The Mike Hosking Breakfast

A colourful makeover coming for Auckland's Paremoremo prison unit which houses the country's most dangerous criminals, won't be anything too flashy. In a bid to lift its oppressive conditions, the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit is receiving a fresh paint job with colourful designs and shapes. It follows a Chief Ombudsman report raising concerns of human rights abuse. Corrections Custodial Services Commissioner Leigh Marsh says it won't involve detailed murals of people and places. He says it'll be a range of natural colours , with hues of blues and greens with geometric triangles that look like trees. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand First election campaign may have begun, and Winston Peters believes the party is marching forward with practical solutions. MPs and supporters gathered in Palmerston North over the weekend for the party's annual conference. Members discussed 55 remits, which could end up being policy proposals in next year's election campaign. Party Leader Winston Peters told Mike Hosking NZ First is compellingly different from other parties, doing the right thing for Kiwis. He says the party sits in the middle, is pragmatic, and talks about common sense solutions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief the health sector should set targets for all elective surgeries to ensure wait times are reduced fairly. The Government's exceeded its half-year target, by delivering more than 16-thousand extra operations before the end of June.  The overall waitlist has also dropped by nine percent. General surgeon Chris Wakeman told Mike Hosking targets are a good manoeuvre - but they do have their downfalls. He's worried staff won't be able to deal with smaller and high turnover cases if they don't see them in public institutions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have all seen it. I have seen it a good number of times.  The café that was exemplary, sold, the new owner changes the menu, brings in a few kids to serve, and then wonders why six months later they are out of business.  As the hospitality people yet again told their tale of woe, and do not get me wrong, times have been tight and many an outlet has struggled, but as the new numbers got rolled out for the obligatory headline, it is probably time to get a bit honest  about a sector that at times is its own worst enemy.  In the past 12 months, 2,564 hospitality outlets have closed. That’s an increase of 19%. As a stat it's miserable.  But ask yourself this: are all the cafes gone? No.  So is it possible we were over-cafe'd?  Is part of the problem with hospitality the fact anyone can join? You simply write a cheque, put an apron on, and you are in the hospitality game.  Do you know what you are doing? Are you interested in excelling or are you looking for an easy job and an easy job for your family?  Are you providing something new, or better, or different, or just adding to the collection of people who pedal paninis and bowls of cappuccino?  We talk a lot about the two step, or two stage, economy. Normally it's rural vs urban, Auckland vs Queenstown.  But there is another two step story: the people who are good at what they do and those who aren't.  This doesn’t just apply to hospitality. But hospitality is the standout example because it is one of those sectors where anyone can join and you can be anything from exceptional to useless, and a lot of things in-between.  In 1990 Paul Keating, then Australian Treasurer, famously said this is the recession we had to have. Australia had not known a recession and had always been the lucky country.  But part of the argument was a recession cleans out the hopeless. It tidies an economy up.  The strong survive because they hustle and adjust. The weak wither and die and out of the renewal starts something afresh.  A lot of people liquidating only tells you a fraction of the story and the story is supposed to make you feel bad.  It shouldn’t. It's life. If you are good and determined and work hard in hospitality or anywhere else, you'll be fine.  If you are really determined, you will be more than fine. 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 Chinese parade: 8/10  Forget politics. As a “thing”, as a spectacle, as a “can you believe how in time those goose steppers are?”, it was spellbinding.    Helen Clark and John Key and Dan Andrews and Bob Carr: 4/10  On balance, given what it was really about, I think it was a mistake.    Trump's death: 2/10  A sad reminder of just how thick, gullible and worryingly naive some people are. And that’s before you get to the morons who thought Taylor had DM'ed Eden Park as a wedding venue. I am not making it up.    Teachers: 7/10  Big increases in enrolments. Just wait until the unions get hold of them and kill the buzz.    The Tamaki Makaurau by-election: 2/10  Is this the most pitiful display of disinterest in modern democracy? If you thought Port Waikato was bad, this thing looks like it will hit it out of the park. That’s if the park is open.    LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the old "cart before the horse" department are two setbacks for ideas we thought were going to work, or perhaps we hoped were going to work, but aren't.  Idea 1: We get big tech to pay for locally produced news.  That’s Google paying NZME for news that ends up on their news feed.  