The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Andrew Saville and Guy Heveldt joined Mike Hosking to discuss the Newcastle Knights takedown of the Warriors, the weekend in Super Rugby and the Rugby Sevens and Formula 1. Plus, the Sail GP event in Bermuda had a dramatic capsize. 

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A teen has been shot dead by police after a knife attack in Perth, Australia. 

Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the incident had hallmarks of a terror attack. 

The 16-year-old had been part of an anti-radicalisation support program since 2022. The boy called 000 to report that he was about to commit acts of violence. Before the attack, he had sent messages to contacts urging them to clear their phones and laptops of anything illegal or related to Jihad. 

Plus, Australia’s student loan system is set to change. Australia correspondent Steve Price tells Mike Hosking the salary threshold for repayments had previously been set to be in line with inflation. Recent high inflation levels and cost of living have caused a rethink, with the threshold now set to be in line with wage increases instead. 

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Winery of the Year has been announced, with Central Otago’s Felton Road taking the crown. 

The competition was independently ranked by wine critics. 

Felton Road Winemaker Blair Walter tells Mike Hosking the awards are incredibly important and it is great to be sitting top of a list of globally impressive wines. 

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The cost of insuring a home is rising six times faster than incomes. 

Data from Stats NZ show insurance premiums have increased 14 percent in the year to March, while incomes rose just 4.1 percent over the same period. The price of home insurance has increased 24.6 percent, while contents has increased 28 percent – both the biggest increase since the 1980s. 

Insurance Council Chief Executive Kris Faafoi tells Mike Hosking a spike in premiums often follows significant events like natural disasters. It is important consumers maintain their level of insurance to protect important things in their life. 

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The controversial Canterbury feral cat killing competition is back. 

Nearly 250 cats were caught last year, causing protests and backlash from animal safety advocates. This year, the competition has dedicated two categories to hunting and killing feral cats. 

North Canterbury Hunting Competition organiser Mat Bailey tells Mike Hosking the backlash has settled down this year. Bailey hopes the country is waking up to the need to get the animals under control. 

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Nearly half of youth offenders placed in community remand homes run away. 

A memo from Oranga Tamariki revealed between August 2020 and February 2023, 40 percent of youth offenders placed in community remand facilities nationwide escaped lawful custody. In Auckland, 49 percent escape. 

Blue Light Chief Operating Officer Brendon Crompton tells Mike Hosking the remand facilities have no restraint policy, meaning the youth can not be stopped. 

Teenagers are impulsive and not necessarily able to recognise that the community space is a good place for them to be – with three meals a day and programmes on offer. 

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The Government has made a deal with Auckland Council as part of itsLocal Water Done Wellreforms. 

The deal saves Aucklanders from Watercare’s proposed 25.8 percent rates increase. Watercare will be able to borrow $1.9 billion over the next ten years for long-term investment in water infrastructure. 

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown tells Mike Hosking similar actions will be taken regionally, with councils required to put forward their water service delivery plans. 

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Boeing is poised to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for Nasa. 

The Boeing Starliner is set for launch tomorrow, years behind schedule and more than a billion dollars over budget. 

US correspondent Richard Arnold tells Mike Hosking Boeing has struggled with all sorts of technical issues as they work to become the alternate space operator. 

When it was tested for the first time, the Starliner had a computer problem that put it in the wrong orbit – detrimental if it were to have had people on board. 

Plus, the emergence of trillions of cicadas is under way in parts of the US. The invasion is expected to last for six weeks. 

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The cancellation of New Zealand Fashion Week has highlighted wider issues within our fashion community. 

A report commissioned by Mindful Fashion looking into the economic and cultural contributions found that last year, the sector added 7.8 billion to the economy, paid 4.4 billion in wages and contributed 1.9 percent to GDP. There are calls for the Government to engage with the sector. 

Mindful Fashion Chief Executive Jacinta Fitzgerald tells Mike Hosking the industry spans a complex ecosystem of businesses from textiles through to design, manufacturing, retailing, education and media. 

The report identifies where there are opportunities for the industry to grow its contribution to NZ. 

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More protesters have been arrested as students continue to demonstrate at US universities. 

Police dismantled a Pro-Palestine camp set up in front of Royce Hall at the University of California, making more than 200 arrests. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the protests turned to mayhem after midnight and fights erupted when pro-Israel counter protesters tried to storm the camp. 

He said that flares and fireworks were launched over the encampment, and although no one was killed or seriously injured, it was pretty ugly and threatening. 

At least 2000 people total have been arrested at protests across the country in the last few weeks. 

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Kiwis are being urged to check if Inland Revenue has any unclaimed funds in their name. 

Almost 416,000 Kiwis are owed more than $477 million from forgotten funds, unknown debts, or unclaimed inheritance, which eventually goes to the Crown if unclaimed. 

That includes the inheritance of Kiwis who died without a will and with no known relatives. 

Lawyer Joanna Pidgeon told Mike Hosking that people have to know where the will is, and the estate then has to claim it. 

She says everyone should have a will to make things easier for locating, accessing, and distributing. 

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The Reserve Bank has an odd mandate. 

On one hand they directly involved themselves in cocking up the economy to the extent it has been by throwing printed money about the place, often with no real guidelines to banks as to where it would end up. Small clue: it went into housing. 

But the on the other hand they are all over us in terms of rules around what we can and can't do with income to debt ratios, how much money a bank has to hold in reserve for troubled times, etc. 

The latest is the directive to banks about insurance cover on the places they lend money on, i.e. when we get a mortgage, we need cover and they now expect the banks to be even more vigilant about the sort of cover, how much for and how long it will last. 

It's all in their Financial Stability Report. 

But on the insurance issue they revert to their hands off approach, where they point out that they are seeing more people having trouble getting and paying for insurance and that this will be a growing issue. 

Thanks for the warning. Have you got any advice? 

Well, they have, sort of. They recommend insurers, Governments and home buyers, as well as lenders, should take action to improve our understanding of natural hazards and to proactively manage affordability challenges. 

Awesome. Thanks for that. 

This in some respects is the issue of our time. Like it or not insurance, if it hasn’t already, will become a burden, if not a nightmare. 

The Government has already moved on the earthquake rules around buildings, knowing full well the current deadlines are unrealistic. 

But the day is coming, if it isn't already here, where people cannot afford to be where they are or want to be, or even if they have money, can't find a backer. 

So, the big question the Reserve Bank doesn’t answer is - then what? 

If you can't get insurance, you can't get a mortgage. Maybe you can't get a mortgage because you can't afford insurance to the level they now expect. 

You are stuck in a place that was once safe and now isn't. What do you do? 

This all has enormous economic and social consequences. So, who is in charge of this and what is the plan? 

Telling us it's an issue in a stability report isn't really a solution and that’s probably the way they like it. 

It's always easier to point a problem out than to actually deal to it. 

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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. 

Julie-Anne Genter: 0/10 

She's unhinged. 

James Shaw: 7/10 

Badly let down by a narcissist who stole the headlines by being unhinged. 

Pay rises: 5/10 

When it comes to MPs and money you can't win. Some are brilliant and some are liabilities, but the pay structure doesn’t take that into account, hence you have what you have. 

Martin Freeman: 7/10 

Truth to power. He's no longer a vegetarian after he discovered the meat alternatives weren't actually that flash for you, reminding us that when you read the label it's often a lot different to the marketing. 

