The Mike Hosking Breakfast

This afternoon's Melbourne Cup is expected to be on the slower side due to forecast rain. Up to 40 millimetres is expected to fall at Flemington through the day. New Zealand and Australia Racing Hall of Famer Bret Thomson says Flemington is good at draining water, but expects racing to be slow. He told Mike Hosking it will be a very open race. Thomson says many of the horses are European, and they tend to handle the soft track well.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister says requiring boards to implement the Treaty hasn't made any difference in practice.  Erica Stanford has confirmed plans to scrap a clause which requires school boards to reflect local tikanga Māori in the curriculum and offer te reo Māori instruction.  The changes will go to Parliament today and are expected to pass before the end of the year.  Stanford told Mike Hosking she’s not certain what school boards were expected to do under the requirement.  She says they've clarified that school boards must work to raise outcomes for Māori students and teach te reo Māori to students who want to learn it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Positive signs about our economic recovery in the latest lending data.  New figures from credit bureau service Centrix shows a rise in lending, including a 21% rise in residential lending.  Three thousand fewer people are behind on payments compared to a month earlier.  Centrix Managing Director Keith McLaughlin told Mike Hosking it shows that households are continuing to manage their budgets effectively.  He says the trend is very, very favourable.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are calls for a coordinated response to get on top of rising fraud operations.   Crypto exchange Swyftx is warning scam networks have evolved into a new form of organised crime, with many operating out of South East Asia.   Latest data estimates New Zealanders has lost $1.6 billion to online threats in the past year, with this expected to grow without intervention.   Criminologist Gabby Lewis told Mike Hosking the Government needs to run simple, nationwide campaigns.   She recommends simple messaging like "slow down, look around, shut it down".  There’s also a belief more needs to be done to protect New Zealanders from the syndicates.  Lewis told Hosking the syndicates utilise human trafficking to make their money, the victims forced to stay in compounds and scam people.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Explain this to me. Which clause of the Treaty is the Waitangi Tribunal using when they suggest the Government recognise second generation Maori for citizenship? John Ruddock brought the case, while a similar one got headlines recently because it involved Keisha Castle-Hughes, the actress. In her case she was born in Australia to a New Zealand mum. Her children were born in America, hence they don’t get automatic citizenship. Ruddock was born in Australia and got citizenship by descent. But his children were born offshore as well and descent only operates to one generation. This is not a new law, it's not a surprise. It's been this way for decades. So the tribunal hears the case and decides the law needs changing. But my question is, on what basis? Is the tribunal not there, however loosely, to interpret the Treaty? Where in the Treaty does it talk of generational descent issues? Under what clause does it talk of being born in Australia? Of course, it doesn’t. Because it was written in the 1800's and it is, at best, vague, which leaves it open to interpretation. So the question for the here and now is how much so-called "law" is going on here versus ideology. Law is developed, if not by the Parliament, by regular courts when they see a gap. They interpret. The recent foreshore drama is a good example. The 2011 law was explicit. The court simply didn’t like it so they suggested change and the Government had to step in. But the Waitangi Tribunal, which remember has no actual legal power, seems merely to make things up. One generation isn't enough so let's make it two. Why not four? Why not make it really easy and anyone who remotely feels Maori can claim citizenship for any number of offspring, no matter where they were born, as long as it feels right? Where does the Treaty stop and the improvisation start? Thank goodness the Government are not going to do anything about it. But that’s this Government. What about another Government? And what are the historic, long-term consequences of a tribunal that’s running roughshod?   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dame Noeline Taurua has broken her silence, following her suspension and reinstatement as Silver Ferns coach. The 57-year-old and her coaching team were stood down in September after player concerns emerged from a Sydney training camp. Listen to the second part of her interview with Mike Hosking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 3rd of November, Dame Noeline Taurua gives her first interview since being reinstated as the Silver Ferns head coach.   The Prime Minister touches down from Southeast Asia to come into the studio and talk about his meeting with Trump and Chinese visas. Jason Pine and Andrew Saville discuss the revelations for the Dame Noeline interview and review the All Blacks win over Ireland. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: Dame Noeline Taurua makes her return to Netball. Will the drama affect her game?  Auckland FC played in front of a relatively quiet crowd on the weekend. And the LA Dodgers pull off a comeback to secure a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon reckons Donald Trump will take up his offer, of a round of golf in New Zealand. The Prime Minister's back in the country, after attending the ASEAN and APEC summits in Malaysia and South Korea last week. He met the US President, extending the opportunity for Trump to play a round with former PM Sir John Key. Luxon told Mike Hosking that Trump knows a lot about New Zealand's golf scene. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dame Noeline Taurua has broken her silence, following her suspension and reinstatement as Silver Ferns coach. The 57-year-old and her coaching team were stood down in September after player concerns emerged from a Sydney training camp. Interim coach Yvette McCausland-Durie is leading the team on next week’s Northern Tour. Speaking to Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking in her first interview since the saga, Taurua says the suspension was horrific, and she feels partly vindicated, but not fully back in the job. She says her happy place is on court, training with the players, so there's still a bit to go until she's really back. LISTEN ABOVE FOR PART 1 AND BELOW FOR PART 2 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Government shutdown has reached 32 days, 3 days away from the longest in history.  President Donald Trump seems to be on-track to break his own record after the shutdown in late 2018 which lasted 35 days.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the shutdown is affecting US public services.  'More and more air traffic controllers are staying off work since they're not being paid.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's turning to rapid off-site building, to add 140 extra beds to hospitals around the country. It's announced new wards will be constructed off-site for Middlemore, Waikato, Wellington and Nelson hospitals next year.  They'll open at the same time as an already-announced new ward at Hawke’s Bay Hospital. Health New Zealand's Head of Infrastructure Delivery Blake Lepper, told Mike Hosking that the budget has allowed them to get one extra unit than what they were expecting. He says they're ordering buildings that can be sent to wherever the highest needs are around the country. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tell me how Broadcasting Minister Paul Goldsmith is going to sort the unsortable? The Broadcasting Standards Authority has, deliberately or not, opened a box of whoopee that is playing out all over the world in various forms. In simple terms regulators are trying to work out how to control tech. The problem with regulators is their jurisdiction is limited. The problem with tech is there is no border. The same way a Government isn't going to charge a tech company for nicking news and putting it on their websites, a broadcasting watchdog is not going to control Joe Rogan. The Prime Minister has already worked this out and said so Monday. But then the Broadcasting Minister, in that ponderous sort of surprise-ladened fashion that is unique to Goldsmith, started wondering out loud why the Herald NOW stream wasn’t regulated while breakfast television was. That of course is the simple version of the problem. You are only dealing with the difference in transmission mode - terrestrial vs the internet. Next issue - if you are regulating the internet, what internet? Where does it stop and start? Local streaming? What is local streaming? If you are protecting an audience, surely you have to protect them universally? And yet you can't. Even if Goldsmith argues the line that things that look like radio or look like TV are captured, what if the radio consumed in New Zealand originates in London? Next problem - if you regulate the internet, where does that stop and start? Does a podcast look like radio? What about short form vs long form? What about local content on TikTok and, if so, why not all content on TikTok. Answer: because you can't. And if you can't, how is it fair to regulate my TikTok but not Piers Morgan's? Talk about a horse and bolting. Governments look old world. They look “AM” in an "FM" world. They look like they are trying to save letters from the internet. They look like control freaks who don’t know how to save their powers. Rightly or wrongly making me adhere to rules while every half-baked weirdo on the net gets to say whatever they like is the cold, hard reality of the here and now. Save yourself the time and the headache and give it up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a group that normally seems to nail ideas and present them well, the New Zealand Initiative this week went off-piste with their "MMP After 30 Years" report.   