The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Fans may have noticed a more enjoyable Super Rugby product this season.  Static time has been cut by 73 seconds, and an average of 61 points are being scored per game – the highest ever.  Viewing numbers and game attendance have also increased.  CEO Jack Mesley told Mike Hosking the growth’s happening on both sides of the ditch, with Australia leading the charge this season.  He says their focus is to string seasons of growth back-to-back so that they’re moving in the right direction, and that’s certainly happening.  Mesley says the unexpected results are fuelling some of the interest.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 9th of April, will the tariffs affect our OCR announcement this afternoon?      A new report on organised crime shows we are in shambles, it's getting worse, not better, and we are losing the fight.  Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk Andrew Little’s potential run for Wellington mayor, David Parker’s resignation, and organised crime on Politics Wednesday.  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.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come out on top in the first debate of the election.   Of the 100 undecided voters polled after the debate, 44 chose Albanese, 35 chose his opponent Peter Dutton, and 21 were undecided.   Australian correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking a personal tragedy struck Dutton shortly before it started.   He says Dutton received news his father had had a heart attack an hour before the debate started.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Ginny Anderson says former party leader Andrew Little would make a great mayor.  Newstalk ZB yesterday revealed Little is actively considering running for the Wellington Mayoralty after previously ruling it out.  Little says the city needs a change, and he's been approached by many to run.  Andersen told Mike Hosking he'd improve the council  She says Little's level headed, and would be a safe pair of hands which the city desperately needs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Methamphetamine use skyrocketed to its highest level last year as New Zealand struggles to keep pace.  A ministerial advisory group on organised crime has released it's first report since being established in February.   It says police and customs do their best, but the reality is the country is losing the fight.  Advisory group chair Steve Symon told Mike Hosking there are high spikes in rural areas across the country.  He says that this is evidence against the theory that gangs are dumping meth in the water to avoid police raids.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

International students are returning to New Zealand campuses, with numbers reaching pre-Covid levels.  Education New Zealand says the students contribute billions to the economy annually.  Universities New Zealand CEO Chris Whelan told Mike Hosking it's a welcome financial boost.  He says as well as bringing life back to the campus, they also help keep our institutions afloat financially.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police will continue with their plan to pull back from mental health callouts, but they're going about it more slowly. From Monday, 4 of the 12 police districts will move into the second phase, which involves 60-minute ED handovers.   They will now be staggered across districts, instead of all at once.   The Mental Health Foundation has been critical of the pull back.   Police Association President Chris Cahill told Mike Hosking police need to draw a strong line in the sand to ensure people are taken care of by the right people.   He says that shouldn't involve police sitting in emergency departments for six hours.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 70 countries have approached the White House for talks following Trump’s tariffs.   There's been no let up on China though – the US has promised to hit them with a 50% increase tomorrow.   That will take China's total tariff rate to 104%.   US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking the world's biggest company,  Apple, has been dealt a massive blow.   He says its lost 20% of its market value in the past three days, and is pivoting production to India instead of China.  The White House has raised the idea of manufacturing in the US, but Arnold says it’s unlikely as it would costs thousands of dollars more.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are agreeing on where they think today's Official Cash Rate will land.  They expect a 25 basis point cut to the OCR, down from 3.75%.  ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Mike Hosking there's a risk the Reserve Bank opts for a different strategy after the US tariff announcement.  She says if it were to be a surprise, a 50-point cut is more likely than a pause.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A touch of the ol' intellectual snobbery reared its head with news that the Defence Force dropped education criteria last year.  As a person who had no time for school and could not wait to get out into the world, I was, and still am, very grateful for the idea that you choose the person and not the piece of paper when it comes to work.  When I started, School Certificate and UE were what you needed to get into the media, or at least to have a crack.  These days you need a degree. I can assure you the quality of those graduates has not changed one iota as a result of several years of study.  The military is an awfully difficult place to recruit for, especially in a country like ours.  Just what is it you are offering? We don't do a lot; we don’t have a lot of equipment and we don’t fight wars. We keep peace and patrol.  So in a world where work-life balance and work from home and 4-day weeks are commonplace, average pay, Waiouru, and a lot of early rises aren't exactly calling cards.  So you simply now need three years of school. You don’t even need Level 1 NCEA.  Here is the thing – some people aren't into school. I know this because I was one of them.  Not all life choices, work choices, or skills are gained by passing Year 11 maths.  The military is as much about attitude and aptitude – it's a structured environment and it is designed for a specific type of person.  In places like America, they recruit people who may well struggle to get regular work. That is the way it is and it's a simple truth. They offer dental and medical in a country where you may not be able to afford it.  They offer a career and travel and opportunity in careers and trades you may not have even thought of.  Here you can be an auto technician, plumber or diver. They are the jobs on offer in the military with no skills. Could you do that in civilian life? No.  Being good with an engine does not mean you are good in class.  These are doors of opportunity  If the military through necessity can make it work, who are these outside snobs who still believe that exams and results are the sole key to employment? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.