Fast track: 7/10 

It's depressing to watch the people who whine about actually getting on with stuff. 

Premium economy: 7/10 

A 19% increase in sales at the front of the plane. What cost of living crisis? 

Te Huia: 2/10 

$500 a seat subsidisation. It's the premium economy of public transport. 

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New Zealand Fashion Week's planning to come back bigger and stronger next year. 

It's had to cancel this year's event and shift to a two-yearly showcase due to a lack of designers. 

Owner Fehroz Ali said they've responded to feedback from designers who say they don't have the financial resources for it. 

But, he told Mike Hosking, they will give it everything they have to ensure its back next year. 

Ali hopes the show's international and New Zealand partners, like Air New Zealand, will continue to support them to make sure it's successful. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 3rd of May we discussed the changes the Government is making to the education sector, Lifting Literacy Aotearoa’s Alice Wilson joined to discuss them. 

Former MP Peter Dunne dug into what we need to do to bring some decorum back to our Parliament and debates after years of issues, prompted by the situation with Julie Anne Genter. 

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson Wrapped the Week and talked about everything from Beth Orton to celebrating your anniversary on the wrong day! 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back once more to wrap the week with Mike Hosking.

They discussed everything from musicians they enjoy to the number of contacts they have in their phones to Tim celebrating his anniversary on the wrong day. They also touched on the Julie Anne Genter situation, asking whether it's a sackable offence.

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The stronger focus on literacy in education appears to be well-received by educators, so far. 

The Government's set a target of getting 80% of year eights to the expected curriculum level by 2030. 

It's committed $67 million in the upcoming Budget to teacher training and resources, particularly on teaching children how to read using phonics. 

Lifting Literacy Aotearoa Chair Alice Wilson told Mike Hosking that it's critical we get this right. 

She says they're thrilled the Government's put its money where its mouth is and invested in teacher education in a tight fiscal environment. 

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More adult Kiwis are receiving ADHD medicine than ever before. 

There's been a tenfold increase in the amount dispensed for adults between 2006 and 2022, today's Medical Journal study has revealed. 

0.6% of the adult population are receiving treatment, although 2.6% of adults are estimated to have the condition. 

Clinical psychologist for Umbrella Wellbeing, Dougal Sutherland told Mike Hosking the study highlights the shortage of specialists. 

He says people would be very lucky to get an ADHD assessment as an adult in New Zealand's public mental health system currently. 

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We're being told Parliament has lost its sense of decorum because MPs have lost their respect for Parliament as an institution. 

Green MP Julie Anne Genter is facing disciplinary action from her party after walking across the debating chamber to confront National Minister Matt Doocey, during a debate on Wednesday night. 

Former Cabinet Minister Peter Dunne told Mike Hosking that Genter's behaviour is part of a wider trend that's been happening for several years. 

He says there's always been robust debate, anger, and passion. 

But, Dunne says, people used to be able to control the way they presented that and show respect towards each other and the institution as a whole. 

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The Trade Minister is taking the legal fight to Canada over a trade dispute. 

The Government says Canada's refusing to comply with a ruling over dairy trade, where it breached CPTPP rules by blocking exporters' access to its market. 

A panel ruled it had until May 1st to change how it administered its tariff rate quotas and to stop prioritising domestic access. 

Todd McClay told Mike Hosking that we've been left $120 million out of pocket. 

He said that's about three and a half percent of their dairy market and suspects domestic politics are behind it, but they need to honour their international commitments. 

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The teacher shortage has hit a new crisis point. 

A Post Primary Teachers Association Survey has found that 56% of principals had to employ untrained or unqualified teachers because they were unable to find qualified staff. 

President Chris Abercrombie told Mike Hosking that a lot of it comes down to those being hired having a limited authority to teach. 

He said this might be someone without a qualification or it may be hiring people to teach subjects they aren’t specialised in. 

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Do you want some savings? 

I have found a couple of hundred million for you then. 

A report out has looked at who gets the Winter Energy Payment. It's a shedload of money that is yet again going to be doled out this month for the colder period, so oldies don’t freeze to death. 

It's one of the more shameful decisions of this new Government and reminded me of the Christchurch Call, which they also inexplicably carried on with. 

The Christchurch Call isn't that expensive, but it is a grandiose truckload of virtue signalling, psychobabble that, as information revealed this week shows, has achieved basically nothing but “feels”. 

If a new Government was looking for easy day one savings, that would have been a goodie and the Winter Energy Payment would not have been far behind. 

So, the detail is that 53% of those getting superannuation don’t need a heating top up. They have enough to look after themselves. 

So why do they get it? 

Well, that’s Labour all over, isn't it? It's a high trust model. You can opt out if you like. But who does? No one. 

So, the waste builds. With that 53%, if you didn’t hand it out you have just saved $205 million. 

Now, you can only blame Labour until someone else comes along to re-introduce a bit of reality to the room. 

Except the new lot decided not to. 

It's not dissimilar to John Key who thought Working For Families was communism by stealth, until he decided to carry on with the programme. Here it is to this day, churning through billions as you work and pay your taxes only for them to take your money, have an entire battalion of public servants rifle through your entitlements and, if you are lucky, hand some of it back. 

It is ruinously wasteful. 

I assume someone, somewhere thought about the slightly simpler idea of you keeping the money in the first place so you don’t need the paperwork and hassle of trying to repatriate it. Of course, if they did it that way they wouldn’t have a financial hold over you, which of course is what a previous Labour Government had in mind when they invented it. 

So, we end up with $205 million in wasted money. 

Clearly not all money saving ideas have been exhausted. 

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One small step for peanut butter, one giant leap for New Zealand foods. 

Kiwi nut butter brand Fix & Fogg has launched 50 pouches of various products into space for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. 

Fix & Fogg Chief Executive Roman Jewell told Mike Hosking that it also has wider implications for New Zealand food products. 

He says it proves to NASA kiwi producers can be trusted to work with. 

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A New Zealand Initiative report details potential hidden risks in China's Belt and Road Initiative. 

The pro-free-market think-tank points to potential implications for our foreign policy, independence, and development. 

Director Oliver Hartwich says it's not just about infrastructure investment. 

He told Mike Hosking that we need to be wary about China trying to draw New Zealand into its sphere of influence. 

Hartwich says when you have to do something political in return, you are no longer the client of the project but the product. 

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Kiwis have had enough of being on hold after more than 22 million hours on the phone for customer service. 

ServiceNow commissioned research surveyed more than a thousand people, finding wait-times rose for the second year in a row. 

On average it takes businesses six days to solve a customer's issue despite more than half of Kiwis saying they won't wait longer than three. 

ServiceNow Country Manager Kate Tulp told Mike Hosking that the current economy has inflated the issue. 

She says customers' expectations have continued to rise, while our dollar hasn't. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 2nd of May, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters joined to dig into AUKUS and the likelihood of New Zealand joining. 

Two Green MPs were in the news last night, for very different reasons. Mike reviewed James Shaw's valedictory speech and Julie Anne Genter's moment of madness in the House. 

Heath ‘Chopper’ Franklin joined Mike in studio to talk about his New Zealand tour and how long his iconic character can last. 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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One of New Zealand’s favourite comedians, Heath ‘Chopper’ Franklin is back from his break. 

