The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Unprecedented discussions between a high-ranking US justice official and Ghislaine Maxwell.   CNN reports Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Jeffery Epstein's accomplice in her Florida prison, where she's serving a 20 year sentence for child sex trafficking and abuse offences.   Intelligence Analyst John Miller says a meeting like this is unheard of, speculating they could have discussed others involved in the scheme, or what she'd be willing to say publicly on President Trump.   US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking it’s all occurring as the Epstein saga blew up on Capitol Hill.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday is upon us, so Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was.  There’s been another development in Mike’s hot water and lemon saga – how many lemons can you get for $27?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 25th of July, the Government is changing election rules to stop same-day enrolment and banning food and drink within 100 meters of voting stations.   Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has announced a new measure that would see the cars of court fine evaders clamped or seized.   Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson Wrap the Week, complete with another development in Mike's lemon and hot water saga.  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.

It’s a conflicting time for the civil contracting sector.  The Government has been touting a ‘turning point’ for the industry at this week’s conference, promising $6 billion worth of infrastructure projects underway before Christmas.  However, the latest industry survey results tell a different story, with 73% of respondents saying the lack of work is the most pressing issue.  Civil Contractors NZ Chief Executive Allan Pollard told Mike Hosking the $6 billion in infrastructure work isn’t entirely civil work, and they need a lot more work to feed the industry.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People with unpaid court fines could be at risk of having cars clamped or seized from tonight.   The Government's trialling number plate scanning technology, which bailiffs can use at police checkpoints to identify fine evaders.   Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith told Mike Hosking there's more than $100 million in unpaid fines.  He hopes the trial's effective in clamping lots of cars, because the rest of the country is sick of people not facing consequences.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our palliative care system may be waning as demand grows, prompting a push for action.  We've fallen from third in the world in palliative care access ten years ago, to 12th place.   An article in the New Zealand Medical Journal finds we have less than a third of the recommended number of specialists per capita, and many are nearing retirement.   Author Dr Catherine D’Souza told Mike Hosking that we lack the funding to train more specialists, despite having ample opportunity and space to do so.  She says that the number of people dying is going to double in the next thirty years, and if we don’t take action quickly, already struggling health services are going to struggle even more and fall apart.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A belief changes to electoral day enrolments addresses slow administrative process and voter slackness.   The Government's looking to ban prisoner votes, stop free food and entertainment at voting stations, and enforce a 13-day pre-election enrolment rule to vote.  Otago University Electoral Law Expert Andrew Geddis told Mike Hosking same day enrolments require people to cast 'special votes', which take longer to process.  He says the number of special votes has been increasing markedly over recent elections, so it's taking longer to get a result.  Geddis denies the changes are deliberately aimed at negatively impacting the left.  He says that special votes always result in more seats for the left, but whether or not that's a driving motivation behind the change is debatable.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis is defending her decision to seek answers from Fonterra about its prices.  The price of butter has almost doubled in the past 14 months because Asia is demanding more, and Europe is producing less.  Fonterra is ruling out selling butter to New Zealanders at a lower price than it makes overseas.  But Willis told Mike Hosking she has no regrets about raising the issue with the dairy co-op in the first place.  She says she can't dismiss an issue lots of New Zealanders are talking about.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government are in trouble in a couple of areas:  1) FamilyBoost. What they said would happen, numbers wise, didn't.  2) Police recruits. What they said would happen, will not.  3) The ban on foreign buyers for houses now looks farcical.  Yesterday's attempt by the NZ Herald to make some Winston Peters' comments look like news was a beat up, because he said the same thing to me two months ago.  Saying the same thing, with nothing new or any change in between, is not news. It's the status quo.  What makes the Peters' stance, and therefore the Government damage, unusual is Peters' stance is inexplicable.  FamilyBoost got messed up because IRD gave the Government poor advice.  The police recruit issue is bad because being a cop is hard, a lot of cops leave, and Australia offers sunshine and beaches, and they are actively making offers.  But on the upside, the golden visa is working. People with money have applied and there are hundreds of millions, heading towards billions, in play. But we still want them to rent or use Airbnb.  The level of stupidity in that is inescapable and inexcusable.  National had a policy of $2 million a house – anything over that a foreigner could buy.  Peters didn't like it, fine. National moved that to $5-6 million. Locals here aren't buying those houses.  Peters still won't move. He says a deal is coming.  But the critical questions are, why would you burn goodwill inside a coalition and why would you risk reputational damage internationally?  The same bloke who is holding us to ransom is the same bloke who has travelled the world telling said world we are open. And yet, we are not.  If this Government is to survive, and possibly prosper, the simple stuff cannot afford to be an issue.  We need money and we need investment and the jobs and growth that brings. It must be part of a package, and the package comes with a home.  Peters gets that, I know he does. And yet, nothing.  Small word to National and Luxon – how about some hardball? How long do you want to look like the weak guys, the dog being wagged by the tail?  National's biggest problem, apart from Peters, is time.  Next year, the country makes a decision on all this. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Banks are sounding the alarm over a new kind of subscription trap.  Instead of a typical ‘forgot to cancel scenario’, businesses are instead selling goods and services that hook customers into reoccurring subscription payments.  Westpac says it’s stopped nearly 20,000 customers from being fleeced in the past three months, stopping more than $25 million in unwanted charges.  Massey University banking expert Claire Matthews told Mike Hosking that the problem with this type of situation is it’s difficult to cancel the subscription.  Some companies, she says, straight up disappear when people try to cancel, so it’s easier to stop the payment upfront.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.