Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills

EDITORIAL:
Yesterday morning, Chris Hipkins walked into this studio — and I knew immediately something wasn’t right.
Now I’ve interviewed Chris plenty of times, and I think I know him reasonably well.
Whatever you think of his politics, he’s normally extremely composed, extremely confident, and extremely hard to rattle.
Yesterday he looked rattled.
He looked pale and a bit shocked.
So before we went on air I said, “Are you okay?”
And then he looked me in the eye and it all came out.
He’d decided to walk down from Parliament to our studio to get some exercise.
On the way, a bloke in an SUV started yelling abuse at him.
Okay, shrugged his shoulders as he told me
The Herald actually witnessed part of this — the vehicle did a U-turn, followed Hipkins and a staff member, and the driver was yelling expletives and racial slurs.
Then Chris got a bit more concerned.
Now, hang on a minute.
This is Wellington.
This is our harbour.
This is New Zealand.
We’re talking about the Leader of the Opposition.
A former Prime Minister.
A man who led this country through part of the Covid period — one of the most divisive and angry periods we’ve experienced in modern New Zealand, probably New Zealand history.
And he can just walk around Wellington with no personal police protection?
Hipkins himself doesn’t want a security detail. I respect that.
He said yesterday he wants to live in a country where politicians can walk down the street.
So do I, so do you.
But maybe we don’t live in that country anymore.
And I’ll throw another question at you.
What if this had been a female politician?
If a prominent female politician was followed in a vehicle, confronted on the waterfront, threatened with being thrown into the harbour and then threatened with death, would we be treating this quite so casually?
I don’t think we would.
And yes, Hipkins says encounters like this are a small minority.
Parliament has increasingly had security threats against politicians that have risen since the pandemic.
They admit it’s changed.
But really yesterday should be a warning.
You know what’s happened overseas.
You don’t want to wait until somebody gets assaulted — or worse — before deciding the risk was real.
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Yesterday on the show, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said a man threatened to throw him in the harbour and later kill him, on the way to the interview.
Nick asks our politicians how the hate has changed over the years and do they feel safe in their position?
Is this behaviour now accepted as the norm?
The panel then face off over the social media bill and the speed at which it's moving.
Plus, the rates cap and are we spending enough on our hospitals?
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Labour Leader Chris Hipkins joined Nick Mills in the studio this morning for his monthly chat but was threatened by a man on the way to the interview.
Hipkins recounted the incident to Mills.
"We went onto the waterfront he clearly got out of his car and came and told me he was going to throw me into the harbour and as I walked away from him said he was going to kill me."
Hipkins said events like this happened “from time to time”.
They then discussed the big political news of the week, including rates caps, the social media ban and Labour's fiscal plan.
Plus, what would the Wellington amalgamation look like if Hipkins could choose?
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Kiwi singer-songwriter Mel Parsons joins Nick Mills on the show this morning to chat the huge success of her new album, upcoming tour and reflect on the impact of Dolly Parton in the industry.
Parson's newest album Castle Hill is her first to reach Number 1 in the New Zealand charts.
Nick finds out how she juggles raising four kids while touring? How has the industry changed over her career?
And after the passing of legend Dolly Parton, what is the legacy she leaves behind in not just the country genre but music as a whole?
She will perform Castle Hill and other hits at the Opera House in Wellington on Saturday September 5th. Get tickets on Ticketmaster NZ.
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Legendary New Zealand singer Jon Stevens brings his Noiseworks & INXS Collection Tour '26 to his hometown Wellington next month.
Jon is back performing hits from the legendary bands that catapulted him into Aussie Rock Royalty.
He joined Nick Mills to discuss his prominent career across the Tasman, and what fans can expect at next month's show.
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