The Mike Hosking Breakfast

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. Christchurch: 8/10 Really the New Zealand city of the year. SailGP back for more, having watched Auckland drop the ball, and the beneficiary of 11,000 new arrivals who chose it over everywhere else. Immigration: 6/10 On balance, new people are good people and more people is good news. 120,000-ish is too many and my fear is there are not enough of the right skills and too many New Zealanders going out the other way. 90 Day Trials: 7/10 Movement at last from the new Government. FPA's: 7/10 Biggest joke of the lot from the whingers, given there hadn't been a single one of them passed anyway. Smoking: 3/10 If you smoke that’s on you, not the Government. Let's try a bit harder to break the crutch or belief, if not obsession, that a Government is responsible for everything and everyone. John Ryan: 8/10 The Auditor-General's report into shovel ready waste sets new low around a Government that really should be banished from public office and the cheque book forever. The year: 9/10 I have had a ball. We won some awards, got some new listeners, remained the biggest game in town, went to London to see the King and marked our 15th year. How good! LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As 2023 comes to a close, Mike Hosking decided to take a trip down memory lane and look back at all of the biggest names who have graced the show this year. Highlights of the highlights include Pamela Anderson, Sir Rod Stewart, Michael Bublé, and of course, Dolly Parton. LISTEN ABOVE FOR THIS YEAR'S HIGHLIGHTS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talks of impeachment against President Biden are being written off as a politically motivated attack. The Republican majority House of Representatives voted this week to formally authorise its ongoing impeachment inquiry. So far, House Republicans have produced no evidence of Biden's wrongdoing. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that they might have ulterior motives. He suggests the Republicans want an even playing field for next year's election, with a twice impeached Donald Trump running for re-election. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Organisers of the FIFA Women's World Cup are thrilled with the legacy left by the event. Auckland played a major role in the tournament by hosting nine matches. Over $87 million in GDP was injected into the region's economy, surpassing the initial projection by just under 50%. MBIE NZ Major Events Manager Kylie Hawker-Green told Mike Hosking that the event exceeded expectations. She says the tournament boosted the economy in the quieter months of July and August. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says they've inherited a toxic trifecta of high inflation, high interest rates, and recession. GDP fell 0.3% in the three months to September, a much worse result than economists had predicted. The June quarter's figures showed 0.5% growth, revised from 0.9%. Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking that it's bad, but claims her government can clean it up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Motor Industry Association's concerned for the future of electric vehicles in New Zealand. Parliament's repealed the Clean Car Discount —dubbed a 'ute tax' by its opponents— under urgency, following a third reading. The policy subsidised the purchases of electric vehicles by charging a tax on purchases of polluting vehicles. CEO Aimee Wiley told Mike Hosking that while it's great to have clarity from the Government, it's a shame the rebates are ending. She says they're worried things will go backwards next year with no form of incentive. But, Wiley said, the market's now more competitive, and hopefully this will help pricing kick in. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist says we're in an economy that's significantly smaller than estimated. GDP fell 0.3% in the three months to September. The June quarter's figures showed 0.5% growth, revised from 0.9%. NZ Initiative director Oliver Hartwich told Mike Hosking that it means we're in a technical recession, but the revision's more shocking. He says all together, the effect was the economy is now 1.8% of GDP smaller than the Reserve Bank last thought when they set the Official Cash Rate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders drinking behaviour may be improving, according to new data. This year's Health Survey shows a record low 16% of the adult population reporting hazardous drinking, an almost 3% drop on the year before. NZ Alcohol Beverages Council Executive Director Virginia Nicholls told Mike Hosking that positive community support and education have definitely played a role. She says she thinks there's been a positive cultural change happening for at least the past 20 years. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it just me or are the growing number of reports about the ineptitude of the last Government an ever-larger indictment on what might be the most useless collection of buffoons in the modern political age? I mean we all knew they were trouble, hence the election result, and as I mentioned at the start of the show no one held them to more account than this programme. But then there's this new report from the Auditor-General John Ryan on the shovel ready projects. How big of a nail in the coffin of economic credibility do you want? How big a laughingstock do you want to be? "How to blow $15 billion" was one headline. It talked about the advice they got and the advice they ignored. By the way, the members of the media who wet themselves the other week about the new Government ignoring Treasury advice, I hope you read this report