To a degree, deals had been done specifically between some companies, but the Government had the idea that as part of their "supporting the troubled media" plan they could drag big tech to the table to cough up.  It turns out they couldn't, they can't, and they won't.  Australia had the same idea. Then Donald Trump got wind of it, told them that these are American companies and if you tax them, he will whack tariffs on all over the place.  We were waiting in the wings to see how it all went in Australia before we gave it the full crack here.  Neither of us will be cracking anything.  Idea 2: Banning social media for kids. One of those almost universally agreed upon, feel-good ideas that was never going anywhere.  It's a nice thought. It's just not real.  Australia had a crack at that too and, like idea number one, we are sitting, waiting and watching.  Their ban comes in in December. It won't work.  A landmark national study has found its impossible. The age assurance technology trial, which was commissioned by the Government, looked at everything and their conclusion was that no single solution exists.  Can you fiddle and poke and prod? Sure.  But they say, "we found a plethora of approaches that fit use cases in different ways, but we did not find a single ubiquitous solution that would suit all use cases, nor did we find solutions that were guaranteed to be effective in all deployments".  And this is where bandwagons come in. We all like to hate on social media, we all like to protect kids and we all want to be seen to be doing the right thing.  Governments are not devoid of that particular weakness. But the problem with Governments is they shouldn’t promise what they can't deliver, and they were never going to be able to deliver either ideas one, or two.  Not Australia. Not us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday has come so Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was.  Mike comments on the effort another ZB host puts into his prep and the effort an MP puts into her appearance.  They also discuss hair styling, supermarket promotions, and the new IKEA opening in Auckland.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another tough week for brick and mortar retail.  Outdoor goods retailer KMD Brands, who owns the likes of Kathmandu and Rip Curl, has announced the closure of 21 stores across its network.  It’s making the move in an effort to turn around struggling sales and find $25 million in cost savings.  Chairman David Kirk told Mike Hosking that it’s a tough environment for all businesses, but discretionary retail is being hit hard.  He says people have to buy food, and if a kitchen appliance breaks you have to replace it, but people don’t have to go out and buy an insulation jacket, or a raincoat, or a wetsuit.  “In difficult times, people hang onto their money.”  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 5th of September, Immigration NZ is cracking down on overstayers as numbers surge – Steve Watson discusses the situation.  All Black Codie Taylor tells us how they're going to beat the Springboks this weekend.  Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson try to stop Mike from being sexist and discuss whether he needs to give up his Smeg rests as they Wrap the Week.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No surprise from All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor at the competitiveness of the Rugby Championship.  All four countries enter the third round fixtures tomorrow with a one win, one loss record.  Taylor told Mike Hosking it's a continuation of what occurred in 2024, with a loss to Argentina and South Africa both.  He says it’s always close, which is what you want with test footy, but the All Blacks need to be better.  “That’s what we’re striving to be.”  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration New Zealand's working on picking up immigrants who have overstayed their visa, following a surge.   New figures estimate there's 21 thousand overstayers in the country, up from 14 thousand in 2017.   The Government's also cracking down on immigrants who commit serious crimes and could deport them if they've been here under 20 years, instead of the current 10.  Immigration New Zealand Compliance General Manager Steve Watson told Mike Hosking they still pick up on overstayers, even if they're not criminals.  He says they quickly speak to people staying past their visas, and they usually depart quickly and easily.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Judith Collins has had frontline access to the war in Ukraine.  She's returned from the war-torn country, visiting sites impacted by Russia's three and a half year long invasion.   Collins met with Ukraine's Defence Minister while there, alongside speaking with the Foreign Minister, the Office of the President, and Deputy Minister of Defence.  She told Mike Hosking it's a difficult situation.  Collin says the Ukrainians are not giving in, but they do want a ceasefire, and they do worry about the people being slaughtered.  The Defence Minister says she saw appalling behaviour from Russia, with war crime after war crime.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Minister wants the senior doctors’ union to put patients first and enter binding arbitration.  Simeon Brown has given Health NZ and the union until 4pm today to respond to his urgent request to let a third party decide the terms of the contract.  