The Mike Hosking Breakfast

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. 

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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. 

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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! 

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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.

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

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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. 

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

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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.

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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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The Trump-trial saga continues, and the former US President has been spotted dozing in court again. 

Donald Trump is the first president in US history to face multiple criminal charges, this time for his alleged role in using hush money to silence a mistress before the 2016 elections. 

US correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Trump appeared asleep almost the whole time. 

Arnold reports he did snap to attention when one of the prospective jurors claimed they only had a flip phone, clearly shocked. 

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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. 

The Government: 7/10 

A very solid week with the Prime Minister in Asia selling our image, Todd McClay in China drumming up business, Mark Patterson in Australia spruiking our wool and Shane Jones slashing red tape in mining and sticking it up the Waitangi Tribunal. That's ideas, policies, changes and common sense. It's got a desperately needed feel of momentum about it. 

The CPI number: 3/10 

The real issue is the 5.8% non-tradable figure, the stuff we control, yet aren't controlling. 

Jury selection: 3/10 

Twelve New Yorkers who don’t care either way about Donald Trump? Come on.   

Russia: 4/10 

Because they are growing this year faster than any other major developed nation. Those sanctions work, aye? 

Stuff/Hub: 7/10 

Because we wish them well, but it had a very distinct whiff of rip and read, cheap and hasty, didn’t it? 

The A&P show: 3/10 

It's a travesty, but what about the model! Are you serious? Twelve months work for three days revenue. You don’t think there is a bit of room to wind the old efficiency up? 

Supercars: 8/10 

Sold out in Taupo both days. Cars with big engines are so hot right now. 

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This weekend will see up to 70,000 fans pouring into Taupo to catch the Supercars event. 

Jaxon Evans, a third-generation kiwi racer, won the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship in 2018, and is back this weekend to compete for Brad Jones Racing. 

He told Mike Hosking that this is actually his first race at Taupo, having spectated a few races but never running the track himself. 

Evans said that while those who know the track may have a slight advantage, none of them have run the current cars so it’ll be a clean slate for everyone. 

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A study has found that housing has a significant impact on the prospects of homeless people. 

University of Otago research has found that those who live in a housing first programme have better health, income, and justice outcomes. 

The study involved 387 homeless people, and in five years the number of hospitalisations fell by 44%, nights spent in mental health units fell by 63%, and there was a 43% reduction in criminal charges. 

Professor Nevil Pierse told Mike Hosking that the study really shows that permanent housing and support really works, and after five years huge improvements can be seen. 

He said that the key in this study was the people going straight into permanent sustainable housing as opposed to emergency transitional housing, which creates a sense of stability. 

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Liz Truss has a book out. 

It's what you do when you have been Prime Minister, even though she was only Prime Minister for about three and a half minutes. 

Slight digression - I am going to be fascinated to see how they promote Jacinda Ardern's book when it finally arrives. 

My assessment of her legacy is that it is increasingly dark and as the cold, hard economic reality of what she left behind is heaped upon us, more and more New Zealanders have realised how badly she duped us. 

In a Meghan Markle-esque kind of way she is not to be seen anywhere, just heard from occasionally through reports of speeches at conferences as she is adored by the luvvies offshore. 

I find it hard to believe the publicists would place her in Whitcoulls for a signing. 

Anyway, back to Liz. The sad thing for Liz is she makes a very, very good point when she suggests the West has about a decade to reassert itself and grab back everything it has lost of late. 

Whether it’s a decade, who knows. But in a very short space of time China has become something we didn’t really see coming. They are not the world's friend, unless of course you do things their way. 

They need to engage with us, but don’t like or trust us. They spy, they infiltrate, and they exert influence in increasing areas by way of money in pockets. Look at Africa or, increasingly, the Pacific.   

They are helping Russia in the war. 

Speaking of Russia, they're another problem. The International Monetary Fund this week tells us they will grow economically this year more than any other major economy on Earth. Pick any country you like in Europe, the UK, Australia, Canada, Britain, the U.S, they will beat everyone. 

How? Domestic consumption and oil. Who are they selling oil to? The Chinese and the Indians. While the West has talked tough and rolled out sanctions Russia has kept growing and China has kept growing. BRICS is another grouping that’s growing and is one to watch. 