and I hope you report on the report. Because no one ignored more advice than Labour 2017-2023. Also, the report covers some activity of the first Labour term, the one with New Zealand First. So, if you are one of those that thought Winston was on top of his brief, read up. It was a shambles. Everyone was telling them they didn’t have the money, they didn’t have the planning, and they didn’t have the workforce. The risk of blowouts were all over the place, none of it was set to go, or dare we suggest, shovel ready. But so desperate were they to appear to be doing something to drag the economy out of the post Covid hole they had engineered, they weren't listening. And so, we end up with yet another reminder of the great calling card of Labour - non-delivery. Say a lot, do nothing. Announce it, then do nothing. Trumpet it for the news, then watch the crickets chirp. It is all there. Billions upon billions of dollars, of ideas and disaster, of no planning and even less listening. Nicola Willis is right, and we will hear all about it next week. The shambles she has been left is almost criminal. Luxon is right as well, when he said the other day, this lot should not be let within a million miles of the cheque book ever again. Read the report. If we hadn't lived through it, you wouldn’t believe it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's sunk plans for the Cook Strait ferry upgrade, pulling the plug on contracts already underway. KiwiRail's plans to fix the infrastructure got too expensive according to Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who announced they won't be going ahead with the plans. KiwiRail Chief Executive, Peter Reidy, told Mike Hosking that they now need to come together to find a way forward. He says they respect the Government's decision but would like to sit down with them to secure a resolution for the infrastructure. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Commuting to and from New Zealand's busiest airport is changing with a new Transport Hub opening up next year. Over the past 12 months, the old carpark outside Auckland Airport's international terminal has been replaced, and a $300 million transport centre has taken form. Chief Executive Carrie Hurihanganui told Mike Hosking that they've tried to create a seamless commuting process for people. She says they thought about how they could make it as easy as possible for public transport, taxis, and private vehicle owners. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Purchasing Christmas lunch will be more expensive than last year despite falling food prices. For a third month in a row, food prices have continued to fall, but they're still 6% higher than a year ago. Grocery food's 7% increase was one of the largest contributors to the annual change. Foodstuffs managing director Chris Quin told Mike Hosking that he expects most shoppers will have to stick to a budget this Christmas. He says people will have to look at the food options that fit their budget. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's less optimism for today's GDP figure than there was for the last. Stats NZ will release the September quarter figure later this morning. In June, Gross Domestic Product rose 0.9%. Westpac Senior Economist, Darren Gibbs, told Mike Hosking that they're predicting a 0.1% decrease to our economy. He says the manufacturing sector's seen weak growth, which is a strong economic indicator. Gibbs believes the sector will be a drag on our GDP figure, as manufacturing's PMI figure has been at dreadful levels recently. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two of the former Government's massive infrastructure programmes were rushed against the advice of officials, leading to costly blowouts. Auditor-General John Ryan's released a report on the $15 billion NZ Upgrade Programme and Shovel-Ready Projects. He found ministers received ample warning from officials that some projects would struggle to be delivered on time and on budget. Bookkeeping was so poor in some cases it's difficult to determine all the initiatives that received funding. Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking that it's a disgrace. He says in one case, Ministers announced projects and Auckland Transport, who were receiving the money and delivering the projects, found out through the media. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Requests for restructuring and redundancy support is up nearly 50% as the slowing economy starts to bite. The Employers and Manufacturers Association says requests have been steadily increasing over the past year, but there's been a surge in the past four months. Businesses across the board, but particularly in the manufacturing, retail, and hospitality industries, are suffering the most. Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald told Mike Hosking that we can expect the unemployment rate to rise over the coming months. He says it's looking like it's going to continue, which is a reflection of how hard things have been over the past three years. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am wondering if the Tauranga-based group that have filed for an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing are the same, or an associated group who have busied themselves causing grief to the Tauranga port, who want to expand their operations because they need to grow and employ more people and return more dividends to the local economy. There must be something waring about being so negative, or destructive, or activist. They won't see it that way. They will argue they are putting things right or addressing grievances. But that’s the problem with grievance, isn't it? It's become a gravy train. How many tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars do you reckon have been spent in the past 50 years at or around the Waitangi Tribunal arguing about perceived wrongs? The Tauranga group want an urgent hearing over the Government's attack on their language and their culture. Nothing more specific than that, just a broad-based attack. No matter what you call it, does the Waitangi Tribunal take into account the fact that the policies are the result of a democratic process? Plus, the main outworking of the new Government so far around this issue appears to be the desire to have Government department names in English first. The fact they have been English first for decades, if not forever, doesn't seem to have been an issue worthy of the tribunal up until now. The ACT Party are looking at a referendum on the Treaty, but that is a long way off. So, is the whiff of an idea as yet enacted, and indeed may never be enacted, an attack also? Is it not time to ask a few questions around the tribunal, given it is now 50 years old and the vast majority of the settlement business is sorted, and we have moved into the broader area of activism? How much activism do we want? How much are we prepared to pay for it, and what is the value of this activism? In other words, what's actually changed? Based on the fact it's seemingly never-ending and they have no legally binding ability to change anything anyway, as we approach the 50-year mark are we asking about the value of the exercise in its totality? It seems as angsty as it ever was. Has having a tribunal made New Zealand a better place? The good bits were those who used the original historic mechanism to argue their case, settle their claim, get their apology, and move on. Those tribes are the stories we want to hear more of. But what we seem left with are the agitators, the stirrers, and the troublemakers, and the Waitangi Tribunal seems funded and ready to indulge their whims. To what end? For what good? For how long? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for a mature conversation on our immigration settings. Latest Stats NZ data shows a gain of 128,900 migrants in the year to October. Prime Minister Chris Luxon has said our record net migration gain is unsustainable when it comes to housing and infrastructure. Labour's Megan Woods told Mike Hosking that it's time to stop using it as a political football. She says we've got to ensure we're meeting demand for housing and infrastructure for all migrants that move here and make it a good place to settle. But National's Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking that we've also got to make sure businesses have got access to skilled workers to grow the economy, without displacing Kiwis. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions are being raised over how to tweak immigration policies to get the right net migration levels. Stats NZ data is showing a record high net migration gain of 128,900 migrants in the year to October. Infometrics Chief Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking that it's difficult to get it right, especially with a near two-year lag between policies and arrivals. He says often ministers go too far the other way when they make changes, and two years later neither matches up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Climate Change Commission's provided the government with advice on meeting climate goals. Its 27 recommendations include supporting swapping from fossil fuels to renewable energy, encouraging switching to electric vehicles, and retrofitting buildings to be healthier and lower emissions. Commission Chair Rod Carr told Mike Hosking that the Government's committed to New Zealand's climate targets and has been clear it'll make different policy choices. He says the Commission's providing advice on the direction of policy, but at the end of the day, it's the elected leaders who will make the choices. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand is working to roll out sky-high Wi-Fi onto its domestic network. The airline is teaming with Starlink to install the network and after trials next year, plan to roll it out across the wider fleet in 2025. Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar told Mike Hosking that it'll be a gamechanger for productivity. He says walking up and down the aisle on domestic flights, people are already working on phones, tablets and laptops. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2022 School Audits Report's found some Covid related wellbeing payments for new principals were used for personal holidays and exercise equipment. Secondary Principals Association President Vaughan Couillault told Mike Hosking that wellbeing could be different for each person. The audit report also found seven schools are in serious financial difficulty. There are recommendations around financial reporting, maintenance plans, budgets, and Education Ministry communication. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SailGP is set to be bigger than last year when it returns to Christchurch in March. The city's Lyttelton Harbour will have additional grandstands for the two-day event and is expected to host 22,000 people across the weekend. ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction, Loren Heaphy, told Mike Hosking that she is confident the city has the ability to host more people than this year. She says they are looking at adding 4000 seats for the event. The 2025 event will also be held in Christchurch as planned. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blanket speed limit reductions are being left in the rear-view mirror. The Transport Minister's removed requirements for Road Controlling Authorities to implement speed management plans. Work will begin to account for economic impacts —like travel times— and community views, alongside safety when setting speed limits. Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking that the changes allow them to re-write the rule, to put a stop to a one size fits all approach. He says the requirements effectively meant 30-kilometre limits on urban roads, and 80-kilometres max on State Highways. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's trial has been fast-tracked ahead of next year's election. The former President of United States is scheduled to stand trial on federal charges relating to an alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump's case will be decided by the Supreme Court in March. However, international correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Trump appointed three of the Justices himself. He says there is a clear conservative majority in the court. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scottish actor Graham McTavish has been calling New Zealand home for over a decade now, moving over back in 2011. He’s well known for his roles in Outlander, the Witcher, House of the Dragon, and of course, playing Dwalin in the Hobbit series. However, McTavish doesn’t limit himself to fiction as he and Sam Heughan return for a second season of Men in Kilts. This time instead of their native Scotland, they’re taking a trip across New Zealand. McTavish told Mike Hosking that he’d love to do another season, joking with the Newstalk ZB host that considering the last one, the show is probably what he’ll die doing. After each season the pair write a book about their adventure, complete with pictures. This season’s ‘Clanlands in New Zealand: Kiwis, Kilts, and an Adventure Down Under’ was released in November. “I’ve learned so much in, you know, the travelling that we did, my own research for the book,” he told Hosking. “That’s the real delight for me.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Off the back of the PISA results last week into maths, science, and reading, comes the OECD's disciplinary climate index. It won't surprise you to learn we aren't doing very well in that either. There are just four countries in the OECD where students do not report a favourable disciplinary climate. They are Finland, Canada, Australia, and —you guessed it— us. What an indictment. The Australian Government acted immediately and threw $3.5 million at schools to boost resources. Erica Stanford on the programme last week talked of the cellphone problem and the distractions raised in the PISA report. Isn't it funny to think that when the National Party announced a phone ban during the election campaign a lot of people scoffed. Labour claimed there already was one, in the sense schools could do it if they wanted. A lot of people asked how that works. What if there is an emergency? What if I need to ring Mum? Yet, a few short months later here we are, an embarrassment on an international scale, at the bottom of an increasing number of metrics. Distraction and discipline, or lack of it, are clearly major issues and yet we have allowed the problem to not just present itself, but to fester. I am reminded of Jan Tinetti earlier this year madly defending absentee numbers by suggesting school post-Covid was hard, and teachers had it tough, and numbers were slowly getting better, so there wasn’t anything to worry about. What the reports show us was that although everyone went through Covid, some actually got on with it and some didn't. In some respects, the lack of discipline in school is a reflection of the top-down lack of discipline we have seen these past six years from a Labour Government who had no relationship at all with discipline, either fiscally or morally. They were a Government for the lowest common denominator, where average was more than adequate and there wasn’t a crime that couldn't be excused in some way, shape, or form. You have to feel sorry for the teachers. It must be a war zone at times, between the distractions, the lack of discipline and, as a result, the lack of results. What a mountain it is to climb. First job though is to accept the state we are in, because surely these reports that encompass the entire OECD spell it out pretty clearly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure as his flagship migrant deportation bill is set to be voted on this week. The proposed law would see illegal immigrants who arrive in the UK sent to Rwanda. But the bill's courted controversy, with the latest being some conservative Tory MPs questioning its effectiveness. UK correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking that lawyers have also been called in to analyse the bill. He says lawyers will have the final say no matter what the government tries to do. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Hawke’s Bay iwi leader has blocked vehicles from a local beach, placing limestone boulders over access points. Debate's been rife in the community for months over whether four-wheel drive vehicles should be allowed on popular Waimārama Beach, east of Hastings. Ngati Kahungunu leader Bayden Barber told Mike Hosking that he's had to take the matter into his own hands. He says it's been a long-standing issue, with the vehicles posing a major safety risk to beachgoers, especially children. The Hastings District Council is currently seeking feedback in regard to vehicles on the beach. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Expect stone fruit supply to stay tight this summer. The supply from Hawke's Bay peach, nectarine, apricot, and cherry trees continues to be hampered by damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. However, Summerfruit New Zealand Chief Executive Kate Hellstrom told Mike Hosking that things are looking up despite a wet winter. She says the El Niño weather pattern will help dry the fruit trees out. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retail crime's already spiking in the lead up to Christmas. It's 26% higher than quarter four last year, even though we're only near the start of December. Just 10% of people are causing 60% of the impact. Auror CEO Phil Thomson told Mike Hosking that this is organised retail crime. He says a lot of people will think it's down to the cost of living, but there are people out there stealing to order and doing it as their full-time job. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought an energy shortfall could be around the corner, with gas demand forecast to outstrip supply by 2025. The Gas Industry Company research shows renewable supply options are on the horizon but will still take time and investment to develop. Ernst and Young Hydrogen and Energy Transition Director, Angela Ogier told Mike Hosking that we have to look at it in the context of climate change and the global energy transition. She says oil and gas companies around the world are having more issues financing their investments, so having a stable regulatory environment is important. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former National Minister's urging the Government to back down on any idea of a referendum on the Treaty. ACT Leader David Seymour says debate about a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill being introduced to Parliament could be deferred until later in the legislative process. He says it’s helpful if the content of the bill and the referendum are dealt with separately. Former Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Chris Finlayson told Mike Hosking that Seymour should scale back his efforts in this space. He says the temperature's rising too high and there're bigger issues the Government needs to tackle right now. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Workplace Relations Minister says they want to ensure employment law is as flexible as possible. The new government is extending 90-day work trials to all employers, which were previously restricted to small businesses. A bill to make the change will be passed under urgency by Christmas. Fair Pay agreement legislation has also been repealed. Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden told Mike Hosking that the government's delivering what New Zealanders voted for. She says it's a clear policy that they entered the coalition agreements with, and is part of the 100 Day plan. Van Velden says they want to send a clear signal this government backs business. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The famous Ritz hotel in Paris has been embroiled in a controversy over a missing diamond ring. The ring, worth over a million dollars, disappeared from a guest's room while she was out shopping. But security staff at the hotel got lucky, finally finding the ring in a vacuum cleaner bag after police got involved. Europe Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that the discovery was a great coincidence. She says the ring was simply vacuumed up, according to the hotel. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vaping rates among young people appear to be trending in the right direction. Next week, disposable vapes must have removable batteries, child safety features and a maximum nicotine strength of 20-milligrams per millilitre. A survey also shows the number of Year 10 students who regularly vape has fallen for a second year in a row. Action on Smoking and Health chair Robert Beaglehole told Mike Hosking we seem to be getting things right at last. He says it looks like they're moving on, and the news at the moment is relatively good. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister claims the previous Labour government mismanaged the economy abysmally. The half yearly economic and fiscal update will be released next week. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has also promised a mini budget before Christmas. Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking over the last week they've discovered Labour's left fiscal cliffs and holes. He says there's unfunded commitments, time limited funding and he thinks there'll be massive overruns, which have been seen with transport projects. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are being urged to look at how they can reduce the risk of quad bike accidents. There has been four quad bike fatalities in the last nine days, with the latest on Saturday night. Chair of Safer Farms Lindy Nelson told Mike Hosking a common factor is the lack of safety features. She says unlike a car, a quad bike does not have the ability to fail safely. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that we actually have things underway, this Government had a good week. Taking almost two months after voting to open things is ludicrous, the three weeks of counting that is now under investigation anyway given they cocked it up, the swearing in and speech from the throne on two separate days when it could have been done in one - but at least after all that they have promised a shortened summer break given all there is to do. The media, having not learned their lesson about being Labour Party apparatchiks, did their best to undo a Government that has barely started by banging on about ignoring Treasury advice over FPA's, despite yesterday's revelations about their beloved Labour Party making it a habit on things like uncosted infrastructure. They also tried their best on Māori bonuses and went to town over