Smaller cabinet - good idea. Get rid of the overhang - good idea! But more MP's? What on Earth are they thinking? The main point they make is that it has provided a fairer, more representative Parliament and I think, even for those of us that didn’t vote for MMP, we pretty much would all need to conceed that. The question I would have is, is that what we actually want? The base level argument over representation is, do some of the lesser lights represent a sector of lesser lights in the wider community? If the community has got its collection of halfwits and buffoons, do we want a slice of that in the nation's Parliament because that is a version of representation? I would argue no. I would argue that I'd far rather have a selection of highly qualified, dedicated, hard-working professionals. But if a cross section is what we voted for, then a cross section is what we have received. The great fraud of MMP has been the oft-used line by people like the Green's Rod Donald that the tail would not wag the dog. The tail has most certainly wagged the dog, many times over. If the circumstances are right, and they have been more than once, a very small percentage of the vote can wield an astonishing and destructive amount of power. Then of course if we are marking 30 years, we can also relitigate the issue of knowledge at the time. MMP won not because it was better, or the best, but because MMP had the best run anti-FPP campaign and too many New Zealanders couldn’t be bothered educating themselves about the alternatives. So MMP had the biggest headlines and enough people were fed up with Muldoon and Lange and scraps and bulldozing Governments so they threw out the current, in the hope the new was better. We will not change the system again. Those days are gone and I doubt we will ever even tinker with it. But if we do, more MP's will not be top of our wishlist.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Friday, which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was.   They discussed the difficulties of men's white shirts being uncomfortably revealing, and producer Glenn celebrates 30 years with the company. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday the 31st of October, Fonterra Chair Miles Hurrell on the sale of their consumer business. All Black Ethan de Groot joins ahead of the Sunday morning game against Ireland in Chicago. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson make fun of Mike - and celebrate Technical Producer Glenn Hart's 30th anniversary on Newstalk ZB. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Bill Gates: 8/10 When a disciple of the cause hits pause because he has worked out the hysteria outweighs the reality, he is to be congratulated. Chris Hipkins: 2/10 Sell a tax if you want. But the attack on the Prime Minister and houses is what these guys are really all about - they hate success. The All Blacks: 7/10 Ironically the biggest test is the first. I'm saying 4 from 4 and Merry Christmas. Fonterra: 8/10 A great week to be a dairy farmer and a great week to be a country with dairy farmers. Noeline Taurua: 8/10 The right call got made eventually, but... The Noeline saga: 1/10 We still don’t understand what happened, why it's happened and why it got handled the way it did. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a big weekend ahead on the motorsport front at Hampton Downs. It's the second edition of the 'Nextgen' NZ championship - designed to reinvent the national racing calendar. The series features race categories that have previously showcased the likes of Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Matt Payne and Liam Lawson. Founder of National Racing Group Promotions Tony Quinn says that this championship is something he is fully engrossed in.  'I don't get to see the impact of the change, because I see the change happening week to week.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data has been released on 'farm sales' across the country. The real estate institute highlighted confidence in the primary sector - with buyers focusing on 'infrastructure and productivity.' Waikato topped dairy sales for the year ending in September - up 18% to a total of 59% - followed by Southland, up 110% with 40 sales.  REINZ Director and Rural Spokesperson Shane O'Brien told Mike Hosking that although dairy is front-and-centre of kiwi farming, other sectors are benefiting as well. 'we're seeing some good activity and rebound in the market and the horticultural sector.'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The final charter for the Kiwifruit season has set sail.  This is Zespri's 60th vessel for the year to 50 different markets.  This season's crop has broken records, with 215 million trays weighing in at 770,000 tonnes. There's also been a significant growth in US and European markets.  Chief Executive of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Colin Bond says that, 'those growers are going to receive more value per trade than they ever have before.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's an assurance that Trump won't follow through with his nuclear weapon testing comments. The US President posted on social media saying he has no choice but to restart testing, because of other countries' testing programs. It follows him denouncing Russia for testing a nuclear-powered missile, which the Kremlin denies. Centre for European Policy Analysis Security Analyst Edward Lucas says if Trump followed through, it would be hugely destabilising.