The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There’s a belief Auckland's new Police training centre will make recruitment more accessible.  The new space on the Massey University campus includes multiple classrooms, along with gym and recreation areas.  Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told Mike Hosking over the years some people have steered away from a career in Police because they couldn't go to Porirua for training.  He says it's about creating more opportunities for those who might find Porirua for 20 weeks a challenge.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a world of pressing problems one of the bigger, longer term ones is due a good looking at because if we don’t, when we get there we will want to shoot ourselves. IRD has been looking at the cost of stuff and where that money comes from. The trouble, and this is not new, is we have more older people needing more money and fewer younger people to work to raise the money to pay the bills. This is more than Super. It's health. It's pretty much everything. Currently 16% of the population is over 65-years-old. By 2060 it will be a quarter. The IRD conclusion is that people will likely have to pay more tax. Really? Is that it? Well, no. Somewhere in the advice they mutter something like "we could always cut costs". Bingo! Give those people a prize. And why that idea is not top of the pile of ideas, I don’t know. Because here is what I do know. Most of the money to pay for all this comes from you and me. Personal tax is over 50% of Government income, its 52%. Companies pay 17%. GST is 25%. A lot of GST is us as well. In fact our top tax rate is 39cents. Add GST on to that you are at 54%. Add the bits and pieces on top - the ACC, the road user charges - and top income earners will be parting with 56-57% of everything they earn. And the IRD advice is we will need more please. So how much more? And at what point does it become ruinous? At what point do the young, bright things move offshore? The ones of course that haven't already. So let's take stock. We are highly taxed. Remember at the other end we have no tax free component in income. We are a low wage economy. We have a massive savings issue with KiwiSaver at an average of $30,000-ish and a fiscal cliff in a bunch of years where the main idea is we will bleed you some more. Spot the red flag. So, what to do? And how urgently do we do it? Ideas please.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 30th of June, we've got some good retail crime changes coming to a store near you and the Government's Retail Crime Advisory Group spokesperson Sunny Kaushal is on the show. The Prime Minister has some questions to answer around Whanau Ora, Section 127b and NATO spending. Andrew Saville and Jason Pine talk Liam Lawson's best ever F1 result, the Warriors' loss and how the All Blacks will go in their first test against France. 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 Prime Minister is introducing new laws focused on protecting first responders and prison officers.  Luxon told Mike Hosking that no ambulance driver, firefighter or police officer should face aggression and assault while trying to help people.   Also in discussion is the new IKEA store, which has faced trouble during the planning phase.   Luxon said that he has more concerns about the planning than IKEA do, and blames the struggles on ‘Māorification’.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The deadline for rental properties to meet the Healthy Homes deadline is less than 24 hours away, and some properties are still not up to scratch. Betta Group CEO Matt Mason told Mike Hosking that although many proactive landlords have made the required changes, some have left it to the last minute. He says audits will be carried out and fines will be issued in the coming months to help enforce these regulation changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paramedics are giving the Government a thumbs up, as it moves to crack down on assaults towards first responders and prison officers.  It's proposing higher penalties, with five years maximum imprisonment for assault with intent to injure, and a seven year maximum for injuring with intent.  St John Ambulance Operations Manager Stu Cockburn told Mike Hosking this is a step in the right direction. LISTEN HERESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's excitement over expected changes to the way authorities deal with retail crime.  Newstalk ZB understands Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith will be confirming shoplifting policy changes this week, relating to Retail Crime Ministerial Advisory Group recommendations.  Group Chair Sunny Kaushal told Mike Hosking that the announcements are ones retailers across the country have been screaming out for.  Kaushal says offenders believe police won't respond and the courts will let them go, so they're working to stop this sense of impunity.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The One Roof Velocity house value index has revealed a drop in property value across the country.  Major cities like Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton have all experienced drops. However, more rural areas such as Southland, Canterbury and Northland have all seen a rise.  