The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Ryan Fox has had an excellent run this year.  He’s back in New Zealand off the back of a season that includes two PGA Tour wins and a Guinness World Record.   The end of the year also brings with it the return of the increasingly popular ‘Chasing the Fox’ event, which is now into his fourth year.  Despite his major success this year, not much has changed in regards to Fox’s mentality.  “I’ve always believed my golf was good enough to beat the best players in the world,” he told Mike Hosking.  “Especially in that Canadian Open, I did beat a decent chunk of them that week, and you know, you’ve always got that in the back of your mind that, yeah, I’ve done it once, I know I can do it if I’m in that situation again.”  “It’s easier once you know you’ve done it.”   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gaming continues its upward trajectory.  New stats show that in Wellington alone, jobs in the sector grew 12.8% over the last year.  New Zealand now brings in $170 million more in revenue than Australia does.  NZ Game Development Sector Rebate Programme Director Chantelle Cole told Mike Hosking the $170 million figure is just from the rebate recipients, so they’re expecting the number to rise upon the announcement of the industry-wide figures.  She says revenue is predicted to reach a billion dollars by as early as 2027.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former All Black Steve Devine is hailing the launch of a new portable brain scanner that's set to revolutionise concussion diagnosis for rugby players in New Zealand.  The Nurocheck headset will be able to detect head injuries in just two minutes without the need for baseline testing.  Devine has suffered a number of head knocks in his playing career and says the device is especially beneficial for the amateur game.  He told Mike Hosking players are probably only getting a test if they’ve taken a reasonable hit and usually there’s a moment where you can tell they’re not well.  He says if a player goes back on and recieves a second knock, that can be fatal, and that’s the one they’re trying to stop.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 25th of September, a Swedish economist delves into the credentials of our incoming Reserve Bank Governor.  Pharmac is funding new medicines who should help our patients and hospitals – David Seymour discusses.  Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox is in studio to reflect on the year and talk about the upcoming Chasing the Fox event.  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.

Auckland Council is moving to allocate up to two million new homes in the coming decades.  The council's Policy and Planning Committee voted 18-5 to pass the plan, which will see more housing near transport hubs and less in natural hazard zones.   Councillor Maurice Williamson has compared it as a choice between a firing squad and lethal injection.  He told Mike Hosking he’s a fan of intensifying along rail corridors and busways, but it doesn't make sense to go into suburban streets and force the building of “ghastly pieces of junk” when they aren’t needed.  Williamson says there needed to be more consultation and negotiation around what the upper figure of builds would be.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour believes a refresh of Pharmac's operations is benefiting New Zealanders.  Its latest funding proposal includes five new medicines for breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, eye conditions, and lung cancer.  The Associate Health Minister says a board and leadership change has worked well, and the next step is ensuring strong budget bids.  Seymour told Mike Hosking that instead of Pharmac working within a set allocation, it will now go to the Finance Minister each year for funding.  When it comes to recognising Palestine, David Seymour appears to be backing a more cautious approach to the thorny question.  Foreign Minister Winston Peters is set to announce our decision at the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday.   Doing so would mean our country joins the likes of Australia, the UK, and France.   Seymour told Hosking he has his own opinion on the matter but will support any Government position.   He suggests some countries are jumping up and down for political theatre, but New Zealand will consider all the facts.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police say recent cannabis busts show how widely cultivated the drug is.  Over the course of a month Operation Beryl busted 120 properties across Auckland, seizing 11-thousand illicit plants, estimated to be worth more than $58 million.  More than ten tonnes of cannabis from Vietnamese organised crime groups have been destroyed.  Detective Inspector Callum McNeill told Mike Hosking it's likely one of their largest cannabis busts ever.  But he says the crime groups have probably already found new locations to grow new plants.   McNeill told Hosking his main concern is the money going to trans-national organised crime groups, and going on to fund other criminal activities.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our next Reserve Bank Governor is being commended for her track record in Sweden.  Dr Anna Breman —the First Deputy-Governor of Sweden’s central bank— will lead our central bank from December.  Swedish economist Selva Baziki says the Swedish economy is similar to New Zealand's.  And she told Mike Hosking Breman and her colleagues successfully reined in inflation without too much economic impact.  Baziki says they've done quite well in the tough job of balancing growth and employment with inflation.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's some things we can do to help the economy through jobs.  Firstly, compulsory arbitration. I'm sick and tired of teachers and nurses and doctors striking.  The current strike this week by doctors, they claim, has been a result of more than a year of negotiation.  Surely at some point —and Health NZ have finally pulled the trigger— it becomes apparent that two sides aren't going to cut a deal, and some heads need to be banged together.  So, Health NZ have asked for arbitration.  A simple law that is time-lined would save the hassle. Whether it's time, or meetings, offers and counteroffers, it doesn’t matter. Give it your best shot – if it doesn’t work, let a mediator do the business and make it binding.  Secondly, the migration pathways announced yesterday. It seems to have taken an age to realise that the simple truth, rightly or wrongly, for this country is we need a shed load of people.  Yesterday's settings were hardly for rocket scientists. But that’s the sad truth about our economy – a lot of the issues around jobs are the bread and butter of daily life.  The Chocolate Fish Café in Wellington has written to the Minister. They need a pathway for people to work in hospitality. Should they? No. Should jobless be keen to fill the gaps? Of course.  But that’s our lot – a bunch of lazy people more interested in skiving than working. So migration is the answer.  They took an age on foreign houses as well, but we got there.  I'm big on immigration. People bring skills and culture, and they generally work hard, they earn money and pay taxes. There is growth in numbers.  The other truth for now we can't ignore is that too many really good New Zealanders have bailed. We need a skill and talent reset.  The world is a competition. Everywhere is a landing spot. The previous Government made us a place to leave. The current lot may change that.  I pray they do, but for now talent is still an issue and good people are still hard to find. The 'here and now' answer is immigration. Find those that like the look of us and make them a deal.  Residency is a deal. Yes, some may go to Australia, so Peters is technically correct. But if we are good some may not, so we win.  We need all levers, all ideas, more productivity, more pace, less mucking around, fewer strikes, more attitude, more determination, more deals and more pathways.  It's not hard. You just have to want to do it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Secret Service has dismantled a massive network of electronic devices that could have been used to disable New York City’s cellphone network, officials say.  Investigators found devices in vacant properties within 55km of the UN General Assembly meeting that’s taking place in Manhattan this week.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that allegedly foreign governments and criminals located in the US are using this network to run their organisations.  He says they appear to have identified links to at least one foreign country and links to some known criminals, but have not said who.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.