The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Our default to futility worries me. It's the same sort of thing as the "No Kings" march over the weekend in America. What actually is the point of waving placards, or in the "burn the bill" case, lighting fires on beaches? The bill they want to burn is the Marine and Coastal Area Amendment bill. The amendment part is the bit where it is being returned to what it was a few years back. It got messed with in court, given the courts are increasingly interventionist, and all that is happening is the law is being returned to what it was. And what it was is, have you had ongoing access to the bit of water or coastline since the 1800's? If you haven't, you might not have an argument. It is of course all angsty because it's race-based. David Seymour calls the lighting of fires on the beach "unenlightened" and "anti-intellectual". He is a mixture of right and, I suspect, slightly antagonistic. But here is my question - to what point? To what end? I get that there are those who are exercised and don’t like it, fair enough. But guess what? Lighting a fire at a beach isn't going to change it. The petition, because they had one of those too, had 20,000 signatures. That’s not even a big petition. 76,000 signed one to stop me hosting the election debates on TV in 2017. If 76,000 doesn’t stop a TV host then 20,000 doesn’t stop a law. Trump won the election in America easily. He is doing nothing he said he wouldn’t do. It's as mad and unhinged as his biggest critic feared, but he is doing it because he has the support of enough people to do it. The same way this Government is amending a law because they said they would and they won the election. We must always retain the right to protest, unless its over the Auckland Harbour Bridge. But that’s about geographics, not rights. But protest loses, and has lost, a lot of its impact because it's become a habit. It’s a default. It’s the pastime of the bored and obsessed. It's become a cottage industry. If we put the same energy into productive outcomes then this country could be amazing. So you lit a fire on a beach last night - how did that work out for you? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday the 22nd of October, the foreshore and seabed law change has passed and the Government has smashed their youth offending target four years early - completing two things they said they'd do. The debate is back about whether you should be leaving your KiwiSaver alone until retirement or getting it out for a house deposit. Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk Labour's first election cycle policy, Netball NZ and Mark's discussions with them and why Duncan Webb is retiring. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of complaints going to the Office of the Ombudsman is soaring to record heights. Its annual report finds more than eight thousand Official information complaints - a 30 percent increase. The office also received 278 protected disclosures under the whistleblower law - up 26 percent. Chief Ombudsman John Allen told Mike Hosking OIAs are an attractive option for people trying to raise issues with the Government. He says public confidence in Government generally is on the decline and people are under a huge amount of pressure with cost of living.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report reveals the importance of contributing to Kiwisaver after buying a first home.  The Retirement Expenditure Guidelines from Massey University and Fin-Ed Centre suggests Kiwisaver is great for funding retirement - if utilised correctly. It finds a modest retirement goal can be reached by age 65 even after withdrawing funds for a first-home at 35.  But report author Associate Professor Claire Matthews says there is an emphasis on using it for a home. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Knowledge of tougher consequences is thought to be keeping more young people away from crime.  The Government has achieved its goal of a 15% reduction in serious and persistent youth offenders - four years early.  Children's Minister Karen Chhour says it's partially down to young people believing they can't avoid accountability for their actions.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Treaty Negotiations Minister's standing by amendments to foreshore and seabed legislation, which has passed its third reading.  The aim of the Government's Marine and Coastal Areas Act amendments was to restore the legislation to its original intent. But it's been criticised for making it harder for Māori to gain customary marine titles. Treaty Negotiations Minister and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith told Mike Hosking most New Zealanders recognise balance is needed in accessing these resources. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alliance has reached a $270million deal with Dawn Meats.  2,600 farmer-shareholders voted 87% in favour of selling 65% of the company arm to the Irish-backed company.  The new investment is expected to strengthen Alliance’s balance sheet, pay down debt and enable greater capital growth.   Spokesperson for Alliance shareholders Jeff Grant told Mike Hosking that ‘The company was forced into a position of having to find new equity.’  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Praise for the Government's loosening of climate reporting rules. It's proposing to lift the climate reporting threshold for listed companies worth 60 million dollars to one billion. The changes would also see directors no longer have personal responsibility if their company breaks climate reporting rules. NZX Sustainability Manager Simon Beattie told Mike Hosking that they're common sense changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems the labour party has not learned a thing about running a country. Their first policy for next years vote is out, so congrats on that. The first cab off the rank is a wealth fund. The idea is not necessarily a bad one. You take money from dividends and distribute it out about the place to create jobs. The obvious questions though …were not answered. How much does it cost? …don't know. What industries or entities or businesses are involved? …don’t know. How many jobs will it create? …don't know. Who decides who gets what? …don’t know. Those are the specific  faults in what really is just a very broad brush sort of thought bubble. The more pressing issue economically comes in the form of a simple truth. And the simple truth is, given you haven't magicked up the money it has come from a business, lets say it’s a power company, the company pays the government a dividend...that already happens...currently that dividend goes into the consolidated fund i.e. the government's coffers. That money pays bills, currently one of the biggest bills is the interest on our debt. That bill is getting close to 10 billion dollars a year. Now if you aren't using the dividend money to pay bills because you have siphoned it off to pay for your wealth fund, where is the money for the bills going to come from? At all points you only ever have a finite amount of money. If some of those dollars go one way, they cant go another. And unless you can explain  how you cover the gap, you are merely prioritising one thing over another. Its like increasing the car payment, but doing it by paying less on the mortgage Which in this case brings in labours attitude to debt. Given they are the ones who dug our current debt hole, It looks like they still haven't worked out that it wasn’t a very smart move. If they are to stand a chance next year, they will need to sharpen their policy act up considerably to something a lot better refined than some blue sky psycho babble. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 21 October. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.