CEO of real estate at Velocity Helen O’Sullivan told Mike Hosking that although the prices have dropped, the real estate market is still healthy.  She said ‘Volumes are a key indicator, and we’re seeing those pick up’  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A friend of ours opened a new business last week.  It was a soft opening and will be full steam ahead by the school holidays.  So far he is going gangbusters. There's a lot of local support and it looks like a good news story.  He is however, if you believe the headlines that have been supplied by his industry association, in very dark and difficult days.  They don’t look difficult at his place.  The GDP figures came out as we were away on the long weekend - up 0.8% for Q1.  The Reserve Bank thought it would be 0.4%. Most banks thought it would be 0.7%. The reality was better than everyone thought.  Nick Tuffley, the ASB's head man on economics, also on Thursday told us he still had growth in the second quarter just gone, April, May and June. He had us 0.3-0.4% up.  Other commentary last week from manufacturing and services said we had hit a brick wall. If Nick is right there is no brick wall, the same way Q1 was not 0.4%, it was 0.8%.  The point is this: is it possible we are in such a funk we don’t want to see reality?  You know what else I read? Australia, the repository of so many disillusioned New Zealanders, is now losing more people than it has since Covid. A mass exodus is on.  People are bailing out of Australia, healthcare is chronically bad, you can't get seen, the Government is sinking in debt, house prices have spiked past an average of a million everywhere, there are more people than ever since records began and people are working multiple jobs just to make ends meet.  This is Australia, the golden answer for the miserable Kiwi looking for better.  Maybe better is here? Maybe in a turbulent, troubled world the Land of the Long White Cloud is actually coming right and people like our mate and his new business sees it.  And a lot of what's in front of us is attitude. Is there trouble in some areas? Yes.  Are there issues still unresolved? Yes.  But do we have growth and prospect? Yes.  Do the numbers back that up? Indeed they do!  Maybe the grass is in fact nice and just as green here. You just got to want to see it.     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.    Trump: 7/10  All in all, 5% defence spending at NATO, a ceasefire that holds, and talks with Iran next week. It's not bad.    Rob Penney: 8/10  From last year to this. That's one of sports great stories, and I assume involves tremendous amounts of well-deserved satisfaction.    Whanau Ora and Tama Iti and Moana Pasifika: 2/10  Central Government yet again missing the politically triggering stuff they promised to address.    David Seymour: 7/10  As Acting Prime Minister in the house and in media, he is a very solid, considered set of hands with good wit to go with it.    Golden visas: 8/10  That is practical thinking, making tangible difference. 189 applications and $800million worth of business - let's go NZ!    Wealth and the pension: 2/10  Bum note of the week. Targeting those who actually worked hard to save to help in retirement should never be used as a punishment. And the Retirement Commissioner might like to ask herself whether she understands her job.    LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've got more ageism, this time in education.  Unions are "concerned" as more teachers work past retirement age.  This in part is the trouble with unions.  1) They aren't keen on work to start with,  2) They are bogged down in old fashioned rules and views of the world.  What is retirement and how do you know you are past it?  They refer of course to Super and this tired, old business of thinking that when Super kicks in you must check out.  Obviously, the world has changed and is changing, just not that quickly in union land.  At 64-years-old if you're loving teaching, somehow chronologically at 65-years-old that desire and love of pursuit needs to be shelved, as you wander off collecting your retirement income and presumably filling your days with bowls and walks.  8000 people teaching are 65-years-old or over. That’s double what it used to be 10 years ago.  But then a lot is different to what it was 10 years ago.  Beyond the numbers, does anyone ask any questions?  Like, are they doing it because they have to, as opposed to want to? Bit of a difference I would have thought.  Most importantly for teaching, given the unions insist on the mad-cap business of time in the classroom being the measure for income, are these oldies any good?  Could they be better given their experience and institutional knowledge than the 21-year-old just into the classroom and looking for all the world out of her depth?  In sex education in 6th form at Linwood High in the late 1980's, we were 16 and 17-years-old and the teacher might have been 20-years-old. She looked like she wanted to die as the diagrams of the you-know-what's came out.  As you can tell the memory is seared in my mind 40 years later.  New isn't always best. Young doesn’t always trump older and passion and skill above all else is what should drive presence in the workplace or classroom.  