12 questions with Katherine Rich

An interesting 12 questions with Katherine Rich:

3. Was there, and is there still, sexism in the House?
Yes, but you’d strike that anywhere. Just think about the way politics is reported. I’ve never seen a “Battle of the Babes” sort of headline for any electoral battle between male candidates or seen them described with words like feisty, perky or shrill.

Very true.

4. How did you cope with that?
I can’t think of any recent example, but years ago I’d deal with issues with either a sense of humour or by choosing battles. Sometimes I’d be less patient or polite. Although I would, of course, never resort to violence, I did tell one colleague who patted my pregnant tummy too many times that if he did it again I would punch him on the nose. I said it with a smile, but with sufficient firmness that he didn’t do it again.

Heh, I wonder who it was?

8. Your role at the Food and Grocery Council can be a controversial one, especially when you are opposing food campaigners on issues such as food labelling and salt. Are you doing God’s work?
I don’t see it as controversial. I see it more as providing the other side to a lot of grocery industry discussions. You’d be surprised but many shock/horror stories about the food and grocery industry aren’t true. I don’t doubt the sincerity of those who call for fat taxes, bans, salt regulation or all sorts of different warning labels, but many ideas are completely unworkable. A fat tax in New Zealand would raise the price of cheese and butter, so support for these ideas falls away when Kiwis understand the implications. There’s only so much salt, fat and sugar that can be removed from a product before [it] tastes like cardboard. Eating a healthy diet and moderation in all things is something I talk about a lot.

I love that quote I have bolded.

12. Will you always be a Tory?
I’m a centre-right thinker and I did vote Labour in ’87 – my first vote – when they were the more centre-right party.

I voted Labour in 1987 also.