Health NZ's agreed to participate in an effort to resolve 12 months of collective agreement negotiations.   Brown told Mike Hosking he's doing what he can to find a way forward.  He's trying to persuade both parties to come to the table and agree to the process, which is in the best interest of patients.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The trouble with change, apart from the fact we don’t like it, is it's especially bad if we don't know what it is.  The good news for real estate this week has been the foreign buyers changes for visa holders.  Adding to that, we've had a series of interest rate cuts, with more to come.  But in a place like Auckland what do you buy, and where?  There is no small amount of angst currently over a new unitary plan.  The new plan came out of the Government's idea of having three houses, three stories tall, on a regular section with no real clearance required.  Auckland didn’t want that, so they were, and are, allowed to make up their own.  The answer roughly, at the moment, appears to be high-rise and a lot of it around public transport hubs. Cue the outrage, the upset, the questions, and the heated meetings.  The new plan must be able to accommodate two million houses.  What this does to a real estate market is simple: it hobbles it, especially at a time when none of the decisions are made or are concrete.  What neighbourhood is affected? What part of that neighbourhood?  We looked at a place the other day. Currently it's mixed use with next door being commercial. It could be 27 stories. It's not currently, but it could be.  Another place we looked at had a nice view of the harbour, apart from the house in front that could be multi-story. It isn't currently, but it could be.  You don’t look at a house anymore, you look at the house next door, or behind. What is it? What could it be?  There is little in life to fire us up more than our castle and its environments being meddled with.  Making it worse, specifically, in a place like Auckland is the fact the place has been butchered by clowns. You wouldn’t trust these people to run your bath, far less a city.  So as we sit and wait and debate and get tense and object and fume and worry, how many people who were about to borrow, or spend, or shift, or expand, or build are now second guessing?  And in second guessing, doing nothing? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of New Zealand’s brightest is looking to be a leading figure in the robotics and self-driving car game.  Kiwi Dave Ferguson is one of the minds behind Nuro, a US maker of self-driving car technology – a company that just raised US$203 million in a funding round supported by Uber and Nvidia.  He began his career in self-driving vehicles with Google, working as a principal engineer on the Waymo program before splitting off to begin Nuro.  Self-driving cars have existed in fiction for decades, but real-life examples are a fairly new example, and although many people are sceptical about using them, Ferguson believes that will change.  “I think that the safety benefits that we’re going to get, the improvement in access, the sustainability, the economic benefits, the time back, like, it’s going to be an incredible project,” he told Hosking.  “A pretty incredible part of society long term.”  “Almost everyone I’ve ever known who has been in a Waymo, which is the only fully self-driving vehicle ... everyone that has been in a Waymo in San Francisco absolutely loves it.”  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 4th of September, does Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith have a fix for a system a new report says is under “considerable stress”?  Great news for the teaching sector as we see a 30% rise in training enrolments.  Kiwi robotics genius Dave Ferguson's company Nuro is now worth over $10 billion, and he talks to Mike about wanting to lead the way when it comes to robotaxis.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An SOS call has been answered in Wellington’s hospitality sector.  Local brewers Garage Project have stepped in to save Fortune Favours’ bar and brewery from permanent closure after a decade in operation.  The brewery saw a 45% drop in revenue over the past two years, even after taking home top honours at this year’s Beervana festival.  Garage Project founder Pete Gillespie told Mike Hosking they did such an incredible job with that space, it would be a crime to see everything ripped out.  He says they may have more optimism than they should, but he feels like it's worth doubling down on the bar.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a view that large tech companies could be challenged to pay more tax.   A report from tax expert Nick Miller says companies like Google take payments from a New Zealand subsidiary and then pay them to an offshore section of the business.    These are listed as service or licence fees, but Miller says they could be seen as royalties, which come under a withholding tax.   Miller says it's not just New Zealand having this issue.   He says it's a debate Australia is having at the moment and one that New Zealand can't afford to sidestep.  He told Mike Hosking we can learn a lot from what’s happening across the ditch, but if we want to obtain more tax from multinationals operating in New Zealand, our courts may have to reach a view on the issues.