The Mike Hosking Breakfast

It is with real enthusiasm that I see the Public Service Commissioner potentially doing what the main Government should have done two years ago.  What the Government did two years ago was say they were going to rectify the absurd size of the public service.  It had blown out to gargantuan proportions under the Labour Government, who knew no bounds in terms of fiscal largesse based on debt.  What the new Government actually did with the public service, sadly, was tinker.  It peaked at a bit over 65,000 and it sits at over 63,000. In fact in the ensuing period, it's gone up again.  So rough math will tell you they got rid of about 2,000 jobs. As a raw number it's a lot of jobs. A percentage it's tiny.  As an effective exercise in efficiency and savings, it's a joke.  The shame of it was the new Government of the day had licence. Yes, it was controversial. Yes, the unions bleated and moaned. Yes, the media went to town on a Tory slash-and-burn exercise.  But the trick was always simple – if you're going to dish out the bad news go hard, DOGE it, blow it up, do it once and do it properly.  The fall out, headlines, and anger will be exactly the same whether you trim a couple of thousand for no effect or 6,500 and make a difference.  So they blew it. They took the heat but got few, if any, results. In an odd way it’s symbolic of the weaker parts of this Government; the ideas, rhetoric, and execution are never quite aligning.  But now the Commissioner Brian Roache looks to be having another crack by merging departments. The Ministries of Women, Pacific peoples, disabled peoples, and Māori Development could all be in for an upending.  I'd go further. The never-ending series of commissioners and their offices that have no actual power and really only write reports would not be missed.  But ministries for ministries sake is what holds this country back. They all fill a space to meet their budget and so-called mandate.  If this is on, and I pray it is, wait for the bleating. Every one of them will tell you the critical nature of their existence but I defy anyone of you to list me the profound and productive change they have made to all our lives.  Given you can't they then fall into the category as largesse, waste and tokenism.  Do it once and do it right. That's how change should happen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.    New Zealand: 7/10  We're the 3rd safest country in the world and about to outgrow Australia. How's that for openers?    Horticulture NZ: 7/10  Their plan is to double export returns within 10 years. That’s the sort of attitude that turns tides. More please.    Sean O'Loughlin: 8/10  My hero of the week. He took Auckland Transport to court and won. Brains - 1. Arrogance - nil.    Nicola vs Tory: 6/10  Who doesn’t love a bitch slap? And who doesn’t think Nicola has an excellent point?    Principals: 4/10  Or at least the ones who wrote to the Education Minister asking for her to stop her reforms. In that letter is so much that’s wrong with education – people overseeing failure and yet not wanting change.    Putin: 3/10  You forgot that, didn’t you? Where is the meeting? Where is the place? Where is the date? Did Trump get stiffed?    LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I got a sense about something this week and it's not because it's about to be spring, although that will undoubtedly help.  I got a sense this week that the tide on the New Zealand story is turning.  The ongoing stats, like the size of the infrastructure pipeline, more money this year, more money and projects for years to come, the new visas, and the visas that are working better than we thought, money, jobs, and culture are on their way.  But the gold medal goes to the dawning realisation that we are about to outgrow and outperform Australia. Not just next year, but for a number of years.  The stats have been there – the Reserve Bank Governor in Australia reduced her GDP forecast and that number is below ours, which is about 2.5%, maybe more.  But put it together, as Westpac did, call it a report, lay it out for all to see and pennies drop.  Why it's so important is a lot of our plight is as much mental as it is physical.  Australia has a myriad of real issues, from housing, to debt, to transport, to race.  We do too, but they have never sunk like us.  Part of what is and has held us back this year is too many have decided we are stuffed, so they left.  But left for what? What is the psychology of moving countries? Pay? It can be, but not always and I'll tell you this for nothing, the pay gap does not bridge the house gap.  But do those leaving realise that, or they don’t care, or don’t even know?  Obviously what bogged it down this year was the "Survive to '25" thing. It started well in January but never took off. So were we sold a lemon? A false dawn?  What this report does, and it's not alone because there is plenty of material out there if you hunt for it, is quantify our reality. Between the law changes, the visas, the farmers, the currency, and all the fixes and reforms, it adds up to an irrefutable picture of change that is about to pay dividends.  The pieces seem to be fitting together. But the prize is they paint a better picture than our nearest neighbour, our greatest friends, our biggest opponent.  We are not just beating anyone. We are beating Australia.  When that comes to pass, watch the mood then. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minneapolis' Police Chief says they'll be working to make sure schools are protected following a shooting which killed two children.  Eighteen people were also injured when a gunman shot through church windows at Annunciation Catholic School, before turning a gun on himself.  The FBI's investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crimes targeting Catholics.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking a survey reveals that in the last year, there were at least 91 shootings on school grounds – almost two a week.  He says the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the United States is not illness or accidents, it’s gun violence.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Wilson is back from his holiday and ready to Wrap the Week alongside Kate Hawkesby and Mike Hosking.  They try to get Mike to have a more positive outlook as Tim recaps his travels and tries to fill the boots left behind by Sir John Key.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 29th of August, we're changing the alcohol laws, making it easier to hold both on and off licenses. Common sense or no real change?  Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran is in to talk their results and why we're seeing what we are when Qantas’ numbers are through the roof.  Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson try to make Mike more positive and talk about Tim’s return from holiday and having to fill the boots left behind by Sir John Key as they Wrap the Week.  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.

Kiwis have racked up more than a billion dollars in green loans for energy efficient items like EVs, solar panels, and heat pumps.  BNZ, ASB, and ANZ all lend up to $80 thousand on a 1% interest rate over three years.  Massey University Banking Expert Claire Matthews says these are small loans, meaning the banks are pumping them out, while not actually lending a huge amount.  She told Mike Hosking customers still have to go through the same process as loans with higher interest rates, and go through affordability checks.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alcohol reforms are seen as a step in the right direction by a hospo industry voice.  The Government's proposing to allow businesses a right of reply around licensing objections and is allowing wineries and breweries the ability to have both an off and on licence.  Hospitality NZ’s Head of Advocacy Sam MacKinnon told Mike Hosking there’s a range of measures in these reforms, and they all support hospitality.  He says they’re pleased overall with the direction of travel.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air Zealand's boss is predicting another challenging year ahead.  Our national carrier has seen profits plunge.  It's partly due to weak domestic demand and ongoing engine maintenance issues.  Chief Executive Greg Foran told Mike Hosking it's also facing unavoidable price hikes for things like landing charges, wages, and engineering materials.  He says they can't go down to Bunnings or Mitre 10 to buy a replacement toilet seat for a 787, although he wishes they could.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several factors are behind a flat-lining in investment from China. New research by the New Zealand China Council and NZIER has found Chinese investment grew steadily between 2014 and 2019, but has stalled since then. China now ranks as our 12th largest source of foreign investment. Council Chair John McKinnon told Mike Hosking there's a number of reasons why the investment has stalled. He says Covid, a slow down in the Chinese economy, and changes to the regulatory environment in both countries have contributed, and it's not worrying.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.