The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New Zealand's top cycle trails are pumping more than $1.2 billion a year into local economies.  New data shows visitor spend attributed to the country's 23 Great Rides jumped 35% compared to 2021.  Nights spent in nearby accommodations are up 25% at around 4.5 million.  Ngā Haerenga NZ Cycle Trails CEO Janet Purdey told Mike Hosking they’re marketing into Australia and the United States, and they plan to bring a lot more internationals into the country to do the trails.  She says the global market is estimated to be US$234 billion in 2030, and they want a piece of that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 20th of November, Minister for Rail Winston Peters discusses the new ferry deal and whether the timeline will be stuck to.   The phone ban in schools is working, according to a new ERO report, but we need teachers to be enforcing it more.  Kiwi singer Paige has gone from strength to strength since she last joined the show in 2021, so she came back on for a song and a chat with the release of her new EP.  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.

Doctors in Health New Zealand's emergency departments could soon be saving precious time with the roll out of a helpful AI tool.  AI technology Heidi creates a written transcript of doctors' consultations and makes a medical note.  Country-wide trials show clinicians could see an extra patient per shift, while bringing down average documentation time from around 17 minutes to just over four per patient.  Heidi New Zealand Clinical Director Ben Condon told Mike Hosking the AI not only creates a written transcript, but can also use templates to create medical notes, discharge summaries, and referral letters, among other things.   He says doctors will still be responsible for reviewing the notes and letters for accuracy, but time will be saved by having them ready to review in real time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Schools need more support from parents to get the most out a student phone ban.  A "phones away for the day" policy's been in place since Term Two last year.  An Education Review Office report shows two thirds of teachers saw a rise in student achievement, but only half of students are following the rules.  Head of ERO Education Evaluation Centre Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking the number one reason students contravene the ban is to contact family.  She says parents should phone the school office instead of their child, and shouldn't answer if their child calls.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s encouraging evidence that the "cool" component of vaping among young people is shifting.   The 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey shows smoking prevalence is at 6.8% – a slight decline on last year, with 12% of adult Kiwis vaping daily.  Associate Health Minister Casey Costello told Mike Hosking the Government's cracked down on enforcement for vaping that wasn't in place before.  She says the last two years have seen youth vaping coming down and the drive to keep under 18s out of the vaping environment is paying dividends.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minister for Rail Winston Peters believes the binned iRex ferry plan would have meant major infrastructure issues that are no longer a worry.  He's announced the two new Interislander ferries are expected to come in on time and under budget, for less than $2 billion.  Peters told Mike Hosking Tasmania is struggling with two new ferries and no infrastructure and he doesn't want to see the same problems here.  He said he got a really hard-nosed, tough, experienced team to sort out the ferry plan, and they’ve done a marvellous job.  “In less than 11 months they have put together a solution at all ends.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A registered GP has concerns about the issue of puberty blockers being handled by politicians. No child or young person experiencing gender dysphoria or incongruence will be able to start taking gonadotropin-releasing hormones from December 19.  Health Minister Simeon Brown says Cabinet has agreed to new settings until the outcomes of a major clinical trial in the UK – expected in 2031.    Dr John Cameron told Mike Hosking he commends the move but is unsure about the motivations.   He believes it has been made on health grounds, but still thinks it needs to leave the political arena.   Cameron says the safety of puberty blockers has been a topic of discussion in medical circles for a long time.   He told Hosking, if they weren't safe, they would be banned across the board.   But he says there is uncertainty on their long-term safety and effectiveness.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 19th of November, BusinessNZ is calling for cross-party vision and a solid plan to strengthen New Zealand by 2050 in order to avoid a dire economic future.   It’s been revealed that the Ministry of Social Development has handed out $38 million in business start up grants for seemingly very little return. Welfare expert Phil O’Reilly discusses the situation.   Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen discuss the Hutt Bridge scandal, the Greens wanting to repeal the mining plans, and Hipkins' engagement 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.