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Smooth sailing so far for Ferry Holdings, as a preferred supplier of two new Cook Strait vessels is selected.  Rail Minister Winston Peters has announced a fixed price has been agreed for two 200-metre-long ferries with road and rail decks, and room for 1500 passengers each.  Ferry Holdings Limited Chair Chris Mackenzie says final negotiations have started - and contracts will be signed by the end of the year.  He told Mike Hosking a letter of intent was signed with the shipyard and now technical discussions have begun before contracts can be signed.  The name of the shipyard will be released when the contracts are signed.  Mackenzie told Hosking 60 shipyards were in the mix to begin with, and it had shipyards in four countries, that's now come down to one.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour says he's opposing planning changes in Auckland in his role as local MP, rather than his role as Act Party Leader.  Seymour's opposing a move to allow more intensification near transport corridors.  The Deputy Prime Minister and MP for Epsom told a public meeting that supporters must impress on Housing Minister Chris Bishop that the plan is not necessary.  Seymour told Mike Hosking he's representing the views of his Epsom electorate constituents.  He says his job is to ensure Epsom, Mt Eden, Newmarket, Parnell, and Remuera have their interests advocated for.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a belief the number of people studying to become teachers needs to keep rising to meet demand.  There's been about 3,500 new domestic enrolments to initial teacher training so far this year – up 30% compared with the same time last year.  Massey University Professor of Teacher Education John O'Neill told Mike Hosking it's not a surprise, as numbers typically rise when there's economic downturn.  He says forecasting shows there will be an extra 100 thousand students in school by 2030.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fixing major challenges in the justice system might need to be a team effort from key players across the board.  Concern around mounting stress in the system is highlighted by Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann in her Annual Report.  It identifies key stressors including delays, limited capacity, security challenges, and insufficient funding.   Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith told Mike Hosking speeding up the courts is a classic system challenge.   He says there's a whole lot of different players, like Police and Judges, and everyone tends to blame each other for the situation.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour's call around the Paris Accord merely adds to the list of calls around the Paris Accord.  If we could park the emotion and the bandwagons associated with the obsession around saving the planet, the case for 2050 would no longer add up.  For example, take the countries that never signed up, take the countries like America that are leaving, take the future British Tory Government who will bail, take the world's biggest climate alliance for banks who have suspended their activities and proposed a vote on scrapping its current structure after a whole pile of members bailed.  The Net-Zero Banking Alliance stated their commitment was to align their lending with achieving net zero. It didn’t work.  It didn’t come close.  Since Paris in 2015, banks globally have provided loans of $6.4 trillion USD to oil and gas and $4.3 trillion to green projects.  The founder of Reclaim Finance Lucie Pinson says the reality is the banking alliance never truly challenged the fossil fuel business models.  On facts alone, climate is losing. You can argue forever about why and whether that’s good or not, but if it is fact you are using, then the Seymour call and the growing actions of places like America are actually sensible.  Just how much farce, how many COPs 18, 19, 27, 32, do you want to continue the failure?  How many press releases do you want asking for us to redouble our efforts, knowing it will never happen?  How much funding? How many air miles? How many promises that will never come close to reality do we want to pursue in what is simply a vain hope?  A well-intentioned hope, yes. Laudable, but futile.  Maybe net zero or Paris is a guide and an aspiration. A "let's give it a go and see how close we get" sort of thing. Perhaps with no target the whole thing falls apart.  But like a lot of nonsensical ideas, this one has fast become exposed as a bust.  If good intention and hot air was currency it might be different, but the facts and the truth tell us it isn't. Maybe we are all going to hell in a handcart, a dirty, filthy, climate-induced hand cart. Or maybe we aren't.  But the juggernaut of Paris isn't working and never really did.  Good, clear, decisive decision making would mean we stop the rot, expense and energy sooner rather than later. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump says reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated.  The US president is addressing media in the White House after his recent absence from the spotlight over the weekend sent social media into a tailspin.  Health rumours have been ramping up since his diagnosis of a chronic vein condition, with photos of his bruised hand circling online.