The Australian comic is returning from his three year break with a bang, back in New Zealand with fifteen shows as well as his set in the International Comedy Festival. 

His tour kicks off today, as Chopper's 'Not Here To F*ck Spiders', the name of his tour setting the tone for the show.

His iconic persona ‘Chopper’ was based off the real life criminal in the 2000 movie by the same name, his career taking off from there. 

“I watched it when I was... early twenties, and you know, like a lot of the movies you watch when you get to that age, you just sort of watch it and then you absorb it slowly.” 

Franklin recounts hanging out with friends at parties and, prompted by friends going off to sleep early, doing an impression of the character. He then brought this through into the sketch comedy shows he was doing at the time. 

The movie came out in the 2000s, and Franklin told Mike Hosking that there’s a level of freedom in people no longer knowing the original story. 

“I find the thing that kind of weighs me down the most is, especially when I go to Melbourne where they’re quite parochial and proud of even, you know, even the violence of their criminals, that yeah. You know, there’s a constant kind of reference between what I do and what he would have done.” 

“So I really love coming to New Zealand where I kind of get to define what the character does, and I get to kind of step out of that shadow.” 

He was never trying to be a biographer, he told Hosking. 

“I was just a guy who liked a movie and made a dumb sketch.” 

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Winston Peters says Julie Anne Genter should face consequences for confronting a minister in the House. 

The Green MP has apologised in Parliament and could face further disciplinary action after a complaint was made of intimidatory behaviour toward Minister Matthew Doocey on Wednesday night. 

Genter walked across the debating chamber to Doocey, waved a booklet and spoke angrily to him while getting close to his face. 

The incident happened at about 8pm, while Labour’s Nelson MP Rachel Boyack was speaking and followed some interjections between Doocey and Genter. It was visible in the background of the footage on Parliament TV. 

“Miss Genter. Miss Genter, please resume your seat,” demanded the chair at the time, Barbara Kuriger. 

“It’s not appropriate to get out of one’s seat to go and have an argument with somebody on the other side.” 

Speaker Gerry Brownlee had to be recalled to the debating chamber to deal with the issue after National’s whip Scott Simpson asked Kuriger to do so. 

Simpson said in Parliament that he had never seen anything like it, describing it as a “serious, intimidatory physical attack upon another member”. 

The Deputy Prime Minister told Mike Hosking that Genter appeared to, quote, "lose the plot". 

He says there are processes to discipline someone like that, and just apologising to Doocey for making him feel unsafe doesn't cut it. 

Also last night, Peters gave a speech regarding AUKUS Pillar 2, and has said the details are still fairly new to him. 

The Foreign Minister has outlined New Zealand's position to the Institute of International Affairs at Parliament. 

He says we should be open to exploring the technology leg of the nuclear-powered submarine pact and what that could look like for us. 

Peters told Hosking that he's still trying to find out exactly what Pillar 2 would entail. 

He says in the middle of public discussions, all sorts of people are rushing to judgement without having been remotely briefed on the matter. 

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More people are competing for work for fewer opportunities as the unemployment rate's expected to keep rising. 

The unemployment rate is at 4.3 % in the March quarter, the highest it's been in three years. 

Business advisor and Pivot & Pace co-founder Kendall Langston told Mike Hosking that the difference between recent years and now is night and day. 

He says this time last year you'd be getting a handful of suitable applicants, but in the last couple of weeks there can be well over 60 quality applications for a role. 

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So, bye bye James Shaw; Valedictory Day today. 

He is in the interesting position of having left behind something potentially quite substantive. 

The Net Zero laws, we will be neutral by 2050. But then that’s the problem isn't it? My bet is we wont. 

So, what's your legacy when the big bit you left behind turns into dust? 

Could be wrong of course, but as 2050 gets ever closer, the goal doesn’t. In fact, we are moving in completely the wrong direction. 

It's an idea and a series of polices that have been driven by good intentions but overtaken in ensuing years by cold hard reality. 

He will mention it, I am sure, in his Valedictory today in the Parliament. 

He will speak proudly of it, as well he might because the bit he leaves behind is the reputation that he was actually a Green MP in the true sense of the word as opposed to being like too many of the others; loud mouth protestors and reactionaries to the buzz cause of the day. 

He also has the advantage of being a nice guy. You don’t have to agree with him to get on with him. 

But in totality you can't help but conclude he got hijacked by causes beyond his control. 

The way they handled his co-leadership was shocking for a bloke who provided so much ballast to the party. They rewarded him with yet another of their wackjob hatchet attempts which culminated, if you remember, in him standing for the job unopposed because the idiots who drove it lacked any sort of planning or spine. 

He also spent a lot of time explaining, or apologising, or defending the various versions of madness that passed for Green Party behaviour. 

Turei to Golriz to Tana, a report we are still standing by for by the way, how many times was it suggested he was in the wrong party? But then as easy as that is to say, what would his party have been? 

He is a good old fashioned environmentalist who came from the corporate world to try and make a bit of decent change and rarely lost his good sense and fine humour in doing so. 

The Parliament has too much rabble these days, so his departure sadly tips the balance even further. 

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The Australian Prime Minister is copping some flack after speaking at a domestic violence rally on Sunday. 

He was caught on camera asking the organiser whether she wanted him to speak or not, saying “I am the Prime Minister” before taking the microphone. 

He then proceeded to tell the crowd that he’d initially been asked not to speak, which the organiser said was a “flat-out lie”. 

Australia Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking that he’d suggest the Prime Minister was under immense pressure. 

He said that his behaviour on the weekend was out of character and ridiculous. 

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Unemployment is expected to be up today, and it's thought to be just the beginning. 

Stats NZ will release the numbers for the first three months of the year around 10:45 this morning. 

The rate for the final quarter of last year was 4%. 

ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith told Mike Hosking that the labour market tends to lag behind. 

He said that what we’re seeing now is the last bit of a residual strength, but there are signs it will be weakening from here. 

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New data reveals where Kiwis can pay off their mortgage the fastest. 

The latest OneRoof-Valocity House Value Index found 46 areas across the country where a mortgage could be paid off in less than a decade. 

That's assuming a buyer was intending to pay a thousand dollars a week on their mortgage, on a two-year fixed interest rate of 6.75%. 

OneRoof Editor Owen Vaughan told Mike Hosking that it’s good for first home buyers as it shows where they can buy and where they can be mortgage free. 

He said that people can live a little more freely and be less worried about debt if they think outside the box a bit. 

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Another kiwi startup has broken into the US market. 

Alcohol-free brand AF is launching its products in US retail stores Target and Walmart from today. 

Founder Lisa King told Mike Hosking that they’ve been in the US market for 12 months and have gone from being in 400 stores nationwide to over 2100 stores. 

She said their success comes from being alcohol-free, as they were one of the first brands to launch in that category in the US. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 1st of May the Remuneration Authority’s Geoff Summers joined, the group behind whether MPs get a pay rise and how much it should be. 

Should judges be getting paid by the taxpayer for limo rides, free airfares and their spouses to travel with them around the country? A barrister thinks it makes sense. 

Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell joined Politics Wednesday to discuss MPs pay, the National Party reshuffle, and James Shaw on his final day. 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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It’s Politics Wednesday so Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell joined Mike Hosking to discuss this week’s biggest political stories. 

