The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Questions are rising over the strategy of Warner Brothers Discovery after Newshub’s impending closure was announced. Former Newshub Head of News Mark Jennings told Mike Hosking that he thought they'd have a strategy to transition the company to a digital platform and put all their premium HBO series onto ThreeNow. He says they've left a lot of their content on SKY and done nothing to combat TVNZ. Discovery bought Three in December 2020 and in 2022 merged with WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent slowdown in the construction sector could be reducing the number of people coming into apprenticeships. Figures suggest the building industry has eased, with around 50k building consents in a 12-month period now dropping down to under 40k. Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation director Greg Durkin told Mike Hosking that there's definitely been a drop, but he isn't concerned for apprentices. He says his organisation has more than 16.5k apprentices at the moment and they are very busy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ginny Andersen has formally apologised to Mark Mitchell on the Mike Hosking Breakfast, for comments she made on the show last week. The Labour MP has told the Police Minister she's sorry for accusing him of being paid to kill people when he was a defence contractor overseas. She says she's always enjoyed the robust debates the pair have, but she's sorry for taking it too far and making it personal. Mitchell is thanking Andersen for her apology. He's denied knowingly killing anyone. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been a review into the accredited employer work visa. Owner and principal consultant at into NZ immigration katy Armstrong told Mike Hosking that that the previous government let the goalie out of the box when it opened up the immigration floodgates. She said there is no 'Huge Pressure' to introduce a whole new work visa system. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins has come back swinging after comments made by Stuart Nash. The ex-Police Minister yesterday criticised Hipkins and Justice Minister Kiri Allan, for dashing his attempts to tighten laws on seizing illegal gang assets worth at or more than 30-thousand-dollars. Nash claims he wanted the threshold at zero, but Hipkins says while he was open to discussion, he didn't support it going to zero. Hipkins told Mike Hosking he doesn't recall Allan saying it was anti-Maori. He encouraged Nash and Allan to talk it through at Cabinet, but there was no appetite to go to zero. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We could spend some time on the ineptitude of Jan Tinetti, who may well go down as one of our most ineffective education ministers. The blow out in school buildings, as the Prime Minister suggested, borders on a crisis and, according to Labour, that’s just the price of stuff going up. Which leads you to ask - were they setting traps for a new Government knowing they were going to lose, or were they genuinely thinking they could win and, if they did, they would worry about paying the ever-mounting bills another day? But some real insight from former minister Stuart Nash who, in an irony of ironies, turned out to be a big Government supporter in their gang crackdown. As the media set about finding every man, woman and dog to tell us how cracking down on gangs was a mixture between a stunt and a gimmick and a waste of time, forgetting of course most of last year's outrage over violence, what we got from Stuart was the proof of what Mark Mitchell had been banging on about for a year or so. There's a limit set on what police could grab as a result of moneys earned by nefarious means. The limit set by the previous Government on assets police can seize was $30,000. Mark, and the rest of us, asked why? Your chopper is $25,000 so you keep it, despite the fact you sold drugs to fund it. Why? It turns out Stuart was busy in cabinet fighting for a zero target and he was being overruled by Hipkins and Ardern. In that revelation is an insight, or perhaps a confirmation, of what we suspected. Labour are soft on gangs. Labour let people out of prison. Labour funded an industry in cultural reports. Labour encouraged the judges to go soft, and what we got was rampant crime and anti-social behaviour. So much of it that it became somewhere between the number one or two issue in the election. I don't blame Stuart. He always struck me as being at the more sensible, practical end of the party. But look at what he was dealing with. This new Government has been left with the equivalent of an unexploded World War II bomb in a major built-up area and they're looking at how to defuse it and take it away. It's almost daily at the moment. And the more we get, the more we see the mess, the carnage, the tragedy, the abject failure and fiscal incompetence of Labour 2020 - 2023. And with the more we know, surely the further from power they should be kept. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly 40 years on, Crowded House is still going strong. The band was formed in Australia back in 1986, with kiwi Neil Finn and Aussies Paul Hester and Nick Seymour at the helm. After more than two years since they last released original music, Crowded House has just dropped their new single ‘Oh Hi’. The single is part of their 8th studio album ‘Gravity Stairs’, which is due out in a couple of months. The band first went platform back in 1986 with their self-titled album, Finn describing the process of writing the songs as “compulsive and magical.” “When things do reach the zeitgeist and have a life, it is very exciting.” He told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that at the start they were primarily playing acoustic gigs in restaurants and lounge rooms, their energy and enthusiasm driving their success. “When the success comes, it’s a delightful thing,” Finn said. “The stars line up all of a sudden.” While the band doesn’t necessarily have anything to prove to the world, having maintained their success for over three decades, Finn said he still has to prove it to himself. “Every time I sit down to write a song, you know, I want to make sure that it’s something I believe it the best work I can do at the moment.” With such a long-lasting career with plenty of crowd favourites, Finn is relived that he still enjoys playing them. “It would be a drag if you had a novelty song be your biggest hit and it became a burden to play.” Bands evolve over time, both