Stuart Nash backs his 90% vaccine gamble to pay out

Stuart Nash, who has backed his confidence in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout with a wager involving two cases of wine. Photo / File

Napier MP Stuart Nash reckons he always wins his high-profile bets with Opposition MP Mark Mitchell and NewstalkZB breakfast show host Mike Hosking. Trouble is, he reckons they never pay-up.

But he's determined to collect on his latest wager made on the trio's weekly Wednesday on-air spot, upping the ante from the usual bottle of wine to a case each to recognise his confidence that 90 per cent of the eligible population will be vaccinated against Covid by the end of the year.

He told Hawke's Bay Today a few hours later that he doesn't know a lot about gambling, and doesn't dabble on the horses, for example.

He only tackles the things he knows about, and the ones on which he's confident he's right, which includes an unusual faith in the Opposition.

"No handshakes," he said. "Our word is good enough. I will be well stocked-up for Christmas."

His offer is always Hawke's Bay wine. In Hosking's case, it "has to be Craggy Range".

On the fringes of the political arena, he does have an annual inter-provincial bragging-rights wager with Finance Minister Grant Robertson on Hawke's Bay Magpies games against the Wellington Lions, a Bunnings Warehouse NPC game this year currently scheduled to be played in Wellington on September 26.

"When the Magpies play Wellington it used to be different, but the way's Hawke's Bay are playing now I can be 75 per cent certain," he said.

Nash, the Economic and Regional Development Minister, backed his confidence on-air by telling Hosking that with just 26 deaths from Covid New Zealand was a world leader, and he was confident it could also lead on vaccinations too.

The Government has committed to providing enough vaccines for every New Zealander by the end of the year, and says it is in confidential negotiations with other countries to get hold of more Pfizer vaccines sooner than October, when a large shipment is due.

Nash said: "I'd urge everybody to get vaccinated – for their health, not because I want to win my bet."