Today on Politics Wednesday, Mike Hosking was joined by Labour’s Ginny Andersen and National’s Mark Mitchell to delve into the biggest political stories of the week thus far.   They discussed the Hutt Bridge situation, whether Labour backs the Green Party’s mining policy, and the anniversary of the Pike River tragedy.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big turnaround for fisheries company Sanford with the reveal of their latest profits.   They’ve reported an after-tax profit of $63.7 million – a 224% increase for the year to September.   Cash flow was also up 85%, helping cut debt by nearly half to $93.4 million.  Sanford Managing Director David Mair told Mike Hosking that by focusing on customers, they’re turning the business around.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New game-changing headgear has been developed to protect junior rugby players.  After more than a decade of study into the causes and consequences of head collisions by rugby players, Canterbury University researchers have developed new soft shell protective headgear for juniors.  It could be on sale early next year.    Professor Nick Draper told Mike Hosking that all the money they generate from sales will be reinvested into research.  He says their focus is on how they can make the game safer for young people.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bold, bipartisan centred planning is key to ensuring New Zealand doesn't succumb to the effects of a dwindling population and economic growth.   A new BusinessNZ report's calling for a cross-party vision and long-term goals to strengthen the country by 2050.   It notes a labour shortage of at least a quarter of a million is expected before then, and there's also a one in four chance the population doesn't grow.  Advocacy Director Catherine Beard says businesses are sick of political u-turns and flip-flops.  She told Mike Hosking we’re currently stumbling towards the future in a blindfolded fashion, and the report is designed to get everyone to think outside of the box.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A welfare expert says one of the Government's grants is a good idea in principle.   The Taxpayers’ Union has revealed the business start up grant has dished out $38 million with little to show for it.   Documents retrieved through the Official Information Act show hundreds of the recipients struggled and returned to a benefit within two years.   Former Welfare Expert Advisory Group member Phil O'Reilly told Mike Hosking the execution was woefully bad.   He says the problem is MSD spent far too much and there wasn't enough mentoring or measuring of outcomes.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are concerns overseas opioid abuse trends are taking hold here.   The Drug Detection Agency's data for the three months to September finds opioids showed up in 18% of positive tests.  It warns opioid detections are stabilising at this high level, while some regions like Gisborne recorded a sharp increase of 41%.  CEO Glenn Dobson told Mike Hosking the test results are a good oversight of what’s happening in our society in relation to the supply of drugs.   He says there's more of those drugs being sold illicitly globally, so it could be picking up here too.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A weak construction industry's done nothing to help low completion rates among apprenticeships.  Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds says more than half of apprentices in training are dropping out.  She's seeking extra funding so new industry bodies can investigate the number of dropouts.  Building and Construction ITO Director Greg Durkin told Mike Hosking there's been a significant drop in building work since 2023.  He says this has had an impact on people completing their apprenticeships, when they can go down the road and maybe get a couple dollars more in a different role.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is how we end up in trouble. Things are said that aren't challenged.  Here's the headline: "NZ will be dumping ground for high emission cars".  That was a claim from an EV lobby group. I wonder why they would say that?  Chris Hipkins said, or was allowed to say, that we had one of the highest uptakes of EVs in the world and the Government stopped it.  Now, let's deal with fact and context. The Government in their announcement over car import charges has a mess on its hands and it's a mess because the previous Government invented a set of rules that don't work, didn’t work and were never going to work.  They gerrymandered a market and that is rarely smart economics, or politics.  Hipkins' reference was to his subsidy scheme for EVs when the taxpayer gave thousands to middle class Tesla buyers.  Now, was it one of the highest uptakes in the world? I don’t know, but it certainly helped sales because discounted stuff and stuff paid for by other people tends to help sales.  If the Government offered to renovate your bathroom, I reckon bathroom renovations would explode.  As for a dumping ground? How about less snobbery and more acceptance that New Zealanders are allowed to buy the sort of car they want? A lot of people don’t have $50,000-80,000 (or even $30,000 if you go Chinese) for an EV.  Even if they do a lot of people simply don’t want an EV – some people want a hybrid and that’s fine.  But you direct people through taxes towards outcomes at your peril. The climate obsession has upended markets and driven a level of complexity through charges that the Government literally doesn’t know how to get out of.  