They discussed the recently announced pay rise MPs are receiving, the National Party reshuffle, and James Shaw’s final day in Parliament. 

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The benefits of the Christchurch Call are being debated in the wake of allegations that it's silencing member organisations. 

Jacinda Ardern established the global alliance in 2019 to combat online extremism in the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks. 

But Newstalk ZB has revealed a member organisation of the Advisory Network has quit, claiming it was pressured not to release a report suggesting India isn't honouring its commitments. 

Tech commentator Peter Griffin told Mike Hosking that the alliance has helped achieve some global change, but it's ultimately a voluntary collective. 

Griffin says big-tech companies have little incentive to act and would rather spend the money on advertising. 

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A barrister's defending generous work perks for judges. 

Those in the profession are entitled to thousands of kilometres of free air travel for them and their partners. 

Crown limos are available for free, alongside top-ups to phone and internet payments. 

Wellington barrister Graeme Edgeler told Mike Hosking that in the profession, having your spouse go with you makes sense. 

He suggests judges based in Wellington, Auckland, or Christchurch would have to uproot their lives for a trial in Rotorua, as all the witnesses would live there. 

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We could be seeing the end of the pay freeze for MPs. 

The Remuneration Authority's set to increase most MP salaries 10.5% over three years. 

The first rise of 2.8% will be backdated to the election. 

This is the first pay rise since 2017 when Labour overruled the increase due to the cost of living. 

Remuneration Authority Chair Geoff Summers told Mike Hosking that salary increases are determined by looking at what's paid elsewhere. 

Summers says the 2.8% pay rise was a result, not a decision, made from aligning with the market. 

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Despite grand speeches from Ukraine’s allies and NATO, pledged aid is not arriving. 

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday and found a lack of ammunition and air defence despite the promises made. 

France Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that this failure to deliver is being exploited by the Russian forces. 

She said that in the last few hours the Commander in Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces has said that his troops have had to withdraw from some of their positions in the Donetsk region as Russian troops surge forward. 

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I read an article yesterday about how we need to play in dirt more. 

It's good for your health, that’s why you should “ground” yourself. Get your feet in the earth every day, it's good for your health. 

That’s why we love growing our own veggies. 1. They’re fresh and good for your health, 2. your hands are in the dirt. 

And 3. increasingly it is assessed that it’s the grains and greens that is the best thing you can do for your gut, and your gut is pretty much the key to everything. 

It's also a lot easier than finding $1.7 billion over 4 years, which is what David Seymour has had to do for Pharmac. 

Pharmac is modern medicine, and modern medicine is an expensive business, and that’s because we don’t take our health seriously enough and end up with the mess we have in health care. 

We have never been more unwell. In a world where some anyway have never been more well, while at the same time living in an age where new information, life extending, lifesaving information has never been more accessible. 

At the same time Seymour was offering $1.7 billion, another bloke was blowing up at the Health Minister, having been told he needs to wait a year for an op. 

All this is the end of the line stuff. And before you complain too loudly, no, some people don't get a choice. Medical carnage besets them through no fault of their own. 

But for most of us that isn't the case, it is generally the culmination and accumulation of lifestyle. A lifestyle of a western world that knows full well what it is doing to itself and yet would rather debate a Phamac budget, because that easier than changing the way we eat or live. 

Pharmac’s Combined Pharmaceutical Budget (CPB) will be $1.5 billion, which is $6 billon over four years - and the money announced yesterday, which is another 400 plus million every year over 4 years, is merely to top up the underfunding which Labour left behind. This doesn’t improve things; it holds the line. It avoids the cuts. 

And it doesn’t include all the stuff Pharamc and the various pressure and lobby groups around the country will tell you we should be funding but don’t, because we don’t have enough money. 

But then how much is enough? In a country of 5 million, when there are more cost-effective answers than big pharma, how much is enough? 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 30th of April, Housing Minister Chris Bishop discussed the first phase of getting families out of emergency housing while the Prime Minister dug into the poor poll result. 

Pharmac CEO Sarah Fitt, in her first series of interviews since the scandal last year, talks the new money for Pharmac. 

Comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld was back on the show after eight years to discuss his new movie and bringing his standup show to New Zealand. 

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The Black Caps squad for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean has been named. 

This selection will make it Tim Southee’s seventh T20 World Cup, and he told Mike Hosking that he’s certainly not bored yet. 

He said that he’s very fortunate to be living a childhood dream and still loving every moment. 

While there’s a fair few unknown teams in the upcoming tournament, Southee said they have a great squad to cover the conditions and flexibility in the ways they want to play. 

He’s sure that there will be plenty of upsets, and some unknown names will become household names by the end of it all. 

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One of the most iconic names in comedy, Jerry Seinfeld is no stranger to audiences. 

He’s been performing since the late 1970’s, creating and starring in the semi-fictionalised sitcom of his own life —Seinfeld—which became the most watched sitcom in American television by its third season. 

Seinfeld is returning to New Zealand, bringing his comedy tour to kiwi stages, and while for most tours are sporadic the comedian revealed that he’s always on the road. 

“I’m always touring,” he told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking. 

“I never stop.” 

He compared it to muscle memory, saying that stopping would have him lose the sharpness of his comedy. 

“You can do this because if you stop and think about it too much, it doesn’t look possible. How could I walk out there onto that stage and not come back for an hour?” 

Despite his status as a comic legend, Seinfeld doesn’t view himself the same way, revealing that most comedians are driven by doubt. 

“It is a tricky, a little balance beam to do your dance on.” 

Unlike many other comedians Seinfeld’s show doesn’t have a name, and he told Hosking that that’s for the younger people. 

“I did a sitcom so I don’t have to do that,” he said. 

“I hope you like it, but if you don’t, that’s fine too.” 

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is attributing last night’s poor poll result which showed coalition parties losing support to the “challenging time” Kiwis are facing. 

National, Act and NZ First have collectively dropped five percentage points according to the 1News Verian poll. Based on the poll, the left bloc would be able to form a government and NZ First would be out of Parliament. 

The poll had National at 36 per cent, down two points from the last poll in February. Labour jumped to 30 per cent, up two, and the Green Party also increased by two to 14 per cent. Te Pāti Māori was on 4 per cent, the same as the last poll. 

“We’ve got high inflation and high interest rates, they’re sick of it,” he told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning. 

“We’re making some pretty tough decisions and we need to do that in order to fix the mess that we’ve been left.” 

New Zealanders would make a call in 2.5 years’ time, he said. 

Everyone in the coalition Government was “very very focused” on fixing the “mess” they had inherited. 

And he laughed off some reporting of the poll results, calling it “a little frothy & sensationalist”. 

“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about polls… 

“They can say what they want to, the bottom line is we know we’re here to do a job.” 

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Children living in emergency housing motels are set to be pushed up the priority list. 

From today the Ministry of Social Development will focus on families with dependent children who've been in emergency housing for longer than 12 weeks. 

They'll be moved to the top of the social housing waitlist. 

Housing Minister Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking that the situation the government has inherited is a mess. 

He says families weren't a priority and there was no structure from moving them from emergency to social housing. 

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Pharmac's record funding-boost will address the fiscal cliff it faces. 

An additional $1.7 billion spread over four-years has been ear-marked for the drug-buying agency in the upcoming Budget. 