smoking. The smoking had some merit given that was, to many, a surprise out of the coalition deal. But the media, like a lot of the unions and lobby groups who have gnashed their teeth, seem to fail to grasp that a change of Government actually means things get done differently and the reason they are to be done differently is because we voted for it to be so. An uplifting aspect of the week, if not a small irony, was the Māori side of the National Party capped off by the comments of James Meager, who was surely the star of the show. In the heavily Māori ceremony of swearing in Tama Potaka spoke for National, reminding us that the stereotype of a white male grouping is not remotely realistic in 2023. That was followed by Meager, who gave a wonderful reminder that too much of the Māori political story in this country is portrayed in a light of misery, deprivation and handouts, when in fact Meager is most probably closer to reality, being young, bright, determined and successful. Getting rid of Onslow was easy and the light rail mess in Auckland will follow suit. In these early days a lot is easy, tangible and reminds us that help is on the way for the economy. But Mark Mitchell's letter, although creative, is not perhaps the outcome you were led to believe when the rhetoric was flying in Opposition. So, the lesson is that delivery is everything. You can promise all you like but the voters goodwill extends only to the point you pony up. But there is momentum. Chris Luxon looks fit to burst with energy, Nicola Willis lined us up for the bad news this Wednesday week, Erica Stanford spoke so well in response to the PISA shambles and Winston Peters called for a cease fire in the Middle East (he might want to apply that to himself in general). All in all, a week in for this country, I am hopeful. 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 Government: 7/10 Underway at last and a very solid start. A lot of intent, a lot of promises and a lot of energy. Parliament: 6/10 Underway at last, almost two months since voting day. Politics moves about as fast as justice. James Meager: 8/10 Universally seen as the star of the week with that speech. The trick now is to live up to the words. The Auditor General's election audit: 3/10 When you have to investigate counting you know we are not up to much. PISA results: 2/10 What a disgrace. What an abject, intergenerational failure and what a shocking way to deal with our kids. Singapore: 8/10 The good news is they have the answer and they are like us, except with their act together. So the model is right there. Tohu Harris: 8/10 Yes, Beaudy is good but Harris is the man. And with Harris you know it means next year is our year. Golf: 4/10 New balls that don’t go as far. Talk about killing the fun. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYNTHONY is looking to become New Zealand’s largest music export. They’re taking their blend of the Metropolitan Orchestra, electronic music, and immersive lighting and visuals to the steps of the Sydney Opera House tomorrow. Duco Events Founder and Director, David Higgins, told Mike Hosking that they’re recording every show they do with near-cinematographer level videographers and posting them on YouTube. He said that doing their channel is growing exponentially, and they’re now getting inquiries from around the world to come and perform. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Government's issued a call to end the violence in the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Hamas rages on. All parties in the House have supported a motion urging those involved to 'take urgent steps towards establishing a cease-fire'. Auckland University international relations expert, Stephen Hoadley, told Mike Hosking that actions like this are to prove that New Zealand's aware of what's happening internationally, and is concerned. He says it may have no material effect —given there are far more powerful players in the arena— but does put New Zealand on the side of the majority. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes the end of the polytech amalgamation can happen smoothly. The Government has halted the plan which would consolidate 16 polytechnics and nine workplace training providers. Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds —herself a former chief executive of the Southern Institute of Technology— says they're looking at having eight to ten providers total. She told Mike Hosking that a key part of the process will be looking after those most affected by any changes. Simmonds says they will need to make sure students are kept safe. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Best efforts are being made in the dairy sector. Fonterra's lifted its Farmgate Milk Price midpoint for the 2023/24 season by 25 cents, to $7.50 per kilogram of milksolids. The company's had an 85% lift in profit, which bought them to $392 million in the first quarter of the financial year. Lincoln University adjunct professor Jacqueline Rowarth told Mike Hosking that projections for farmers are looking promising despite a volatile market. She says everyone is doing their best to indicate to farmers what the future looks like. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Passion in Parliament from all sides around potentially calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Political Editor Jason Walls says the Greens were not happy about the motion to support moves towards a ceasefire, rather than calling for it outright. But, he told Mike Hosking, Foreign Minister Winston Peters believes we can only work towards a ceasefire if all parties agree to it, which is extremely unlikely with Hamas. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.