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking his reappearance comes after yet another federal judge ruled against his deployment of military tropes in Los Angeles in June.  He says the ruling could have significant implications for the President’s future plans if it holds, but the Trump Justice Department is planning on appealing.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is this a turning point for the wine industry?  Data shows export volumes are expected to grow 4% to 285 million litres in the year to June 2025.  Export revenue is also forecast to lift to $2.4 billion by 2029.  Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers CEO Brent Linn told Mike Hosking Hawke’s Bay is more domestically focused, with production to export only representing 25% of their market.  He says that they’ve built their pedigree on the premium end of the market, and they have noticed some return to purchases of the Hawke’s Bay brand.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The growing volume of purchases from the likes of Shein and Temu are hitting New Zealand’s import economy hard.  Stats New Zealand has revised the National Accounts, with imports down $2.5 billion in the June quarter.  The average value of parcels has dropped sharply, driven by fast fashion and cheap e-commerce.   Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking a lot more people are looking to buy goods from overseas retailers as opposed to New Zealand.  She says they’re trying to encourage people to buy from local stores and businesses, as it’s important to try keep the money in our economy as opposed to shipping it off to China.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 3rd of September, our tourism stats are slowly continuing to move in the right direction. So when will we reach 100% of our pre-Covid numbers?  David Seymour says New Zealand should pull out of the Paris Agreement – National says no. Former Fed Farmers Chair and Associate Agricultural Minister Andrew Hoggard speaks on the topic.   On Politics Wednesday, Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk the Tamaki Makaurau byelection and Brooke van Velden’s controversial comments, plus Mike extracts a promise as to how early they’d get up in the morning for a prerecord.   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.

Government ministers have received a reminder about the "separation of powers".  Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden has been criticised for claiming Employment Relations Authority members believed “money grows on trees”.  She's told our newsroom Attorney-General Judith Collins has discussed the matter with her.  National's Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking Collins has reminded ministers they can't openly criticise the judiciary.  He says the separation of powers is important in a strong western democracy like ours.  Labour’s Ginny Andersen says the problem is that van Velden seems to have appointed people and expected them to make different decisions.  She says her comments demonstrate that they’ve been appointed on the basis that they’ll make certain decisions as opposed to being independent.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Christchurch father-of-three has won a nationwide competition to design a helmet for Formula One driver Liam Lawson.  The competition, run by Lawson’s team sponsors Red Bull, invited New Zealanders to submit original designs and offered a rare chance to see their creativity come to life on the F1 grid.  Nearly 500 designs were submitted, and the winning design will debut at the Singapore GP in October.   Winner Ian Ebbs told Mike Hosking he took into account things Lawson likes —the colours on his previous helmets, and hobbies like golf— as well as including tastes of home.  He says the design is a taste of New Zealand.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT believes New Zealand needs to be more realistic when it comes to the Paris Agreement.   The party, along with NZ First, have expressed interest in withdrawing from the agreement unless we can negotiate a better deal.  Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says that trying to meet our current targets is costing the country too much.  He told Mike Hosking that we’ve got a lot of good stuff going for us, and we shouldn’t beat ourselves to death over being some sort of sacrificial guinea pig.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Schools are keen to move on from open-plan classrooms due to the negative impacts on learning.  The Government's announced it will give funding to schools for the classrooms to get fixed up.  They will be able to get the money from a contestable fund based on need to put walls in the barn-style classrooms.  Christchurch's Avonside Girls' High School Principal Catherine Law told Mike Hosking a few things worked in them, but overall, the experiment was a disaster.  She says there are some defenders, but the majority of people in education believe they were a mistake.  Law says they were implemented at a time when inquiry and student-based learning was a focus.  She says it was a perfect storm, but having 70 students in a classroom meant the importance of teacher-student relationships and routine was lost.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tourism sector's still fighting for pre-Covid numbers.  The most recent International Visitor Survey shows overseas visitor numbers have lifted by nearly 200 thousand over the past year – up 5%.  