Chief Executive Sarah Fitt told Mike Hosking that the extra cash covers time-limited funding for some treatments, which ends this year. 

She says the fiscal hole was always known, as the funds outlined in Budget 2022 only went through to Budget 2024. 

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Labour's Disability spokesperson says funding was laid out for the Ministry of Disabled People until 2027. 

It's under review after abruptly announcing funding changes that ultimately resulted in Minister Penny Simmonds' demotion. 

A briefing is now suggesting multiple problems, dating back to its formation under the previous government. 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan told Mike Hosking that it had been looking at fixing the issues it inherited from the Ministry of Health. 

She says in the interim, Penny Simmonds should have ensured it had the funding to meet cost pressures while working on systemic issues. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 29th of April, we look at the cost of implementing the Government's health targets in hospitals. 

It's the first day of term two, which means cellphones are officially banned. Education Minister Erica Stanford tells us how it's gone so far as most schools have already implemented the new rule.   

Guy and Sav cover Scott McLaughlin's Indycar win this morning, as well as Super Rugby - and they attempt to talk about the Wellington Phoenix! 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Andrew Saville and Guy Heveldt joined Mike Hosking to discuss the first ANZAC NRL match in Auckland since 2015, a high-quality weekend for Super Rugby, the Black Caps four run win over Pakistan in the fourth T20 cricket international and the weekend's motorsport.

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Australian research has found middle managers are the ones suffering heightened levels of burnout, largely due to premature promotions. In the survey, 73 percent of middle managers reported burnout. 

AUT Professor of Human Resource Management tells Mike Hosking juggle pressure from both sides of the chain. 

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Term two begins today, kicking the ban on cellphones in schools into effect. 

National announced the policy before the election in order to “help students focus and improve their academic outcomes”. The ban mandates schools ensure students don’t use or access a phone during class time, lunchtime and breaks. 

Education Minister Erica Stanford tells Mike Hosking the policy has been overwhelmingly welcomed. 

When it comes to those pushing back against the policy, Stanford is “happy to be the bad guy” if it means improved mental health and academic outcomes. 

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Fuel prices continue to rise. Unleaded 91 petrol has increased by 26 cents per litre this year, so far. 

Bagrie Economics Founder Cameron Bagrie tells Mike Hosking the three major factors of supply, demand, and geopolitics all contribute to the higher prices. 

War in the Middle East and drone attacks on Russian refineries raises concerns about fuel supplies. 

New Zealand prices are still away from their highest point of $3.16 per litre in July 2022. 

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Fees for re-sitting driver’s licence tests could return as nationwide wait times surge. 

Since October, it has been free to retry licence tests as many times as needed after paying a one-off fee. NZTA says there has been a significant increase in demand since the change, leading to unacceptable wait times. 

AA Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Simon Douglas tells Mike Hosking there needs to be a cap on the number of free re-sits allowed as people join the waitlist but do not show on the day. 

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Cutting down health system backlogs could come with a hefty price tag. 

Meeting planned care targets has been modelled by health officials to cost $723 million over two years. This comes from a briefing to Health Minister Shane Reti, which looked at three proposed targets to bring down wait times for first appointments and treatment. 

Former Health NZ Chair Rob Campbell tells Mike Hosking that staffing is the biggest issue in making up the backlog. 

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President Biden is facing new pressure to step up his response to the growing number of anti-Semitic incidents on university campuses. 

Protests have popped up in numerous states, and resulted in the cancellation of the University of California’s graduation ceremonies. 

US correspondent Richard Arnold tells Mike Hosking these are the most significant student protests seen since the anti-war demos of the late sixties. 

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Former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett has been appointed as the new chair of the national drug purchasing entity, Pharmac. 

Paula tells Mike Hosking her experience within government, dealing with big change makes her the right person for the job. 

She says Pharmac needs major upheaval, with many challenges ahead. 

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Yesterday marked another year since the Gallipoli campaign, the yearly services commemorating not only those who fell in World War I, but conflicts and wars that came after. 

Australian Correspondent Murray Olds told Andrew Dickens that it’s been a feature in recent years, the significance growing over the years. 

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It all revolves around Donald Trump, going beyond his ‘hush money’ trial. 

The former President is dealing with a series of legal actions all revolving around trying to corrupt the elections. 

The top of the legal ladder is the US Supreme Court, which heard nearly three hours of Trump arguing that he can’t be tried for anything. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Andrew Dickens that their argument was that presidents should have immunity when dealing with situations that may arise. 

He said that the case effectively had Trump’s lawyers suggesting that a US President can legally order the assassination of a political rival. 

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Filling in for Mike Hosking, Andrew Dickens was joined by Tim Wilson and Josie Pagani to wrap this week. 

They discussed the importance of ANZAC Day, the dog walkers protesting against Auckland Council’s removal of public bins, and Gen Z’s table manners – or lack thereof. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 26thApril Andrew Dickens filled in for Mike, getting legal analysis of the Karen Chhour and Waitangi Tribunal legal stoush - which is far from over. 

Andrew found out why there's concerns for the next cruise ship season, and what impact it will likely have on New Zealand’s economy. 

Plus, the new Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith explained how he'll be a different Minister to Melissa Lee. 

And in a week dominated by Taylor Swift we ended the week with the superstar breaking yet more streaming records. 

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Table manners may be a thing of the past. 

A survey has found that Gen Z overwhelmingly doesn’t care about traditional etiquette, including holding a knife and fork correctly, eating off other people's plates, and using cell phones at the table. 

But international etiquette expert Susie Wilson is saddened by the news. 

She told Andrew Dickens she wants people to give etiquette a go by keeping their phones away over dinner. 

Wilson says it's the one hour in a day where you can enjoy connecting face to face with others.

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Social media app Tik Tok may be in line for a court battle after US President Joe Biden signed a bill to ban the app from the United States. 

US lawmakers have for years fought for the banning of the Chinese based app, citing data security concerns. 

But Tech commentator Paul Spain told Andrew Dickens that Tik Tok has the power to fight it. 

He says Tik Tok's parent company is massive, even surpassing trillion-dollar tech giant Meta. 

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One RSA District President is celebrating the turnout at ANZAC services yesterday despite the wild weather in some parts. 

The mid-morning service at Wellington's Pukeahu National War Memorial Park had to be canned because of the high winds. 

Tony Hill said that while there are fewer people from the World Wars, a lot of new veterans are coming through. 

It includes those who fought in Iraq, East Timor, and Afghanistan. 

He told Andrew Dickens that they’ve had abut 62,000 people who are now veterans since 1990. 

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The new Media and Communications Minister says the sector isn't broken but is under pressure. 

The Prime Minister handed the portfolio to Paul Goldsmith after stripping it from the embattled Melissa Lee. 

He told Andrew Dickens that there are challenges to work through. 

Goldsmith says there's been colossal change in how people collect their news in the last decade, and the advertising revenue which used to sustain it is under pressure. 

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The cruise-ship season success is being celebrated, but there's concern next season could hit an iceberg. 

Ships have brought in 350,000 visitors with an estimated value of $540 million. 

However, a 20% decline in port visits is projected for next season as rising costs bite the market. 

Cruise Association Chief Executive Jacqui Lloyd told Andrew Dickens that there are multiple issues at play. 

She says geopolitical reasons don't help, with issues in the Red Sea and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine all contributing. 