Liz Truss is seen as a failure of a Prime Minister but on this she is worth listening to. She is more productive out of the office than in it and, most importantly, she is right. 

The West are losing. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 19th of April, Social Development Minister Louise Upston talked the Jobseeker number and dug into who would actually be hit by the sanctions.

Grant Dalton was back on the show after revealing the new name of the boat that's going to win us the America's Cup.

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson wrapped the week, discussing everything from jury duty to whether they could be unbiased in a trial for Trump.

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Team New Zealand has officially launched into their America’s Cup era. 

They rolled their new AC75 out of the shed last week, officially launching it in a ceremony in Auckland yesterday afternoon. 

The boat was named Taihoro, the name gifted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, inspired by Taihoro-Nukurangi, the name translates to “to move swiftly as the sea between both sky and earth”. 

Team NZ CEO Grant Dalton told Mike Hosking that there is a quantum step up in pace between Te Rehutai, who they defended the America’s Cup with last time, and Taihoro. 

He said the wizardry of these engineers is that they’re able to make incredibly fast boats go faster and faster. 

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Mike Hosking was once more joined by Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to wrap the week.

They discussed jury duty, Tim revealing himself to be the only person who'd love to do it one day, and whether they think they could be unbiased in Donald Trump's criminal trial.

They also touched on Mike's appearance on Radio Hauraki's Daily Bespoke Podcast.

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Auckland's Mayor wants the city to serve as an air and freight hub between Asia and South America. 

The idea has drawn new attention with the New Zealand Brazil Business Chamber, pitching a direct flight from Auckland to São Paulo which could bring in millions in trade in its first year. 

The mayor's also keen to see direct flights to India. 

Wayne Brown told Mike Hosking that these routes should've been unlocked years ago. 

He says the shortest route from anything south of Hong Kong and Guangzhou to South America goes right over the top of Auckland, so the city is missing out on a huge amount of trade. 

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Reassurances are being given that those on JobSeekers won't be punished if a tough job market means they can't find work. 

New MSD figures reveal just under 188,000 people are on this benefit, up almost 20,000 people from last year. 

The Government's hoping to get 50,000 off JobSeekers in the next six years. 

Social Development Minister Louise Upston told Mike Hosking that if people are doing everything they can, they won't be sanctioned. 

She says it's about people not taking the steps to get ready for a job and doing their bit. 

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A UK debt industry leader's offering New Zealanders advice following a grim economic forecast. 

Infometrics data finds the economy's being hit harder than expected and it may be another year until it feels like the worst of the downturn is over. 

Steve Coppard told Mike Hosking that he’s urging households with increased debt to use the free mentorship available. 

He says people need to work with professionals to identify the barriers preventing them from escaping debt. 

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The meeting is underway for the G7 Ministers, taking place on the Italian island of Capri. 

Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna said we’re likely to see predictable announcements coming soon regarding Iran, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza. 

She said that they’re likely to reinforce the opposition to what Iran did and reinforce the support for Israel. 

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More from our common sense file. 

Resources Minister Shane Jones has had a good week and I'm increasingly falling in love with him. 

He turned on the country's only electric digger. This is a big mother and may well be the future of heavy industrial work. 

He is also going to make it easier to dig for coal. As he points out coal, in terms of extraction, is not dissimilar to extracting lots of minerals and although there are a small, but loud, group of people that want to extract nothing, what happens when you don’t have energy is you either have to bring it in or you sit in the dark a lot. 

In a week where we learned we will need ten times the power we currently use just to search the net, given AI sucks up a shed load more power than your current Google search, it might be time to get a bit real about what makes the wheels turn. 

While we wait for solar and wind and whatever else to get approved and brought online, the simple truth remains we make most of our energy out of water (which is good), a bit out of hot stuff in the ground (which is pretty good). But we still need coal. 

Because we can't really look for more coal the same way we haven't been able to look for more oil, we got a bit stuck. So, we had the absurdity of importing coal from Indonesia. 

Not only was it coal, but it was coal not nearly as good as ours, thus defeating the entire purpose of saving the planet. 

Speaking of which, surely the numbers also out this week once and for all buried this falsehood that the world is turning on the climate. 

We have never used more coal and demand has gone up again in the past year. But we are planning and opening more mines than ever before, led of course by China. 

China, along with a long list of players from Greece to Vietnam to Pakistan to Korea, Bangladesh and Japan are all opening mines. 