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boss of Fonterra is relieved to see so many farmers back the Lactalis sale. Almost 90-percent of votes backed the 4.2 billion dollar deal, that will see the French dairy giant take over iconic Kiwi brands like Anchor and Mainland. Miles Hurrell says some farmers were unsure about the plan when it was first announced. The chief executive told Mike Hosking that they've been working hard to change minds. Hurrell says there was a few questions out there from farmer-shareholders, which isn't surprising given they have a lot invested in the company. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday the 30th of October, it's voting day for Fonterra as to whether they will sell the company's consumer arm. Are we all on board for some cars moving from yearly WOF's to biennial WOF's? Voice actor Nolan North on the boom of the gaming industry and his many and varied roles. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think the biggest test for those who fell over backwards when Bill Gates said what he did, is not that he said it. It's whether the people he talks about can possibly begin to accept that they might be wrong, that they might be on the wrong side of the whole equation and that as a result of the Gates' revelation, they may need to readjust some of the obsessive behaviour they have shown these past years as climate change has become the maniacal calling card for too many. Not that climate change, as Bill points out, isn't an issue, because it is, and some good work has been done. But where Gates is so right and deserves so much respect is that he has worked out that there has been an astonishing amount of waste in the area. Lord-knows-what amount of time, energy and money has been spent on too many things going nowhere. Climate change, he concludes, will not wipe us out. There are more pressing areas. His new passion is hunger. USAID has been smashed to pieces and people are dying as a result. In other words he is prioritising. He is pragmatic. He is to be thanked. Of course for many of us this isn't news. Gates is but one of a growing group, whether driven by the right reasons or not, who have come to the conclusion that the climate obsession has gone too far and is now damaging, rather than fixing. The difference here and the importance of this is that Gates is one of them. He's one of the disciples, one of the believers, until of course he isn't. He is the best sort of sceptic - a well-reasoned, highly studied, impartial observer brought to the conclusion by the work. He is not a bandwagoner and he is not an obsessive. He is an observer. He's used his wealth from his success to investigate the planet's big issues and he has decided climate change can go down the pecking order. God bless him for that. The important bit though is can those immersed get what he is saying? Can they dare to believe it may all need a bit of reining in? Or in their eyes is Gates merely a deluded traitor? And if they can't, but we do, how much further is the obsessive's reputation damaged as more and more of the world side with Gates and not the nutters? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a strong push for the Ministry of Social Development to do more to help employers hire Kiwis ahead of internationals. Immigration Minster Erica Stanford says employers will be stripped of the chance to recruit migrants,  if they're not trying to hire unemployed New Zealanders first.  Association for Migration and Investment Board Director Tobias Tohill told Mike Hosking that this is a problematic approach.  He says mistakes are easily made, so it seems unfair on employers.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hopes that Christchurch will become the city that never stops, as momentum continues. Provisional Stats NZ figures for the year to June show Canterbury's population has risen most, up 1.1 percent - more than anywhere else in New Zealand.  Christchurch NZ Chief Executive Ali Adams told Mike Hosking that things are going well for the city on all fronts.  She says although managing growth comes with problems, there are more opportunities  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysian company 'Yinson Renewables' is set to invest in a new pipeline of projects totalling one gigawatt of wind energy - almost doubling New Zealand's current capacity.  The $3billion investment would generate enough electricity to power 750,000 homes - exceeding Huntly's current output.  Head of Foreign Director Investment for Invest New Zealand Simon Ansley told Mike Hosking that the company has already been operating under the radar in New Zealand, and is now ready to make a major impact.  'They've been supporting them through navigating New Zealand, regulatory environment, OAO, etc.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a possibility for a shake-up to the Warrant of Fitness system. The government's opened consultation on a new proposal - with the first WOF for new light vehicles lasting 4 years.  