The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Although he’s best known for his comedy, David Walliams has a growing portfolio of children’s literature.  He’s sold more than 60 million copies worldwide and has just released his 44th book ‘Santa & Son’, just in time for Christmas.  He released his first children’s book in 2008, and even after 17 years and nearly 50 books, Walliams still finds writing to be a challenging task.   “You’re constantly scared, you think, oh my god, I’m gonna run out of ideas, or you think, oh god, this is too similar to something I’ve already done,” he told Mike Hosking.   “The thing I try and do is move as far away as I can from something I’ve just done, because the thing is you just don’t want to repeat yourself.”   A lot of his earlier works were set contemporary Britain and revolved around schools, and after a while he found he’d run out of ways to make a teacher character work.  “I can’t think of any more traits that would make teachers funny,” he told Hosking.  “So I thought I just have to move away from that and find different stories.”  “I sort of have to make it difficult for myself just so I don’t end up going down the same path.”  When it comes to success, Walliams explains that he’s not competitive in any major way.  “I don’t see other people who do what I do as sort of foes or anything,” he said.  “But of course I want my book to be well-received, I want kids to enjoy it, I want it to make people happy.”   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coach Rob Walter is comfortable with how the Black Caps are tracking heading into the three-test series against the West Indies, beginning today at Hagley Oval.  New Zealand is fresh from overcoming the West Indies by a combined 6 games to one in the two white ball series.  While Walter was pleased to get the results, he reckons the Black Caps can still improve as a cohesive group.  He told Mike Hosking they’re not expecting the West Indies to be a pushover.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netball stakeholders attempting to overthrow the national governing body say issues extend beyond the Silver Ferns coaching saga.  The Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone has called a Special General Meeting for Sunday to declare its intention for the board and chief executive to be replaced.  Tauranga Netball Centre board chair Nicola Compton says Dame Noeline Taurua's treatment is one of three major concerns.  She told Mike Hosking the other two are the uncertainty surrounding the ANZ Premiership after next year and the mishandling of the television rights deal.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An assurance a council rates cap will only target unnecessary costs, not community services or infrastructure.  By 2029, councils wanting to increase rates by more than 4% will need approval from a government-appointed regulator.   Water rates are excluded from the cap.  Local Government Minister Simon Watts told Mike Hosking this will be an education process for councils.  He says there's a lot of fat in the system and councils need to ensure cash has to be going into essential areas.   Watts says he will work with the industry, not against them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A view more New Zealanders are adapting to get on the property ladder to overcome economic woes.  Kiwibank's Annual State of Home Ownership Index finds 57% of non-owners feel locked out of the market, improving by 6%.  It notes 60% still find the cost of living the biggest obstacle to owning a house.  Chief Executive Steve Jurkovich told Mike Hosking more people are open to exploring different pathways to ownership.  For example, he says, people are exploring co-owning, getting together with their parents and grandparents to try buy a house.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour's shrugging off food poisoning concerns at a Christchurch school, saying its principal is often complaining about Government policies.  Haeata Community Campus recalled all lunches yesterday after discovering some boxes contained rancid and "dead" looking food.   Some children had already eaten their lunch.  Minister-in-charge Seymour told Mike Hosking a previous batch has likely been re-served to students.  He says they're keeping an open mind while looking into how meals from last week got in front of children this week.  The School Lunch Collective, Ministry of Education and MPI are all investigating.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's an expectation a rates cap will prove challenging and require teaming up with central Government.   The Government's proposing to stop rates increases at 4% a year, excluding water and other non-rates revenue.  Councils wanting to go beyond this will need approval from a government-appointed regulator.  Nelson Mayor Nick Smith told Mike Hosking he's not surprised councils have been targeted by the Government as it aims to reduce costs across the board.  But he says delivery will require the Government to work with them to get costs down, especially in the construction sector.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 1st of December, Local Government Minister Simon Watts speaks on what councils will be spending on 'Water Done Well' over the next decade. The Prime Minister speaks about our maths results, whether EU countries are worried about our climate targets and the City Rail Link being delayed until late 2026. For the final time Andrew Saville and Jason Pine speak to Mike for the year about the F1, Supercars and Auckland FC. 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.

In the UK the Justice Secretary has suggested the end of the jury trial, except for rape, murder, manslaughter, or what he calls "cases that pass a national interest test". The idea has received the sort of reaction you would expect from the usual quarters you would expect it from. My hope is we might want to look at something similar here. The wait, like in the UK, for a trial is absurd. The system is overwhelmed. Getting a jury is hard work and will never get any easier. So if we accept the system doesn’t function in a way we would want, judge-alone would be an immediate improvement in efficiency. Could I be controversial and suggest the reality also is that most people who end up in court are in fact guilty of what they are accused of doing? Which is not to change the idea that you are innocent until proven otherwise. It's just that you can mount a fairly solid argument that a jury is made up of a collection of people who may or may not want to be there, may or may not know what's really going on, may or may not get nuance and minutiae of certain aspects of the law and, therefore, as a collective be a fairly weak representation of the justice you seek. In a way it's like democracy. We love the idea but at local body level we literally can't be bothered. We don’t even turn up so is the idea still a sound one, even if it doesn’t work? Being judged by a jury of your peers - what a wonderful 1800's style thought. But here in the real world it's got a very stale, arduous vibe to it. Why is it important that 12 people agree on something? Well, it isn't if they can't because in some cases we then make it that only 11 people need to agree. So you see, rules are malleable. In some places it's 10 needed. So lets not get all rigid, because the law has been around a while. If the basic premise is justice being seen to be done then the “doing” has to have an element of pace about it. Not rushed, not rubber stamped and open to skullduggery, but an efficient system seen to be working well. You can't argue we have that, or anywhere close. Lammy of the UK has been bold and good on him. Let's hope the same boldness resides somewhere here as well. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: Auckland FC suffered a loss at home amid monsoon-like rains. Should the game have been called off?  The F1 Driver's Championship is headed to the final race of the season, with three contenders for the title.  And the V8 Supercars Championship has changed up their format, but is it too confusing?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.