Are you good? Do you like what you do? Are you making a difference?  If the answer is yes, then at what point would you be remotely interested in age, far less be concerned? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The week has come to an end and so Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are joining Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week once more.  Tim is injured again, winding up on ACC after taking a tumble off the footpath, plus, Mike's made a new musical discovery.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Treaty Negotiations Minister admits people are losing patience on a Ngāpuhi settlement, but says they want it to last.  New Zealand First is launching a Bill, proposing a one-and-done treaty settlement for the largest iwi, rather than multiple hapu settlements.  Paul Goldsmith says that although he sympathises with the desire for a faster resolution, if you want an enduring settlement, you need people to be prepared to settle.  He told Mike Hosking that the settlement has to have the support of around 200,000 to 300,000 people, which has been the challenge in the past.  Goldsmith says that they have a good plan now, and they’re making good progress on the work that’s currently underway.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister is hitting back against claims she’s trying to entrench co-governance into education.  Hobson’s Pledge is claiming that the Education and Training Amendment Bill No.2 includes a section, put there by Stanford, that will force every school board to reflect “local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori” in their policies, plans, and classroom teaching.  Erica Stanford refutes these claims, saying that 127 was an already existing Treaty clause.  She told Mike Hosking that section is not the only clause in the Education Act to reference the Treaty, which is why there needs to be a proper review into whether or not they need to be there.  Standford says there are legitimate questions to be answered, which is why they’re looking into the act, but she did not add them in herself.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 27th of June, it's accountability Friday! Paul Goldsmith, Tama Potaka, and Erica Stanford have questions to answer about scandals, non-scandals, and accusations.  After the unfortunate passing of Takutai Tarsh Kemp, what is the process going forward in filling her seat?  Tim and Katie talk Tim's latest injury and Mike's best musical discovery of the week 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.

A vast change to what's been promised for Auckland City Rail Link's opening capacity.   In 2022, it was reported 27 thousand peak passengers would be using the rail line from opening day next year.  That's now gone down to 19 thousand passengers an hour at peak times.  AT Public Transport Director Stacey van der Putten told Mike Hosking the 27 thousand figure merged a few different elements including design capacity, timetabling, and patronage.  She points out that 19,000 is still a significant increase on current numbers, as it’s still a 50% increase in patronage.  Van der Putten told Hosking it will take some effort to rebuild confidence in the rail network after the prolonged disruption, but there’s plenty of enthusiasm for the new line.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of interest is expected in the by-election to fill the seat left empty by the death of Takutai Tarsh Kemp.  The 50-year-old Te Pāti Māori MP died yesterday.  Otago University law expert Andrew Geddis told Mike Hosking the Tamaki Makaurau seat was won by just 42 votes in 2023 and will be very tightly contested again.  The complicating factor this time is likely to be sympathy, he says, suspecting that Te Pāti Māori will likely run strongly on a kind of legacy argument.   The by-election could clash with local body elections.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns are being raised around the use of taxpayer money to fund Moana Pasifika.  Our newsroom's revealed the Super Rugby franchise received some $8 million in taxpayer loans, grants, and funding.  The Pasifika Medical Association —which took over ownership of the team last year— has received funding from Whānau Ora contracts.  Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka told Mike Hosking there's some uncertainty about how that Whānau Ora money was spent.  He wants to know it's being used for proper purpose and has asked for an explanation ASAP.  LISTEN ABOVE  Note: The original story from the NZ Herald has been updated to clarify that Whanau Ora funds flowed to the Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust, and the current owner of the Trust and the team, Pasifika Medical Association, has emphasised that no Whānau Ora funds have been used to fund the Moana Pasifika professional rugby team. The Herald has removed from the story the contention that Whānau Ora funds were directly used for the professional team in the fiscal years 22/23 and 23/24.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the "we can't get out of our own way" file comes the question, as posed this week by the Retirement Commissioner, as to whether people who have money in the bank should get the pension.  