The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Australia's proving to be an attractive proposition for Kiwi nurses. Almost 8,000 have jumped the Tasman in the past year. They're part of the more than 9,000 health workers approved to work in Australia under the trans-Tasman legislation in 2022/23. College of Nurses Executive Director, Kate Weston, told Mike Hosking that they're increasingly seeing New Zealand nursing registration open doors internationally. She says a nurse may register to work here, but never actually end up doing so. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several things out of the PISA results in our schools that didn’t get covered properly yesterday. Firstly, the most eye-opening headline that sums it all up: ‘NZ records worst ever PISA international test results, amid global decline’. Worst ever... think about that and what it tells you. Then, turns out, our results were most likely higher than they actually are because our participation rate was so abysmal. In other words, their thinking is those that did take part were from more successful schools so the numbers such as they are skew higher. The most worrying thing for me personally, was the fact that when you crunch the results it turns out there are fewer kids doing really well, and more kids doing really badly. So we are in the midst of a proportional shift. And by way of comparison, Singapore, also a small island nation with 5 million people, turns out to be, yet again, at the top of the pile in every single category. How is it a similar sized country in similar circumstances gets such a disproportionate result? Then ask yourself this: given the entire world went down, and it was due in part to Covid, why isn't Covid and its approach a major part of our Covid inquiry? Who cares how the jab got rolled out and how many hospital beds were occupied when an entire generation of kids has been hobbled educationally because they couldn’t go to school, and those that did, did so in a gerrymandered-online kind of fashion. The critical decisions around tech support, the variation in quality of teaching during lockdowns, the length of the lockdowns in places like Auckland all had a material, potentially lifelong effect on hundreds of thousands of young New Zealanders, and what part is that part playing in the inquiry? The answer is none. It’s scandal piled upon scandal. We can hide a bit, if you want, behind the fact everyone sank, but that’s the mediocrity part of all this. The simple fact is we are failing and failing badly. The system needs major overhaul and yet the establishment, from teachers, to unions, to previous governments defends it and, at best, tinkers with it. Apply it to your own life: The worst, fill in the gap, ever. The worst what? Job, decision, risk, plan... The worst thing you ever did or made, would you accept that for yourself? And yet we do for our kids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While a lot of attention may have been on Liam Lawson this year, he’s not the only kiwi making waves overseas. Twenty-year-old Callum Hedge is New Zealand’s most successful driver of 2023, winning both the Carrera Cup Porche Championship and the Formula Regional America’s Cup Championship in the US. Next year Hedge is competing in the Indy NXT series, the feeder series into the IndyCar big leagues. He told Mike Hosking that it’s going to be difficult to perform at his best, especially coming from a different discipline, but he’s looking forward to the challenge. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's being suggested there aren't as many vegetarians in our midst as first thought. New research from Auckland University's School of Population Health shows the number of New Zealanders who follow a strictly vegetarian diet is just 2%, and vegan is even lower at 1%. Previously, market research suggested the number of vegetarians was around 20%. Lead Author Dr Kathryn Bradbury told Mike Hosking that the finding isn't a surprise, as she'd thought the figures were way too high. She says if you look at countries similar to us, the number of vegetarians is usually less than 5%. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is keen to progress the implementation of his ten year budget. The ten year budget will go out for a month of consultation in February. Brown says central government has crushed local government for too long, and imposed consultation on them when they hardly do it themselves. He told Mike Hosking that there are also councillors standing in the way of proposals like his port operations lease, despite public support. Brown says there are councillors who have made a long career of saying no to everything. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'He's the man that's there': Police union boss coy on Coster's suitability -Jamie Lyth, NZ Herald As the new Government makes its expectations for Police clear, the performance of Commissioner Andrew Coster has come into question - with the Police Association describing him as “the man that’s there”. Last night, National’s new Police Minister Mark Mitchell publicly released a letter of expectations he had agreed to with Coster. The letter sets out National’s key policies, including those in its first 100 days plan, including gang patch bans and law changes to give police more search powers and stop gang members associating with each other. Mitchell said earlier today that he has full confidence in Coster, despite his past criticism. But Police Association President Chris Cahill did not give such an endorsement when asked by Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking whether Coster was still “the man for the job”. Cahill responded with: “Well he’s the man that’s there and we’ve got to move on.” Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Commissioner of Police Andrew Coster. Photo / Alex Burton On the letter itself and the expectations from the new minister, Cahill said he expected mostly positive reactions from ground-level staff. “I think most frontline cops will be on board with the reset in focus. “I think they’ll be very enthusiastic, it’s pretty clear now what they want is to get out there and put some pressure on criminals and put some pressure on crime.” Cahill said the letter showed police were being asked to work less in the prevention area, and more in direct response. “I think you can’t say that Andrew Coster didn’t have ideas around the prevention space and long-term changes. “What he’s been told now is that he’s got to focus on the here and now, so I think it’s pretty clear in that letter of expectation that that’s what he’s got to focus on.” Cahill said the ideas in the letter were good in theory but police need more resources to achieve the goals set out. “The challenge, of course, is who is going to do all of this if we’re losing cops to Australia.” Hosking mentioned that the coalition deal promised 500 more police officers, but Cahill said he wasn’t sure what this would look like in reality. “We’d like to see that word extra, rather than just new. “We already get 450 new [officers] a year, so that needs to be clarified that it’s extra, not just new.” Cahill said police need government organisations to do their job in the crime prevention area so police can focus on responding to crime. “I want to see the letter of expectations going to the CEO of Health [NZ], the CEO of Oranga Tamariki because they’ve got to step in and do their job because it can’t just be police.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drought and war plaguing the world's main maritime trade routes is disrupting the global supply chain. A severe drought around the Panama Canal since June has had ships reroute to the Suez Canal, where congestion is building. Combined with attacks in the Red Sea area over the weekend, higher costs and delays are likely on the horizon. Custom Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation chief executive, Sherelle Kennelly told Mike Hosking that the impact this will have on New Zealanders has yet to be determined. She says it will drive importers and exporters to build an extra lead time for their cargo. What impact that will have on additional costs, Sherelle Kennelly says, is variable right now. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Mitchell says he has confidence in Police Commissioner Andrew Coster and is looking forward to working with him. The new Police Minister has made public a letter he wrote to Coster outlining his focuses. Mitchell says he's keen to put Coster's approach under Labour in the past. He told Mike Hosking that much of what he criticised him for was actually because of who was in Government. Mitchell says it was Labour's responsibility for policy Mitchell was against, like reducing prison populations and removing three strikes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The investigation is underway as to how Treasury advice was leaked around the Fair Pay Agreements. One headline suggested the Government were shaken by it. I wonder if that is slightly overstating the case, but you would at least be surprised that something like this happened so soon after the country decided you were “it” for the next three years. But then, this is what we see at a change of Government. There are people who don’t like what happened at the election, just as there are people that don’t like what happened at every election. In a way it's another of those weird outcomes of MMP, despite the fact the result was very clear, and we wanted the old lot out and a new lot in. You just don’t know in detail what that new lot are going to deliver. This time especially, given it’s a three-way deal for the first-time involving Cabinet responsibility, you get the mix of three lots of thinking. The irony though, when it comes to the FPA's and the leak, is several fold. The most significant bit is that none of the parties now in Government campaigned to retain FTA's, so you can't have it both ways. You can't vote for change then be surprised when change comes. A lot of the coalition document does actually have a commonality in thinking about it. Yes, the foreign house buyer idea of National got shelved and yes, ACT's Treaty vote only gets to go to select committee. That's the headline stuff. The meat and potatoes, the bulk of what this Government will do, comes with three-way universal agreement. As for Treasury, we must remember they are but a Government department. They are often wrong and, most important to remember, all Governments have and do take advice and not automatically act on it. So, when the media breathlessly trumpets this as some sort of scandal, they conveniently choose to forget this has happened many, many, many times before, including very often with the last Government, and if you took the advice each and every time you could ask why Treasury aren't in fact running the country. Why do we need a Government? The advice must be treated as a whole. The specific advice the unions are pedalling was that the lower paid would get more money, and that is true. But there is a cost to that. It's called a deficit, it's called debt, and it's called inflation. The last Government handed out money for no return like it was water and