Colin Ambler/cvnznews.com
Paul Henry’s campaign trail took a delightfully odd turn this week when the high‑profile broadcaster‑turned‑Act list candidate wandered into a country pub near Dannevirke and immediately apologised for ordering a house red.
Henry arrived at the Black Dog Tavern in Makotuku at midday, greeted by around 60 locals who looked ready for a yarn, a beer, and possibly a bit of political theatre. The pub’s owner, Brendon Wilson, had invited him personally — Wilson being no stranger to controversy after hosting a book‑burning event earlier this year. Henry made it clear he preferred democracy to bonfires, but he wasn’t surprised some people had shown up to that spectacle.
The event was billed as a casual meet‑and‑greet, but Henry, spotting a crowd hungry for more than small talk, climbed onto the floorboards and launched into Act’s core principles: smaller government, less debt, more economic grunt, and “one rule for all”. He did so, somewhat unintentionally, while standing beneath a Confederate flag — a detail he didn’t seem to notice, but the crowd certainly did.
Questions flowed: genetic engineering, AI ethics, data centres, cancer treatment, welfare reform. Henry answered them all with gusto, pausing only once to laugh at himself. “God, I can talk, can’t I?”
One supporter declared Henry had given “more hope to New Zealand than anybody else”, prompting Henry to promise he was “absolutely committed” to two full terms in Parliament if elected.
He didn’t hold back on other parties either, calling TOP “dishonest socialists” and suggesting the Greens’ list candidates were “barely people”. He even waded into American politics, arguing the United States should have simply let Donald Trump “do what he wanted” in his first term.
After finishing his wine, posing for selfies, and snapping a photo of Wilson with an empty yard glass — a cheeky nod to the pub’s recent licensing drama — Henry headed back on the road.
He said he was campaigning hard because waking up on November 8 to a Labour government would “kill” him. And with that, he was gone, leaving the Black Dog crowd buzzing and the house red officially forgiven.