Their spending was up by around $500 million but is still only 86% of pre-Covid numbers.   Tourism New Zealand CEO René de Monchy told Mike Hosking they're pushing to get visitor numbers back up to pre-Covid levels by the end of next year.  He says a lot of overseas markets are competing for international visitors.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We got there at last.  If you are a Golden Visa holder, that’s a person who puts $5-10 million into the country, you can now buy a house.  The idea that we expected you to put that sort of money into a country and then rent was, and is, absurd.  Not to get into the weeds too deeply, but the Golden Visa is different to the 183 days rule.  The Golden Visa means you can invest but not be here the 183 days. But it now means you do qualify for a $5m+ home.  None of this is complex. None of this needed to be as hard as it has turned out to be.  You will note from Winston Peter's comments yesterday he has preserved his ongoing dislike for so-called foreigners coming here and snapping up the countryside and locking the rest of us out of the market, none of which happened of course, but the xenophobic streak runs deep in that party.  But if you go back to National's original idea of $2m, a lot of water has gone under the bridge. A lot of banging of heads has happened and some people have had to be dragged kicking and screaming to what I would've thought was a fairly obvious finish line.  The weird thing for me about Peters is this is the same bloke who is out in the world pleading with said world to come and invest. He's saying come and do business, we are open.  He is trying on one hand to desperately rectify the damage of the Labour Government Covid era, while at the same time doing the old New Zealand First "cake and eat it too" trick. "Please come, please bring your money but, oh, given you're a foreigner you can use Airbnb". It's nonsense.  At $5m it changes little for you and me. It’s a tiny portion of homes. Its two million pounds and it's three million US dollars. For some global citizens it's pocket change.  But it all helps, and man do we need help.  The worry is the difficulty in getting here. Easy, obvious decisions should not be hard. They should be quick and slick.  But we got there. It all helps.  It was a good day for NZ Inc.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Kiwi chef is demonstrating that success can be found even in a tough industry.  Ben Bayly owns six restaurants around New Zealand, including Ahi and Aosta, and is set to open a seventh.  Wellington will be getting its first dining experience helmed by Bayly, located in the infamous Wellington Pavillion.  Between his six restaurants and his TV show ‘A New Zealand Food Story’, which has just finished up its fourth season, Bayly lives a busy life. Despite this, the work isn’t wearing him thin.  “I have this sense of enthusiasm that I can’t extinguish,” he told Mike Hosking.  For Bayly, working in hospitality is less of a job and more of a lifestyle, answering calls, emails, and setting up bookings even on the weekends.   “I love that stuff.”  “There’s nothing better than putting a smile on someone’s face,” Bayly said.  “What other job do you walk out at the end of the day and every single customer said, ‘wow, that was amazing, thank you so much.’”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 2nd of September, the Prime Minister and Winston Peters joined to discuss the new investment changes allowing foreigners to buy a home.  Is our government too big? Do we have too many ministers? A report says yes, and we should drop dozens of roles to be like Singapore or Ireland.  Kiwi chef Ben Bayly has exciting news for Wellington and for fans of his show 'The New Zealand Food Story'.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our largest-ever North Island tourism alliance is just getting started, as they work to win over Australian travellers this week.  More than 70 tourism operators are attending events in Sydney today and Melbourne tomorrow under the partnership Kiwi North.  It was formed in May, when 15 tourism North Island organisations joined forces to draw more attention from key markets.  Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Destination Director Annie Dundas told Mike Hosking that the aim is to show that the North Island has just as much to offer as the South Island does.  She says the South Island enjoyed a great lift in tourist numbers from Australia, and they’re hoping to see a lift of 1-2% for the North Island from this work.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a call to cull some of New Zealand’s ministers.   A new report from the New Zealand Initiative found New Zealand has 81 ministerial portfolios, while comparable countries have a third of that.   The think-tank says we should be more like countries with comparable populations, like Norway which has 17 portfolios, and Singapore with 16.  Co-author Roger Partridge told Mike Hosking we keep slicing off pieces of portfolios and giving them new names, resulting in important policy areas being split across multiple ministers.   Housing for example, reports up to 12 ministers, he says, and when you splinter key portfolios you get fragmented decision-making, a lack of accountability, and higher costs.