Where were you born and how old are you?
Wanganui, 63.
You are presently travelling overseas. Do you have any time for relaxation while on the road or is it all work, work, work?
On this trip, I’ve had dinner with an old friend in Washington, and lunch with another old friend in London. But apart from that, it is work, work, work! Even on long plane flights, I try to catch up on priority reading.
What do you miss most about New Zealand when you are away?
My wife and children – and the greenness of the New Zealand countryside.
Are you still washing your socks in your hotel room while travelling?
Yes, and underwear also. That typically takes about 60 seconds at the end of the day, and I resent paying as much to get those items laundered as they cost to buy new. My travel involves considerable cost to the taxpayer, most of it unavoidable. The least I can do is to wash my own socks, as I would do if I was paying for my own travel.
What’s the most useful thing to take with you on a business trip?
After my passport, the most useful thing without doubt is my laptop. I’d be lost without it.
What do you think New Zealanders could learn from Americans, if anything?
Too often, we New Zealanders are pessimistic and apathetic. Americans by contrast are almost always optimistic and energetic. We could learn from the Americans to be more optimistic – with the right government, we have a lot to be optimistic about!
Did you always have ambitions to be a politician?
No, but I always had a strong interest in politics and policies. I was not a member of any political party until just before contesting the East Coast Bays by-election in 1980, and remained a member of the National Party for only a few years at that point. The idea of again seeking election did not occur to me until shortly before I stood for National in the 2002 election.
What do you think of the culture of politics?
There is much about politics which I find hugely stimulating and challenging. But I don’t like the “tribalism” of it, where people in one party are expected to attack everything about every other party. There are some very important differences between the major political parties in New Zealand and I am very happy I am leader of the National Party, but there are also many aspects of policy on which both major parties substantially agree. And occasionally I say so!
Which political activist, living or dead, do you most admire?
Nelson Mandela. Any man who can devote his life to the liberation of his people and serve 27 years in gaol for his efforts, and then advocate forgiveness for his persecutors when he is released, has to be an extraordinary man of almost super-human qualities.
What do you do to relax?
I am tempted to ask how you spell the word, because there is virtually no time to relax in my current role! But I enjoy spending time with my children and grand-children, and find enormous satisfaction in those rare moments when I can work on my kiwifruit orchard.
Do you like hangis?
Not particularly – too much rich food for my taste!
What is the best book you’ve ever read?
A tough question! Probably Nelson Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom”.
What’s your favourite appliance in the home?
It’s a toss-up between my laptop, without which I’d be lost, and the refrigerator – I am an ice-cream fanatic.
Are you hassled by women a lot, in terms of fan-mail etc?
I’m afraid not!
Are you a domestic god who likes to cook?
Nope, my efforts in the kitchen are lamentably limited. My best effort is scrambled eggs!
If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
Let me be a kiwifruit instead! That is more like me: not much to look at on the outside, but surprisingly nutritious and good (even to look at!) on the inside.
What do you want to be doing in 20 years time?
By that time, I’ll be 83. I hope I’ll be in good health, contemplating a New Zealand which is in good heart, watching my children continue to grow in maturity, and enjoying light work on my kiwifruit orchard with my wife.
Copyright © 2024 Don Brash.