look where that got us. You don’t need to be in Treasury to work that out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s support from the other side of the House for the new Speaker. National's Gerry Brownlee took up the role yesterday as the new Government and Opposition were sworn in for their first term. Fellow Christchurch MP, Labour's Megan Woods, told Mike Hosking that Brownlee's love for the business of the House will work in this favour. She's worked closely with Brownlee over the years and is sure he'll be able to make the switch. The Police Minister is confident it wasn't a cabinet member who leaked a confidential cabinet paper. The paper, which was for Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden, was leaked to Newshub and related to the repeal of fair pay agreements. MBIE has launched an investigation into the leak. Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking that that's a good step. He says if someone isn't being a team player something needs to be done about it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data shows building activity is down 2.3% on the last quarter. Naylor Love Chief Executive Rick Herd blames the drop on a decrease in commercial property activity due to the high cost of building. He told Mike Hosking that a lot of the private development work that was happening previously is on hold, as developers wait for interest rates to drop. But the total building value is $9.3 billion, up slightly on the same period last year. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes that new research will help boost the Coromandel's tourism. The region has now been scientifically proven to be good for the soul, with participants reporting significant improvements in wellbeing and happiness. It's also welcoming news for the peninsula after bearing the brunt of extreme weather at the start of the year. But Destination Hauraki Coromandel General Manager Hadley Dryden says it's still been business as usual for international visitors. He says when State Highway 25A opens it's likely to get the boost from the domestic market heading to their favourite haunts. That's due to open by December 20. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shane Jones says he's going to be taking Te Pati Māori's recent actions to the new Speaker. Te Pati Māori MPs defied tradition at Parliament's opening ceremony yesterday by swearing allegiance to both Te Tiriti and their mokopuna, as well as King Charles III. The New Zealand First MP told Mike Hosking that if it's good enough for Winston Peters and himself to follow the letter of the law and swear allegiance to the King, its good enough for Te Pati Māori. Jones believes they've contravened section 11 of the Constitution Act, and he will be speaking to Gerry Brownlee. He says he's also unhappy with the imagery the party used to organise recent protests. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Parnell sewer leak in Auckland also caused a flow-on effect of about $3 million in lost social and environment costs per day. A massive sinkhole opened up on St George’s Bay Road in September, spewing millions of litres of raw sewage into the Waitemata Harbour every day. The Institute of Economic Research says the total cost of the 50-day spillage ranges between $50 million and $166 million. Lead author Michael Bealing told Mike Hosking that part of it is lost recreation in the harbour. He says that was determined by surveys of people's activities there. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Woolworths New Zealand's revelation of a 52% drop in profits is being labelled a 'PR fudge'. The multi-national supermarket giant reported a $76 million profit for this year. Monopoly Watch financial analyst Tex Edwards told Mike Hosking that this just means gross profits are up $76 million. He says, essentially, there's an increase, not in operational costs, but in transfer of costs to Australia. Edwards says Woolworths' profit margins are still approximately three times more than those of other supermarket companies internationally. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Different ideas on the best way to change falling PISA scores. Education Minister Erica Stanford says the declines in reading, writing, and maths are disappointing, but entirely predictable. She says we've been using incorrect methods for the past 30 years. Stanford told Mike Hosking that National spent the campaign talking about the need for a change in approach. She says we need a curriculum that teaches strong strategies starting at primary schools. But PPTA Chris Abercrombie says constant curriculum changes between Government's is a factor in long term decline. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Cop28 rumbles on, and I have little if any faith anything truly tangible will come out of it, you have to give them credit for the latest move, which involves 100 odd countries signing up to the idea that they want to boost renewable energy by 2030. These pledges are part of the problem. It's one thing in the heat of a meeting when everyone is hyped to make promises you may, or may not, be able to keep. The reason we have Cop28 is because the promises made at Cop1 through Cop27 didn't amount to enough to solve the issue. In this latest promise they will boost renewables, by actually trebling them. That second part will prove to be the undoing of it all. 2030 is but a handful of years away and, as laudable as it may seem, just trebling stuff isn't realistic. But the important part, and the positive part, is it is a step change in the obsession we seem to have had