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An appeal of the High Court's decision to overturn the Waitangi Tribunal summons of the Children's Minister has been lodged. 

It ruled Karen Chhour could not be compelled to appear before the Tribunal over her plans to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act. 

Constitutional law expert Andrew Geddis told Andrew Dickens that the Waitangi Tribunal does have the power to summon a minister. 

He says the court said on this occasion, the reasons why the minister was being summoned and evidence she could provide wasn't enough to justify using that power. 

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Australia’s politicians are facing off against billionaire Elon Musk. 

The federal government's renewing its focus on social media misinformation and harm after two violent stabbing attacks in Sydney. 

But X-owner, Musk is fighting an order to remove graphic footage of the attacks from the platform. 

Australian Correspondent Murray Olds told Mike Hosking that Musk ridiculed the suggestion that the eSafety Commissioner has any power over the internet, him, and X. 

He said that while he agrees that most would argue that this kind of content shouldn’t be available online, if Musk acquiesces to Albanese, who else does he have to acquiesce to? 

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A chunk of businesses aren’t sure they'll survive this year. 

A Retail NZ survey has found retailers aren't confident heading into winter and a third think they might need to close this year. 

About two thirds didn't meet their first quarter sales targets. 

Chief Executive Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking that the reality of where the economy is at is taking hold. 

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A hydrogen refuelling network across the North Island is the first of its kind in Australasia. 

Hamilton, Auckland, and New Plymouth will host the Hiringa Energy stations, with Tauranga to join later this year. 

The network will allow hydrogen trucks to travel within the 'golden triangle' covering 95% of heavy freight routes in the North Island. 

Hiringa Energy CEO Andrew Clennett told Mike Hosking this is only the start. 

He says by the end of the decade, hydrogen will be competitive with diesel. 

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One of the mysteries of our time is why so many businesses, and big businesses, spend so much money on social media platforms, given what's on those platforms. 

Hyundai are the latest to pause their advertising on 'X' after anti-Semitic posts were highlighted and the car company's ads were right next door. 

In Australia they are busy sorting out legislation to penalise these platforms for material that should not be anywhere near the public and yet is, especially after their knife attacks that, at least in one instance, involved a young man allegedly driven by religious hate. 

Australia is far from the first, and in general the social media platforms roll out, at least on the surface, a not unreasonable response. "It's not acceptable, we don’t condone it, we monitor, we try to stay on top of it" and so it goes. 

Yet it keeps happening and certainly keeps happening to the point where authorities all over the world are sick of it and are trying to work out what will bring them into line. 

It sort of dovetails into the media levy debate that has raged here of late, whereby many of the same platforms steal news content, put it on their service and wrap advertising around it 

So, while various Governments grapple with the issue of both the levy and the posting of shocking material, why is it that companies advertise in these spaces, given the very clear and obvious risk they run? 

The answer is simple. Eyeballs. You need to be where the people are. 

But we can increasingly ask as to whether that can be a good enough justification. 

Politicians are no better. Joe Biden wants to ban TikTok and yet campaigns on it. 

I assume politicians here abhor the sentiment pedalled on many of these platforms and yet they post relentlessly, knowing there is an audience to be connected with. 

Advertisers need to ask themselves some questions. They appear affected by the whim of the day, the 'me too' movement, the pride movement and the green movement for example. They sway with their advertising dollars in the winds of social change. 

Yet some of the worst material you will ever see is on social media and on a regular basis. We know this to be true. And yet they still hand the money over to people who claim to want to clean their operations up and yet never quite achieve it. 

Explain that logic to me.    

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 24th of April, we finally have some common sense being brought to the RMA. Federated Farmers' Mark Hooper gave some insight on the response from farmers.

An interesting new study says that if we don't change our ways in the medical industry and continue to force overseas doctors to conform to our cultural standards, we risk losing them. Lead author Doctor Mariska Mannes joined to unpack the findings.

Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell were back for Politics Wednesday, digging into the Select Committee on gang patches, the wasted money spent during Covid, and when we'll get tough on crime.

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National MP Mark Mitchell says there's absolutely no plan to cut a fund used for recovery after extreme weather events. 

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has received advice on disestablishing the National Resilience Plan; a $6 billion scheme set up after Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods. 

When asked if it's being cut, National MP Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking absolutely not. 

He says there's no money being cut in terms of resilience, but they will be doing things a lot more efficiently. 

Labour’s Ginny Andersen said that when you ask for a report titled ‘How to cut a $6 billion Emergency Management Fund’, it’s not just going to have a picture of the Queen on it. 

Whether or not the Government scraps it, will probably be known by Budget Day, May 30. 

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We're being told helping international doctors adjust is about more than just medical competence. 

An Otago university study has found New Zealand is at risk of losing its international doctors if cultural integration practices don't improve.

Lead author Doctor Mariska Mannes says many want to be here but feel there's no support in helping them figure out how things work.

She says most of them say if there were some adjustment tools, it would make life a lot easier.

Mannes says that every year the Medical Council measures how many doctors leave, but not why. 

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A Courtenay Place bar owner says it's critical Wellington City Council has a plan for the area. 

It's walked away from a $32 million deal to renovate Reading Cinema, which has been closed since an earthquake risk was discovered in 2019. 

The council says it's working on other projects to help revitalise the city's entertainment district. 

But Dakota Bar's Jose Ubiaga told Mike Hosking that the area has been on the decline for years and is getting worse. 

He says the council doesn't seem to have any clear vision for Courtenay Place, and even the Golden Mile is all over the place. 

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A Christchurch City Councillor says their lifeline to the A&P Association isn't a grant. 

The board canned this year's A&P Show, saying it would be unwise under its current finances and business model. 

The association's now breaking the 100-year lease on its Wigram Road site, with the council paying about a million dollars a hectare to buy the remaining 95 years. 

Christchurch City Councillor Sam MacDonald told Mike Hosking the council is putting money into a capital protected fund. 

He says the association won't have to come back for handouts due to the interest, adding it's a win-win as council can also use the land. 

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Universities across America are bracing for more Gaza protests. 

Campus closures and arrests have followed increasing Pro-Palestinian and Pro- Israel demonstrations this week. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the epicentre of the protests, New York's Columbia University, is now offering online classes for the rest of the term. 

He says scores of pro-Palestine protesters camped out at the university refusing to budge for police. 

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Farmers see RMA reform as common sense returning to the farm gate. 

Changes across farming, water, and mining will be introduced to Parliament next month.  

Federated Farmers RMA spokesperson Mark Hooper says farmers already have good systems in place.  

He told Mike Hosking they have farm environment plans which show where the risk factors are and a winter grazing plan, which tells them actions to take, in the case of adverse events. 

Hooper says having an additional piece of paper doesn't add any value in terms of environmental outcomes. 

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A tense standoff between a London police officer and an antisemitism campaigner has sparked outrage. 

Gideon Falter, CEO of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was blocked by an officer from crossing a road near to a pro-Palestine march. 

Falter was wearing a yarmulke and according to the officer looked ‘openly Jewish’, and by crossing the road in that area was ‘provoking’ the protestors and risking his safety. 

UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking that this incident goes against the Police’s word that the marches are peaceable. 

Well, if they’re peaceable, he said, there wouldn’t be a problem with a bloke in a yarmulke crossing the road, would there? 

