The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New Zealand’s first Ocean Festival is hitting Auckland’s waters next year. Moana Auckland is set to launch on February 24th 2024, lasting a full thirty days as summer comes to an end. The festival is set to feature the Auckland Boat Show, Z Manu World Champs, the New Zealand Millennium Cup superyacht regatta, and more. Chris Simpson, Auckland Unlimited’s Head of Major Events, told Mike Hosking that while there are new events, some of these events have been running in isolation for some time. He said that bundling them together and creating an overarching Moana Auckland brand creates a platform the marine sector can use to promote the industry. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win will all but secure New Zealand a semifinal berth. Thunderstorms are forecast during the course of the match which starts at 9.30pm. If the game is called off, the Black Caps would need South Africa to beat Afghanistan tomorrow and England to defeat Pakistan on Saturday to reach the semi-finals. Coach Gary Stead told Mike Hosking that the forecast is getting better day by day, so he’s pretty sure they’ll be able to get some sort of match in. He said that they know they have to beat Sri Lanka, and if they do that there’s a good chance they’ll qualify for the semifinals. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are concrete roads the solution to our pothole problem? A member of the American Concrete Pavement Association has driven the length of New Zealand. He's highlighting the opportunity for concrete pavements as opposed to asphalt. Senior Technical Services Director Eric Ferrebee told Mike Hosking that concrete roads are a long-term solution that reduce the need for maintenance and rehabilitation. He says the concrete roads are commonly used in the United States, and can get up to 50 years of use. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Work-life balance appears to have changed, with the typical nine to five work hours becoming less common. A survey by Hays Recruitment has found people working overtime increased in more than a third of organisations last year. Researchers found it was unpaid in 30% of organisations. Talent Propeller Managing Director Sharon Davies told Mike Hosking that the workforce has significantly changed. She says a lot of roles have moved to part time but there might be more work if people want more hours, so there's a lot of give and take. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

G7 foreign ministers have voiced support for humanitarian pauses in Gaza but haven't called for a ceasefire. Their statement follows a meeting in Tokyo. The US maintains it doesn't believe Israeli forces should re-occupy Gaza, while Israel's Prime Minister says Israel will have overall security responsibility for the strip. Otago University international relations professor Robert Patman told Mike Hosking that the Americans are recoiling from the world reaction. He says many people are questioning the strategic wisdom of what Israel's doing. Patman says there's probably not a military solution to a political problem. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A record surge of first-home buyers hits the market as prices come down. First-home buyers now account for 27% of the market share according to new data from CoreLogic. The Wellington region has the strongest market share, with one third of the market taken up by first home buyers. Independent economist Tony Alexander told Mike Hosking that conditions have been in their favour. He says average house prices fell about 18% from late 2021 to earlier on this year. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the record, I am a fan of Air New Zealand. Mainly because we own it, it's our national airline and, overall, it's been fantastically successful. If you're balanced there isn't a lot of reason to be as angry towards it as so many people are. But on the same day the CEO came on this show to break the news they have engine troubles that will affect thousands over the next two years, he then attends a tourism summit and talks about supersonic and hypersonic travel. In that, is a messaging problem. Air New Zealand gets a lot of free publicity mainly because aviation is a fascinating area. As New Zealanders we like to travel and a lot of journalists get freebies and that’s free PR. Small note by the way - to those in the media who do reviews of trips that involve business class travel, of which I have read two lately - it's OK to be thrilled given you have never been in business class before. But that’s not really a review and good reviews make comparisons and you can't compare things that you haven't experienced. So it sounds more breathless freebie than actual journalism. Anyway, this past week we have had coverage of Air New Zealand's Koru Club changes, re-useable cups and their new uniform. Ms Wickstead of royal connection is doing the honours. All of that is fantastic, as long as you can catch a plane, afford a ticket and get through an airport in good order. All of those are now issues or have been for some time. So, in other words, co-ordinate that messaging. Stop banging on about sustainability and cups and uniforms when you are inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of punters who are paying through the nose for what many regard as average product. Stop fantasising about flying to London in four hours when you're offering ATR's between main centres. What Covid has taught us is aviation is fragile. It has massive engineering issues, capacity issues, service issues and labour issues. Airports are OK at best, with the odd one actually what you would call first world. In other words, for all the hype and romance of the rhetoric, when push comes to shove it hasn’t advanced all that much in decades, with the exception of longer haul, point-to-point services. Get some engines that work, get jets on main trunk routes, drop prices, increase competition and work out the airport experience. Be as climate friendly as you want but until then, let's leave the hypersonic to the Jetsons, because it was as real then as it is now. Which is to say, not very. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s an intense time in the US political arena. A New York Times poll released this week has Donald Trump leading Biden in five crucial battleground states: Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Biden is in the midst of a whirlwind at the moment, with the economy being a key issue for voters. However, he said, that there is still a long way to go as the 2024 election is still one year away. He said that at this time before the 2016 election the person leading in the polls was Ben Carson, who then lost to Donald Trump. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Politicians from both Labour and National want answers from an Electoral Commission review. The commission has apologised after our newsroom revealed errors at three polling booths, incorrectly assigning hundreds of party votes. A polling booth in Port Waikato wrongly assigned more than 500 votes to the Leighton Baker Party that were intended for National. Labour MP Megan Woods told Mike Hosking that questions need to be asked. National MP Mark Mitchell says a review under the Justice Select Committee should make sure this doesn't happen again. He says it's pretty clear there have been mistakes made. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumers could benefit from a supermarket merger if Foodstuffs has to make other changes. The supermarket giant is proposing to merge their North Island and South Island co-operatives into one national co-op. Business consultant Ernie Newman told Mike Hosking that Foodstuffs could be asked to break up into separate wholesale and retail business units. He says suppliers could have other avenues. Newman says companies like Night 'n Day and The Warehouse could buy from Foodstuffs Wholesale, and become truly independent. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early childhood teachers from around 100 centres are striking this afternoon. Teachers that fall under the Early Childhood Education Collective Agreement are taking part. NZEI says negotiations have reached an impasse and the government's funding model isn't fit for purpose. Union representative and Capital Kids cooperative childcare centre manager, Megan White, told Mike Hosking that they're hopeful the incoming government will change things — which is why they're taking industrial action now. She says early childhood issues have been quiet for some time, and kids are the ones suffering. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Electoral Commission has apologised over errors in the vote count at three polling booths. It's checking all results after admitting a data entry error caused hundreds of votes to be assigned to the wrong party. At a booth in Port Waikato, more than 500 votes intended for National were wrongly assigned to the Leighton Baker Party. Another booth in Port Waikato, and a polling station in Ilam, both had the incorrect count. Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne told Mike Hosking that they're re-checking candidate votes at the moment. He says most were processed yesterday and there are possibly a few more errors, but they're just confirming that today. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says bringing wealth and capital gains taxes back on the table is about being up-front with New Zealanders. After getting the vote of confidence to stay on as Opposition leader, Hipkins says the party needs to start again with a blank page, including on policies. Hipkins told Mike Hosking that he always said his tax policy was for the next three years, but having lost the election, it's time for the party to go back to the drawing board and come up with another policy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's Mayor doesn't understand the decision to make infrastructure changes to accommodate more public transport on a popular city centre road. Auckland Transport's decided to remove car parks on Karangahape Road and restrict the times on loading zones to allow room for a new bus service. Businesses were given less than a week's notice. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Mike Hosking that he doesn't know why this has to happen. He says there's no car parking until 10 in the morning anyway because there's a lot of people catching the bus, and there aren't many carparks and those businesses need them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While we wait for a Government, Talbot Mills did a poll on the most divisive issues around the election. The most divisive, and I am not even sure it played any sort of role in the vote, but the most divisive is males wanting to compete as females in sport. 60% oppose, only 14% are in favour and the rest are various versions of not sure. In one of the more surprising findings, same sex marriage is only supported by 56% of us. Listening to the media and commentariat you would think it's normal and 99% of us aren't bothered. Equally on the “noise to reality” metre, it shows the vast majority of supported the gun register, at 75%. Most people supported the wearing of masks (68%) and almost half of us (49%) supported vax mandates, with only 25% against. The area that wasn't surprising were Māori wards, opposed by 60% of us, and bilingual signs which was basically evenly split. That last part is perhaps an insight into why Labour did so badly at the election. They could back up their stance on guns and masks, but they were way out of line when it came to special treatment for Māori. Egregiously, it is proof positive that when they changed the law around being able to vote against Māori wards, if your council foisted them upon you, they were voting against the vast majority of us, and our views, and they must have known that. Also, all the councils who continue to insist on introducing Māori wards, and many are in the process as we speak, are now knowingly going against the will of the people who put them there. I note with interest that there is some sort of organised campaign at the moment over the ACT Party idea of having a vote on the Treaty and its obligations. That will be because they know full well that if we got a say what the outcome would be it wouldn't be swinging their way. The upside for them is I doubt it will see the light of day out of the coalition talks. But if you want to take the pool at face value, and in totality, it paints a picture of a conservative country, and socially is nowhere near as progressive as many would have thought. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s finest artists are coming together to celebrate the women who pioneered rock. ATOMIC! Hailing the Pioneering Women of Rock harnesses the energy of kiwi musicians Boh Runga, Julia Deans, Dianne Swann, Gussie Larkin, and Jazmine Mary as they perform a catalogue of hits fronted by rock’s iconic female artists. Julia Deans told Mike Hosking that the music is predominantly from the early seventies to the late eighties. She said they had to draw the line there because they only had space for about a hundred songs. “There’s just too many good songs.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Britain's Armistice Day tribute could be taken over by Pro-Palestinian rallies. Huge rallies have been held in London every weekend for the last month, with upwards of 100,000 attending some of them. UK Correspondent Enda Brady told Mike Hosking that senior Ministers have made it clear that they don’t think protests should be occurring this weekend. He said there is potential for this too spill over, and a day with such significance is not the place for it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand talent will be on display at this afternoon's Melbourne Cup race in Australia. Twenty-four horses will compete at Flemington Track at five o'clock, in a contest known as the 'Race That Stops a Nation'. The TAB is expecting New Zealanders to invest more than $12 million, for a chance to win big. Australian Racing Media Personality, Glenn Munsie, told Mike Hosking that you can’t cast aspersions on anyone’s selections on Melbourne Cup Day. He said it’s the only day in the year where anyone can be an expert. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New revelations about a reported mugging of Ian Foster's wife and daughter in Paris, just days before the start of the Rugby World Cup. 1 News is reporting Leigh Foster and 24-year-old Football Fern Michaela Foster were accosted by a man with a knife near the All Blacks' hotel in early September. All Blacks management subsequently warned people travelling in their contingent not to go out at night. Newstalk ZB’s Paris correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that the hotel —allocated to the All Blacks at random— was in a notorious part of the city. She says the area —on the south-east of greater Paris— is well known for the amount of violence that goes on there. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand is pausing two major routes and making changes to others as it works through engine issues with some planes. The national carrier says it's having to adjust its schedule due to the grounding of 16 aircrafts undergoing mandatory engine maintenance by aerospace company Pratt & Whitney. It will pause flights to Seoul and Hobart from April and is reducing flights on other routes as well as moving aircraft between routes. Chief Executive Greg Foran told Mike Hosking that Pratt & Whitney has to accelerate the process of taking the engines off-wing and checking them. He says they're not sure how long it'll last, but it could be two years. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliamentary Service has confirmed MPs' Koru Club memberships are paid for by Air New Zealand. It comes after unseated Labour MP Dan Rosewarne claimed his post-parliamentary life was made real when he saw the “red lights of doom” upon trying to swipe himself into the lounge and being rejected. Unlike most MPs’ perks, lounge access isn’t actually paid for by the taxpayer, instead it's gifted by the airline itself Victoria University School of Government Senior Research Fellow Max Rashbrooke told Mike Hosking that the membership should be declared. He says any gift given to MPs has to be declared in the register of pecuniary interests so members can provide transparency. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's caucus is meeting in Upper Hutt today to decide whether 'boy from the Hutt' Chris Hipkins will keep his hand on the tiller. It's the team's first caucus meeting since the election saw Labour thrust out of office. Political Commentator Josie Pagani told Mike Hosking that Hipkins has to set his image as a fighter in opposition. She says he should move the party back to basics, with a focus on cost of living and how to make the economy tick for working people. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 20% drop in lamb prices has seen them at levels not seen for six years. Lamb schedules have fallen in recent weeks, with some companies now offering $6.50 a kilo, down from $8.30 just two seasons ago. The drop is being put down to lack of international demand, especially from China. Farm consultant Gary Massicks told Mike Hosking that prices were expected to drop around February, but they're here already. He says they've hit harder and faster with a fair bit of stock in freezers, and international demand much lower than normal. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here is the good news so far post the final vote. By the way, I expect a recount for a couple of seats. If you win or lose by less than 100, I think it's only fair to test it. But how much pressure does that place on the Electoral Commission to have done their job properly. It's one thing to take three long weeks to count, but in a recount if the numbers aren't exactly the same, and my suspicion is they won't be, then just what was it you were doing all that time? Anyway, we will wait and see. But back to the good news. So far Chris Luxon has delivered what he promised; relationship building outside public glare. The positive signs are all parties have played by the rules. The further good news to that is that Winston Peters, I am hoping, and this could be my naivety, wants at last to cement his place in political history by becoming a proper centrist success story that can survive more than one election cycle without him spitting the dummy, falling out with everyone and getting sent off into the wilderness. MMP has become stuck in a centre left/centre right rut, with Act and the Greens established, successful brands, but limited to one major party each. True MMP is about centrists who can move both ways and with united, ancient history, New Zealand First has a genuine chance at cementing a place. The weakness is the fact they are supported by the angry, not necessarily the thinkers. But if Peters can grab a couple of good portfolios, look professional, deliver a few specific polices that don’t look like pork barrel, provincial growth slush funds, then he has a chance. Luxon's great skill is he comes from business and business is about deals and co-operation. It's about common good and common goals. You don’t have to love each other or be mates. New Zealand is a mess. There is a job to be done and it's not that hard to coalesce around that idea. David Seymour is a professional. So all this noise about him hating Peters is for the media to obsess about, not the adults to let get in their way. If everyone got on famously, we wouldn’t have separate parties, and that is the trick to MMP. It's not a love in, it’s a deal. A deal with a common purpose. The first true MMP deal, 2017-2020, was OK, but was created for the wrong reasons and Covid blew it up. This might just be our first real crack at adult, professional politics. Fingers crossed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is currently in China and plans to meet with Premier Xi Jingping, making him the first Australian PM to meet Xi since Malcolm Turnbull. Meanwhile, some Australian banks have started to raise interest rates, with all eyes on the Reserve Bank of Australia to see if they follow. Australian correspondent Steve Price talked to Mike Hosking about it.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report this morning outlines that an average Auckland house deposit could reach $1 million by 2045. Aera founder Derek Handley spoke with Mike Hosking about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour is buckling in for one thousand days of Winston. Coalition talks are ongoing; however, the Act leader and Peters aren't actually talking to each other yet with Seymour being sent to voicemail. Incoming prime minister Chris Luxon says he's speaking to the parties individually before getting all three in a room together. He says things are progressing well. Act Leader David Seymour told Mike Hosking they're going to have to work together for three years. He says he's working on how they get the best relationship possible, because New Zealand voted for change. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health workers say engineered stone workshops need to do better to prevent a deadly disease, that can cause lung scarring. A Ministry of Health check recommends more be done to prevent silicosis, which can happen when engineered stone dust is inhaled. The ministry supports more ventilation systems, and masks, to stop this. College of Physicians silicosis expert Alexandra Muthu told Mike Hosking there should be a better occupational health service. She says at the moment, everything falls between Worksafe, ACC, Te Whatu Ora, and industry. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon had a good idea the special votes would pan out the way they did saying coalition talks are progressing well. There is still no timeline on when a government will be formed, although all three parties of National, Act and New Zealand First say they want it done quickly. The National party leader says he would like to be able to make the APEC summit next week - however Peters and Seymour aren't speaking to each other. Luxon told Mike Hosking by and large their goals are aligned. He says there are differences and bespoke policies, and they'll all have to make trade-offs, but progress is being made. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently shuttling between various Middle East states hoping to push for a cease fire between Israel and Gaza.He has held talks with met Egyptian, Jordanian, Saudi, Qatari and Emirati diplomats and a senior Palestinian official.Meanwhile the largest Pro-Palestinian protest occurred over the weekend in Washington DC, with many protesters gathered outside the Whitehouse. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking, there has been a backlash against Biden for his support of Israel.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former New Zealand First MP has given his tips as to what Winston Peters will be negotiating for. Peters and Act Leader David Seymour haven't spoken, with Seymour saying he tried to call and text him but didn't get a response. Former MP Andrew Williams says Winston will likely want Foreign Minister, a knighthood and treasurer as well. He told Mike Hosking Peters may want his number three, Casey Costello to be associate Police Minister. Williams says his number four Mark Patterson is an ex-Otago farmer and Federated Farmers chair could build bridges across to Act's Andrew Hoggard. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kiwis have their chance for redemption. The Pacific Championship Final is this weekend, the Kiwis facing Australia once again after their defeat in Melbourne. Coach Michael McGuire told Mike Hosking that he’s confident the team will have a really strong performance and get the desired result. He said they’re looking forward to having the home crowd behind them. LISTEN ABOVE See 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 World Cup: 7/10 Because we watched in droves. It was the biggest TV audience of the year for anything, and we believed we were in with a chance. Rugby: 3/10 The World Cup's biggest loser. They are killing the game with rules and zealous officialdom. Mike Pence: 4/10 Another one bites the dust but the fact it’s an ex-Vice President tells you the effect Trump has had on his party. Votes: 9/10 Because today is the day, at last. The Electoral Commission: 5/10 I only have sympathy for them because, as we found out, it's the law. They are following the law. Craft beer: 4/10 Fads are not a business and a lot of people going “Hey, I can do that” does not a bottom line make. Supie: 4/10 The irony was the receiver told us how competitive the market was, and yet, the Government has told us it's not competitive enough. Which is it? Hackney Diamonds: 8/10 Number one in the UK, Germany and Australia. Genius never gets old. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Am I weird to be excited? As of this afternoon we will have a Government. Sort of. We will know the final vote. Yet again, there will be the questions around the timeframe, and how refreshing it was to hear Chris Luxon on the show this week promising to upend how it all works. In part, that is why I am sort of excited. At last we get to get things underway. The workload to sort this country is gargantuan and three weeks is wasted time. The first real test will be the formation of the Government. How long will that take after this afternoon? The clue there is what they have been doing for three weeks, how much progress has been made and how set to go they are. Presumably there are working scenarios, depending on today's numbers, as to how the final look shakes down. But a good sign would be that the basis of it is already in place. By the way, Winston Peters will be involved whether he is technically needed or not, and that is no bad thing from a strategic point of view. The other good indicator we have had this week around us being excited was the business confidence survey. It was a massive lift and for no specific reason other than the election. That is the power of expectation for you. A lot of this country is placing a lot of faith and hope on a Government that has the "wherewithal" to take the mess they have inherited and do something positive about it. That, in the end, is the great challenge, isn't it? In a way, it's make or break. Gone are the days of National and Labour being interchangeable. Labour of 2020-2023 were dangerous ideologues who ran rampant, and the damage is there for all to see. 26% of the vote is their return for the arrogance of it. The new Government will get a honeymoon. But before they know it we will expect returns and we will expect to see things that were promised. From gangs, to the Maorification obsession, to the big policy stuff like fair pay agreements and 90 day trials. Then there's the tax cuts, the trimming of waste and the cutting of spending. The upside of having much to do is you can hoe in. The downside is the risk that it takes too long to materially change and the electorate grows impatient, and that's before you get to the trickiness of having three parties working together in a way that looks cohesive. MMP ain’t flash at that. But for now, at last it is on. New Government, new day. New hope. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian woman Erin Patterson will appear in court today after allegedly cooking and serving a lunch that killed three. She faces three murder charges and five attempted murder charges. Her former in-laws Gail and Don Patterson as well as Gail's sister Heather died from suspected toxic mushroom poisoning in July, and Gail's husband Ian was hospitalised. Three other charges relate to incidents in 2021 and 2022, when police allege that a 48-year-old man became ill after meals. Herald Sun Reporter, Athos Sirianos, told Mike Hosking that her first hearing is this morning, in which they’ll bring out the charges and plan her journey though court. He said they’re strapping themselves in for a lengthy one. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian woman Erin Patterson has been charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. Her former in-laws Gail and Don Patterson as well as Gail's sister Heather died from suspected toxic mushroom poisoning in July, after eating lunch Erin Patterson allegedly made. Gail's husband Ian was hospitalised. Three other charges relate to incidents in 2021 and 2022, when police allege that a 48-year-old man became ill after meals. Australian correspondent Murray Olds told Mike Hosking that Police searched her property with specially trained forensic sniffer dogs. He says those dogs are trained to look for things like USBs and SIM cards. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recruitment agency says we need to listen to the younger generation. A Randstad survey shows almost half of jobseekers face barriers to securing employment, including around language, ethnicity, and gender identity. It found more than a quarter of workers would rather face unemployment than work for an organisation whose values don't align with their own, millennials in particular. Randstad General Manager Ian Scott told Mike Hosking that people want more than just turning up to a job. He says they want to feel connected to an organisation, so employers need to create an environment that makes people feel included. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Salvation Army is raising concern about a loss of support services for people suffering gambling harm. The charity says Te Whatu Ora has rejected its bid for a contract renewal, despite providing gambling programmes for 31 years. Social Services Director Lynette Hutson told Mike Hosking that they’re not sure if the service will be replaced, but they suspect there will be fewer services available. She said that there was no indication from Te Whatu Ora that their service was problematic and they were going to go another way. Te Whatu Ora says it's not appropriate to comment,while it's in the process of requesting proposals to procure gambling harm services. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Departing All Blacks coach Ian Foster has condemned the growing abuse professional sportspeople and officials are encountering. His comments came after news Wayne Barnes is retiring from refereeing following an international career spanning 17 years and a record 111 tests across five World Cups. The Englishman was reportedly the subject of death threats in the aftermath of the World Cup final. Foster told told Mike Hosking that some of the feedback is unacceptable. Meanwhile, Foster maintains he's spoken to nobody about future coaching opportunities but isn't ruling out any avenues yet. Revealed: Foster spurned job talks on eve of World Cup -NZ Herald Departing All Blacks coach Ian Foster has revealed he was approached about coaching jobs on the eve of the Rugby World Cup but refused to discuss further so he could be fully focussed on the side’s campaign. Foster’s side fell just short of claiming a fourth World Cup title after going down 12-11 to the Springboks in Paris. Scott Robertson now takes over as All Blacks coach. Talking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast, Foster said he wants to continue coaching but said he hasn’t talked to anyone including Rugby Australia after the departure of Eddie Jones. “I’m not saying anything about my future at the moment, but all I’d say is I haven’t spoken to anyone about anything and I’ve done that deliberately,” he told the Mike Hosking Breakfast. “I had a couple of options before the World Cup that I basically said, if you want to talk to me, you have to wait till after the World Cup. “Because I don’t want this team or in fact, this country, thinking that I was busy trying to sort myself out before the biggest event. “And for me, I wanted my team to know that I was 100 percent focused on the team. I’d like to think that everyone saw that and now I’ll take my time and figure out what’s next. The timing is not perfect because a lot of jobs have all gone, but that’s ok. I was willing to take that risk.” Foster joined the All Blacks as an assistant coach in 2012 and was part of the coaching staff when the side won the World Cup title in 2015. He took the reins from Steve Hansen following the 2019 World Cup. Under Foster, the All Blacks won four Rugby Championship titles and retained both the Freedom Cup and Bledisloe Cup. He has the third most wins as an All Black coach (32 from 46 tests). Foster was asked whether he wanted to continue coaching at the highest level. “Well, I think that’s one of the options. You consider two things. You got the club stuff in Europe. You’ve got Japan, and then there’s the international game. “But it’s immensely difficult to talk about trying to coach another country when you’ve just had 12 years with the best team in the world and who’s so close to my heart and quite frankly I just need to breathe a little bit before I go down that path,” he revealed. Ian Foster at peace with coaching era Hosking asked Foster whether he was at peace with his time as All Blacks coach. “I think I am but I’m still going over everything. “We went into a World Cup that everyone thought, we all knew, was going to be probably one of the toughest ever and nearly nailed it. “So, I’m at peace that we did everything we could that we gave it everything we got but still there’s always a massive disappointment we couldn’t get across the line. “It’s been interesting four years. It started with the board and players fighting at each other over Silver Lake and that took about 12 months to get resolved. It set a sort of a platform of a niggly relationship between the players and the board, which wasn’t actually anything to do with me. But that was the paradigm that we came into. “We then went through Covid and the way we structured our seasons became very different. For example, I think we only played South Africa once in New Zealand in the four years. “But everything settled down and I feel we got ourselves into a really good position going into that World Cup and ultimately that was the goal. I’m pretty proud of the effort that my coaching group, my management team put through and knowing that that things were over at the end of the campaign, but we were able to keep our focus singular on what we needed to do. “And for that, I’m really proud of that group.” “When I got the job, it always seemed to be under a condition, didn’t it? It was the two year contract. They had another candidate that half the people wanted and from then on it was the leaves that they looked at everything that we did. “And so once people fix their minds on an opinion, it’s very hard to move them and to be fair, I’m relaxed with that. “I’d like to think that now they realise that I lead a group that was highly motivated that could really produce a team that can win a World Cup. And the support that I’ve had has been phenomenal.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no clue yet on how long it will take to form a government following today's special vote count. At two this afternoon to results of around 570-thousand votes will be released by the Electoral Commission. The results will likely dictate whether National and ACT need New Zealand First to run the country. Former Finance Minister, Steven Joyce, told Mike Hosking that how fast National can form a Government will be determined on their future coalition partners. He says they've been talking about getting it sorted sometime next week, but he wouldn't bet the house on it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She’s been making music for fourteen years but has only recently turned 23. Nashville-based singer-songwriter Alana Springsteen is taking the world by storm, the Grammys comparing her perceptive storytelling and pop-country music to a young Taylor Swift. She released her first album in late 2021, and just this year released her deeply personal three-part album ‘Twenty Something.’ The album is made up of three six song instalments: ‘Messing It Up’, ‘Figuring It Out’, and ‘Getting It Right,’ the full album containing eighteen songs total. Springsteen told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that she’s a big signs person, with eighteen being her lucky number. “It’s just kind of popped up throughout my entire life,” she said. “My birthday is the 18th, my parents got married on the 18th, and we’ll see it in the most random place.” Keeping in line, Springsteen released the album on August 18th. Eighteenth of the eighth. “I just tried to pack as much good luck into it as I could.” Not only is Springsteen a big signs person, but she’s also a big manifester. “I always had huge dreams when I was a kid,” she told Hosking. “I just had this blind faith that it was what I was meant to do.” Springsteen picked up the guitar when she was seven, started writing songs when she was nine, and started co-writing music with industry heavyweights not long after. She told Hosking that it was the first time she found people that spoke the same language that she did. “People were calling their friends being like, ‘you’ve got to come meet this girl,’ and it was just such an organic way of finding community.” Despite her youth Springsteen has already made songs with a variety of artists including Mitchell Tenpenny and Brad Paisley, and toured with Luke Bryan. “I learned so, so much just from watching him,” She told Hosking. “The way he interacts with the crowd, he’s so fan focused.” Community is a key part of music, country music in particular, and Nashville is where the roots of this community are planted. Springsteen has performed twice at what she calls the ‘Holy ground’, the Grand Ole Opry, telling Hosking that it’s hard to find words to describe the experience. “It doesn’t really hit you until you step in that circle. Until you’re thinking about everybody that’s come before you, and you feel like you’re officially part of the country music family.” Joining the family brought with it advice from the older generations, and for Alana Springsteen, Kenny Chesney had some words of wisdom. “Just do it your own way, let it come to you.” “The biggest thing he told me that stuck with me is not to be impatient, you know? He’s like, take your time.” She says she has to constantly remind herself that a slow rise builds a lasting foundation. “The most important thing to me is to have a long career and do this for the rest of my life.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The news this week is that this is the month in which the Covid inquiry people will be wanting to hear from us. Epidemiologist Tony Blakely, a Kiwi living in Melbourne, was appointed to lead the investigation The key, sadly, is the terms of engagement. This is how Governments get around things You announce an inquiry and this immediately gets trouble off your back, because whatever the drama of the day is the next time the question arises you can say "we will leave that to the inquiry". If the inquiry result is bad news you release it on a Friday and hope no one notices, or if worse comes to worst, you say you accept the findings and recommendation This inquiry needed to happen given a lot of countries are having one and because there was tremendous upset and a huge array of question marks around how the pandemic was handled So far they’ve talked to a few at the coalface. Now it is time for the public submissions. Which means the next part is the disappointment. Whatever it says won't change anything and I think that, ultimately, is the great Covid lesson. You got what you got based on who was running the place, not because there was a playbook. If you want a good reference Britain is having their inquiry this week and one of this week's highlights has been Dominic Cummings. Dominic hates Boris Johnson. Dominic once liked Boris and worked for him, but when that changed Dominic has spent quite a lot of time and, certainly quite a lot more energy, crapping all over the Tories in a campaign of some real intensity. Part of that has played out for the cameras this week. The point being is it has less to do with Covid and more to do with politics. Dominic wants Boris to look bad. Ours will be no different. That's because, and this is the second part of the lesson, Covid is not only about who happens to be running the place but their response will almost certainly be politically motivated, not health related. They told us ours was health based. But the overlay was the Jacinda Ardern view of the world, the control freak-like approach to bossing everyone around and making astonishing amounts of rules based on not a lot. If you're an anti-vaxxer, an anti-mandater, an anti-MIQ'er then I wouldn’t bother. They say they want to hear from you, but they don’t. It ultimately will be a door-stop report with lots of anecdotes, a lot of praise for the difficult days and a suggestion we did amazingly. But as for light, clarity, lessons and change? Forget it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Countdown's aiming to make healthier choices easier for customers, and combat checkout 'pester power'. The supermarket chain —soon to be Woolworths— has committed to 80% of foods at checkouts carrying a Health Star Rating of 3.5 or more. It's also moving "kids confectionary" elsewhere. Woolworths NZ Nutritionist, Deb Sue, told Mike Hosking that this same approach has had really good feedback in Australia. She said the intent is not to take away choice, but simply to nudge people to make healthier choices. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reading Recovery support is becoming less common in schools. The number of children receiving the intensive one-on-one literacy assistance has dropped by a third over the past three years. Less than half the country's primary schools now offer the programme. Education Hub Founder Nina Hood told Mike Hosking that many don't think it provides their students with the level of support they require. She says they're now offering different programmes, which they find more effective. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some positive news for Aucklanders left with flood-damaged homes. The council has agreed to fund mitigation for properties which could feasibly be protected from harm in future severe weather events. It's offering to pay up to 25% of a property's capital value for work like retaining walls, landscaping, and drainage improvements. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Mike Hosking that the issue is vexed, but is a mixture of what he calls sensible decisions. He says it minimises costs but maximises the help council can provide without upsetting ratepayers too much. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some mortgage holders are in for a tough adjustment come 2024. A Reserve Bank report says the average household will spend about 18% of their income on interest payments alone by mid-next year. It comes as those on extremely low interest rates in 2019 start turning over to new rates. Kiwibank Chief Executive, Steve Jurkovich, told Mike Hosking that the upside is the doubling of interest rates comes from a low base. He says in context, the number is pretty normal compared to what we've seen over the past decade. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Demands for families to be held to account to stop kids dying from abuse. A homicide investigation has been launched into the death of Lower Hutt toddler Ruthless-Empire Wall, who was killed from blunt force trauma. Newstalk ZB understands that his uncle contacted Oranga Tamariki, wanting the toddler to be uplifted. In July, Police conducted a welfare check in with no concerns noted. Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency Chair, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, told Mike Hosking that families need to take on greater responsibilities. She says that it takes committed whanau, hapu, and iwi leadership to say this has to stop. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns rise as New Zealand's red meat exports take a sharp decline. The Meat Industry Association reports exports dropped to $617 million in the 12 months to September; a near 20% annual decrease. It says the global market is softening, but the numbers look worse than they are because last year's meat prices were at record highs. ANZ agricultural economist, Susan Kilsby told Mike Hosking that there's been a big drop in demand from our biggest market, China. She says Chinese consumers are saving —not spending— as financial confidence remains low amidst the country's current challenges. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some questions around yesterday's White Island verdict: Was justice done? Was justice seen to be done? Did a lot of people needlessly get dragged before the court for no good reason? Did those who had their charges dismissed get any compensation for lost time and energy on a case for them that went nowhere? Is it fair that the law allows a Government agency to simply machine-gun a series of charges about the place, in the hope a few will stick? Do you machine-gun charge, hoping some will take the path of least resistance and simply plead guilty? Did some of those that pled guilty do so for essentially the wrong reasons and, if so, do they now regret that? Does the landing of a single guilty verdict from all those charges justify the approach from WorkSafe? Given what the judge said about WorkSafe and their reportage of operations on the island, are they potentially as culpable as anyone else? And if they are, where are the charges against them? Where is any accountability from them at all? Why do we have a system whereby you get charged and then have those charges dismissed and you can essentially do nothing about it? Where is WorkSafe and why don't they front to defend their actions? Given that, is there a gross unfairness in the balance of power in matters such as this? How many of the WorkSafe charges, or indeed the WorkSafe approach to all of this, was a butt covering exercise designed to make them look better than they clearly are? Accepting this was a tragedy and lives were changed forever, how much of their approach was about looking like they cared and were out to get some people, even if those people were not in any way culpable? As tragic as the circumstances turned out to be, does some level of responsibility lie with individuals who took part in a tourist exercise involving a live volcano and there fore a level of risk was entered into? Is the reality not that if you are dealing with nature and you can't control, or tame nature, it is at all times beyond your control and therefore risk is involved and people buy into that risk? The fact one charge, one contested charge of all the charges, actually stuck - what does that change? Was justice done? Was justice seen to be done? Or are the questions just asked an indication of a sloppy Government department who are as guilty, if not more so, than anyone else who appeared in that court? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel has confirmed it caused an explosion at a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, saying it targeted a Hamas leader. Reuters reports Palestinian medics say at least 50 are dead. CNN reports the Israel Defence Force says it was targeting a very senior Hamas commander in the area around the camp. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the director of a hospital nearby said that hundreds of dead and injured have arrived at the hospital, and many are still under the rubble. This figure is still unconfirmed. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.