Cars between 4 and 10 years old would only need a check every 2 years, while those over 10 would remain on annual inspection.  CEO of MTA Lee Marshall told Mike Hosking that there has been mixed feedback so far.  'As for the recommendations made; mixed views. But, we'll ultimately rely on what members tell us.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fonterra Shareholders Council says farmers are taking a long-term view when deciding whether to sell off brands like Anchor and Mainland. Voting closes today, on a proposal to sell Fonterra's consumer arm to French company Lactalis for 4.2 billion dollars. Fonterra's targeting a capital return of about 400-thousand dollars to the average farmer. But Council Chair John Stevenson told Mike Hosking that farmers are thinking well beyond short-term benefits. He says farmers are also thinking about their long-term livelihoods, as they'll be continuing to supply milk well after any capital return. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is clamping down on arriving travellers at the border. It's making several biosecurity law changes including doubling the fine for people who don't declare fresh fruit and meat, to 800 dollars. There'll be new penalties and fines up to half a million dollars for breaches of controlled area notices. Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard told Mike Hosking that they want to deter behaviour that puts New Zealand at risk. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday the 29th of October, Education Minister Erica Stanford discusses the new curriculum and the ACC CEO finally seems to have found 8,000 people who can immediately come off full taxpayer support. Sir Peter Beck celebrates 20 years of Rocketlab and we get an exclusive radio chat with our space genius. Ginny Andersen comes into the studio with gifts and Mark Mitchell joins from Christchurch for Politics Wednesday. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Silver Ferns face Australia tonight in game four of the Constellation Cup.  The series currently sits at 2-1 to Australia, but a win from the Ferns tonight could force an extra game to decide the series.  Silver Ferns Head Coach Yvette McCausland-Durie told Mike Hosking that, 'it's gonna be hard work, but really confident, based on the way they played the other night, they've got the potential there.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rocket Lab is celebrating 20 years in operation this week.  The company has become the fastest in history to launch 50 rockets into space.  Now valued at over $20billion, Rocket Lab's portfolio includes missions for NASA and the U.S. Air Force Space Command.  Founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck told Mike Hosking that, 'the company continues to grow really, really strongly, but it always seems like it's going to take a shorter period of time than it really does.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACC is removing more people from its long-term claims pool. It's being reported nearly eight thousand clients have had their payments stopped in the year to June – a 20 percent lift on the previous year. ACC says these people were ready to work, or were no longer injured - despite many claiming otherwise. Chief Executive Megan Main told Mike Hosking that they want to get people back into the workforce. She says if people can't get back to work, they at least want to help them become more independent so they can return to living their life. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister's hoping the new curriculum will close the education equity gap.  Erica Stanford has unveiled proposed changes to content for Years 1-10 on top of the English and Maths refresh announced earlier.  The key changes include financial education, and compulsory consent education. Stanford told Mike Hosking that no matter where a child goes to school, they will learn the same thing.  She says a consistent curriculum means no matter where or what family kids are from, they get the same knowledge they need to be successful.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist says Labour's proposed capital gains tax won't stop house prices rising. The party wants gains on commercial and residential property to be taxed 28 percent, with revenue going into the health sector including free doctor visits. It excludes the family home and inheritances.  Opes Partners Resident Economist Ed McKnight told Mike Hosking that the tax is often thought as a house price killer, but that's not the case. He says in Australia since they introduced the tax, house prices went up 6.5 percent on average and in the UK they went up by 8 percent a year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 28th of October, we talk to the Trade Minister and Prime Minister (out of Malaysia) as Luxon tries to get a handshake and chat with President Trump. After Liam Lawson had another DNF in Mexico is his future looking a little shaky? Bob McMurray on the call Red Bull have to make. Andrew Saville and Jason Pine talk the long weekend of sport - F1, Joseph Parker, Dame Noeline Taurua and the NPC final. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First, a quick question on the Oxford Union. We thought it was a thing when David Lange turned up all those years ago, but since then Willie Jackson, David Seymour and now Winston Peters have appeared. So does that diminish its exclusiveness? Anyway here's what Winston Peters argued - that courts here undermine democracy. God bless that man and may he spread that message far and wide. Just last week's Marine and Coastal Amendment Bill is your latest and classic example. We had a law that came in in 2011. Some people didn’t like it, and you're allowed to not like laws. But hijacking democracy by trying your luck in interventionist courts is not helpful to a country looking for a bit of peace and harmony. Courts are good for a bunch of stuff; deciding either by judge or jury whether Mr Pollock was in the library with the candlestick i.e crime. They're good for deciding whether another judge erred in an initial finding i.e appeals. They're good for deciding whether there is a gap in law and, if there is, how that gap could be filled i.e the Supreme Court.   What they're not good at, although I'm sure given their operations of late they would argue otherwise, is taking an already established law and upending it because they  believe they are superior to the ultimate court, which of course is the Parliament. And the Parliament is the ultimate court because the group of lawmakers are put there by us, the voter. Peters, a lawyer himself of course, is doing a great service on our behalf because too many people, including people in the Parliament, are afraid to calls things out when they need calling out. They were afraid to call out the Reserve Bank when it butchered the economy, afraid to call out the Speaker when he failed to properly deal with the clowns in the house and afraid to call out judges at places like the Waitangi Tribunal when they very clearly overstep their mandate and look increasingly like little more than troublemakers. Winston Peters - a good foreign minister and good at telling it like it is. Buy the man a beer. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Lawson endured another tough weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix.  After narrowly missing marshals who were stood on the track, he was forced to retire on the opening lap following a collision with Williams driver Carlos Sainz. This marks Lawson's 5th DNF of the season, and it comes as Red Bull are expected to make an announcement on their driver line-up next year. Bob McMurray told Mike Hosking that all the junior drivers can do is wait for the announcement.  'To be in, when Red Bull holds all the cards, they have your contract, you can't do anything else...it's got to be the worst situation for junior drivers.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is throwing it's weight behind aged care reform.  A ministerial advisory group has been established to review the outdated funding model, which currently costs $2.5billion a year.  Chief Executive of the Aged Care Association Tracey Martin told Mike Hosking that the government is ready to make progress instead of writing more paperwork.  'The announcement that has been made recently is the first true action. This is not another review.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's set to finalise a deal strengthening our diplomatic and trading ties with 11 South East Asian countries, as he meets with leaders in Malaysia. Chris Luxon is in Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN summit and will finalise a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the association. He's then off to South Korea, for the APEC summit later this week. Luxon told Mike Hosking that we will be only one of seven countries with this relationship, which is the highest level of diplomatic partnership possible. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arrests have been made following last week's Louvre heist.  Thieves stole an array of valuable jewels, worth $177million NZD, including a crown belonging to the wife of Napoleon III. Newstalk ZB reporter in Paris Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that the thieves arrested were not masterminds, and were known to police.  'They knew that these two were part of the gang, but they knew that they weren't the mastermind.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's set to get easier for New Zealand businesses trading in South East Asia, as the Prime Minister's in Malaysia to finalise a regional deal. Chris Luxon is in Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN summit and will finalise a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the association. ASEAN has 11 member countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Laos. Trade Minister Todd McClay told Mike Hosking that it can be difficult for kiwi businesses to deal in South East Asia, with often complex and prohibitive rules. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queenstown is now just 5% shy of pre-COVID levels.  Records show that there were 192,000 international arrivals between January and August, up 14% on 2024. Australia continues to dominate the market, making up 40% of all visitors to the region.  Chief Executive of Tourism NZ Rene de Monchy told Mike Hosking that, 'the outlook for summer is actually really positive is what we're hearing from operators across the board.' 