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Good news for the Italian Prime Minister. 

Giorgia Meloni and her allies have kept control of the southern region of Basilicata in the regional election, defeating their centre-left opponents by a wide margin. 

Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna told Mike Hosking that turnout was low, and that seems to have favoured the incumbent. 

She said that this is the second regional win for Meloni, and she’ll be drawing confidence going into the European elections. 

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A new TV3 show is aiming to highlight New Zealand’s food waste. 

Chefs are coming together in ‘Food Rescue Kitchen’ to challenge viewers’ perceptions of waste and what can be done with ingredients they otherwise might not consider. 

Peter Gordon, one of the country's most iconic chefs, is taking part and told Mike Hosking that he had a really good time on the show and enjoyed the challenge. 

He said that while most will be picturing rotted or expired food when food waste is talked about, that’s only some of it. 

Gordon said that a lot of waste is created when stores or supermarkets have to make room for the next delivery, and that’s often the point it’s at its prime. 

“For my particular challenge, I had some of the most amazing stone fruit,” he told Hosking. 

“I thought I’d never bought it like that from a shop before.” 

'Food Rescue Kitchen' premieres on Three and ThreeNow at 7PM Saturday April 27th.

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Surely we didn’t miss the irony on climate change? 

On the day it's announced we have reduced our emissions now for three years in a row, so good on us, the very next day Transpower, the people who get the electricity into your lounge, tell us yet again that this Winter has issues and peak load and demand might be problematic. 

Part one of the emissions reduction bit is increasingly about us feeling good because, as we also found out a bit over a week ago, huge chunks of the world are not reducing their emissions and not even close. 

Which then leads to a lot of people arguing that we shouldn’t bother because what we do makes no difference. 

I come down on the other side of that. If we can, we should. 

Let's be honest - in doing what we have so far, have we reached a point where we are massively inconvenienced? I wouldn’t have thought so until, well, until Transpower tell us what they have. 

Here is a simple rule of thumb; to not have enough power in 2024 is simply not good enough and it should be seen as an abdication of responsibility. 

The reason we don’t have enough is quite openly admitted. It's because the renewables are not voluminous enough and not reliable enough to cover the growing demand. 

The transition hasn’t transitioned to the point where we can largely leave fossils behind. 

So, here's the line for me. Save the planet all you want, even if it is futile given China and India aren't as interested. But don’t get so hell bent about it that the heater isn't on in July when its -3 degrees. That’s not a first world country and it's not a first world approach. 

Making it even more ridiculous is that the transition involves technological advances like EV's. If we don’t have enough power now, how do we power EV's? How do we power generative AI, the so-called future? It's a future that requires 10x more power than a Google search. 

Talk about cart before the horse. 

When we still struggle Winter in, Winter out to do the basics we have allowed ideology to hijack reality. 

That is not the future, of the future. 

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Resident doctors are set to take to the streets, protesting a recent pay offer. 

The Resident Doctors' Association say while some workers were offered up to 25% pay-rises, others were offered pay cuts in negotiations. 

As a result, they'll strike for 25 hours on May 7. 

National Secretary Deborah Powell told Mike Hosking that Health New Zealand's offer was uneven and unfair. 

She said it's robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

Powell said the strikes are a last resort as they’re going to mediation next week and remain hopeful. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 23rd April, the Government is bringing back the Three Strikes law. The public seems to be on the board, but lawyers and judges aren't. We got an expert’s thoughts. 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Mike in studio to talk his recent overseas trip, the Waitangi Tribunal stoush, and criticisms against his fast-track bill. 

Fantastic Kiwi chef Peter Gordon talked a new TV show he is part of: Food Rescue Kitchen, where chefs make luxury meals from rescued food. 

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Employers have more choice with competition for work heating up. 

Recruitment companies are warning of thousands joining the unemployment queue and more people signing up for jobseeker benefits. 

The latest SEEK data shows job ads falling by 0.4% in March. 

Talent ID Recruitment's Holly Oppers told Mike Hosking that there's been a change of tide. 

She says a lot more skilled candidates are coming through, meaning there's movement in the market; which she says isn't a bad thing. 

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A criminal defence lawyer is hesitant to endorse the incoming Three Strikes legislation. 

The Government is looking to re-establish the laws which will see mandatory prison sentences for violent and sexual criminals committing a third offence. 

It will only apply to sentences above 24 months and give judges more discretion. 

Lawyer John Munro told Mike Hosking that overall, the evidence is conflicting. 

He says it hasn't been enforced here long enough for studies to show whether it works, so we're relying on overseas evidence. 

Munro says some of the studies out of California say it increases crime. 

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Christopher Luxon is defending spending millions on clean energy in Asia while cutting costs and Government jobs in New Zealand. 

The Government has committed $41 million towards an Asian Development Bank clean energy transition initiative. 

Luxon says the funding demonstrates New Zealand's commitment to help reduce global carbon emissions. 

He told Mike Hosking the money comes out of an existing budget, specifically set aside for overseas projects like these. 

He understands things are tough in New Zealand at the moment, but the Government needs to do what it can to get the books back in shape. 

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Wool could be making a comeback. 

The world's largest wool processing facility has reopened near Napier following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project 

Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, told Mike Hosking there's a big global trend going back to natural fibres. 

He says New Zealand could be at the forefront. 

Patterson says there's a highly motivated cohort of New Zealand entrepreneurs who see the potential in this, and they may want to make money, but they also want to be seen as doing something good for the planet. 

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The US House of Representatives has voted 311 to 112 in favour of a US$61 billion aid package for Ukraine, helping to provide ammunition to keep them in the fight against Russia.

But US correspondent Richard Arnold says while it was a major win for House Speaker Mike Johnson, some internal turmoil is brewing from his hardline Republican colleagues.

And opening statements for Donald Trump's hush money trial are due to get underway this week - with legal experts due to last between five and eight weeks.

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A good lesson in life is to work out, that if things aren't working the way you are currently doing them, then you want to change it.

We have a gargantuan hole in this country in terms of doing things in infrastructure.

We haven't, and don’t, get things done and when we crack on with the odd project it is almost always behind in time and over in money.

Part of the issue is the Resource Management Act, which I think everyone now agrees is broken and needs massive reform.

So in an attempt to kick-start matters, we have fast-track law. Fast-track, as I have said before, might well be the most important thing this Government does, in a big-picture sense.

Submissions on the legislation closed last week and you can imagine who turned up.

It's the same people who believe not doing things is the preferred option. The same people who have held this country to ransom over their individual myopic view of what's important to save, or treasure, or talk more about.

The fast-track law allows certain projects to be signed off by ministers, after going before a group of experts who tick it off as being beneficial to the country as a whole.

The pressure groups scream about a lack of democracy and dictatorial behaviour. The handwringers in the press try and beat up the idea that all this presents a problem for the Government.

There is no such problem. Most of this country are sick and tired of lobby groups, of inaction and of wastage.

The system we have hasn’t worked. We need to do things differently. We need to get on with it.

If this Government is smart they will not die wondering and they will not acquiesce to the incessant moaners, who have no one's best interests at heart but their own.

A Government elected on change needs to embrace that. It needs to be bold, back itself and believe that their approach and path is right and needs executing as soon as possible.

It is hard to overstate what a mess this country is in. That is the easy part given so many see it, feel it and live it.

