What the Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand say about “Bad Employees” – David Seymour

Marti sits down with David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Leader of the ACT Party, inside the Beehive. David opens up about his background in an electrical contracting family, learning early on that “you come in at the end of the job when most of the screw-ups are already made.”

They discuss the “unbalanced relationship” of current employment laws, where employers face massive risks just to part ways with underperforming staff. David explains why he believes “no one really knows very much” and why the government needs to stop promising to build 100,000 houses and start letting businesses use “trial and error” to succeed. He also shares the success of Charter Schools (like Vanguard) and why removing rigid union contracts was the key to their performance.

🕒 Timestamped Key Points

• [01:42] Background: Recovering electrical engineer in a contracting family
• [02:00] The reality of construction: “Copper prices” and “screw-ups”
• [03:05] The philosophy: “No one really knows very much”
• [04:44] Winning power without promising “other people’s money”
• [10:26] Charter Schools: Why Vanguard Military School works
• [13:15] Union contracts vs. Accountability: The Anzac Day example
• [21:37] The “Bad Relationship”: Why firing someone costs $20k
• [22:09] Why more security for employees means fewer job choices
• [26:18] Government as a “Better Owner”: Do we need to own a radio station?
• [33:12] Why governments fail when they try to “pick winners”