Paula Bennett and Kerre Woodham on the first episode of Ask Me Anything. Photo / NZ Herald
Paula Bennett and Kerre Woodham on the first episode of Ask Me Anything. Photo / NZ Herald
Paula Bennett has held many job titles during her career - most notably serving as an MP, Minister and eventually Deputy Prime Minister during her 15 years in Parliament - but her latest project has her teaming up with the NZ Herald on her new podcast, Ask Me Anything.
Each Sunday, Bennett will sit down with a different guest from all walks of life to share stories and advice from their life journeys that can help listeners on their own paths.
For her first guest, Bennett is joined by radio legend and Newstalk ZB morning host Kerre Woodham to discuss parenting, broadcasting, and how to be opinionated.
Asked if she cares what people think of her views, Woodham's answer was simple: 'No'.
"I don't, because it is only that, just an opinion," she said, elaborating that even when talking to her mother and daughter and disagreeing with them, it doesn't matter as they are entitled to their own opinions as well.
"Most people don't care that much about a lot of things, cause it's exhausting, caring passionately all the time about everything.
''So I can be persuaded otherwise to another point of view, if your argument's cogent and relevant and intelligent and I think. 'Yeah. Okay. That's really interesting'."
Kerre Woodham was one of the contestants on this year's Dancing with the Stars. Photo / Supplied
Woodham says life is too short and there are too many interesting people to talk to, that she doesn't care when people choose to portray her as one thing or misconstrue what she has said.
"They will always cast you as they want to see you as some heartless, right-wing b****, who doesn't give a damn about the vulnerable, and if that's the way they want to perceive you, then that's absolutely fine.
''If they want to perceive you as a blonde haired bimbo, well, fill your boots, cause I know what I am and I know who I am, and your opinion really doesn't count."
Bennett agreed, reflecting on her own time in politics. "There's just some people you would start to engage, and you just think, it wouldn't matter what I say, wouldn't matter how I say it, you have already absolutely made up your mind that I'm the most evil person in the world and there's nothing I can do and I can't be bothered."
"And if you're going to be that tribal, then it's a sign of really, really low intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence because people are nuanced," Woodham added.
''Nobody is one thing or the other."
Bennett and Woodham also discuss their journeys as parents, having both raised their daughters on their own for a time, and reflected on how much of the confidence building in teenagers comes from how their parents can handle those key moments.
"I remember asking a policeman when my daughter was about 14 or something, 'what's the one piece of advice you'd give to a parent who's about to go into these tumultuous teenage years?'" Bennett recalled.
"And he said, 'you're going to get one chance. She's going to reach out to you when she makes a mistake, and how you react to that is whether she'll ring you next'. So it's not if she's going to make a mistake, it's whether she tells you and whether and how you react."
Woodham said that she faced that moment herself when calling her parents to tell them she was pregnant, something that she had dreaded, as her Catholic father had previously said to not bother coming home if she was pregnant.
"When I did find out I was pregnant, I rang mum on a Friday night, cause I knew dad would be at the club and I got dad.
"He said 'is everything alright?'. And then I just blurted it out. 'I'm pregnant and I'm really happy about it, and if you don't ever want to see me again, I understand'.
''And he said, 'why would you say that?'.
"You said, when I was little 'don't ever come home if you're pregnant', and there was a pause, he said, 'well, then what a stupid thing to say to my daughter. I love you. What do you need?' And that informs your relationships, doesn't it, when you know that people have got your back?"
Listen to the full podcast above for more from Paula and Kerre.
• Ask Me Anything is a NZ Herald podcast, hosted by Paula Bennett. New episodes are out every Sunday.
