The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Europe is concerned about the flow on effects of Donald Trump’s tariffs.  With a 145% tariff on China, there are fears that instead of cheap products making their way to the US, they’ll be shipped to Europe, weaking local industries.  Europe Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that although Trump cut the tariff on Europe, leaders are saying not to breathe a sigh of relief just yet.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 15th of April, Erica Stanford is looking to change and clarify the sex education curriculum at schools.  Billionaire Nick Mowbray tells us what it's like to deal with Trump's trade war with China.  Jeremy Piven of Entourage and Mr Selfridge fame pops in for a chat ahead of bringing his stand up to New Zealand.  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.

For fans of Jeremy Piven, he’s instantly recognisable in a couple of roles.  His portrayal of Ari Gold in Entourage propelled his career, winning Piven a Golden Globe and three consecutive Emmys, and he also starred in Mr Selfridge – the drama based on the life of Harry Selfridge.   Despite the more serious roles he’s played over the last few years, Piven has a knack for stand up comedy, which is bringing him across the ocean to our corner of the world.   He’s just finished up filming Past Lives in the UK, taking to the road to perform his standup.  “It’s my job right now just to kind of run around and get up on stage, and interact with people and have a great time, and make people laugh,” he told Hosking.  “Stand up comedy’s never been more popular, I think because of all the frustrations that we’re unpacking.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch's new stadium is slowly taking shape.   Construction of the $683 million Te Kaha stadium is on schedule and within budget – set to open in April next year.  Mayor Phil Mauger admits he's uncertain about parking but emphasises there will be public transport and foot traffic access.  Te Kaha Project Director Kent Summerfield told Mike Hosking the roof is well and truly on, and cladding is underway.  He says it's becoming a landmark in the city as it can be seen from quite a distance away.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zuru Toys co-founder Nick Mowbray speaks on the impacts of United States tariffs on China. He said businesses were “in a holding pattern” as they grappled with the uncertainty of changeable policy. US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on April 2. Kiwi billionaire Nick Mowbray says “it’s hard to say we’re not worried” about US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his administration’s “chaotic” policy decisions. “We’ll ship about $2 billion worth of goods to the US this year. So, at that run rate, that makes our tariffs worth about $3 billion at the moment.” Speaking from Los Angeles this morning (New Zealand time), the toy mogul said it was difficult to read the mood on the ground there. New Zealand businessman Nick Mowbray could not say he wasn't worried about the impact of tariffs. Photo / Alex Burton The co-founder of Zuru Toys told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast it was impossible to plan around the tariffs. He also said it would be “obviously impossible” to shift manufacturing of his products from China to the United States to skirt the 145% tariff rate. His business, along with retailers, were “in a holding pattern”. “It’s hard to say we’re not worried. Everything seems to change each day. We’re in a state of stopping everything at the moment because it’s impossible to plan,” said Mowbray. “We’re all hoping it doesn’t continue for very long, but the [US] administration is definitely very chaotic.” He believed it was possible the tariffs would ultimately be negotiated down. Trump announced huge tariffs on different countries on April 2. In a whiplash change of tune a week later, he said all targeted countries but China would face a 10% rate for 90 days. Photo /The New York Times The $3b worth of tariffs his company would have to pay would be passed on to consumers in significant price increases. Mowbray said he was in the US, at his office, trying to work through the impact of the tariffs. The US has become Zuru’s main export market, supplying the likes of Walmart, Target, Costco and Amazon. An escalating trade war ensued after the US imposed tariffs on China, seeing Beijing put in a retaliatory 125% rate on US imports. Trump announced huge tariffs on different countries on April 2. In a whiplash change of tune a week later, he said all targeted countries but China would face a 10% rate for 90 days. The trade war has created fears of an economic downturn as the dollar drops and investors part with US government bonds, normally considered a safe investment, Agence France-Presse reported. The impact on New Zealand remains uncertain. Kiwibank economists have outlined three possible scenarios for the country: Quick negotiations of tariff deals and little relative economic damage, longer dealmaking and prolonged economic insecurity, and the least likely scenario, recession. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Immigration Minister says they've seen a spike in immigration applications from wealthy American investors.  The Golden Visa system was re-jigged to attract those with a minimum of $5 million to invest in New Zealand's economy.  Applications so far amount to a minimum investment of $260 million, with Erica Stanford saying most are from North America.  Lane Neave immigration expert Mark Williams told Mike Hosking that's not surprising.  He says any country in the world facing economic uncertainty would be a source of immigration.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some advice for people who are having trouble with their Sky boxes this morning after a satellite switch.  The television network officially made the switch this morning, as it's D2 satellite is due to reach the end of its life in May.  All broadcast channels were off-air at the same time overnight.  Sky TV CEO Sophie Moloney told Mike Hosking there's any easy fix if boxes aren't working.  She says if they're not working properly, do a hard reboot and if that doesn't work, give them a call.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister wants to be the one taking the heat over sex education, not schools.  The new draft curriculum is out for the first round of public consultation before it's written up later this year.  It proposes children from Year Four learning about consent and gender stereotypes, while high schoolers learn about menstrual cycles and STIs.  Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking currently, it's up to principals to go out to their community and specify what's taught.  She says ERO reports found that to be very divisive, and sometimes schools and principles faced a lot of aggression from their communities over the content they taught.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calm before the storm for Auckland's flood-risk communities as the council takes action.  It'll buy more than 1200 high risk homes by the end of the year, at a cost of $352 million.  A large chunk of the land will be retained for flood resilience and safer areas will be sold for development.  Auckland Council Policy and Planning Committee Chair Richard Hills told Mike Hosking it's going to be a long road.  He says people will find it hard seeing houses removed from the street they live on.  The Council has also acknowledged the time it's taken to take action on flood risk areas.  Hills says he hoped it would be a faster process.  He told Hosking homeowners could apply to be categorised for most of last year, and then needed individual assessments.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My ongoing advice to the Government is: don’t make big announcements on a Friday. I watched the Prime Minister from Waikato at the Ruakura Superhub. This is what the Government lives for. It's what they dream of. It's what they preach. The Superhub by the way is one of the great visions for this country. It services 45% of the population and 55% of GDP. It's part of what they call the "Golden Triangle" when it comes to business, servicing Hamilton, Tauranga and Auckland. Anyway, at the press conference was a representative from the company with a trillion dollars in assets under management. I'm talking about the local tribe, Waikato-Tainui, with the Prime Minister. Tuku Morgan from the tribe, who in another life became famous for expensive taxpayer funded underwear, spoke eloquently about what the Superhub means, how big it is, how massive the vision is and how transformational it all could be. So, not just a miss for the Government in terms of coverage for exactly what this country needs, but also the chance for us to see a part of the so-called Māori economy we don’t often see. Waikato-Tainui are a wonderful success. The sadness for me is I don’t see them as Māori. I see them as a business, and a good one. Race should not be part of business because performance is the key to business, not race. But there is no denying their money came out of the Treaty settlement process and they have taken it and run with it. Not only don’t we get to see the successful side of the Māori economy, we don't ask often enough how it is you can have that much success and yet still have so much Māori deprivation? That’s the news we do hear a lot about - poverty, addiction, violence and bad health. It's all bad news. Why? If Māori can do well why are we so obsessed with why they aren't? And if there is a way out for those who need it, and Māori have provided the blueprint, why is it still an issue? Māori are held back, we are told. Are they? Why haven't Waikato-Tainui been held back? Or Ngai Tahu? If you listen to the Willie Jackson's of the world, he will tell you colonialism has ruined the Māori dream. I didn’t see that on Friday. Quite the opposite.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.