The first part that is wrong with that is I thought we had decided many a decade ago, rightly or wrongly, that Super is an entitlement.  Its trigger, rightly or wrongly, is age, therefore the other criteria you might like to add to the equation like height, weight, job, brain power or savings, are null and void because age is what does it.  So are we changing that, are we? Because that is the inference in the question.  The inference is also this sneering socialist bend some people have around success.  "Don’t be too successful" is the message, and that’s what savings generally are. You had a plan, you worked hard, and you put a few dollars aside.  Interestingly the numbers are depressing. This is where the question came from.  There are 33,000 over the age of 65 who earn between $100-200k a year. There are 9,000 who earn more than $200k.  That’s not a lot of people. It shows you how poorly paid we are, how bad at saving we are and how expensive life is to stop you saving. A whole bunch of stuff leads us to not being a very well-off sort of country.  I have said this many times – I'm not fussed. I didn’t join KiwiSaver and I'm not relying on a pension.  Why? Because when I started work in 1982 it was very well established that the pension may or may not be around at all, so why take the risk? And in 1982, on the minimum wage as I was, I had 45 years to get my act together and do something about it.  The problem with keeping on asking these questions is it messes with people and their intentions.  Governments have been bad enough already with their constant changing of the rules and their contributions, the last thing we need is thought bubbles on what should be a long term, leave it alone, get out of the way, understanding among us all that the pension is our society's recognition of a life's work.  Change the age if you want. But penalising success is the opposite of what we want to promote. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand has taken home the Gold at the Oscars for wines.  Craggy Range’s Martinborough Pinot Noir took home Best in Show at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards.  This makes it in the 0.3% of all wines in the world.  Chief Winemaker at Craggy Range Ben Tombs told Mike Hosking they knew there was something pretty special coming out of the 2024 vintage.  He says it shows the kind of provenance unique to Martinborough, and winning the award is an incredibly achievement.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you hear the name ‘James May’, it’s likely you think of cars, Top Gear, and The Grand Tour, but much like his co-stars, May has plenty of other projects.  He owns his own pub and gin line, and has done countless shows visiting other countries, rebuilding toys and machines, and exploring life’s questions.  May’s now onto his next journey – a live theatre performance that brings the stories of explorers to the stage.  It’s called ‘Explorers: The Age of Discovery’, and May’s bringing it to Kiwi audiences in August.  It’s been quite a busy year for May – something he told Mike Hosking was quite unintentional.  “This year was going to be my, what I called a ‘dry run at retirement’, to see how much I liked it,” he revealed.  “But I’ve ended up doing a live tour, a couple of TV shows, various other odds and ends – it's actually the busiest year I’ve had for probably a decade, in terms of demands on my time.”  “But maybe that’s a good thing,” he said. “Maybe if I was left to my own devices, I’d sit in the garden and rot.”   Despite his vast experience in the entertainment industry, May isn’t terribly experienced with live performances.  “We used to do Top Gear Live and then Clarkson, Hammond & May Live, but there were three of us doing it, plus our stunt driving team and various other circus performers,” he explained.  “This one is quite intimidating because it just me."  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 26th of June, Nicola Willis is still unhappy with the supermarkets, sending them another letter – when is it time for action?  Moana Pasifika is in serious financial strife, but it was revealed that Whanau Ora, using taxpayer money, gave them $8 million in funding. How does a company, whose job it is to improve wellbeing in poorer communities, spend millions on a rugby team?  Former Top Gear and Grand Tour host James May is coming to NZ with his new stage show about the world's best explorers, joining out of the UK for a chat.  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 Government's instructed Auckland Council to allow apartments at least 15 storeys high near key City Rail Link train stations.   Density requirements around the Mt Albert and Baldwin Ave stations require at least 10 storey apartments, and requirements around the Maungawhau, Kingsland, and Morningside rail terminals have been increased from six storeys to 15.  Simeon Brown and Chris Bishop say it will ensure Auckland takes economic advantage of the transformational investment in the city.  AUT Future Environments Professor John Tookey told Mike Hosking that even the proposition of consenting a 15 storey building in the middle of a city isn’t a five minute undertaking.  His suspicion is it will take at least a decade to see any kind of measurable mass urban densification around the stations.  