They have importers bringing cars in they can't sell. What's the point of that?  People will buy what people will buy. This isn't China where you are told what to do and when you are cajoled, allegedly through tax and fees, look what happens.  The biggest irony is supply is an issue. The importers can't get the stock they need. Why not?  Well one reason is because we drive on the opposite side of the road than a lot of countries. And the other is that manufacturers are pulling back on production of the cars that the Government scheme wants you to import.  Why are they doing that you ask? Because they can't sell them!  Obsession, interference, meddling and stupidity will trip you up every time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Government's confirmed plans for a major overhaul of the country's immigration system to stem the flow of illegal immigration.  Asylum seekers will need to wait at least 20 years for permanent residency and won't be guaranteed financial support.  Failed asylum seekers and their families may face deportation to countries like Syria.  The UK Government claims the country's immigration rules haven't kept up with a changing world.  UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking there’s a lot of devil in the details.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, welcome back Opportunity. I think I have that right.  Opportunity is the former "The Opportunities Party". Now it's just "The Opportunity Party".  It has a new leader and a new tax policy. They have been looking for a leader for ages and they even advertised.  None of this is a good sign.  Their biggest problem is the market is full – there is no room for another political party.  There was no room 10 years ago and there's even less room now.  Now, I don't, but you could argue that as the MMP environment evolves and matures some nuance is sought by a frustrated electorate. A boutique operator if you will.  The major parties have faded and the days of National and Labour cracking 40% are gone.  The days of a two-party Government might well be gone as well. So as it all fragments, surely there must be room for a small operator wedging its way in between, say, National and Labour as a sort of mid-way, subtle alternative.  The trouble is, and I argued this years ago when Gareth Morgan was running the joint, 5% is actually a lot of votes and very few, if any, crack it.  Look at ACT's journey – for years they needed a deal in Epsom to work the system and the coattail.  There is a reason United vanished.  What they should have done is run Morgan in an electorate. Name recognition would have helped, and he may have got the seat, got 2%, and had a party of 2-3 MPs. Being in and staying in is easier than getting there in the first place.  Here is their other issue: nuance is not what we do. That’s why radicals are gaining support all over the world, from Pauline Hanson in Australia to the minor players who make up Government's in the likes of Holland and Germany.  You need to be more left, or right, than centre.  Could we also argue that New Zealand First is centrist, given they are the only party that can legitimately claim the ability to deal with either National or Labour?  So good on them for keeping the Opportunity dream alive.  They're still here after a decade. They're either visionaries whose time is yet to come, or dreamers who can't read the room. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

International relations and geopolitics have become increasingly complex in the last few decades, many countries in the Pacific pulled between China and the United States – the two superpowers at odds with each other.  But former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull believes the relationships with the two are equally important.  “The relationship with the US is obviously the bedrock of our security relationship,” he told Mike Hosking.  “Whereas the relationship with China is, you know, much more focused on economics and trade, but the two, these two superpowers are absolutely critical partners.”   China has been working to grow its influence in the Pacific, the area presenting several strategic opportunities for the nation – but is it a cause for concern?  “The reality is that China is a superpower,” Turnbull told Hosking.   “It is, you know, an economic peer equal or close to an equal of the United States, and they’re seeking to exert influence around the world and in our region.”   He says they want to maintain strong relationships with their Pacific Island neighbours, and one way they did that while he was Prime Minister was through the funding of the Coral Cable, which links Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.  “We thought that was a better outcome from a security point of view,”  “But also, it was a better outcome for them because they weren’t in debt.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 18th of November, the Government is slashing emissions charges for bringing in new cars and launching a full review of the Clean Car Standard. Uber drivers have had a major win in the Supreme Court with four drivers now ruled to be employees, not contractors. Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was in the country, so we took the time to catch up about his calamitous former party and the state of our country's relationship. 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.