Simeon Brown: National's energy spokesperson on National's plan to make plug-in solar panels available to Kiwis

The National Party is promising to get plug-in solar panels on the shelves early next year. If re-elected, they say you will be able to walk into Bunnings, Mitre 10, IKEA or the warehouse. You'll be able to pick up a plug-in panel within six months of the election. Simeon Brown is the National Party energy spokesperson, also their campaign chair. Hi, Simeon.

Good afternoon, Heather.

Are those shops going to be able to get enough stock in time?

Well, look, we're getting the rules changed and ultimately we want them to be able to retail them as quickly as possible. This is retailed around the world, particularly in Europe, where it's, I think, been legal for a number of years. I think about a million people in Germany have plug-in solar. It's on the shelves in Ikea over there. So we think this will be on the shelves within that timeframe.

Yeah, so easy enough for these guys to just get some of the stuff out of Europe, you think?

Absolutely. Absolutely. Put it in a container, get it on a ship, bring it out here and get it on the shelves. How

much is it going to cost?

I think the estimation is it's a couple thousand dollars for people to be able to buy the panels. I think $1,500, put a panel, they can plug it straight into their house. It's like as easy as putting a toaster or a kettle into the plug and then ultimately getting the free power of the sun to help lower your power bill.

Listen, why is your leader not getting better at these debates?

I think he did a great job last night.

You don't think he totally messed up that minimum wage answer?

No, I don't think so.

How did he not mess that up?

Well, look, I think the debate was for an hour and a half. There was a whole range of topics covered throughout the debate. I think he made the points really well around what national stands for, what we're doing, what we're delivering. He

said minimum wage was pegged to inflation. It's not. Inflation's 10%. Minimum wage is 5.5 over the last

three years. For half of it. And if you look at the What he made the point he was getting across was that if you look at when Labour was in government, it was going well above the rate of inflation. We've been putting it up as well. And by and large, we've also been cutting people's taxes. Does it kill you having to defend his

performance?

No, not at all. Look, it was one little, one moment. You're picking one moment in a debate. Yeah, the losing moment.

Like literally he lost the

debate at that moment. When I go onto the Herald website and I see how the thousands of viewers reacted, they backed Luxon. They think he did a great job. And look, we're out there campaigning every day saying party vote national to keep this country going in the right direction. Finish the job we've started. Stick to the plan. And I think that was the clear message from the prime minister last night.

Are you getting any pressure from your voters yet to rule opportunity in so you can form government? No. None?

No. I think the real clear message is party vote national. That's what we're saying to people. Party vote national so that we can continue to make the changes this country needs. We've been through some difficult and challenging times, and now is not the