He also told Hosking that the Government’s interference in running Auckland is likely to cause significant political issues.   Tookey says NIMBY-type arguments will likely crop up: why here, who’s going to fund it, and how will it impact everyone else in the area?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Infrastructure Minister agrees we're getting bad value for money and need trans-government systems to improve. The Infrastructure Commission's released a 30-year draft plan revealing its first look at how New Zealand needs to invest in our future.  Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking half of all capital-intensive government agencies don't have asset registers, so don't know what they own or how to maintain it.   He says what all parties need to agree on is focusing on asset maintenance, because we don't look after what we've already built.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A law expert says it's important for the Māori Development Minister to look at contracts - to figure out where Whānau Ora's money is coming from.  Tama Potaka is seeking a review of a recent Whānau Ora ad campaign encouraging Māori to sign up to the Māori electoral roll.  He says it would be inappropriate for public funding to be used for electioneering.  Law expert Graeme Edgeler told Mike Hosking the law isn't complicated about this, so long as the money is coming from the right place.  He says this is Whānau Ora's commissioning agency which is private, and can spend money how they like, as long as it is their money.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's issued a fresh warning to the major supermarket chains.  Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis has written a letter to Woolworths, and Foodstuffs' North Island and South Island arms, outlining her expectations.  She says she's hearing of supermarkets charging more than the advertised price, and having specials and multi-buy deals that don't actually offer savings.  Willis told Mike Hosking that's not good enough.  She says supermarkets have publicly said again and again that they do everything they can to be good providers of service, but this doesn’t look like that.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Shane Jones showing the Minister for Treaty Negotiations Paul Goldsmith how to run his own portfolio?  In response to Jones and his Member's bill on the never ending Ngāpuhi drama, Goldsmith says the process can't go on forever.  Which is the same as saying nothing, because clearly it is, and Goldsmith clearly has no plan.  The Jones bill is clever because my sense of it is there is so much infighting in the north of the country, they will, out of bloody mindedness, never strike a deal.  All the logic we heard yesterday about tribes that have cut deals and invested billions and seen the endless benefits will have missed their mark in Northland, given a lot of Ngāpuhi aren't interested in a deal. They thrive on dissent and division and permanent anger and grievance.  Jim Bolger, who I note in the past few weeks as he celebrated his 90th is still prone to the odd piece of public commentary, might like to have pondered his own role in this many, many years ago when they started to put up a few road markers around timeframes.  The idea was they would set a date to file your claim, remembering even in Bolger's day the Waitangi Tribunal had been going since the 70's, and once you filed, they would impose another deadline to get it all wrapped up.  Good idea, but it went nowhere because Bolger and Co. got sucked into the idea that this was unfair, it was rushed, and it was history. What wasn’t said out loud was this was a gravy train that could go literally forever, and people were going to make a living off it.  As Jones revealed yesterday, we've spent $20 million for Ngāpuhi alone, just for lunch and chats and airfares.  You have to remember 1975 was a goodwill gesture. The tribunal and the settlement of grievances was entered into not because anyone had to, but because it was the right thing to do. It was driven by goodwill.  I would have thought it was fairly obvious in the vast array of deals to be done and apologies to be made, like life, that some would embrace it and run with it and some would be unable to get out of their own way.  What was needed but was missing, and still is (Jones aside), was leadership. We needed boundaries set and an explanation of the rules and expectations.  And because that was missing, so is $20 million on lunch, and still no deal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concern over an increasing number of children bringing weapons to school.  Figures released under the Official Information Act show 526 students were stood down, suspended, or excluded for using or having a weapon at school last year.  It's an 80% rise on 2018.  Secondary Principals' Association President Louise Anaru told Mike Hosking that in a vast majority of cases, children have no intent to use the weapon - but regardless, the matter needs to be treated seriously.  She says it’s important to get the message out that they can cause harm, and to take a real strong stance on it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Politics Wednesday, Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to delve into some of the biggest stories of the week so far.  