garden in their smart clothes.
They are in the middle of the roses.
But they have not stopped to smell them.
They are here to push the reset button and be ambitious for New Zealand!
There are people walking past.
They stop when they see that they are on the TV.
Then they start walking faster in case they are completely ruining everything.
There are ducks too.
The ducks don't care about completely ruining the TV.
They don't care at all about making a filthy smelly mess all over the place.
It can be fun to be a duck!
It is a funny coincidence too.
Because if the TV had done this interview last week, we would have seen the last leader of the opposition not caring about making a mess all over the place either!
But now there is a line underneath her.
The new leader has a shiny head.
He looks just like Kyleâs dad and Jennaâs dad and Calebâs dad and Moana's dad.
This is a thing that everyone's dad does now so that they won't look old.
Even though it doesnât really work.
It can be hard to tell who you are looking at when the dads come to pick you up after school.
Hello Jenna,
says the new leader to the TV lady,
I am Mr Luxon. You can call me Chris because I am super friendly and nice, not like the last one.
Hello Jenna, says the new deputy leader to the TV lady, I am Mr. Luxon's deputy. You can call him Chris, it is my job to smile even if the ducks walk all over my nice shoes and make a terrible mess.
Chris says,
we are here to draw a line and answer any questions at all you just absolutely go for your life knock yourself out I'm not afraid of hard work.
Jenna says,
Okay I have a question about the right to life debate.
Chris says,
I don't want to talk about that.
Ms Barry presses pause. She says,
who can tell me what just happened?
Caleb says,
Miss, I think the man who looks like Kyle and Jenna and Moanaâs dad tried to draw another line.
Very good Caleb, says Ms Barry,
hands up who thinks it worked?
No one puts their hand up.
Ms Barry pushes PLAY again.
Now they are talking about houses.
Chris will like this!
Chris has seven of them!!
He must know the answer to any question you could ask about houses!
Jenna the TV lady asks,
So how much capital gain have you made in total over those seven properties in the past year?
Chris smiles and says,
Gosh I have no idea at all.
Chris thinks he is being modest and polite about having lots of money.
But Jenna from the TV doesn't seem to have noticed.
Why has she not noticed?
Maybe it is because she has read that Chris has made about $90,000 a week in capital gains on his seven properties.
Maybe it is because she is thinking that if you were a nurse you would have to work for 50 years to be paid what Chrisâ houses have paid him this year.
Jenna the TV lady says,
It's quite a privileged position to come from to not know how much money your investment portfolio is making isn't it?
Chris looks a little bit sad that she does not want to know how ambitious he is for New Zealand.
Chris says,
I get what youâre saying, you're going to attack me for being successful.
Nicola the deputy is nodding and smiling.
It is hard to tell if she is nodding because she agrees with everything Chris is saying or because if she stops smiling people will get the wrong idea.
Ms Barry presses PAUSE.
She says,
who can tell me what just happened?
Georgia puts up her hand. She says,
Miss, I think the man just said that if you decide to be a nurse and don't make enough to afford a house you're not really being successful.
Ms Barry says,
Very good Georgia. Does that sound all that fair to you?
Georgia says,
No miss.
Ms Barry says,
Letâs see if he has an idea to make things more fair.
She presses PLAY.
Jenna from the TV says:
How about a capital gains tax to, you know, maybe help make things more fair for people who are being unsuccessful nurses? Would you do that?
Chris says,
We are very clear we don't need a capital gains tax.
Chris says,
What I can tell you is we do have a housing problem here in New Zealand.
It's a big challenge but you've got to stop talking about it and do something about it.
Nicola the deputy is nodding.
She is nodding in a way that says,
that is totally what I think too.
Ms Barry presses PAUSE.
She says,
who can tell me what just happened?
Grace says,
Is this like one of those things you say that makes it sound like you have an idea even if you don't really?
Ms Barry says,
I think you might be right Grace.
Ms Barry asks the class,
What do you think they could do to make people feel like maybe they do have an idea after all?
Moana says,
I dunno Miss but maybe don't just keep drawing lines?
