The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Greg Foran knew his time with Air New Zealand was limited from the get go.  The outgoing CEO announced his resignation in March, planning to stay on until October.   He began at Air NZ in early 2020, replacing Christopher Luxon.  Foran told Mike Hosking he knew in the back of his mind he’d probably only do about five or six years with the company, as he has other things he’s keen to do.  He says it’s been one of the peak learning experiences he’s had, and he’s a far better leader today than he was before he took the job.  He also weighed in on the country's tourism numbers. He's been in Rotorua this week for the national tourism industry summit, TRENZ.   Foran told Hosking overseas visitor arrivals last year were only 87% of pre-Covid levels in 2019.   He believes by this time next year, numbers will be back over 100% compared to pre-Covid.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A $1.4 billion upgrade could be on the way for Transpower's Cook Strait electricity cable.   The 610 kilometre link is a transmission system connecting the North and South islands, installed in 1991.  The existing cables are likely to reach their end of life in the late 2030s.   Energy Resources Aotearoa CEO John Carnegie told Mike Hosking the Commerce Commission will need to review that.  He says they’ll need to ensure the numbers are robust and the programme executable.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black smoke has billowed from Rome's Sistine Chapel, signalling a new pope's failed to be elected.  The 133 cardinals will now reconvene tomorrow to choose a successor to Pope Francis.  Jo McKenna, who's in St Peters' Square, told Mike Hosking they went up until about 9pm local time.  She says many of the cardinals are elderly and have to come back in the morning.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's expected twice-convicted double-murderer Mark Lundy will be slipped back into the community.  He's been released from prison after more than 23 years for the murders of his wife Christine and 7-year-old daughter, Amber, in their Palmerston North home.  The now 66-year-old has always maintained his innocence  Criminal lawyer Steve Cullen told Mike Hosking where parolees are released is never made public.  He says there'd be a risk of vigilante groups or media throngs if it was.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister admits many Kiwis aren't getting as much work as they'd like to be.  Unemployment has remained unchanged at 5.1% in the March quarter, despite most economists predicting a rise.  However, 21% of employed people are now working part time.  Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking the ongoing rise in the under-utilisation rate is a concern.  She says it's clear that some people are going into part time work rather than full time work, and aren't working as many hours as they'd like to be.  Willis says she'd like to see those numbers improving.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristine Bartlett was, to many, a hero.  She was a very likeable woman. She was a caregiver who argued her work was undervalued and she deserved more.  The Labour Party who love “feels” and are not exactly unfamiliar with the unions leapt all over it and the Equal Pay Act 2022 was born.  The downside was how to compare this so-called "underpaid work" like in nursing homes, where women dominate and a comparable profession dominated by men.  They decided at the time comparing mechanics to rest home workers made sense, even though it didn’t, and doesn’t.  That's why Brooke van Velden has announced pay equity is going to be, quite rightly, tipped up and sorted out.  Now, whether you can sort it out sensibly is your next issue.  Under current law the job must be performed by at least 60% of the same sex. That will rise to 70%.  On grounds that lead you to believe that the work is historically and currently undervalued you will need evidence, and they are looking at comparators. That's your apples and oranges, or rest home workers and mechanics.  The trouble with the Bartlett issue was twofold.  1) Part of the argument was if you paid people more you would recruit more easily. Turns out that’s wrong as after huge pay rises rest home gaps are still a disaster  2) The bill to reach this so-called equity was $2b. That's a lot of money then and a lot of money now.  I wish van Velden well. But the simple truth is the moment you try to engineer something, you tend to strike trouble.  Work is worth what work is worth, no matter who does it.  Some work pays more than other work. It's based on demand, or skills, or sales and revenue, or scarcity, or demand, or a combination of them.  Given no one makes anyone work in any given area, you strike extraordinary complexity in trying to gerrymander it.  It also singles out just one element of work —money— as being the sole reason for work. Which it isn't.  What we have doesn’t work, hasn’t solved anything and was done for poor reasons.  So reform is good. But reform to what is a bigger trick than they may realise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

135 cardinals from around the world will take their picks on who the new pope should be.   They'll be locked in Rome's Sistine Chapel from tomorrow to decide who will replace Pope Francis.    There's no timescale for how long it'll take, but the last two papal elections lasted for two days.  Australian Catholic Journalist Mark O’Connor told Mike Hosking the cardinals know what they're looking for.  He thinks the cardinals want to have someone with charisma, who can connect with ordinary people.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's acceptance banning social media for under 16s may be easier said than done.   National has put forward a members’ bill to prevent under 16 year olds having social media accounts, with large corporations being responsible for technically regulating age verification.   The author, Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd told Mike Hosking she knows anyone can use a fake age to set up a social media account, but if companies fail to manage it, they'll face significant penalties  She says it's not going to be perfect, but this is a direction from the government that we need to do more to protect kids from online harm.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 7th of May, Brooke van Velden talks improving the pay equity process and why it isn't, apparently, all about the Budget.  And we've got a National bill that wants to ban social media for under 16s. Possible or not?  Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk pay equity and the feasibility of the social media ban – and can we get through a whole segment without Mark putting himself on mute?  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.

MPs across the political spectrum are fired up over the latest proposal to overhaul —under urgency— rules around pay equity.   The proposed law, which would lift the threshold of pay equity claims of gender-discrimination, is expected to have its third reading this morning.   Labour's Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking the Government was boasting about savings.    She says the women in these jobs need to know their wages have been undercut to pay for the Government’s budget.  Mark Mitchell says it's not that simple.  He says taxpayers are the ones funding the pay equity system, and so they need to ensure it’s sustainable.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.