The cost of living crisis is still weighing heavily on Kiwis’ wallets despite all of the Government’s efforts – can Mark Mitchell explain why we’re not feeling the recovery?  And Ginny Andersen had quite a few points to make on the topic as well.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 25th of June, a ceasefire between Iran and Israel is on, then off, then on again, as another NATO summit kicks off in the Hague.  As we go into another round of pay negotiations, this time with teachers, Judith Collins outlines exactly who gets paid what.  Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk butter and the cost-of-living crisis, whether we should cut regional councils, and if rates should be capped on Politics Wednesday.  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.

New Zealand scientists have developed a new technology to reduce food waste and import dependence.  The waste system takes perishable food before it hits landfill and turns it into shelf-stable powders, concentrates, and extracts for food.  Director of Powered by Plants Dr. Andrew Prest says the concept came from frustration with the current production model.  He told Mike Hosking it's a good opportunity to address the country's environmental waste, as powders can be produced from almost any fruit or vegetable.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Assessment processes will still be rigorous for prescribing ADHD medication.  From February, GPs and nurse practitioners will be able to prescribe treatments from the outset without a specialist recommendation.   Wait times for specialist appointments vary but can be over a year.   Royal College of GPs medical director Dr. Luke Bradford told Mike Hosking it's a good move to help people access diagnoses more quickly and affordably.   He says it will be under a specialist interest type GP who will have to up-skill through training courses to prescribe.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Primary school teachers may have less ground to stand on at the bargaining table.   They began negotiations yesterday for the first time since losing their pay equity claim in the May Budget.  The Public Service Minister says there is a public mantra that teachers deserve to be paid more.   But Judith Collins told Mike Hosking it ignores the facts.   She says primary school teachers can earn $115 thousand including allowances, after eight years experience.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fragile ceasefire's holding for Iran and Israel after the US President got involved.  Both sides claim the other has breached the truce.  Donald Trump scolded both for early violations but directed particularly stinging criticism at Israel over the scale of its strikes.  University of New Haven Associate Professor of National Security Dr Matt Schmidt told Mike Hosking he's unsure if US strikes fully destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities.  He says it's at least set back the program several years.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new Rabobank report reveals within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will begin its largest-ever inter-generational transfer of wealth.  More than half of farm and orchard owners will reach the age of 65 in the next decade, but only a third have a formal succession plan.  It's estimated $150 billion worth of farming assets will change hands.  Rabobank CEO Todd Charteris told Mike Hosking the challenge is farms are getting better, but there are fewer farm owners, so the capital requirements are big.   He says we need to continue to explore different ownership models.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So having looked at every council in the country and the pending rate rises we are all going to have to pay, a couple of inescapable conclusions are to be drawn.  1) We need central Government to cap rates.  2) We need fewer councils.  If you were to roughly use inflation as a guide, Waitomo and Whanganui are your only councils to get under the wire at 2.93 % and 2.2% – so congratulations to them.  I'm sure every council could, and would, mount an argument as to why whatever it is they have come up with, whether it be the 12.9% in Taranaki or the 15.5% in Hamilton, is in some way, shape, or form, justifiable.  A lot of it will be historic. In other words, if previous councils had done their job and been fiscally prudent the work being undertaken today would not be the current burden it is.  But a lot of it if you were DOGE-like, or brutal, would not in fact be needed at all.  Councils have become fiefdoms. They have entered areas they have no business in, but like so much in life, once you have ventured there is no turning back.  Apart from the specific, like the 9.76% for Otorohanga or the 12.4% for Central Otago, you also have the more general impact. In other words, you are adding cost to the economy, and you are charging fixed-income folk who don’t have the money.  What you are doing is inflationary.  None of us have the ability to simply add more charges. We don’t simply get the pay rise we want, or up our hourly rate to the poor sap we are servicing. Life isn't like that.  