in their sound and structure, and Finn revealed that for most artists, it’s not as planned as they make it seem. “Most of the time people are just sort of, stumbling along.” The chances of artists catching on and finding success is greatly improved by having good managers and producers, he told Hosking, but it’s also reliant on communication skills. “You have to learn how to engage with the world as well.” This is not a skillset every artist has, Finn said, resulting in some people falling off, leaving huge talents behind. When it comes to their upcoming album, Finn hopes that just as the band as grown and gotten better over the years, so too will ‘Gravity Stairs’. “There might be another on stage that’s even better,” he told Hosking, referring to the multiple versions of ‘Oh Hi’. “We’re gonna play a whole lot of shows this year, and I bet you it will, end up being, you know, something again that’s a step up on stage.” “That’s what it should be.” ‘Gravity Stairs’ will be releasing Friday, May 31st via BMG. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the Trade Minister off at the World Trade Organisation meeting in Abu Dhabi, there’s been a call for an immediate capping of agricultural subsidies. This, along with an urgent request to reduce them, aims to prevent and correct production and trade distortion. Adjunct Professor at Lincoln University, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, told Mike Hosking that subsidies stop innovation. She said that back in 1985 sheep farmers were receiving subsidies of about 42%, which was where their income was coming from. Once the subsidies stopped and the industry had a major rethink, Rowarth said, it’s been the most innovative sector in the country. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Napier Port says this summer cruise season is expected to be its busiest ever. It's had 72 cruise visits this season, with another 17 bookings coming up in the months through to April. That translates to more than 130,000 visitors. CEO Todd Dawson says this year will be their record, which is very welcome after Covid-19 and Cyclone Gabrielle cutting the season short last year. He told Mike Hosking that the next couple of years are looking to be even bigger, which is really fantastic to see. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says the Government is heavily invested in education and knows it needs to step it up. It's launching a three-month inquiry into school building projects that it says has expectations beyond the scope of delivery. So far 20 projects have been put on hold, with up to 350 up in the air. Christopher Luxon says the highly bespoke additions tacked on to projects have blown costs out. He told Mike Hosking that there may be further delays and re-scoping, but the review is necessary for the long-term. Luxon says it could legitimately ask how they better manage projects and how to build competence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan Tinetti has defended the previous Government's spending on school property, saying they had the funding factored into their budget. Labour's education spokesperson says the projects being stopped were already funded through appropriation. Tinetti told Mike Hosking that the communication of the ministry has been strong. She says this is setting the Ministry of Education up to fail, and she doesn't think it's fair to officials who have been doing a good job. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuart Nash has hit out at his former Labour colleagues over changes to laws targeting gangs he wanted to introduce, but which others wouldn’t progress due to fears they would unfairly target Māori. Last year the Labour government changed the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act to allow police to seize gang leaders’ property, such as cars and bikes, if valued over $30,000 and if it could not be proven they were paid for legitimately. But then-police minister Nash wanted the threshold lowered to $0 - a plan he says was dashed by Labour’s Minister of Justice Kiri Allan over concerns it would hurt Māori and would contravene the Bill of Rights. Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning, Nash hit out again at Allan, saying at the time his view was “pull your bloody head in”. He strongly denied that such a move was aimed at or would hurt Māori, saying police were “race-agnostic” when it came to dealing with gangs. Nash told Hosking this morning the conversation was not held in Cabinet - which would make it confidential - but was a conversation he had as soon as he became Police Minister. He believed $30,000 was too high a threshold because “you can engineer a sale where you can buy a Harley for under $30,000”. Nash - who took over as Police Minister from Chris Hipkins when the latter became Prime Minister - said the first thing he did in the role was talk to Hipkins about dropping the seizure limit to $0. “He said, ‘Well, see if you can get it past Kiri [Allan]. And I went to Kiri and said this is what I want to do. And she said ‘No, we need to leave it at $30,000.’” Nash then asked to take the issue to Cabinet. “And she said ‘No, this is what it’s going to be.’ She obviously went to Hipkins and Hipkins said, ‘Okay, we’re going to leave it at $30,000′. Why? Because it’s anti-Māori. Bulls***.” Former Justice Minister Kiri Allan dismissed Stuart Nash's desire to crackdown on gangs, Nash says. Photo / Mark Mitchell Nash claimed police were “race-agnostic” when it came to gangs. “It doesn’t matter if they’re Māori, European, Chinese, Indian, what ethnicity - a gang member is a gang member is a gang member and they need to be held to account.” Nash said the harm gangs perpetrated across communities, including destroying communities through methamphetamine, meant “we need to go really hard” on them. “I think the men and women in our [police] service do an absolutely brilliant job. But we, as politicians, have got to give them the tools to do this.” Asked by Hosking if it was fair to say the incident showed a strong Māori caucus in Labour who were protecting “Māori behaviour and Māori issues”, Nash said that was not a fair statement. He believed Kelvin Davis - who is Māori - would have backed him if the issue had been taken to Cabinet. Asked if the spat showed Hipkins was a weak leader, Nash said he believed “in this case, he got it wrong”. “I think he misjudged New Zealanders’ appetite to really go incredibly hard against the gangs.” Labour had done some good things - “we changed the firearms rules, actually the bikes that were crushed over the weekend were crushed under Labour legislation...but we need to go harder”. Nash said Labour would need to position itself as tough on gangs if it had any hope of winning the next election. Allan said she did not want to comment on Nash’s version of events. “Let me put it this way. I wouldn’t waste my time or energy responding to a person seeking relevance and attention by misrepresenting facts. If this is how he wants to get into the media, all power to him.” -NZ Herald LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Popeyes is set to appear in Auckland's Takanini in April. Auckland University nutritionist Sally Mackay told Mike Hosking that it's another addition to an already saturated fast food market. She doesn't think New Zealand needs any more fast food chains, but the market will dictate whether that's the case. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen have been carried out by US and UK fighter jets over the weekend. The Pentagon says fighter jets carried out strikes on 18 Houthi targets in eight different locations. Underground weapons and missile storage facilities of the Iran-linked group were targeted - as they continue to attack shipping in the region. Former US lieutenant Daniel L. Davis told Mike Hosking that the Houthis won't be afraid of their recent losses. He says they're going to continue to get their re-supplies through any kind of means - just like they did in the Saudi Arabia war. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The union representing Police officers is waiting on the detail of the Government plan to curb gangs. Legislation is soon to be introduced banning gang insignia in public places, enabling police to issue dispersal notices, and allowing courts to issue non-consorting orders. Police Association President Chris Cahill told Mike Hosking that if the law allows Police to retrospectively take patches off people, that could make it more workable. He says if officers can turn up at their house at a later date, that might give it some extra power. Cahill says at times, when there's enough Police, they could take the patches off gangs in the street. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Admission Wellington's trains are in a 'bad situation.' The region's public transit users are set to face around 10 to 15 years of buses replacing trains on days when maintenance is needed - across some weekends and public holidays. The region's Transport Committee Chair Thomas Nash told Mike Hosking that the situation's been put off, until now. He says they've skated by and didn't want to pay rates or invest, and now there's a bigger job in front of them. 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. Grant Robertson: 7/10 Witty, decent bloke. He lightened the mood. Grant Robertson, the Finance Minister: 2/10 Buggered the economy and that, sadly, is his legacy. Ginny Anderson: 1/10 With a fulsome apology still pending, she ends the week having blown up her reputation, damaged her party and looking increasingly isolated in the hole she dug herself. Air NZ: 6/10 Result not so flash but telling us fees from Auckland Airport is going to stop us flying is bollocks. You can smell the PR department a mile away there. The 'Never Surrender" hi-tops: 8/10 They are actually cool. The fitness report: 4/10 We are a divided nation. Too many of us are fat. But it's in a world where increasingly a lot of us actually work at it and want to improve, proving there is no excuse if you want something bad enough. Taylor Swift Australian styles: 10/10 It's like nothing I have ever seen. The size, the scale, the income, the hysteria. We have seen individual components from others over the years but this is a new league. It's next level and you've got to admire it. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The poverty figures out yesterday confirm once and for all that what the previous Government tried to do was all theory and no reality. We are going backwards, and no amount of free money was going to fix it. Poverty reduction was Labour's calling card, it was the Jacinda Ardern nuclear moment. She was the minister in charge of it and yet, they failed. For all those bleating and worrying about the new Government's approach to welfare you might want to ask yourself why you are so upset at a change of approach, given the previous one has been proven to be an abject failure. Even Carmel "it's complicated” Sepuloni admits now they will not reach their three-year goals. The figures out yesterday entirely encompass the Labour Government approach. We saw increases in minimum wages like we had never seen. We saw an increase in Jobseeker numbers at a time no employer could actually find workers because the borders were closed. We saw state or social housing, we saw every welfare lever pulled in a way that advantaged anyone who wanted help, or food, or housing, or an excuse as to why they couldn’t actually get on with life. If you wanted the state to wipe your bum, Labour was your Government. It was all designed to deal to poverty. Their ideology, their progressive, caring approach to your plight was going to sooth, if not cure, your ills. Yet, it didn’t. It got worse. In that is the lesson of simple maths vs mad welfarism. It's crazy, left-wing, voodoo economics. Free money, printed money, handouts, no expectations and no incentives. Just scratches for itches. I would have thought it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that a state cheque, no matter how well intentioned, does not solve your long-term problem. Work does. Accountability does. Expectation does. And that’s the change we are about to see. Yes, it's harder than taking free money. But I think you will find, because history shows, it works. Kindness, and six years of it, got us going backwards. The numbers don’t lie. It was a failed experiment, so the trick now is to fix it and never repeat it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An attempt at the closest ever landing to the Moon's south pole will take place a little later this morning, at NZT 10.30am. Robotic spacecraft Odysseus will attempt to be the closest US vehicle ever to the moon's South Pole, and the first privately built spacecraft to land in one piece. Private Japanese, U.S, and Israeli crafts have already failed at the feat. U.S Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the landing is no easy task. He says the craft has to slow down from more than six-thousand kilometres per hour to one metre per second for a successful touch down. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Child poverty continues to increase, coming as no surprise to frontline organisations The latest Stats NZ figures show a two percent rise to 12.5% of all children are living in households that can't afford the basics. Child Matters chief executive Jane Searle says the numbers of two-income families needing the help of community initiatives has risen substantially. She told Mike Hosking that the "working poor" is now something they're seeing all the time. Searle says families, previously not in this situation, are now accessing food banks because one big bill has tipped the budget over. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bad news for air travellers as current air fares are set to be the new normal. Air New Zealand has announced earnings before tax of $185-million for the first half of the current financial year. CEO Greg Foran told Mike Hosking that some costs, such as for parts, food and beverage, wages, and air navigation are with them to stay. He says they have to work out how to become more efficient. But Foran says some of those costs are baked in and he doesn't expect prices are going to come plummeting down. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Wilson and Kate Hawkesby joined Mike Hosking to wrap the biggest news stories from the week. Mike's got an update on the coffee kiosk and what on earth happened to Tim Wilson? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new Infrastructure Commission report has found that we need to be spending 60% of funds on what already exists. Its worried not enough investment is going into areas like highways, roads, and water to ensure they're ready long term. Director of Economics Peter Nunns says we need to start with having a good understanding of what's in the ground. He says those are the assets we rely upon for what we already use and if we don't keep them running, they'll cause problems. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government says it's looking to recognise achievement with its plan to change the tertiary fees free policy. The Tertiary Education Commission says there's no discernible evidence that the first year free policy helped more low decile school students into university. The coalition's planning to shift the free year to the final year of study. Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds told Mike Hosking that rewarding people for just turning up created perverse incentives. She says the change is part of their agreement with New Zealand First, who wants to move the dial towards rewarding achievement. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tough talks lie ahead for the Trade Minister who's heading to World Trade Organisation meeting in Abu Dhabi. Todd McClay will be vice-chairing the meeting which will discuss topics including agricultural trade rules, e-commerce, and fishery subsidies. He told Mike Hosking that he's optimistic there will be gains in some areas. McClay says we'll be banging our drum for fairness and a better deal for our exporters. He says New Zealand exporters benefit from a common set of enforceable rules to rely upon and that's what we'll be pushing for. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost 40 years and counting, highly prolific kiwi singer-songwriter Greg Johnson is still going. Those decades were packed with awards and albums, the thirteenth of which, ‘Thunder in Fall’, is releasing tomorrow. The album's first single was released back in December, 'Rooster Tail’ inspired by the sight of a rocket launched at sunset and the trail of smoke coming down. Johnson told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that it wasn’t so much the rocket itself but the reaction on the ground. “There’s always a certain level of paranoia here. It’s like, ‘Oh Christ, the Russians, have the Russians launched a pre-emptive nuclear strike or something? But no, it was just the sun striking the smoke.” “Everyone sort of stops from it.” Living in cities is a study in contrasts, Johnson saying that there’s a craving for nature and moments of silence. “Those kinds of things are triggers for me, you know, as an artist.” Speaking of artistic triggers, one of the ones for ‘Thunder in Fall’ was the upright piano Johnson acquired. “I just want to abandon the electric guitar a little bit,” he told Hosking. Much like the rest of his discography, his latest album wouldn’t be described as a “party record,” Johnson describing it as quite a dark album with a real atmosphere. “I wanted something that’s really nice to sort of sink your teeth into.” With the release of this album comes a tour, Johnson bringing his ‘1000 Miles Tour’ to New Zealand next month. Coming back, he told Hosking, is a highlight for him, especially playing smaller venues. While he will be performing his new album, he isn’t forgetting about his older hits. “The core of my show is always my, my top ten. You know, my audience top ten, and then the other ten I choose from, you know, my pretty extensive book.” “I’ve got, so far, 87 of the songs I like to play in a little book, just small enough that I can’t read the lyrics, so I have to try and remember them. Greg Johnson will be back in New Zealand, performing from March 15th through til the 30th. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kiwis have a new coach. Rugby League legend Stacey Jones has officially been given the role, having served as assistant coach from 2018 to 2023. Former Kiwis player Richie Barnett told Mike Hosking while Wayne Bennett was a well-liked option, it’s time for the Kiwis to have a kiwi leading the charge. He said the roster he’s coaching is probably the most impressive one we’ve had, and with Stacey coming in, there’s an opportunity to dominate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's one of life's oddity's when it comes to things playing out publicly, that what might have exploded one day, doesn’t on another. The tragedy of Efeso Collins quite rightly became yesterday's political story, and in doing so, saved Ginny Anderson from greater scrutiny and, perhaps, embarrassment. The house was paused after speeches. Mark Mitchell quite rightly didn’t want to talk about it given the focus on Collins' passing. But what he did say was she had texted him to say she had overstepped the line. Chris Hipkins said she had overstepped the line. He also said she had apologised, which she hadn't. Saying you overstepped the line and saying sorry are two different things. Your reaction has been forthright