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. Judith Collins: 7/10 Her open letter to all of us this week revealed a few excellent home truths about unions, with the prize going to their obsession with Palestine over kid's education. Labour's election policies: 2/10 It seems almost impossible to believe you could roll some simple ideas out as badly as that. Joe Parker: 8/10 Is it just me or do we love Joe Parker? One fight away from the belts. Kevin Rudd: 6/10 In being humiliated he seems to have saved his job. Putin: 2/10 Honestly, what does he has over Trump? Trump looks like a punching bag on this war. The sports academy charter school: 8/10 Is it just me or is that like a dream school for kids who hated school? LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday the 24th of October, Sir Brian Roache on the so-called "mega strike" and whether it changed anything, at all. Joseph Parker joins from London ahead of his fight against Fabio Wardley. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk changing careers at a late age and the strike. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heavyweight boxing moves to London on Sunday morning. Joseph Parker is back in the ring taking on Fabio Wardley, a boxer from London who only took up the sport at age 20. A win would put Parker firmly in line for a shot at the undisputed world heavy weight title against Oleksander Usyk. Parker told Mike Hosking, 'I'm in proper good shape for a good fight this weekend.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Attack coach Jason Holland will be stepping down after the northern tour, when his contract ends.  This is the second high-profile exit under Scott Robertson, following Leon MacDonald's departure after just three test matches last year.  Former All Black Justin Marshall told Mike Hosking that the departure was a personal decision, not something motivated by back-stage scandals.  "Jason has his reasons for moving on, and those reasons could be the fact that he's not happy with the workload or he wants to move on to other things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the long weekend let's give the Labour Party a report card for their policy week. It will be one of the few report cards this week because we actually turned up to work. So overall a 'C-' for presentation. They had two years to organise this, to make a splash, to grab the headlines and run with them. Policy one didn’t have any detail so it was just a thought bubble. Policy two was forgotten about, or sneakily given to a magazine ahead of time, or a combo of both. And policy three was fine but it was just an extension of an already existing idea and the problem with the existing idea is the existing idea isn't used, or needed. So a drone-type view of the “themes” is we have a lot of overarching Government control, a Government picking winners on the future fund, a Government telling doctors how much they can charge and some freebies for gaming. Now that’s left-wing politics and some people like that and that’s fine and that’s democracy. That’s why we have elections. So a 'B' for the theme. On specifically the future fund they get a 'C' because at no point can they escape the fact that whatever they give to the fund it won't go to debt repayment and, given we have less than no money, that must be a priority. And that’s before you get to the bit where the world is awash with money for ideas anyway. The GP's committee gets a 'D'. A 'D' for dumb and dunce and fail. Telling already struggling GP's what they can and can't charge is a recipe for frustration, anger and resignation. It's got administrative cluster written all over it. The gaming subsidies get a 'B-'. Because it's already running. But here's the clue - gaming is booming. Is it booming because of subsidies? No. The subsides aren't used. They set aside $160 million but less than half has been applied for. It’s a classic Government-looking-to give-away-money idea. They can't even give it away. But the truth is, as artificial as it is, Government's do offer tax deals on gaming and film, so you've got to compete. So of the three policies this was their best idea of the week and by quite some margin. Overall if this is them, if this is the sharp and ready to rock-n-roll alternative to run this country, they need to majorly sharpen up. Or if you're looking at this week and going "man that Hipkins is one slick operator", well I'll see you at the airport. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A view Australia's recent military alliance with Papua New Guinea could be the springboard for a wider 'Pacific Eyes' alliance. Australian think-tank Lowy Institute's proposing an intelligence sharing agreement between us, Australia, PNG and Fiji to counter China's influence in the region. It claims it'd also help tackle trans-national crime and climate-related disasters. Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says it would be a tough deal to negotiate, but it's feasible. He says Australia's alliance is about sharing more intelligence and cooperating more, like this proposed deal. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.