The Mike Hosking Breakfast

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 12th of March, the Government is slashing requirements, making it easier for Kiwi businesses to win Government contracts worth over $50 billion.  NZ Rugby is shaking up the junior rules with a proposal that would see kids play with smaller sides until they reach high school.  Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk school lunches and the Treaty Principles Bill submissions 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.

Junior Rugby is potentially in for its biggest shakeup in decades.  Under a new proposal, kids wouldn’t play 15-a-side until they reach high school, playing 10-a-side until year 7 and 13-a-side in year 8.  The changes are aimed at improving enjoyment and confidence levels.  NZ Rugby Participation Development Manager Mike Hester told Mike Hosking they want to provide opportunities for kids to continue their skill development, so they have the skill sets and experiences they need to play locally or pursue a professional career.  He says having a smaller side gives younger kids more opportunities to get their hands on the ball and be more involved and engaged with the sport.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An expectation less red tape for Kiwi businesses bidding for Government contracts will benefit the economy. The Finance Minister's slashing 71 requirements in the Government's procurement rule book down to 47 – including scrapping a company's requirement to pay their employees a living wage. It's also introducing a new economic benefit test. Building Industry Federation chief executive Julien Leys told Mike Hosking this will help growth. He says we're going to see better deals, more work for local companies, and a move towards outcome driven decisions. Leys says some of the current rules are very prescriptive, often creating a burden rather than focusing on what the company has to offer. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Economic Growth Minister is making it easier for New Zealand businesses to win government contracts.  Nicola Willis is scrapping 24 requirements in the Government's procurement rule book, including a requirement for the company to pay cleaning, catering, and security staff a living wage.  She's also adding a new economic benefit test.  Willis told Mike Hosking they're encouraging agencies to not just choose the cheapest option.  She says they want the billions of dollars the government spends on these contracts to generate jobs, incomes, and economic benefits.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief from David Seymour that the collapse of a school lunch provider is a non-story.  The Libelle Group, which is sub-contracted by Compass Group to deliver about 125,000 meals daily, has gone into liquidation.   The Minister in Charge, Seymour says that won't impact lunch deliveries.  He's admitted the Government knew Libelle may have been in strife when it signed the deal, but had no reason to believe it would fail.  Seymour told Mike Hosking the issue is a contractual matter between two companies, neither of which is the Government.  He says its issue is making sure Compass delivers on its contract to the Government.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US is immediately lifting its pause on military aid and intelligence-sharing to Ukraine.   It follows several hours of discussions between officials from Washington and Kyiv in Saudi Arabia this morning.   Ukraine's backing the United States' 30-day ceasefire proposal – contingent on Russia's agreement.  Russia's not at the talks.  Kyiv-based foreign policy analyst Jimmy Rushton told Mike Hosking this is a major win for the Ukrainian government. He says the Ukrainians are doing everything they can to demonstrate they're ready to end the war that's cost hundreds of thousands of lives.   Military officials from over 30 nations will also meet in Paris for talks later today.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My long-held suspicion, oft produced for the Prime Minister on Tuesdays, that the public service might well be working against the Government seems to have been laid bare in the Deloitte report into the failed health system.  As you will be aware, we are going back to a board from a commissioner.  But what the report seems to indicate is the board or commissioner is not the issue. The issue is incompetence.  The fact a board was replaced is not about whether it’s a board. It's about the fact they never had control of the money, they didn’t have a plan, and they were hopeless.  Hopelessness is hopelessness, no matter what the shape of it is structurally.  More worryingly is the reportage that tells us that what they wanted wasn’t adhered to. It wasn’t listened to and it wasn’t acted on.  In theory, a good governance structure would see this pushback and fix it.  But you had incompetence and rejection dovetailing, with the end result being the chaos that has ensued.  The report infers the Government would have been better sticking with 20 health boards. My argument was always in a country the size of New Zealand, four DHB's felt about right.  A centralised system always had Soviet vibes about it, and then when your centralised system was overseen by buffoons, you got the result we did.  Here's a critical line from the report - "the centre made requests, the district ignored them".  That's sabotage.  There were no supporting action plans, ownership, budget impacts, tracking, reporting, or governance.  Health New Zealand did not have the right executive or board level controls. This is yet more Labour Party incompetency – all ideology, no delivery.  By the time you add the Brian Roche report into the public service to this, surely we have a case that shows not only do we have a bloated structure of too many people, but many of those in that bloating are hopeless and/or undermining what is trying to be done.  DOGE, anyone? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Coll admits fulfilling a dream by winning the New Zealand Open squash title in front of a record crowd in Christchurch.   The 32-year-old says the tournament exceeded expectations.  A 2-time British Open Champion as well as a Commonwealth Games Champion, Coll is currently ranked number 4 in the world.   He told Mike Hosking the tournament was a really good week for everyone involved, especially him, but he knows that those who travelled from abroad to compete had a good time.  He says he was trying to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the competition, but he also played the best squash he has all season.  “I’m looking forward to pushing off for the rest of the season – excited to keep playing.”  Coll now travels to Brisbane to compete in the Australian Open, which is a gold ranking event.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 11th of March, Canada has elected a new Prime Minister whose focus is locked on Trump and the trade war.  The Prime Minister talks the coalition of the willing, bank capital and what Nicola Willis is doing about it, and whether anything tangible will come out of the India trip.  Kiwi squash champion Paul Coll has had two early wins in 2025, so we get him on for a chat ahead of the Melbourne Open.  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.

Wellington Water's boss says local councils have every right to be angry at them.  Tory Whanau yesterday described her council's relationship with the organisation as “tense” at a special meeting, following revelations last week it wasn't getting value for ratepayers' money.  Wellington Water CEO Pat Dougherty told Mike Hosking he and his staff are doing everything they can to find the issues and fix them.  He says there's been a culture of putting too much trust in their contractors, and he wants a more tense and accountable relationship.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.