and voluminous. There is no doubt Mitchell deserves a heartfelt apology. What unfolded on this programme yesterday was gobsmacking. It was an innocent conversation about past work, as a result of the Grant Robertson resignation and whether MPs should bring more real-world experience to the house and therefore running the country. Anderson raised Mitchell's past security work and company, and if she had kept her head, that would have been that. But it wasn’t. It was like something snapped and she passed the point of no return. Live radio, or live broadcasting of any sort, especially unscripted, is hard. You have to keep your wits about you, you have to know when enough is enough, or indeed when it isn't enough and push a little further. We all make mistakes. Many, many a time I have sat here thinking "how close to the line am I here?" What Anderson did was personal. Not just personal, but ill-informed too. Once she crossed the line it got brutal and was an unbridled attack of jaw-dropping proportions. A saving grace is they are both politicians who live in an, at times, ugly business. But that doesn’t make yesterday right, or excusable, or even close to it. The ball is in Mark's court. If he wants an apology, he should get one. I'm sure he could find a lawyer or two who would be more than happy to pursue matters elsewhere. The best and most obvious thing Ginny could do is unreservedly say sorry. Accept it was a moment of madness, it was completely uncalled for and reflected badly on her and her party. I'm looking forward to this Wednesday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Minister is in talks with Air New Zealand and Auckland Airport about their latest stoush over redevelopment plans. The airline claims the plans will make airfares five times more expensive by 2032, but the airport says it hasn't made any pricing decisions beyond 2027. Commerce Minister Andrew Bayly says he's awaiting the outcome of a Commerce Commission review into airport pricing decisions. But, he told Mike Hosking, in the meantime he's met with Air New Zealand, and he'll be meeting with airport CEO Carrie Hurihanganui tomorrow to urge her to have constructive talks with the airlines. Both companies are due to release their latest financial results this morning. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chief Ombudsman says Oranga Tamariki needs to start getting the basics right. In his latest report, Peter Boshier details distressing themes from an investigation of two thousand complaints over four-years. He says there were frequent instances of reports of concern not being acted on, nor being reported correctly. Boshier told Mike Hosking that Oranga Tamariki's legislation is sound, and some sites manage to do the work well. He can't understand the inconsistencies and why some sites lack discipline and oversight. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synlait Milk is warning of a potential net loss in its half year results. The independent milk processor is projecting a 17-to-21-million-dollar loss for the six months to June, down from a net profit of $4.8 million from the same period last year. It's putting the loss down to rising interest rates and operational costs and lower margins Ashburton-based Synlait supplier Willy Leferink told Mike Hosking that it's not a short-term problem, as its share price is also dropping. He says it's a fundamental problem and they'll have to re-capitalise, but at 68 cents a year, that's hard work. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emotions are running high after the death of Green MP Efeso Collins. The 49-year-old died after collapsing at a charity event in Auckland yesterday. Community leader David Letele was at the event and told Mike Hosking that he spent yesterday reflecting. He spent the day with his family because life is fragile, and we have to treasure every moment. Parliament has adjourned until Tuesday and the Green Party has approached the Speaker about having some bereavement leave for some of its MPs. Collins is set to be replaced by Lawrence Xu-Nan, who ran in the Epsom electorate for the Greens at the election. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia and New Zealand are going head-to-head today in the T20 opener in Wellington. The city is expecting the largest crowd for a cricket game in almost a decade, over 22,000 fans expected to attend. Black Caps coach Gary Stead told Mike Hosking that the Australians place them under a lot of pressure, so the key is absorbing it for extended periods of time and then finding opportunities to return the favour. He said that while the Aussies are good at the game, they’ve faced them so many times that it’s water off a duck’s back. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are several questions you can ask about Grant Robertson bailing now. 1) Why not on the night, or shortly afterwards? He seemed to give some indication post-election he would hang around for a while to see how things were travelling. But the clue was there last year when he pretended that you couldn’t be a Finance Minister and an electorate MP at the same time, despite having been a Finance Minister and an electorate MP at the same time. I've watched him this year at question time. He has fired a couple of probing inquiries to Nicola Willis but the gusto, the wit, the energy, and the joie de vivre is well and truly gone. In fact, the air has gone out of the tyres of the whole party. They look flat, bored, bewildered and with eight press releases so far and a poll that has Chris Hipkins dropping 10% in preferred Prime Minister. Some of which is to be expected. They got hammered, they got rejected, and they got a message over an approach to life I suspect came as a genuine shock to some of the more idealistic of them. 2) Who wrecked the economy the most? Muldoon or Robertson? As much as National are playing to the crowd over what they have been left with, it's actually real. In some cases, it's dangerous. This country is in a number of fiscal areas in a shocking state and that is on the former Finance Minister. His co-conspirator, Ms Ardern, you will note is long gone, never to be questioned again. So, in that respect I suppose you could say he deserves an element of credit for hanging around the place to watch the outworkings of the vote. But politicians are measured in legacy and records. The ultimate aim is to leave the place better off than when you found it. The reality for Grant Robertson is so far from that it is tragic. He will defend at least some of it because some of it is ideological. But whether it's pipes, trains, ferries or debt welfare the numbers don’t lie and the numbers are desperate. He softened it with his wit, humour, and personality. As I have said many times, I always liked him, and I enjoyed talking to him. But let the record show the Grant Robertson era was as ruinous as any you will ever see. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses are being warned supply disruptions are set to continue due to an uncertain global environment. The Productivity Commission's final report before funding moves to the new Ministry for Regulation, warns that disruptions could impact thousands of jobs. Modelling shows that wars, new tech, and oil price rises could see GDP go down from 1.4% to 7.5%. Mainfreight Managing Director Don Braid told Mike Hosking that we should've tapped into India's economy years ago. He says in around 2015, he went on a trade mission and questioned why New Zealand wasn't there already. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour’s police spokeswoman, Ginny Andersen, claims Police Minister Mark Mitchell was “paid to kill people” and has asked him whether he kept a “tally of how many you shot” while providing private military services in Iraq. Mitchell says Andersen’s comments are “outrageous” and she should apologise. Andersen refused. The pair appeared on Newstalk ZB this morning for their usual politics slot and they began discussing how some police stations contained mould and how it was an issue ignored by successive governments. They then discussed Grant Robertson’s retirement before host Mike Hosking asked both Andersen and Mitchell what they had done before entering politics. Mitchell referenced his time working in hospitality, as a police officer and working overseas. Police Minister Mark Mitchell believed Ginny Andersen's comments were outrageous. Photo / Mark Mitchell Andersen then made a remark about the nature of work Mitchell had done overseas that led to her claim Mitchell had been “paid to kill people”. After leaving the police, Mitchell worked as a security contractor in Iraq, eventually setting up a private security company for the military and private interests, of which he was chief executive. Mitchell said his work included tasks commissioned by the United Nations such as freeing up supplies at ports controlled by criminal gangs so they could reach communities. He said he was proud of his efforts delivering aid in countries like Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Mitchell also noted how politicians on the left had repeatedly attacked him for his past. “In my view, [the left] try to do these character assassinations, and that’s what they’re about.” Andersen continued, asking Mitchell: “Did you keep a tally on how many [people] you shot.” She alleged Mitchell’s company had earned $4 million a year through its work overseas. Mitchell said the comments were outrageous and she should return and apologise. “If that’s alright with you, Mark, morally, and if that sits well with you, that’s your choice.” She claimed Mitchell had profited from shooting people, saying: “Free speech Mark, I’m allowed to have a view.” Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he was aware of Andersen’s comments, but had not yet heard the interview in full and wanted to speak to Andersen before making any comment. In the past, Mitchell has defended the work he did in the Middle East after political opponents described him as a mercenary. In 2017, he told the NZ Herald that label frustrated him. “I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done. I’m ... quietly proud, I’m not someone that shouts it from the rooftops — I’m a Kiwi after all. But I’m proud of the difference we made in people’s lives in terms of their security and ability to get on with their lives.” He pointed to work he had done such as opening mass graves with scientists from The Hague gathering evidence for the war crimes trial of Saddam Hussein. “When you’re opening mass graves and you’re finding the remains of babies clinging to mums, it’s a pretty clear reminder of the atrocities which were taking place. That was a very, very tough job for everyone involved. Instead of questioning why we were there, all it does is provide more resolve in terms of knowing there had to be changes made.” Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're not alone in being overweight as the rest of the western world is also struggling. Health New Zealand's latest review of the state of our health has found one in three adults carries enough weight to affect their health. Nutritionist Lillian Morton told Mike Hosking that we all know we need to exercise and eat well to stay healthy, but the reasons we don't do that are complex. She says it's generational, and prevention is better than cure, so perhaps we work forwards rather than backwards and choose better messages to prevent people getting obese. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ANZ is standing by its prediction of more interest rate rises this year. The country's largest bank is forecasting the OCR will be hiked two more times this year, bringing it to 6%, despite other banks expecting the OCR to remain steady. It's also not ruling out the OCR surpassing 7% or even 8% in the current cycle. ANZ Economist Andre Castang told Mike Hosking that they're relatively confident in their prediction, even if they're out of step with other banks. He says even if the OCR isn't raised next Wednesday, a raise is quite likely in April. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour says pharmacists and members of the public are supportive of his move to bring back pseudoephedrine. The cold and flu drug was banned in 2011 in an effort to combat meth manufacturing. Now, the Associate Health Minister is introducing a Bill to make it available from a pharmacy without a prescription. Seymour told Mike Hosking that most people have told him what's available now doesn't work, and its small minority of pharmacists who are concerned about being robbed. He says the question is are we going to punish everyone with an ineffective rule or are we going to punish the people committing the crimes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins says Grant Robertson indicated his departure from politics long ago. The former Deputy Prime Minister and former Finance Minister is set to become Otago University Vice Chancellor when he leaves the Labour Party next month. Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking that it wasn't a huge surprise. He says Robertson had indicated to him not long after Jacinda Ardern took over as leader in 2017 that 2023 would be his last election. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nurses are calling for something to be done about the financial hurdles they face while finishing their studies. The Nurses Organisation 2023 Student Survey found 84% feel nursing students should receive financial compensation during clinical experience. Nurses' Organisation National Student Uni Co-Chair Shannyn Bristowe told Mike Hosking that there needs to be a fix to get students through. She says scholarships or some form of a grant while students are on their placements could lessen the stress and help put food on the table. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi chef Ben Bayly is returning for another season of his highly anticipated show 'A New Zealand Food Story'. The show is returning for a third season, Bayly touring the country seeking fresh and innovative ideas for the menu of his award-winning restaurant 'Ahi', as well as spotlighting kiwis dedicated to cultivating some of the world's finest ingredients. The show began in 2020, the first season focusing on the opening of Bayly's restaurant before Covid came in and locked everything down. He told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking that it was terrible at the time, as they'd invested $3 million only to get locked down, but they learned a lot of lessons from it. "I think one of the positives of Covid for us, was that New Zealanders couldn't travel." "They were travelling in New Zealand, and I guess, wondering what New Zealand food was." Bayly has yet to meet an unpleasant person while filming his show, telling Hosking that all of the guests were hardworking, salt of the earth people. "You feel kind of guilty because you kind of do a hit and run and grab the content and, but you, you have this deep connection." He said that the people he meets are as crazy as he is, having the same level of passion he has for working in restaurants for producing, hunting, growing, and fishing. New Zealand has an incredible amount of diversity in both its geography and ecosystems, and there are people taking full advantage. "We can grow anything, make anything. We have the climate, the soil, the variety to do anything and we can do it better too." Bayly doesn't only showcase the producers in his show, but in his restaurants as well. "I want the guests to know where the farmer, or where the beef is grown, who the farmer is and what the farmer had for breakfast even," He told Hosking. "That adds a lot of value to the experience we're trying to deliver." Season 3 of 'A New Zealand Food Story' premieres Saturday 24th of February on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The good news from the new immigration minister is that a reset on numbers is coming. I think the major issue is not that too many people are coming, it's that too many of the wrong people are coming. You need to ask yourself why. If every genius, billionaire, and entrepreneur was beating a path to our door, the 120,000 odd we are growing by would not be an issue. But the fact that most of them are out of India, the Philippines, and China indicates there is some sort of escapism going on. People coming here to work in hospitality says a couple of things about us. The first is that it’s a crime we have to import people to do hospitality. But the 13-year average for Jobseeker is your reason why. We are ankle, if not knee, deep in laziness and a lifelong form of bludging. The second is the fact these people arrive looking to work in hospitality is not a good sign they're just waiting for the next opening at Rocket Lab. So, when we reset stuff, and I assume that will come with some sort of bomb put under the Immigration Department who literally everyone in the industry tells me are a major issue in themselves with their processing, or lack of it, but when we reset, we might actually find ourselves in trouble. My suspicion is it will look a lot like tourism, where saying we are open and having people actually turn up are two different things. Tourism is at 79% of what it was and what it was is now five years ago and counting. What if we tighten up the immigration criteria and tell the world we are after the best and the brightest? Small clue - like every other country. What if our reputation, because of Covid, precedes us? What if the world looked on aghast at our maniacal closed border approach and thought that is not a country, I want anything to do with? What if they went elsewhere where the processing was easy, the welcome was big and the salaries were bigger, and we miss out? I hope I am wrong. But increasingly, the Covid damage continues to be exposed, whether its lack of holidaymakers or merely a flood of under-skilled waiters looking to escape their homeland. In the meantime, the bright and the young Kiwi takes off. Good ones leaving with ordinary ones arriving is no formula for first world success. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long-term neglect of Police infrastructure has led to health and safety concerns at a number of stations nationwide. The Police Association says issues range from areas being off-limit because of black mould, to leaky walls and roofs, nailed-up windows, and lockers housed in toilet cubicles. Association President Chris Cahill told Mike Hosking that this isn’t this government’s problem. He said that it’s an infrastructure problem that should be planned for over the next 40-50 years, not the three-year election cycles. Cahill said that most of the stations around the country were built in the 60’s, and are at the end of their lives. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's Mayor is confident the public —and councillors— will back his preferred budget plan. Councillors will vote today on seeking public feedback on rising rates by about 38%, 20%, or 13% over three years. The 38% option would fund new infrastructure, while the 13% would see assets age and deteriorate. Mayor Wayne Brown told Mike Hosking that he's backing the 20% option, involving annual rates rises of 7.5%, 3.5%, and 8%. He says it's a sensible approach. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he has spoken to a lot of Work and Income frontline caseworkers who say their biggest frustration was people abusing the beneficiary system. “They don’t feel that they can apply the sanctions when they need to be applied, people who are wilfully and knowingly abusing the system and not taking their situation seriously,” Luxon told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking. He was unsure how many people the sanctions would put back into the workforce. ”Look, there are these rules that exist already today, previous National governments used them, Labour sent out a message to not worry about them too much,” Luxon said. ”And we just sent a message to the CEO of [Ministry of Social Development] to say hey listen, in the spirit of people holding up their end of the bargain, we expect those sanctions to be applied. ”A big growth in jobseeker numbers in a time of low employment and lots of [worker] shortages, and then we have also had a drop in people being sanctioned.” Luxon is looking to make good on a promise he made in his State of the Nation speech on Sunday that the “free ride” was over for beneficiaries who were taking advantage of the welfare system. Luxon and Social Development Minister Louise Upston yesterday announced a return to a more strict regime of sanctions for those on the unemployment benefit. A sanction means someone’s benefit gets reduced or cut if they don’t comply with certain expectations such as attending job interviews or completing training. “In 2017, 60,588 sanctions were applied to beneficiaries who did not comply with their obligations to prepare and look for work. That nosedived to 25,329 in 2023,” Upston said. “Over that time, people on jobseeker benefits increased by about 70,000 and about 40,000 more people have been receiving this support for a year or more.” Luxon told the AM Show he doesn’t think they will need more staff to carry out benefit checks. ”What we need to do is have job checks, and one of the things we can do is have one too many talking about job obligations and checking in to make sure people are compliant.” He said having a parent in work was good for children. ”Children in benefit homes don’t do as well and don’t have the same opportunities as those that have one or both parents working. ”Let’s be clear, we’re not talking about supported living and we’re not talking about sole parents ... we’re just talking about those deemed capable and able to work.” Attacking former Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni, Upston said the “previous minister set the tone for a lighter touch to benefit sanctions by saying they needed to be used ‘sparingly’ and as a ‘last resort’, dampening their effectiveness as an incentive to fulfil work obligations”. Upston said she had written to the chief executive of the Ministry of Social Development “to make this Government’s view clear that we want to see all obligations and sanctions applied. If jobseekers fail to attend job interviews, to complete their pre-employment tasks, or to take work that is available, then there needs to be consequences”. She also announced that from June, the ministry will “begin work check-ins for jobseekers who have been on benefit for six months, particularly young people”. Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston is defending the change in use of benefit sanctions. Photo / Mark Mitchell Under the existing sanctions, if a person did not meet work preparation obligations without a “good and sufficient reason”, their benefit would be reduced by 50 per cent for four weeks. After a second breach, that would be extended to 13 weeks for someone with dependent children, or suspended altogether if they did not have children. ‘Politics of cruelty’ — Opposition responds to welfare changes Sepuloni, Labour’s social development spokeswoman, claimed yesterday’s announcement was unfair and out of touch as she criticised Luxon for speaking down to beneficiaries by assuming jobseekers didn’t want to work. “People deserve to be supported into meaningful, long-term employment, and sanctions will not do this.” Green Party social development spokesman Ricardo Menendez March said the Government was quickly building a legacy of cruelty. “Instead of supporting people to provide for themselves and their whānau, this Government has actively sought to push people further and further into poverty. “Now, today, we have yet another measure to penalise the poorest people. It is a symptom of the politics of cruelty that is driving this coalition’s policies and steering New Zealand backwards.” -NZ Herald LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

St John's move to pull some ambulances off the road has shone a light on our public health system. The service is aiming to rein in costs for when a worker is sick or on leave. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Sarah Dalton told Mike Hosking that she doesn't understand why a core health service isn't publicly funded. She says ambulances are critical, and as a country we don't fund the service but instead we've made it charitable with a government top up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Work and Income boss is applauding the Government's benefits policy, saying there's no future for someone on welfare. From mid-2024 there will be a ramp up of check-ins for jobseekers and sanctions for those who don't meet their obligations, particularly for young people. Former WINZ boss Christine Rankin told Mike Hosking that people rot on the benefit. She says it's a responsible and courageous policy because for recipients of the main Jobseeker payment to be on it for 13 years is an absolute disgrace. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Japanese satellite launched into orbit by Rocket Lab will collect data on space junk. It's currently travelling about 27-thousand kilometres per hour, orbiting earth roughly every 90 minutes. It will rendezvous with an aging piece of space junk to see if it can be removed in the future. Rocket Lab spokeswoman Morgan Bailey told Mike Hosking that they're pretty close to that becoming a reality. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lack of surprise over Alexei Navalny's death. The 47-year-old Russian opposition leader died at the weekend, after collapsing following a walk in his Arctic prison. In the wake of the announcement of his death, more than 400 people have been arrested across Russia, as local police crackdown on memorials across 36 cities. Auckland University international relations expert Stephen Hoadley told Mike Hosking the past two decades under Vladimir Putin show some stark reading. He says there have been 14 assassinations of political opponents, various exiles, and more than 600 opponents have been imprisoned. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.