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Refinancing activity is continuing to surge as the Official Cash Rate continues to fall.  Latest Centrix figures show mortgage enquiries are up 16% for the month of July and new mortgage lending rose almost 25%. Chief Operating Officer Monika Lacey says the market is active at the moment and people are keen to get the best deal they can.  She told Mike Hosking that about 36% of fixed mortgages are set to roll off in the next six months, so that’s quite a bit of activity that will start to flow through. Lacey says it should result in a bit more cash in people’s pockets.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters says he wasn't dragged kicking and screaming into a new foreign investors deal.  The Government’s approved changes to allow people with an investor residence visa to buy or build one home, starting at $5 million.  They’re required to invest an extra $5 million into the economy to qualify.  Peters told Mike Hosking he supports the changes and wants to make very clear it's not a change to the foreign buyers ban.  He says it's a change to investment rules to attract money to the country that we desperately need.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is celebrating tech-giant Amazon's continued moves into the New Zealand market.  Amazon Web Services' data centres are now open in Auckland - something that is slated as a $7.5 billion investment. The Prime Minister told Mike Hosking it will create up to a thousand jobs, and make an $11 billion boost to GDP.  Luxon says it’s probably the largest ever publicly announced technology investment in New Zealand by an international tech firm.   Speaking of international investors, the Prime Minister wants foreign investors to feel comfortable here so they invest more.  New rules mean Active Investor Plus visa holders can now buy or build one home in New Zealand if it’s worth at least $5 million.  They’ll still need to invest another $5 million separately, as part of the visa’s criteria.  Luxon told Hosking everything will fall into place for these investors once they have a house here.  He says it's not just about the first $5-10 million they're spending, it's what comes after that when they start seeing more investment opportunities.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday 1 September. 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.

Rhetorical question - why do you think Neil Quigley quit on a Friday night? The key is, he would have been booted if he didn’t walk. So it sort of ends a shambolic and shameful period for what should be one of our most esteemed institutions. Between Orr and Quigley (mainly Orr) they have made a joke of the Reserve Bank. What should have happened is simple. When the Government decided, rightly, that the gargantuan amount of money Orr wanted to run his fiefdom was never going to fly Orr should have, in an adult way, stated he disagreed and he disagreed to the point he could not see himself continuing in the job. He would then resign, they would organise a nice, but frugal, farewell morning tea and that would have been that. But what actually happened was Orr chucked his toys, yelled and stamped his feet to the extent that Quigley had to write to Orr. All this was also kept secret until the Official Information Act and the Ombudsman forced their hand and exposed them for the bunch of egotistical babies they are. Quigley was yelling at Treasury, Orr was yelling at Willis, deals were looking to be done, letters and proof was looking to be binned and cheques were being written to make it all go away. Lest we forget, in an irony of ironies, this is the same group of clowns who buried the economy in the hole we are still trying to get ourselves out of years after Covid. So they couldn’t do their job, they stuffed the place, then packed a massive sad when their rain shower of funding was getting rectified, started a big tantrum and scrap with various departments and ministers, then tried to cover it all up. Have I missed anything? Oh, Orr vanished with the money, never to be heard from again. To his credit Quigley hung around and made a few public appearances while trying to paint a picture of normality, until the Ombudsman undid him last week and that was that. They really are an embarrassing, shambolic mess. On a side note, it's also why I assume Christian Hawkesby stands zero chance of getting Orr's old job. He is fatally linked to this period of mayhem. We'd be glad to see the back of them, if it wasn’t for the fact we are still trying to clean up the mess and every one of us is paying the bill. LISTEN ABOVESee 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: How are the Warriors shaping up for the playoffs, and do they have a chance at success?  The Springboks have arrived in Auckland ahead of next week's game against the All Blacks. And new technology graces the world of surfing, thanks to surf legend Kelly Slater. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent decision by the US Court of Appeal has ruled Trump’s tariffs illegal.   The court has said it will leave the tariffs in effect for the next few weeks, giving time for Trump to appeal the decision. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that although the President has been given the chance to appeal, his team are likely shaken by this ruling.   ‘The back and forth shows the concern behind the scenes in Trump world.