ACT Party candidate Paul Henry has stated he has “not a racist bone” in his body while defending his candidacy and the party’s position on the Treaty Principles Bill. Speaking on Q+A on Sunday, the veteran broadcaster addressed his past controversies and his rationale for entering politics five days after announcing his bid for Parliament.
Addressing past broadcasting controversies
During the interview, host Jack Tame questioned Henry on a notorious incident from his broadcasting career, in which he suggested a New Zealand-born governor general did not look or sound like a New Zealander. When asked if that history conflicted with his current political platform of equal treatment regardless of race, Henry urged a move away from the topic.
“You will recall at the time that I apologised, the apology was accepted,” Henry said. “The apology was decades ago. Can we not move on from it?” He characterized his long career as a broadcaster—which included three hours of live television, five days a week—as a “very fine line” that occasionally led to mistakes. He reiterated that he had apologized for the incident at the time.
Views on the Treaty Principles Bill and political philosophy
Henry defended the ACT Party’s Treaty Principles Bill, which was voted down, despite acknowledging that the principles defined in the bill may differ from the actual text of the Treaty. He described the bill as an “absolute success” in terms of public reaction, arguing its only failure was the final vote.
Explaining his motivation for entering politics, Henry said he wanted to restore an “aspirational vibe” to New Zealand, similar to the country he experienced as a child. He pushed back against the suggestion that the egalitarianism of that era was a result of government policy, favoring instead a model where individuals are not handed “an excuse for not performing.” He expressed concern that current expectations lean too heavily on the state to care for citizens from “cradle to the grave.”
Stance on domestic media and tech giants
The candidate, who served for one year on the board of national broadcaster TVNZ, addressed the issue of foreign tech giants capturing advertising revenue that previously supported domestic outlets. While Henry acknowledged it was “not fair” that such firms funnel revenue offshore, he declined to propose immediate legislation.
“I’m not going to create policy on the hoof,” Henry said, noting that the issue requires careful thought rather than “draconian policy.” He suggested that advertisers should reconsider the value of international platforms and shift more investment back to domestic television. When asked if he would advocate for the ACT party to move its own advertising budget away from platforms like Google and Facebook, Henry indicated it was “certainly something that I am interested in.”
Future of the campaign
As Henry is not contesting an electorate, his path to Parliament relies on his party ranking.
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