We cut our cloth. Could we buy more? Could we do more? Could we spend more? Of course we could, but we can't. Unless you're a council.  Even if a council could say "look at what all that money got you, look at the gold plating and the shiny baubles and the tens of thousands who have flocked to our region because of our expenditure", but they can't say that because none of that has happened.  15% doesn’t buy you utopia. It merely sets you up for another 15% next year because councils know a sucker when they see one.  So, cap those rates and can those councils. It might well be the most popular thing this central Government does in three years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s largest bank is lending less cash to businesses than it was half a decade ago.  Figures from the Reserve Bank show a softening across all bank business lending since the pandemic, with ANZ the only one going backwards.  The overall growth rate across all banks has slowed to just 1.5%, down from 6% in 2013.   ANZ CEO Antonia Watson told Mike Hosking much of the drop is caused by a decrease in lending to commercial property.  She says their decision was to support their existing customers through rising interest rates and tougher circumstances as opposed to taking on new customers.   However, she confirmed the bank is back to taking on new customers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 24th of June, our golden visa has done better in the last few months than it had under two and a half years of Labour. People want to come here, and they are bringing millions of dollars with them.  Local Government NZ respond after Christopher Luxon and Shane Jones proposed getting rid of regional councils.  All Blacks coach Scott Robertson tells Mike what he's been doing during the offseason and his expectations for the 2025 season.  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.

Scott Robertson has called up five new faces for his first All Blacks class of 2025, with his 35-man squad for next month’s series against France named.  All Blacks regulars Dalton Papali'i, Ethan Blackadder and David Havili have been left out of the squad instead.  The trio’s exclusion comes with the inclusion of Ollie Norris, Brodie McAlister, Fabian Holland, Timoci Tavatavanawai, and Du'Plessis Kirifi.  Coach Scott Robertson says it wasn't easy to leave out players like Papali'i, Blackadder, and Havili.  He told Mike Hosking that you need to give opportunities to players over this period of time and get to know what they’re going to be like in action.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leader of the country's local government association says there's global evidence a rates caps can have detrimental effects.  The Government's mulling a cap as part of its wider reform to refocus local government.  Sam Broughton —Mayor of Selwyn District Council and Local Government NZ President— says if core infrastructure like water and transport aren't included in a cap, it can lift a council's borrowing costs.  He told Mike Hosking Australia is seeing the negatives: New South Wales has a cap, and has seen higher rates increase than those states without one.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US and UK law enforcement will soon be using a New Zealand-developed strategy to help boost police performance.  Vantaset utilisises research into people’s breaking points to assist elite athletes in performing their personal bests, at a rate of 87%   Now they’ve signed long-term deals with global law enforcement agencies to reengage frontline officers.  Founder and CEO Craig Steel told Mike Hosking that agencies such as the police understand the performance of their people is really critical for their success.  He says they’re really looking for better ways to be able to engage their people and ultimately help them deliver the outcomes that matter.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The application process for New Zealand's 'golden visa' scheme' is firing up and going strong.   The Government's confirmed almost 200 applications have been received from overseas investors since settings loosened in April.   Queen City Law Managing Director Marcus Beveridge told Mike Hosking he's predicting a tsunami of capital into our little economy.   He says he wouldn't be surprised if we don't exceed $10 billion a year from immigration alone, and with those migrants bringing more money, we could end up with up to $30 billion per annum.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First says the country can no-longer afford a drawn-out Treaty settlement with the largest iwi.   The party's drafting legislation to require a single settlement with Ngāpuhi, rather than multiple agreements.   However, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith has signalled he's open to settlements with smaller groups within iwi.  NZ First MP Shane Jones told Mike Hosking the $20 million process is holding up Whangarei Hospital redevelopments.   He says one group is hijacking the claim by introducing notions of sovereignty at the cost of the taxpayer.