Paula Bennett: ‘I went into mum mode’ - the day I broke up a fight

Paula Bennett at Parliament in 2019. Photo / Mark Mitchell

As we say goodbye to 2022 and welcome in 2023, it’s a good time to catch up on the very best of the Herald columnists we enjoyed reading over the last 12 months. From politics to sport, from business to entertainment and lifestyle, these are the voices and views our audience loved the most. Today it’s the top five from Paul Bennett.

‘I went into mum mode’ - the day I broke up a fight - October 23

In January 2009 I broke up a fight between around 30 youths outside Henderson Mall. I don’t think I would do that now.

I had been in my Henderson electorate office. It was still school holidays and I was there by myself catching up on some work. John Key called and asked me to look into subsidising school holiday programmes for people who couldn’t afford them.

I liked the idea and thought I would take a walk in the sunshine, think about it and go and get some lunch at the local mall.

As I walked towards the mall I saw a large gathering of young people. There was tension in the air and there was pushing and shoving. That soon turned to punches being thrown.

I saw retailers locking their doors with customers huddling inside and looking genuinely scared. I felt really angry and without thinking about it too much ran into the middle of the fight and started shouting at them to stop and tried to separate them. In the few seconds it took me to get there I told myself not to physically touch any of the kids (they were about 15 to 20 years old), not to swear and to try not to get hit myself.

I was trying to separate them and then realised that I didn’t know who was against who and the fighting was continuing. So I went into mum mode and pointed a finger at them individually and forcefully told them to sit down exactly where they were. And they did.

Read the full story here.

Burp tax will take meat, dairy off the family table - October 16

At a time when New Zealanders are struggling more than I have ever seen, this Government has decided it is a good time to put in policy that will increase food prices. The extra charges they are proposing to put on to farmers to supposedly mitigate methane emissions (animal burps) will mean one thing for sure. Prices of meat and dairy will go up.

They explain with enthusiasm that this will mean that our high-quality produce will be in more demand around the world and we can get premium prices. Great for those who can afford it but there are so many fish hooks it is hard to know where to start.

Our premium price for quality meat and dairy will go up, but other countries that are not as efficient or don’t care as much about the environment are likely to increase production and fill the gap. So the planet misses out as worldwide emissions won’t decrease, just NZ might look better.

Our farmers are the best in the world. The most emission efficient. They produce the best quality product and work tirelessly to fence off waterways and plant trees. They need to be supported as the backbone of our economy and rural communities. Not have increased costs for no real advantage to decreasing the effects of climate change.

Read Paul Bennett’s full column here

Weight loss scam using my image and name targets the insecure - September 11

I am being scammed. Actually, it is worse than that. My endorsement, image and name are being used to scam others. People are handing over hundreds of dollars because I have supposedly endorsed a weight loss product.

I have spoken many times and have written about my weight loss experience in this column before. After many years of being overweight and, unfortunately, my weight going up not down I had weight loss surgery. It is a lifetime commitment and is not an easy answer.

I am an ambassador for a company called SRW Laboratories and I do attribute a portion of my wellness to their products. Before signing a contract, I investigated the company thoroughly – I was proud to put my name alongside theirs.

The company which is illegally using me to convince others to go for a “quick fix” weight loss solution knows exactly what it is doing. It has uploaded the most flattering and not-so-flattering images of me to show what this so-called miracle product has done. It has written a long endorsement telling a completely fabricated story about my life and what this product did to save me.

At first, I didn’t think anyone would believe it. Then I remembered how insecure being overweight made me. How I desperately looked for answers and beat myself up daily for the poor choices I made and my lack of self-control. The company is completely playing on people’s vulnerabilities. It is cruel and I am genuinely sorry for those who have been taken in by it.

Read the full story here

It’s time the Government listened to the people - September 25

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson stated in September that he believes that threats and abuse towards politicians have increased. I’m not out there anymore so I don’t have first-hand knowledge, but have been talking to a few journalists and other MPs who say it does seem a bit more organised and that there are some people who really want to disrupt and are abusive.

Threats and abuse are not new – but they might seem that way to the current government. For the first few years of a new Labour Government the country went through what was called “Jacindamania”. No one would dare criticise her, including the media.

Then we had Covid and the Prime Minister was held up as some kind of saint who was saving our lives. Again, no one dared criticise her.

The blinkers have now come off for many. They feel lied-to. They feel cheated. All the promises, all the words about improving everything from child poverty to housing to crime to cost of living have come to nothing. In fact, we are substantially worse off. Yes, people are angry and they don’t feel they are being listened to.

Read the full piece here

A live example of how to bounce back - November 12

This week I literally bounced. I call my resilience bounce. When life has sent me a blow or I am too much in my own head, it is the ability to bounce back that gets me through.

I was a keynote speaker for a corporate. Had only been on stage for a few minutes and, in my energetic, adrenalin-pumping way, went to fast-walk to the other side of the stage to engage the audience I couldn’t see due to a pillar - and I fell through the stage.

Legs in the air, my whole body through a hole that was in the stage around the pillar. Down I went, to gasps from the audience. After a quick analysis in my head that I was not hurt, I bounced back.

Ironically, it worked well. I was speaking on adapting to change and building resilience. Nothing like a live example.

Read the full story here