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon doesn't think the Reserve Bank's reputation has suffered any long-term damage. Neil Quigley resigned as chair of the central bank on Friday night, after Nicola Willis raised concerns over its handling of Adrian Orr's resignation earlier this year. Willis has revealed to Newstalk ZB, she would have asked Quigley to resign, if he hadn't resigned of his own accord. The Prime Minister says Quigley has made the right decision. He doesn't think the current situation is a mess, but it would have been a shambles if it had carried out much longer. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Board games have rolled past go, and seen a massive resurgence in popularity in the past decade. The global market has an estimated value of more than 31-billion dollars, and is expected to grow a further five billion by 2029. New Zealand's largest board game convention, WellyCon has just been held. Convention organiser Ceedee Doyle told Mike Hosking some of the world's top games are made here locally. She says a game from the Kapiti Coast won game of the year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A game-changer for smaller airlines that don't want to up prices, amid soaring aviation costs. The Government's offering up to 30-million dollars in loans from the Regional Infrastructure Fund.  It's also approved funding for a digital development that will allow regional transport bookings,  to be integrated with the platforms of major carriers. Associate Transport Minister James Meager told Mike Hosking most regional airlines couldn't opt to charge more,  as a solution to tough times. He says if they push prices too high, people will make the decision to travel regionally by road.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Commissioner's putting a focus on the basics down as a key contributor to a fall in violent crime. The New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey reveals most violent crimes have been dropping in the past two years, while sexual assault cases increased. There's been a 113 percent increase in Police beat patrols over the last year. Richard Chambers says he's been clear he wants his staff to do the basics well. He says it means getting officers out into the community, but beat patrols are only one aspect and his team is doing an incredible job. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency housing may not be being used the way it's intended, with application rejections on the up. Data obtained by our newsroom shows applications have dropped significantly to the end of June, but the number being declined, is rising. Rules introduced last year allow officials to decline grants if they believe a person has caused or contributed to their immediate need for housing.  Social housing commentator Bernie Smith told Mike Hosking that people have become too reliant on the Government to back them up.  He says it was never set up to do that - it was to support the most vulnerable, like those kicked out of home.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is with real enthusiasm that I see the Public Service Commissioner potentially doing what the main Government should have done two years ago.  What the Government did two years ago was say they were going to rectify the absurd size of the public service.  It had blown out to gargantuan proportions under the Labour Government, who knew no bounds in terms of fiscal largesse based on debt.  What the new Government actually did with the public service, sadly, was tinker.  It peaked at a bit over 65,000 and it sits at over 63,000. In fact in the ensuing period, it's gone up again.  So rough math will tell you they got rid of about 2,000 jobs. As a raw number it's a lot of jobs. A percentage it's tiny.  As an effective exercise in efficiency and savings, it's a joke.  The shame of it was the new Government of the day had licence. Yes, it was controversial. Yes, the unions bleated and moaned. Yes, the media went to town on a Tory slash-and-burn exercise.  But the trick was always simple – if you're going to dish out the bad news go hard, DOGE it, blow it up, do it once and do it properly.  The fall out, headlines, and anger will be exactly the same whether you trim a couple of thousand for no effect or 6,500 and make a difference.  So they blew it. They took the heat but got few, if any, results. In an odd way it’s symbolic of the weaker parts of this Government; the ideas, rhetoric, and execution are never quite aligning.  But now the Commissioner Brian Roache looks to be having another crack by merging departments. The Ministries of Women, Pacific peoples, disabled peoples, and Māori Development could all be in for an upending.  I'd go further. The never-ending series of commissioners and their offices that have no actual power and really only write reports would not be missed.  But ministries for ministries sake is what holds this country back. They all fill a space to meet their budget and so-called mandate.  If this is on, and I pray it is, wait for the bleating. Every one of them will tell you the critical nature of their existence but I defy anyone of you to list me the profound and productive change they have made to all our lives.  Given you can't they then fall into the category as largesse, waste and tokenism.  Do it once and do it right. That's how change should happen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.