Paddy Gower has slammed “keyboard warriors” claiming the media is getting what it deserves for going “woke” amid mass job losses.   TV3 journalist and TV host Patrick Gower spoke to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning following yesterday’s Newshub meeting where the closure of Newshub was confirmed.  Hosking asked Gower what he would say to those who say “you go woke, you go broke” and claim the media was bribed by the former Labour government.  “Get stuffed, and actually go away and, to use the term they use, do your own research,” Gower fired back.  Gower agreed the Public Interest Journalism fund had “branding issues” for media organisations because the public didn’t understand where the money was going.  “But at the end of the day, I’m not going to sit here and listen to sort of people like that say that kind of thing after I’ve slaved away my bloody life alongside my colleagues, 25 years in my case, putting damn good news out there.  “While we’ve got a trust problem, we need to address it and explain things that we’re doing properly.  “When it comes to the sort of Facebook keyboard warriors, I ain’t got no time for that, Mike.  “I’m about the 250 people who lost a job yesterday and actually the millions of other Kiwis that I know that trust me and trust my colleagues.”  Patrick Gower and colleagues on their way to learn Newshub's fate. Photo / Alex Burton  Gower told Hosking he didn’t know how many of the up to 300 people losing their jobs would remain in media.  “Who knows?  “I mean, even for myself, I’ve got no bloody idea what I’ll do next.”  Gower said he hoped a lot of his colleagues would remain in the field, but recognised it was a difficult time for the industry in New Zealand.  “It’s that simple, mate, not everybody can survive.  “But we’ve got to be optimistic, we can’t kind of give in.  “I can say for myself, I’m determined to get back out there.”  Hosking asked Gower how many of the employees likely saw the closure coming.  “It was always a possibility when we came in under the big company, particularly Warner Brothers Discovery when they’d merged ... some sort of shutdown was always possible.  “I’ve survived a couple myself in the last 14 years or we’ve been very, very close.  “So it was always on the cards.”  The state of the economy and the recession have had a huge impact on the media industry, Gower admitted.  “We often talk about the big structural problems that are behind all of this, but, hey, let’s face it, the economy has absolutely tanked, every single dollar virtually has dropped out of the advertising market.  “People are really struggling, [advertising] is the first thing that goes when a business is struggling, everybody knows that.  “That has just put insane pressure on all media companies.”  Gower said he hadn’t seen “anything” broadcasting minister Melissa Lee had done so far for the industry.  “I haven’t seen anything they’ve done, but at the same time, the media doesn’t need a bailout.  “So if anyone’s talking about some sort of cash bailout, we don’t need that.  “The media does need to be able to survive commercially. There are ways that we can do that.”  Gower said there are issues that both Governments, current and former, have not addressed that could have helped the media.  “There are massive structural problems out there that I just don’t think the Government’s got their head around.  “Paying these Kordia fees, television companies, paying fees to another government organisation for something that we don’t really need anymore is just plain nuts.  “It is crazy, that is literally jobs going out the door every time they pay those fees.”  Gower confirmed his show Paddy Gower Has Issues was not funded by NZ on Air, so wouldn’t be funded by TV3′s new model.  “There’s got to be other ways to do television programmes ... we’ve got to find commercially successful ways of doing this stuff. Stuff where things get paid for by viewers again. We’ve got to find a way back to that.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking beyond the finish line: Dame Lisa Carrington discusses her success, writing endeavours  Arguably New Zealand’s greatest ever Olympian, Dame Lisa Carrington is the best in the canoe sprint game.  She’s brought home a staggering total of nine medals across four Olympic Games, eight of them gold, and one bronze, dominating the water.  Despite her massive success, Carrington doesn’t believe this is the best she’s capable of, telling Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that you have to be able to look beyond the finish line or gold medal and set yourself other goals.  “If I thought that winning a gold medal was my best, I would’ve stopped in London. I would’ve stopped after Rio, I would’ve stopped after Tokyo.”  Carrington has been competing for over a decade now, but it’s taken her up until this year’s Games to have 100% joy and satisfaction in racing.  “I think a lot of the time I’ve raced in the past, and it’s been out of just needing to win, just because that’s the expectation on me,” she told Hosking.  “But for Paris, I’ve managed to get to a place where I was like, you know what, I’m just gonna do my best.”  