But even with that scenario, there remains those who are inward-looking and can't get out of their own way.

Their time is up.

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Elon Musk and his social media company X have pledged to fight Australia’s online safety watchdog over posts about the alleged Western Sydney church stabbing. The CEO has accused Australia’s eSafety commissioner of censorship and has vowed to challenge an order to remove content on X, formerly Twitter, relating to the horrific incident in court.

On Tuesday, X and Meta were issued a notice to remove material within 24 hours that depicted “gratuitous or offensive violence with a high degree of impact or detail”.

The companies were warned that if they failed to comply, they could face potential fines of up to AU$785,000 a day.

The move is related to the alleged stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a service at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley on Monday night.

The horrific alleged stabbing was all caught on camera due to the service being livestreamed, which saw graphic uncensored clips of the alleged attack to be widely circulated online.

However, the company stated that the posts did not violate X’s rules on violent speech.

A statement from X’s global government affairs team, which was reposted by Musk, said the company complied with the directive by the commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, to remove “certain posts in Australia that publicly commented” on Monday’s attack.

“The recent attacks in Australia are a horrific assault on free society. Our condolences go out to those who have been affected, and we stand with the Australian people in calling for those responsible to be brought to justice,” the statement read.

“Following these events, the Australian eSafety Commissioner ordered X to remove certain posts in Australia that publicly commented on the recent attack against a Christian Bishop.

“These posts did not violate X’s rules on violent speech.

“X believes that eSafety’s order was not within the scope of Australian law and we complied with the directive pending a legal challenge.

“X has now received a demand from the eSafety Commissioner that X globally withhold these posts or face a daily fine of $785,000 AUD (about $500,000 USD).

“This was a tragic event and we do not allow people to praise it or call for further violence.

“There is a public conversation happening about the event, on X and across Australia, as is often the case when events of major public concern occur.

“While X respects the right of a country to enforce its laws within its jurisdiction, the eSafety Commissioner does not have the authority to dictate what content X’s users can see globally.

“We will robustly challenge this unlawful and dangerous approach in court.

“Global takedown orders go against the very principles of a free and open internet and threaten free speech everywhere.”

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler told reporters in Adelaide that the government would take X to task if it wanted to pursue the matter in court.

“Australia is not going to be bullied by Elon Musk, or any other tech billionaire, in our commitment to making sure that social media is a safe space,” Butler said.

“So if he wants to fight that fine in court, well, we’re up for that fight.”

There have been calls for harsher sanctions for social media platforms in light of the April 13 Westfield Bondi massacre that claimed six lives.

Distressing and graphic footage of the attack was rapidly uploaded online, and misinformation spread.

NSW Premier Chris Minns blasted X on Saturday and said it was time for penalties for social media companies to be strengthened.

“This is exactly as I’d expect from X, or Twitter, or whatever you want to call it,” Minns told reporters.

“A disregard for the information that they pump into our communities, lies and rumours spreading like wildfire.

“Then when things go wrong, throwing their hands up in the air to say that they’re not prepared to do anything about it.”

The NSW premier and other leaders met with Assyrian community groups after the alleged church stabbing and stated that they collectively condemned the violence.

“If anyone acts in that way, they are doing it in complete defiance of the religious leadership of NSW and it is against the law,” Minns said.

A 16-year-old male was charged with a terrorism offence over the incident and will face court in June.

eSafety said it expected platforms to make “genuine efforts” to protect Australians from harmful content.

“eSafety is aware social media users continue to upload and reshare distressing content and appreciates it is challenging for platforms to manage this,” the statement said.

“We are also aware some platforms are responding by applying technological solutions to prevent or reduce proliferation … eSafety welcomes these actions.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that social media companies were responsible for protecting the community from the spread of troubling content.

“It shouldn’t need the eSafety commissioner to intervene, to direct companies, in this case X and Meta, to take down violent videos,” he said.

“We are prepared to take whatever action is necessary to haul these companies into line.

“We’ve made that very clear because of the damage that a failure to act can have.”

- by Jasmine Kazlauskas, news.com.au

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday 22 April, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly explained why the Government is changing the CCCFA to make it easier to get loans, while Trade Minister Todd McClay gave us insights from his trip to China.

Taupō Super400 winner and series leader Will Brown joined the show to recap Supercars returning to New Zealand and the future of the event here.

And Mike gave his take on Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department.

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Andrew Saville and Guy Heveldt joined Mike Hosking to discuss the Black Caps' 7 wicket win in Pakistan, the Warriors' 30-12 loss to the Dragons, V8 Supercars in Taupō, the weekend's Super Rugby, and the Formula 1 in China.

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Full steam ahead with plans to re-build Christchurch's Catholic Cathedral on the same site as before.

Following a survey, the Catholic Diocese has selected their 160-year-old Barbados Street site as the cathedral's future location.

The former cathedral stood there before being demolished following earthquake damage.

Mayor Phil Mauger told Mike Hosking the city may see a Catholic Cathedral before an Anglican one.

“The Anglican Cathedral is practically building a new church within an old one. This will be built from new, but it will be a lot cheaper and may be able to get it finished a bit quicker.”

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Taupō enjoyed some V8 Supercars racing over the weekend.

Championship leader Will Brown overhauled his Australian teammate Broc Feeney in a tense battle to win the second and final race of the weekend.

Brown cleared Feeney with nine laps remaining to claim the lead, following a nail-biting battle that saw the two Red Bull Ampol Camaros run side-by-side on multiple occasions.

Will Brown joined Mike Hosking.

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Donald Trump's support for the US$95 billion relief package for international aid is a good sign for Ukraine.

The US House of Representatives has budgeted a US$61 billion aid package for Ukraine.

It's likely the funding will be used to boost their military defence, including air defence systems, mid to long-range missiles and artillery shells.

International relations analyst Geoffrey Miller told Mike Hosking says Trump's giving his blessing for the deal.

“Trump has said that Ukraine’s survival is important for the United States. It’s a huge shift for him, so that means that even if Trump wins the election, we can probably expect this strategy to continue.”

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The Trade Minister is optimistic about China and New Zealand's relationship after his visit.

The Government's focused on deepening international ties with Asia, as Christopher Luxon comes back from his Southeast Asia trip.

Todd McClay visited China and told Mike Hosking the meetings have been constructive and respectful.

He says he's very pleased officials will work on upgrading the services part of our trade agreement.

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Growing operational costs are partially to blame for an increase in domestic airfares.

Air New Zealand's told travel agents domestic fares across all routes will be going up from midnight tonight.

House of Travel Chief Operating Officer Brent Thomas told Mike Hosking the airline is trying to cover rising fuel prices and wage costs.

“But obviously also they got an airline to run and profits to be made, and they’re looking to see where they can maximise their revenue streams and their profitability.”

Thomas says there is room for more flights and competition in the domestic market which could decrease the price of airfares.

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The Government wants to make loans more accessible to people who need them.

It's revoking 11 pages of the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act introduced by the last Government.

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says vulnerable New Zealanders are being driven to gangs and loan sharks because the process takes far too long.

He told Mike Hosking they want to allow lenders to give discretion in the right situation.

“If you want to go get a $500 loan, and you’re a solo mum from Blockhouse Bay, it takes at the moment about eight hours to process your loan; it used to take two hours.”

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