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you didn’t know, ACC is in some fiscal trouble again. This isn't new. ACC has been in trouble for years. Last year, 1.6 million of us managed to do something to ourselves which involved money - $4.5 billion dollars worth. That's just on rehab. The total is $7 billion paid out. It's an astonishing amount of money - and the problem is what we pay in doesn’t cover what goes out. ACC run a scheme whereby money is invested in the hope the returns offset the bills. I personally pay thousands a year and have done for decades. To this day I have never claimed a cent. The original idea was a no-faults scheme, as opposed to a U.S style scheme where we lay blame and get lawyers. 16,000 people did something to themselves in the garden last year and claimed millions. Previously physio has been the issue. When does physio stop? Who knows, but let's have another three sessions while we decide. Go to any doctor with anything that hurts and the first thing they do is start tapping away on the ACC claim. Like most of these altruistic ideas somewhere along the way we lost the plot. It might be that we need to tidy this up. Foolishly perhaps, I have always seen ACC as work related. If you injure yourself and can't work, this is its value. Not if you cut your finger pruning hydrangeas. We had a family member who was off work for months, I think too many months. They wouldn’t let him back even though he wanted to go back. But they kept saying "oh, just in case". I wonder if there is too much "just in case". The risk payments work to a degree. 40 percent of payouts are in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and fishing. I pay as a journalist, even though I'm not a journalist, but they can't work out what I am or how to charge me. Part of a journalist's risk is being in a war zone. I can tell you journalists generally in New Zealand don’t go to war zones. Anyway, 1.6 million people with two million claims and all up it cost $7 billion. In barely over two years basically every single one of us makes a claim. That's not right, it's not normal and it's why they can't pay their way. The system doesn’t work. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that ongoing strikes and counter-strikes won't lead to a resolution.  He says all the parties need to get around the table and negotiate a way forward, although that will be very difficult.  The Prime Minister said, “You’ve got to be able to get the parties around the table and have a negotiation.”   This comes ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the Netherlands, where he will meet with the Dutch Prime Minister and leaders of NATO. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 23rd of June, we go to the US after they got involved in Iran and Israel's war and talk to Winston Peters about NZ's stance on it. The Prime Minister has touched down in Belgium for a NATO meeting but had time to talk to us about Iran, councils and hundreds of millions of dollars of deals done in China. Andrew Saville and Jason Pine cover the big weekend of sports - the Crusaders win, the Warriors loss and Peter Burling's big move. 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.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters joined Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the developing situation in Iran. The Foreign Minister said he wants to “get a proper analysis” before discussing how effective Operation Midnight Hammer was at destroying Iranian nuclear facilities.  “One of the first victims of war is truth, and boy, have we seen it.”   The Foreign Minister also discussed the Kiwis stuck in the regions, and that it is “New Zealand character” to bring them home safely.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US forces have executed operation “Midnight Hammer” - a bombing raid targeting Iranian nuclear development sites.  The US government has claimed an “obliteration” of Iranian Nuclear assets. However, analysts are skeptical of the actual level of damage dealt.   Senior Fellow at the Defence Priority in Washington Gil Barndollar says, “These strikes are unlikely to have destroyed everything,”   He said that it’s likely Iran would have moved key nuclear components from the raid targets, meaning they would be able to recover from the raid faster than the US would expect.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s largest industrial development ever is about to begin in Invercargill.  Mike Hosking spoke to the general manager of the project Ben Murphy this morning, who said the project is making progress.  “We do have a fully zoned sight there, which is the key unlocker for this project.” Ben Murphy told Mike Hosking this morning.   Although progress has been made, the project must secure occupiers before the project breaks ground.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global oil prices are forecast to increase in the wake of US airstrikes against Iran.  Greg Smith from Devon Funds Management told Mike Hosking analysts are forecasting a rise in oil prices, from anywhere from 5% to 70%.  Currently, oil prices sit at around $75 per barrel. But Smith warns prices could rise to $130 a barrel.  The increasing cost of food around the world was also discussed this morning as the price of rice in Japan has doubled due to inflation.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.