And doing her best panned out, with Carrington netting a total of three gold medals in the 2024 Games.  Photo / Jason Oxenham There comes a point in every successful athlete's career where the question on everyone’s mind is: what’s next?   Carrington is currently at the top of her game and has no plans on stopping here, but when it comes to the next steps, she’s unsure whether she wants to leave while on top or not.   “Being in the position I am, you know, being the fastest I’ve ever been, strongest, whatever, it is hard to think ‘Oh maybe I’ll stop now,’” Carrington said.  “Because well, what else is there?”   Every competition is different, each Olympic Games different again from the last, and when it comes to the next steps, Carrington thinks it would need to be a different challenge once more.  And when it comes to new and different challenges, Carrington has fulfilled a goal she’s had since Tokyo: writing a children's book.  Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion is aimed at 4-9 year olds, and details the journey of eight year old Lisa having a goal, the journey of achieving it, and the challenges along the way.  “There's so many little messages in there from, you know, about... a little bit about discipline or having a plan, but also that, you know, there are challenges, and you have to keep turning up.”  It’s the first of what Carrington hopes to be a series, with her leaving the ending open for another journey.  “Too many lessons to learn and relearn.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking once more to Wrap the Week that was.  They talked Mike’s ventures in wood and metalwork in school, the Repair Shop, and Tim regaled listeners with an expert piano performance.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"An insane blessing": Luke Combs on his country music stardom, chances of a NZ tour  Luke Combs is a country music megastar.  The 34-year-old is one of the biggest names in the world right now, consistently battling it out against Morgan Wallen for the number one spot.   He’s broken records, gone platinum, and earned a range of awards, including three Grammy nominations.   It all started when he dropped out of college to pursue his musical career, moving to Nashville and making it big.  Combs told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that he got really lucky in having his career take off the way it did.  “Yes, I worked really hard at it, but there’s a ton of luck involved as well,” he said.  “I don't know how it never dawned on me until, until I picked the guitar up. Like, man, I could really, you know, maybe there's a chance that this could be what my life is, is gonna be.”  While he doesn’t take his success for granted, fame was never quite what Combs was after.  “I never put any pressure on myself to be a certain way or achieve certain things,” he told Hosking.  “Anything beyond just being able to be happy and have a good life was always more than I had ever asked for.”   “To have ended up here is an insane blessing.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I never stop": Jerry Seinfeld discusses NZ tour, comedy career  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.”  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking might just be David Walliams’ biggest fan — and he couldn’t believe it when the comedian surprised him in the studio this morning.  Walliams, who is in Auckland for his An Audience with David Walliams tour, sneaked into the Newstalk ZB studio on Friday before his first show, catching Hosking unawares while singing (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing.  When he spotted Walliams, the broadcaster was gobsmacked. “No fricking way, how exciting is that! This is magnificent.”  “Hello mate, I’ve missed you. I worry about you in those tight jeans, a man of your age,” Walliams joked.  Walliams met Hosking and his wife, Kate Hawkesby, in London last year, joking with the radio host, “I remember Kate, but not you ... still married?”  He revealed the surprise had been in the works for some time “because you have a really huge crush on me, and it would be exciting for you”.  “Yes, I do,” Hosking confirmed.  When asked how the tour was going so far, Walliams said his shows in Australia had been “fantastic”.  “I’ve been so popular in Auckland that we added this show tonight,” he said.  David Walliams paid a surprise visit to the Newstalk ZB studio. Photo / Michael Craig “I’ve got my funny stories that I’ve thought about what they are and I’m telling them ... but at the same time, the audiences have been so great in Australia, and I’m sure they’ll be even better in New Zealand, they sort of give you permission to kind of push it further and further and just be spontaneous,” the comedian told Hosking.  “It’s really restored my faith in performing comedy. Like, oh yeah, when we all get together in a room, what we really want is a laugh and it’s spontaneous, I’ve been saying some pretty rude things.”  Hosking confessed spontaneity was Hawkesby’s worry because she didn’t want to be embarrassed from their front-row seats.  Walliams jokingly replied that shouldn’t be an issue for the radio host. “You look like the kind of man that’d like attention.”  “No, I don’t want to be part of it, I just want to enjoy your talent,” Hosking responded.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been forced to wear a Highlanders jersey this morning after the team beat the Crusaders on the weekend.  Luxon —a die-hard Crusaders fan— had a bet with Newstalk ZB producer Sam Carran over the outcome of Saturday’s game.  He was a good sport at the NZME offices this morning, laughing as he donned the jersey - but he told ZB’s Mike Hosking to expect a “shocking interview”.  He said Carran was “the nicest man in the country” on the outside but inside was “Machiavellian”.  Luxon said he had warned Carran he was a size XL but the producer had given him an XS jersey.  Luxon last week maintained the Crusaders would turn around their losing form against the Highlanders, but it wasn’t to be.  Waitangi Tribunal appeal  Luxon told Hosking the Government is still considering whether to appeal the Court of Appeal’s judgement, which sided with the Waitangi Tribunal over its summons of Children’s Minister Karen Chhour.  ”We only got the judgement yesterday. So it’s a pretty big judgement and we need to work our way through it, and then take advice on whether we will appeal it and what we’ll do next.  ”The key issue was that “we don’t believe section 7AA is the right thing. We think the primacy of a child is important over above their cultural needs”.  Some of the information the Waitangi Tribunal had asked for was from Cabinet discussions, which was “frustrating”, he said.  The Government was trying to act in the spirit of “probity” - “making sure that the different branches of government are respectful of each other”.  Fast Tracking  Regarding Monday’s announcement about new the regional roading programme, Luxon said the Government was “very up for bringing in private capital” for public-private partnerships.  The Fast-Track consenting process would be critical for many of the projects, and the planned National Infrastructure Agency would deal with financing and funding - working out whether private, domestic or international capital was most appropriate for each project.  New Zealand also needed to become more attractive for foreign capital, Luxon said - adding that NZ was ranked second-least attractive in the OECD in that respect, just ahead of Mexico.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon’s made the right call not going to Waitangi next year.  He's probably going to cop it from the press gallery for being a wuss but most of us have been around long enough to see the logic in this.  We know by now that Waitangi is volatile and unpredictable at the best of times. You can cop a dildo in the face for doing nothing.  So imagine how intense it will be next year with the Treaty Principles bill debate in full swing and the select committee progress already underway.  Already Willie Jackson has warned the Prime Minister about his safety if he goes up there because apparently Māori are angry.  And as Willie Jackson says, "you just never know".  It’s hardly as if Luxon is being made to feel welcome.  He’s apparently been told he’s allowed to come on the 6th but not on the 4th because he’s not welcome at the big meeting the National Iwi Chairs Forum hosts every year.  He’s had a letter from the hikoi organisers telling him he’s not welcome at Waitangi at all.  Luxon loses nothing by giving it a miss. I doubt very much he’ll win votes by going.  But he could actually lose votes by going and standing there like a piñata, taking a verbal bashing over a bill that’s actually not his.  He’s better off leaving the defending to the guy who’s actually responsible for the bill, David Seymour, who says he is going.  So Luxon I think can say he’s done enough, he's been there two years in a row already, he’s shown respect and defended his corner and he’s not being made to feel welcome.  He’s been threatened.  Right-minded people will absolutely, I think, understand why he may not want to go and why he frankly shouldn't. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s an expectation that weakness in the last economic quarter is behind the country's slump.  Stats NZ reports gross domestic product dropped 1% in the September quarter.   We're now in our deepest recession since the Covid-driven slump of 2020.   Westpac Senior Economist Michael Gordon told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the grind the country has been experiencing throughout the year is now showing up a bit more fully than in the last GDP numbers.  He says one thing that stood out was the recognition of the cutbacks in the public sector, which weren’t being fully captured in the figures from three months ago.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 20th of December, the terrible economic news continues to get worse with the significant GDP drop and New Zealand is officially back in a recession.   Liam Lawson has finally been given the Red Bull seat the F1 world knew was already his, so commentator and former McLaren race team member Bob McMurray joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to share his thoughts.  Trish Sherson and Tim Wilson joined Heather to Wrap the Year in the final segment of 2024.  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.