The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The week has come to an end, which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to wrap it all up.   Mike ordered a new 85-inch TV and its installation has thrown the house into a bit of disarray. Kate’s been looking at the price of salmon, and they discuss the legacy and impact of Simon Dallow as he signs off as 6pm newsreader for the last time tonight.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A shift in climate has opened the door to grow more coffee in the Far North.  Industry specialists have gathered near Kaikohe for the annual Coffee Producers Association conference.  New Zealand currently has about a dozen growers and more than seven thousand trees, with goals to scale-up production.  Association Chair Peter Sheppard told Mike Hosking we're in a zone where the climate has become warm enough to make the industry viable.  He says there’s huge potential in New Zealand, and they’re at the beginning of a really exciting journey.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mortgage advisor is joining the Finance Minister in urging banks to slash home loan rates.   Nicola Willis is asking them to pass on “as much as possible” in the wake of the Reserve Bank cutting the Official Cash Rate to 2.25%.  She says the banks have a stake in the economy, and passing the cuts on will make a significant difference.   Loan Market Mortgage Advisor Bruce Patten told Mike Hosking the banks are holding onto some really good margins at the moment.  He says he’d like to see them pass them on before Christmas – everyone needs it, so someone needs to make the move.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's move to shift e-scooter users from the sidewalk to bike lanes is being hailed as a win for common-sense.  ACC statistics for e-scooter injuries this year are close to surpassing $14 million.  There were also more than two thousand claims for e-scooter related injuries in the first half of this year.  Flamingo Scooters Co-Creator Jacksen Love told Mike Hosking it clears up confusion.  He says bike lanes are clearly a lot safer than the road and helps keep footpaths clear for pedestrians.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good news for the retail sector as sales increase across the country.  Stats NZ data shows the total volume of sales increased 1.9% in the September quarter, equalling more than $470 million.  The growth was driven by motor vehicles and electronic goods, which saw the biggest boost this quarter.  Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking the start of a new Government year may play a role in the rising numbers.  She says leases may expire and people may need new vehicles, which happens in the third quarter.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's assurance an inquiry into the Tom Phillips saga is important for the public, but also his children.  Phillips was on the run with his kids for nearly four years, ending only when he died in September in a Police shootout.  An inquiry's been confirmed to look at whether Government agencies took all practicable steps for the children's safety and welfare.  Attorney-General Judith Collins told Mike Hosking we want to get this done so the children can better understand what unfolded.  She says once they grow up it'd be helpful for them to know that some people tried very hard to for them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More details are emerging around the background of the Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC.  Both soldiers remain critically injured after yesterday's shooting, while the suspect's in custody.  The FBI says the shooter had worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and had immigrated to the US in 2021.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking the suspect was reportedly troubled by his work with a CIA paramilitary force in Afghanistan.  Arnold says the group was also accused of civilian killings.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I tell you what I like about all the educators whinging away over the curriculum redo and the Treaty treatment: they are at least standing their ground. They are having their say and that is no bad thing.  It struck me yesterday when I read Roger Gray's speech, Roger Gray of Auckland Port. When he talked of “No Zealand”, of the naysayers, of the cruise people in Miami and their view of NZ not wanting a cruise industry. Of Jacinda Ardern calling them Petrie dishes.   Where were the Roger Grays when she was actually in charge and wrecking the place?  The educators are bold enough to tell the current government they don’t like what's going on, but where was the business community when their companies were being shafted?  In the prizes for gonads and backbone, the educators win hands down.  Not that they are right of course, and in that is the gargantuan irony. The educators complain about rules and change and yet are irrefutably on the wrong side of history, given the education outcomes produced in this country.  And yet business was nowhere to be seen or heard, despite the fact we all knew the country was being strangled by power freaks, and they would eventually be proved right.  But as much as I defend an educator's right to speak up, there is something deeply insidious about the way educators, particularly unions, operate.  The list, the signatories of principals who have signed this protest to the Education Minister over the curriculum change is driven by, the Education Minister told us, unions.  And it’s a standover tactic. It’s an intimidatory play. You are bullied and harried and cajoled into signing, hence she claims, you then ring her up and tell her you signed reluctantly.  That sadly, says something about a principal that acts out of fear – sort of like businesses hating the decisions but saying nothing.  Fear is no way to live, but for some I get it: life is short, who needs the grief?  But if that is the mentality in education, if that is the modus operandi of unions, what sort of world are our kids entering into? What sort of brain washing, whether overt or subliminal, do our kids get subjected to?   The Minster, in telling us all this on Tuesday, said it is disgusting – anyone want to disagree? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the country’s most famous singer-songwriters is back with an entirely new album.  It’s a new chapter for Bic Runga, who’s sixth studio album, ‘Red Sunset’, is releasing in February next year, with a tour following in March.  It’s her first album in 15 years to feature all-original material.  “It’s a bit of a reinvention,” Runga told Mike Hosking.  “That’s never easy to do, but it’s either reinvent or just repeat yourself, so, y’know, I really kind of wanted to try something else.”  The album was recorded in an Airbnb in Paris earlier this year, where Runga and her family were holidaying.   “We rented a house with a piano, and really knocked the record out.”  “I wanted it to have some of that vibe and just remembering my life before, y’know, the kids and stuff,” she told Hosking.  “It was just sort of a nostalgic trip, I suppose.”   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 27th of November, Kiwibank’s CEO and the Reserve Bank Governor unpack the Official Cash Rate cut to 2.25%.  A class action lawsuit is being filed against Transpower and Omexom over the massive power failure following the pylon disaster – are Northland businesses interested?   Kiwi singer Bic Runga is releasing her first fully original album since 2011, so she joined for a chat about ‘Red Sunset’ and her new tour.   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.