around stopping stuff and banning stuff and generally messing with peoples lives in a way that was never going to work. Banning the combustion engine is most likely to prove to be the biggest piece of idiocy yet. Back when they started making promises about it, 2025 or 2030 or 2035, depending on where you were, seemed a lifetime away. Now that it's here reality has hit and the combustion engine is still very much alive and shows no sign of disappearing anytime soon. Britain has backed off their ban, America has no appetite for it whatsoever and its replacement, the EV, is in real trouble in terms of non-subsidised uptake. People seem to prefer the hybrid, which has of course an internal combustion engine. Given we like cars and aren't giving them up, how about more wind, more sun, more wave and, dare I suggest, more nuclear. Boosting good stuff is a better calculation than cutting bad stuff. Essentially, this is a lesson in human nature. We all want to do the right thing but we will not be inconvenienced and we will not be bludgeoned into submission. The trick is simple - whether my lights get turned on via the sun, or wind, or coal doesn't matter, as long as the lights are on. Reliability is the key. Renewables currently are not reliable. Maybe a trebling of supply will make them so. Let's hope so. Let's hope this path is the chosen one at meetings like Cop. Otherwise before you know it, it will be Cop45, Cop51, Cop67. And so it will go.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Award-winning kiwi country artist Kaylee Bell may mostly call Nashville home these days, but she's back in New Zealand for the summer. A couple weeks ago she joined Mike Hosking to chat about winning the Country Music Awards, and now she's back to give him the low down on her recently announced 12 date New Zealand Tour. Bell told Hosking that she's so excited to be touring New Zealand, and coming back through the country. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tourism New Zealand is feeling positive about tourist spending this summer following the release of the latest travel figures from Stats NZ. The September 2023 quarter saw an increase in travel exports to $2.48 billion up from $1.65 billion this time last year. Chief Executive René de Monchy says this is the first summer, post COVID, where travel from significant markets like China is possible. He says last summer, which is our peak season, was not yet a fully open summer. De Monchy says we're already seeing a strong return out of places like Australia and North America. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Change at the Warriors under coach Andrew Webster has seen captain Tohu Harris commit to a further NRL league season through until the end of 2025. The Warriors went from 15th in 2022, to a preliminary final appearance this year. Harris told Mike Hosking that the last year ignited the passion and the want to continue for longer. He said what Webster's done since his return to the club has gotten everyone excited, and their performance in the last season was the icing on top. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police are reassuring the public they have the resources to make sure a series of large protests in the North Island run smoothly. Hundreds have gathered in various locations around the motu to protest against Government policies perceived to be harmful to Māori. Large crowds are at locations as far flung as Auckland, Wellington, Hastings, Tauranga, and Whangarei. Assistant Police Commissioner Sandra Venables told Mike Hosking that various protests over the past three years mean Police are prepared. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new Finance Minister is painting a dismal fiscal picture ahead of the incoming mini budget. The Government's announced the mini-budget will land on December 20th and outline actions the new regime is taking around fiscal discipline. Minister Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking that she believes the previous Government left fiscal booby traps, and she is working through the messes systematically. She says they knew spending was out of control, but not the scale of financial mess Labour left behind it. Willis says it's about being responsible custodians of public money. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Child Poverty advocates don't appear to be jumping for joy over the Government's new Working for Families payments. The Government's raising Family Tax Credit rates by $8 to $144 per week for the eldest child and $117 for each subsequent child. Child Poverty Action Group spokesperson Alan Johnson says that overall, indexing tax settings to inflation is a good idea. But he told Mike Hosking that it's just an adjustment to make up for increased food, fuel, and electricity prices, and is no more generous than it was a year ago. Johnson says the group believes the system could be made more generous to relieve child poverty. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claims that the Department of Internal Affairs' new gambling regulations are unworkable. Among the changes, staff have to note down descriptions of people who withdraw cash and keep a record of descriptions of everyone in a gaming room every 20 minutes. Independent chair of the Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand Peter Dengate Thrush told Mike Hosking that it's unrealistic. He says recording 20 people at an average venue, three times per hour, equates to millions of hours of wasted time across New Zealand venues every year. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might have seen that Steve Maharey quit. I first met him decades ago when he was Minister of Broadcasting. We had a long chat at the Radio Awards and I decided he was a nice bloke. He went into academia, and of course a few good jobs, courtesy of Governments who return the favour for having hung out with them over the years. One of those jobs was as Chair of Pharmac Pharmac is in trouble for a couple of reasons. The first is David Seymour is gunning for them and will reform them as part of the new Government. And the second reason is the Sarah Fitt scandal, which unfolded before the election and never got properly resolved. Fitt is the CEO and she, for reasons best known to herself, put some astonishing views about a journalist in email form, only to have them OIA'd and exposed to the world, which gave us an insight into what a narcissist she is. Because it unfolded during the election Chris Hipkins, who had little if any spine left, didn’t do anything about it. By the time the board at Pharmac had a look and decided a “sorry” was in order, the election had been held, the three week wait for the count period had begun and every time I asked Hipkins what he proposed to do, he had gone into his "it's not my problem" phase. Fast forward to December and Maharey, who is no fool, has seen the writing on the wall and bailed. He carries blame, because making Fitt apologise was pathetic. She needed sacking. The entire affair exposed the deep dysfunction and arrogance within an agency that so many very hard done by New Zealanders so heavily rely on. Maharey had the power to address the problem properly, but failed to do so. Pharmac needs major change. It needs more money, which is the easy part, but the other issues around politics and games played as to what gets funded and when, has bogged the place down for years. There is no golden bullet to get every pill and potion a country needs, but our model could be way better than it is. It could also be a lot better run, with not only a new chairman but a new CEO as well. On that I wish Seymour Godspeed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's fine dining establishment 'The French Cafe' features alongside seven other New Zealand eateries as one of the best restaurants worldwide. The competitive 'La Liste' out of Paris, provides an International ranking of the top 1000 restaurants based on data from top publications and review sites. Co-founder and owner Chand Sahrawat told Mike Hosking that many of the fine dining restaurants that place, show off the craft of food in creative ways. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris says Israel has a right to defend itself - but too many Palestinians are being killed. Fighting in Gaza has resumed after an agreed pause last week. Some hostages taken by Hamas were released, in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners. International geopolitics analyst Geoffrey Miller told Mike Hosking the US is "increasingly worried about what's happening." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Whatu Ora says it's taking a Covid data breach extremely seriously. The man downloaded large amounts of data related to vaccination, which has been posted to an overseas conspiracy site. The data was anonymised and Te Whatu Ora isn't aware of any National Health Index Numbers or personally identifiable information that's leaked. Chief people Officer Andrew Slater told Mike Hosking they are investigating the process by which the data was made anonymous. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says international relationships have weakened. While international student numbers have bounced back to new records in Australia - New Zealand's figures aren't at the same level. Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking that the country went internal, myopic and a bit negative over the past six years - and hasn't been out in the world. He added that "we've just been so inward looking over the last six years and we haven't been out in the world circulating, so we've got to go back to all the places where we had a fantastic reputation". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. The Government: 7/10 Off and running and plenty to do. Two cabinet meeting and 49-long list of things to do in 100 days. Looks good. The reaction to the new Government: 7/10 There is a palpable sense that this is different, this might be a bit professional and there is a decent amount of good will. Smoking: 4/10 A little bit of political capital might have gone up in smoke. EV's: 3/10 The letter to Joe Biden from the car retailers is a sign of what is happening globally. The hype is not translating. Tauranga City Council: 7/10 Listening to the ratepayer over parking, my word! You reckon that attitude could spread? Shane van Gisbergen: 9/10 Despite the fact he got all pissy this year over his car, he is still one of the greatest and what a joy he has been in Supercars. Wanaka: 4/10 Come on Wanaka. What's wrong with Macca's? You've got a dominos, you like hot apple pies. Don’t be snobs. Tory Whanau: 4/10 We don’t mark personal troubles. But the Green's lame defence of the indefensible is all you need to know about the Greens. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the bet that once people stop moaning about McDonalds in Wanaka, it goes off? There is a wonderful disconnect between theory and reality in this country, especially around things like food. The reason we are one of the fattest countries on Earth is because too many people each too much crap. The fast food industry has a lot to answer for in that area. But then so do we. The reason McDonalds is big is because we like it and eat a lot of it. Wanaka is a lovely place. But this idea with the petition that it is somehow so different to the rest of the country and can't possibly be tainted is condescending nonsense. Now, I'm not in the Macca's camp, I don’t eat McDonalds and can't remember the last time I did. But here is what I know. McDonalds, as they are structured in this country, are owned by individuals. They are owned by families, mainly local families in local areas. My bet is the Wanaka McDonalds will most likely be owned by a local. They may well already own a McDonalds and be looking to expand. One of the things McDonalds does is employ people, and a lot of them. Like many hospitality outlets, getting good people has been, and is, hard work. So by the time the place is built and the ovens are turned on and the locals are employed my guess is that, given it’s a drive-through apart from anything else, it will be well frequented and be a successful local business contributing to the local economy. I think if you look around Wanaka you will also find other fast food outlets. But McDonalds, for whatever reason, seems to be the poster child for negative fast food protest. There is a lot of burger and deep fry action going on, but Macca's is the bad guy? Your local fish and chip shop is fantastic because Bob runs it and Bob is a cool guy and his kids go to the local school and Bob is one of us. Somehow the chips at the fish and chip shops are OK but the McDonalds one's aren't? It makes no sense, of course. So, let's see how quickly this goes from being a story driven by superficiality and snobbery into one of another local business melding in to be part of the community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aucklanders could be losing their weekly kerbside rubbish collection. The council is proposing to change the weekly service to a fortnightly one from 2026. It says the aim is to reduce kerbside rubbish. But Councillor Daniel Newman says hundreds of thousands of residents will be caught out, and it will be up to Aucklanders to object. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Henry Kissinger is being remembered as one of the most distinctive voices in foreign affairs. The former US Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and senior diplomat died yesterday at the age of 100. He served in the administrations of presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Kissinger was a controversial figure, who was both hated and revered. He says Kissinger lived a remarkable life after his family fled Nazi Germany in the early 1930s. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A popular Waiheke Island hotspot is being put up for sale. The Tantalus Estate Vineyard was established in 2016 as a wine and beer tasting spot, a restaurant, and an event venue. The past few years have been difficult for many business owners on Waiheke, with Covid restrictions, accommodation costs, and limited worker availability. However, the vineyard's majority owner, Bruce Aitken, told Mike Hosking that the prospects for the business appear to be strong. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The problem of people turning up to emergency departments with non-emergencies may have been overstated. Medical experts writing in today's New Zealand Medical Journal says the pressure hospital EDs are under isn't due to too many people turning up unnecessarily. They say it's mostly due to an actual increase in urgent cases. One of the experts—Te Whatu Ora Acute Care Clinical Lead Peter Jones— told Mike Hosking that we have low numbers of presentations per head of population, compared with other countries. He says our issue is mainly getting the people that should be there to the right place, to the care they need. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An entertainment industry figure says Coldplay bringing a third show to New Zealand is a great sign for future events. The pop supergroup has added one more date to their New Zealand tour, making the band the first to play three nights at Eden Park in its 123-year history. Greenstone Entertainment General Manager Dean Calvert told Mike Hosking that it's promising news for an industry that was on its knees for much of the pandemic. He says it tells promoters there's confidence coming back into the market, so they can take more risks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a few new faces in Labour's new Shadow Cabinet. The top 10 has six women and four men, and prioritises portfolios like climate change, child poverty, and social development. Most former ministers are staying on in their roles, including Grant Robertson, Ayesha Verrall and Ginny Andersen, but Damien O'Connor has lost the agriculture portfolio to Jo Luxton. Former Labour Cabinet Minister Iain Lees-Galloway told Mike Hosking that the line-up seems to be based on talent and future prospects. He says no one can be particularly upset with their position, and Chris Hipkins has done a good job distributing the portfolios to people who will do well in them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several factors may contribute to New Zealand being the most expensive country in the world to build infrastructure. Some projects cost four to five times as much to complete here as they do in Europe. City Rail Link Chief Executive Sean Sweeney says the industry has suffered a market failure. Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Mike Hosking that it's partly due to our geography, partly due to slow consenting, and partly due to the ability of officials to negotiate. He says they try and screw down the market because they think they can get out of the risk, but the market then prices the risk into the contract and things get more expensive. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well-known for playing Claudia Colby on Coronation Street, Rula Lenska is reprising her role in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for kiwi audiences. The stage show is coming to New Zealand in April and May of 2024, Lenska back in the role of Madge. She told Mike Hosking that the last time she came to New Zealand was in 1984. “I sort of fell madly in love with the country when I was there before.” “So I hope that feeling is going to be repeated.” The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has been performed all over the UK over the last six months, with audiences enjoying the show immensely according to Lenska. “They leave the theatre bopping, and dancing, and smiling.” “It’s a lovely, lovely feeling.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s largest ever squash festival is set to take place in Tauranga. Over 400 athletes from 30 nations will be competing in the three major tournaments this December in the 2023 NZ Festival of Squash. Dame Susan Devoy, Vice President of the World Squash Organisation and Squash NZ Board Member, told Mike Hosking that it’s been a lot of hard work over the years to get to this point. Now that squash has made it to the Olympics, she said they’re hoping that it will catapult their sport into a whole new stratosphere. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a lot to take in this week. There is a lot to do because a lot of change is coming. But one of the starker moments was when we asked the university people how it was that we are not getting the number of offshore students the way they are in Australia? As it turns out, Australia is up over 30%, so much so they are looking to put a cap on it. Here, it's only a 15% increase. This was a $5 billion industry before our approach to Covid wrecked it. Admission number one from the universities was that we were too slow to open. Those that did got the students. Admission number two was when we did open the visa processing it was too slow. People apply in multiple countries and those who work fast, get the rewards. Admission number three was about the Māorification of the system. There was some push back from the universities, with some suggesting this could have been a bonus. Fair enough, but also an admission that university education is global and Māori culture, unless you specifically want it, is not conducive to global qualifications. So, in a series of fairly simple questions and answers, we got a frighteningly clear picture of what has happened. And what has happened is we have blown it. You can also toss in the downtown Auckland problem, where most of the accommodation is taken up by 501's and emergency housing, which means there is nowhere to live, and even if you do get a place, you'll have trouble in the neighbourhood. Part of this week's lift in spirit about the place is a reaction to the realisation that this past six years for too many has been a mess, or if not a mess, a nightmare. Education has been crushed by a combination of ideology and ineptitude. Covid, and the way we ran it, has seemingly permanently changed the way the world sees us. It's not just university, my suspicion is it's in tourism as well and is why the bounce back has been nothing like the bounce back they have seen offshore. Once again, it will be borders, visas, marketing and of course the now infamous entry to the country - Auckland Airport. It is only once a Government goes that those like the universities lift their heads up, look for clear air and provide what turned out to be a damning and also astonishing account of just how bad it has been. The trouble is the worse it is, the harder it is to fix. But there is upside. So far the new lot look at least like they are determined to get the repair work started.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington City Councillor says the Mayor's behaviour has become an embarrassment for the city. It comes after revelations Tory Whanau was publicly intoxicated at a Wellington bar two weeks ago. Whanau responded to the allegations saying she is a flawed person but is getting professional help with her drinking problem. But Councillor Nicola Young told Mike Hosking that Wellington can't go on hold. She said Whanau’s lost the trust of Wellingtonians. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A clear message from the Reserve Bank Governor. The central bank held the Official Cash Rate at 5.5%, and signalled any cuts aren't on the immediate horizon. It's also left the door open for another rise if inflation pressures are stronger than expected. Governor Adrian Orr told Mike Hosking that their statement was intentionally hawkish. He says they don't see room for rate cuts anytime soon, and markets had been trying to guess when that would happen. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report into New Zealand's achievement of water quality targets has provided a sombre read. It's evaluated four contaminants —nitrogen, phosphorus, E. coli, and sediment— in rivers, lakes, and estuaries nationwide. Every region needs to substantially reduce at least one to meet freshwater standards. 75% of land is contributing more E. coli to water than is allowed. Our Land and Water Director, Jenny Webster-Brown told Mike Hosking that the worst areas are those where agricultural production has been most intensive. She says it's a combined factor in some cases, with some land's geology favouring sediment and erosion. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's got its work cut out for it with its 100-day plan including 49 actions. That includes the scrapping Auckland's fuel tax and the clean car discount, repealing Three Waters, and passing new RMA laws. Prime Minister Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking that Auckland's light rail will be knocked on the head, although some practicalities need to be worked through, like the land bought for the project. He says they've made their intent clear. Luxon says they're pulling out the teams and project's resources, and any useful IP will be returned to the Transport Ministry. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Joe Biden is pushing for the ceasefire to be extended. He is stepping up pressure on Israel and Hamas to continue the release of hostages and delay a return to full scale fighting. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Biden’s envoy is pushing for the scope of the hostage releases to be broadened. He said that so far, the hostages released have been women and children, but they want the releases to include men and military personnel as well. Arnold said that the US is also seeking a longer military pause, the release of American hostages held by Hamas. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bit of good news for dairy farmers. Synlait has upped its forecast base milk price by 25 cents for the 23/24 season, bringing it up to $7.25. Richard McIntyre, Chair of Dairy for Federated Farmers, told Mike Hosking that it reflects an upwards trend in the global dairy trade. He said that we’re up by 17% over the last couple of months. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part of the trouble with Winston Peters and his media obsession is that very few are more obsessed with the media than the media themselves. The media tend to take themselves far too seriously, so Winston has played right into their hands. What they should be doing, of course, is seeing him for what he is - a bored, old troublemaker who found 6% of the bewildered and angry to stick him back in power. He is not there for the betterment of the country. His behaviour so far, and it is only days in, shows you all you need to know about his modus operandi. He is not a team player. He is self absorbed. For all he does that gives you hope he might be on the mend, he then goes and does what he has this week so far, which is to hijack events, turn attention on himself and generally remind you he is not a serious operator and therefore doesn't deserve to be treated like one. Once again, let me state very clearly that his claim that the public broadcasting fund was a bribe is simply not true. I have been in this game for over 40 years. I have seen how Governments operate around media. I have seen how media operate around Governments. This is where it gets a bit sticky. Although he is wrong on the fund, because it did not buy favour, what it did do in my view was encourage those who didn't actually need a lot of encouragement to put material out, that if you were of a certain disposition you could easily see it as being favourable to the people who gave you the money. If you read them, the criteria are innocuous, with the exception of the first bit. It talks of a commitment to Te Tiriti and to Te Reo Māori. That is an issue. It troubled me and it smacked of an agenda. But it doesn't mean you write positive stories about the Government. Labour's entire time in office was obsessive when it came to the Treaty and the language so, as a result, you can argue using the Peters' logic that a lot of people were bribed. All those who adhered to any of the pro-Māori edicts could be said to have been bribed. Or were they simply on board because it suited their way of thinking? That is not bribery. The media, as I have said many times, at least in part badly let themselves down in terms of impartiality. At times, for some, it got embarrassing. But they did that by themselves. They didn't need a fund to salivate the way they did. And that's the bit Peters misses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister won't say if the Police Commissioner will be keeping his job. Mark Mitchell has met with Andrew Coster for the first time since taking on the role, after previously being an outspoken critic of Coster in opposition. Coster says the meeting went well and Mitchell has confidence in him. But Mitchell told Mike Hosking that he'll be having further meetings with Coster to discuss his future, including another meeting today. He says Coster has to deliver on the new government's policies and priorities, including an increased presence on the frontline. Labour’s Megan Woods told Hosking that what she’s hearing is a whole lot of ice skating around the question of whether Mitchell has confidence in Coster or not. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's Mayor is looking for more bang for his buck as he looks to sell off Port of Auckland's operating business. Wayne Brown's put forward two options for the port in his proposed 10-year budget, which also includes a rates rise of 7.5%. Either keep the business, gradually releasing land for public use, or sell the operating lease to raise up to $3 billion for an investment fund. Brown told Mike Hosking that the port is a very poor financial performer. He says by putting it into a fund, they'd be taking value and putting it into something more valuable as the returns from the port and airport don't cover the costs of owning them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.