A New Zealand politician can’t name a home grown novel but Kiwi artists are have always conquered the world | Elle Hunt

Government arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson's inability to name a New Zealand author for 20 minutes in an interview has rightfully raised eyebrows

Politicians are used to being asked tough questions - and voters are, by now, used to their stalling in response. Still, you might not imagine that name a New Zealand author" could ever be one of them - especially for a New Zealand politician holding an arts portfolio.

Yet that's exactly how the ACT party's arts spokesperson, Todd Stephenson, has surprised us, taking 20 minutes to name a single Kiwi author - or even a book - in an interview with Newsroom. In the quite remarkable exchange with Steve Braunias, Stephenson was blithely forthcoming about his limited experience of his portfolio: It's an area I'm wanting to learn more about."

Elle Hunt is a freelance journalist and writer