No, that's not ideal. But as Jones points out, utopia in the form of renewables at a level of 100% is years away. 

In the meantime, it's back to the real world. 

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Warriors CEO Cameron George is trying not to get ahead of himself despite the coup of signing Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris on a four-year deal. 

The three-time Premiership winning prop has been granted a release from the final two years of his deal with Penrith on compassionate grounds. 

He's a like-for-like replacement for Addin Fonua-Blake, who will join Cronulla at the end of this season. 

George told Mike Hosking that it's another positive step for the club post the pandemic era. 

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Fans of the reggae and pop scenes will be very familiar with the works of UB40. 

The English band was formed in the late 1970’s, going through a few iterations as their music finds international success. 

Robin Campbell is a founding member of the band, having stuck with it for 45 years, throughout the drama, court cases, and a revolt. 

They’re popping over to New Zealand with the release of their 21stalbum ‘UB45’ stopping by Auckland and Christchurch in October on their ‘Red Red Wine Tour’. 

Campell told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that they have a few extra members in the band and a couple of new guys. 

“We’re firing on all cylinders, having a ball.” 

45 years is quite a significant amount of time for a band to be running, and Campbell said it’s always kind of a ‘pinch me’ moment. 

“You know, how the, how the heck are we still doing this after 45 years? Why are we so popular? How did we get so lucky?” 

The secret for them is doing what they love and hoping their fans and friends come along with them. 

“It’s just the way it’s always been for us, it’s always worked.” 

“It’s a wonderful position to be in.” 

UB45 releases Friday, 19th of April.

The Red Red Wine Tour will be coming to Christchurch on October 8th and Auckland on October 10th.

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 18th of April, we spoke to former Finance Minister Steven Joyce about the good and bad news from the latest inflation number.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell gave his thoughts on what's next after the Police turned down their third and final pay offer.

There's a lot of angst about the public sector job cuts, particularly from Opposition Leader Chis Hipkins. Does he defend the decisions he made while in Parliament that led up to these cuts?

Robin Campbell of the original UB40 fame joined the show to talk about their new album and upcoming NZ shows.

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Some are saying the Government's updated health guidance for children is bringing back the balance from the pandemic. 

The guidelines say children with a mild cough, headache, or runny nose can go to school given they don't have Covid-19 or other symptoms like fever or diarrhoea. 

Auckland Primary Principals' Association's Kyle Brewerton told Mike Hosking that we've had four years of erring on the side of caution. 

He says it's part of a wider message to get kids back to school. 

Brewerton says we have a big attendance problem and it's a way of saying to get rid of any more issues. 

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Chris Hipkins is defending public servants in the firing line. 

Just yesterday, more than a-thousand job cutting proposals were announced at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki combined. 

The Government's suggesting some of the cost savings could be re-invested into frontline services. 

Labour leader Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking that he doesn't agree the public service had been 'bloating' under his leadership. 

He said the people losing their jobs are delivering valuable services like the food in schools programme or curriculum work. 

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Tread carefully over plans to extend earthquake-strengthening work deadlines. 

The Government's announced it's giving people an extra four years to get unsafe buildings up to scratch. 

It's also bringing forward a review into earthquake-prone buildings. 

AUT construction expert John Tookey told Mike Hosking that four years or beyond kicks the issue into a future governmental cycle or two. 

He says this inevitably mixes politics with public safety considerations. 

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A former finance minister says there's nothing to celebrate in the latest inflation figures. 

Inflation has fallen to 4% in the year to March. 

That's well down on the 4.7% recorded in the year to December but above the Reserve Bank's forecast. 

Steven Joyce told Mike Hosking that non-tradable inflation —on things like rents and rates that don't face foreign competition— has only dropped slightly from 5.9% to 5.8%. 

He says that's troubling for the Reserve Bank and the economy, and points to 'stagflation'. 

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The Government says the latest pay offer to Police is the best it can do as the country is basically broke. 

Three quarters of officers have voted ‘NO’ and a decision now sits with an impartial arbitrator. 

The Police Association says it's 4% below what teachers have been offered, which is a slap in the face. 

Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking that the package is a quarter-of-a-billion dollars better than the offer that went forward in August. 

He says for the first time they've been offered paid overtime, a lump sum payment of $1,500, and a 4% salary increase for three years. 

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