The Mike Hosking Breakfast

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.    Donald Trump: 2/10  Possibly his worst and easily his maddest week yet. Tylenol, the war, Jimmy Kimmel, James Comey, the visas, the escalator, and the teleprompter. Unhinged doesn't even come close.    Jimmy Kimmel: 7/10  Won the moral ground on free speech.    Disney: 2/10  Lost the morale ground by being spineless, and putting their prices up.    Fonterra: 9/10  The numbers and the success are amazing.    The Ranfurly Shield: 7/10  It's changed hands four times this season and the last two have been sensational games.    Palestine: 4/10  Are you as surprised as I am that after all those pledges of recognition the war hasn't stopped, the food hasn't flowed, and Hamas are still open for business in Qatar?    LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has had as bad a week as any he's had.  The difference that made it stand out was that he looks increasingly unhinged.  It was not the UN speech. That was classic Trump – a lot of made-up stuff and grandiose pomposity.  It sort of wasn’t the visas, given at its core it's also classic Trump. They want Americans hired, not immigrants, which is on brand. Chaotic, but on brand.  It wasn’t even Jimmy Kimmel. Celebrating the demise of someone is a sad trait but, once again, on brand, even though Kimmel is back and Trump's stance on free speech looks decidedly mad or non-existent.  The real turn of events was the war and Tylenol.  For a bloke who was sorting Putin out on day one, and who told Zelenskyy he didn’t have any cards, the about-face seems astonishing, if not worrying.  The pivot hands the problem to NATO and the EU, but what was he thinking taking it on in the first place?  Putin has schooled him, spanked him, and humiliated him. He has that, as yet, unexplained hold over him that no one can understand.  Then we come to autism. In watching the heavily touted announcement, the one we had been waiting for for 20 years, he didn’t seem to have a clue as to what he was talking about.  The Amish were raised, the ingredient was mispronounced and stumbled over, and as a result pretty much anyone in health globally called it a pile of nonsensical rubbish.  The basis of Trumpism is making America great again – there are too many migrants, too many bad trade deals, and an economy that isn't performing up to scratch. All of that is understandable and it's what got the votes.  Yes, there was a chaotic, comedic, braggadocios style to it all. But at its base, if you were of a certain disposition, it kind of made sense, and you can't argue against the electoral success.  But as the months have unfolded, it's gotten madder and more unhinged and wandered off into areas of extreme improvisation.    It all culminated this week in complete humiliation over the war and a pronouncement in an area, i.e. health, that he clearly has zero experience and expertise in, and clearly has listened too much to his nutty friend with the odd voice.  Disagreeing with his policy approach is politics, but being seen as a global clown undermines his reputation and that of the entire country.  And that’s where he took it this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a belief a shooter in Dallas, Texas, was motivated by violent ideology and divisive rhetoric.   One detainee is dead and two more are critically injured after a rooftop sniper fired indiscriminately at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility, also known as ICE yesterday.   The gunman later died from a self-inflicted gunshot.   Dallas ICE Director Joshua Johnson says it's being investigated as an act of targeted violence.    US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking the shooter reportedly left behind notes including a game plan of the attack and target areas at the facility.  One note reportedly says he wanted to give ICE agents a sense of “terror”, the shooter describing ICE employees as "people showing up to collect a dirty pay check".  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday has come which means it’s time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to Wrap the Week with Mike Hosking.  They discussed Mike’s interview with Scott Roberson, whether or not Producer Sam should hit confirm on his holiday booking in Asia, and whether it's time to cancel your streaming subscriptions.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 26th of September, we've got new, encouraging court figures to show the backlog is steadily depleting.  Scott 'Razor' Robertson details his plan to beat the table-topping Aussies in the first Bledisloe Cup test this weekend at Eden Park.  Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson Wrap the Week and discuss whether producer Sam got scammed with his Vietnam accommodation.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Food and Fibre sector claims the education system is letting it down.  Leaders from farming, forestry, horticulture, and seafood have joined forces to launch a Food and Fibre Workforce Capability Strategy.  They’re pushing for tertiary education reform —with an employer-led, work-based learning model— to match real industry demands.  Horticulture NZ Chief Executive Kate Scott told Mike Hosking the current model isn't working.  She says it tends to favour the volume of learners rather than the value.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks are returning to Eden Park to defend their record.  Coming off the back of the worst-ever defeat just 12 days ago against South Africa, they're set to host the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup opener on Saturday.  There are six changes to the side, with Ardie Savea taking over the captaincy from an injured Scott Barrett.   Coach Scott Robertson told Mike Hosking the pressure of performing at Eden Park is still there, but he would describe it as a gift.  He says people care so deeply about performing in a place with so much history, and their gift is to earn it again.  “You’ve just gotta rise to it – that’s the key.”   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our largest company has been seeing profits surge, despite a period of contraction in the economy as a whole.  Fonterra's confirmed a 13% rise in annual operating profit.  Its final farmgate milk payout to farmers has reached a new record high of $10.16 and its cash return to shareholders is up 30.6%.  Fonterra Chair Peter McBride told Mike Hosking we need dairy to do well for the country to do well.  He says dairy is a critical part of the New Zealand economy, and the Government can't grow the economy without growing dairy.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government says its changes to the court system are making a real difference.   It has released figures showing civil cases in the District Court have dropped 20% in the year to July to over 10,200.   The Disputes Tribunal cleared 900 more cases over the same period.   Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee told Mike Hosking there are fewer cases coming to civil court.   And she says the cases which are coming through are being resolved more quickly.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank Governor appointment is not to be underestimated.  We have never had a foreigner. Well, we have (the first was British) but that was in 1934 and that’s the sort of thing you would have expected given colonialism.  Obviously, the fact she is female should not be a thing. I think we have seen plenty of examples that essentially woman can, and do, do anything and the more we continue to isolate out appointments on gender, the more we remind ourselves how little in our minds we have moved forward.  But the fact we seem to have attracted what they suggested was a good line up, both numerically and in talent, from offshore is a good tick for this country's reputation.  Anna Breman may well use this as a springboard to big banks, who knows. But moving your family halfway around the world is no small thing and you have to believe that the place you are landing isn't a dump, and you can make a difference.  I don’t think I'm reading too much into the Willis comments at the press conference when she said Christian Hawkesby had done an admirable job. Admirable... is that glowing? I don’t think so.  He applied for the job but sadly, given his proximity to Adrian Orr, he didn’t stand a chance and is now to leave the bank.  That in part may have played a role in someone from outside the joint getting the gig. If you're from Sweden you had nothing to do with what has been a hopeless time for the bank, riddled with incompetence and secrecy.  Breman said our bank is widely and highly regarded. If I take her at her word that's reassuring, but you can equally suggest she would say that, wouldn’t she?  What I am interested in is whether she can get a grip on the country and its economic culture.  I remain convinced that at least part of the reason the Reserve Bank have messed the recovery up so badly is they don't get out of Wellington. There are too many spreadsheets and not enough real world, not enough vibe, not enough on-the-ground readings.  It’s a challenge for a Northern European to soak up something like New Zealand and get a gut feel for it and flip it. How long would it take anyone of us to suss out the subtlety of Sweden?  But given where we are, she starts from a low base, and the only way is up.  Let's hope she's a rockstar. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.