The Mike Hosking Breakfast

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 14th of February, former Australian PM Scott Morrison is in the country to promote economic growth, so we get some tips from a man whose country outstripped our own economic production.  School lunches have been in the media a lot this week, so we talk to the provider to see what's going wrong and if it can be fixed.  Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson share their Valentine's Day plans while Wrapping the Week.  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.

The Government is being urged to make healthy national food supply a priority.  Growers can currently only farm vegetables with consent from regional authorities and want changes as part of resource management reform.  Horticulture NZ says without urgent change to this, the country risks losing a significant portion of its homegrown food supply by 2030.  Vegetables NZ Chair John Murphy told Mike Hosking that growers in key areas such as Horowhenua face the real prospect of overzealous local authority officials pulling up the driveway and telling them not to grow there anymore.   He says the burden of regulation is massive here.  “You heard the Prime Minister talk about barnacles on the boat slowing us down earlier in the week ... this isn’t a barnacle on the boat slowing us down, this is a hole in the boat.”   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those who provide school lunches are taking a cheat-day today to get on top of food production, following widespread criticism of late deliveries.  An admission from the Government's new school lunch provider that giving pies and Pita Pit to students wasn't part of the plan.  Compass Group, which was awarded the contract for the new cheaper school lunch programme, has faced criticism for the issues with the roll out.  It will today depart from the agreed menu in an effort to get on top of production.  Paul Harvey from the School Lunch Collective told Mike Hosking there are things they haven't got right, but they're determined to improve.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is sharing his advice on how to deal with an imminent tariff announcement from Donald Trump.  The US President has teased another round of sweeping reciprocal tariffs following the announcement of steel and aluminium tariffs earlier this week.  Morrison told Mike Hosking governments just need to make their case, as Mexico, Canada, and Australia did.  He says the current Australian government secured the same exemptions he did last time, and Trump will hear a good argument.   Morrison celebrated New Years with the President at his Mar-a-Lago property.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's confident it can bring an end to New Zealand's grocery duopoly.  It's laying out plans to challenge the incumbents, Foodstuffs and Woolworths, and remove regulations discouraging competition.  It wants to pave the way for a new player to enter the supermarket sector.  Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking there has been competition in the past.  She says the country let the supermarkets merge together and turn into two mega entities.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like most things in life, there is nuance and subtlety that is lost along the way.  David Seymour is of a personality that undoubtedly gets up the noses of some. He might even bother the Prime Minister periodically.  But his Land Rover Escapade is not a sackable offence. Neither is his letter written, not as a minister, for Polkinghorne a sackable offence. Even if you want to combine them and throw in the Treaty Principals Bill because he's agitated people with it, he is still not in sackable territory, nor indeed anywhere close.  Here is the simple truth about MMP: why do we still report it like FPP and they're all in the same party?  Could the Prime Minister sack David Seymour from Cabinet? I guess, but then what would happen? The end of the Government.   Is he going to do that? No, he is not.  When companies take over other companies there is often a clean out of talent. When a new CEO arrives the same thing often applies. The business of running a country in an MMP environment is unique. You don’t merge or take over, you coalesce.  You are individual entities who agree on a series of ideas and a level of cooperation. It won't go perfectly. It might not even go swimmingly, because at no stage did you ever merge into one. You always remained, in this case, as three.  When Chris Hipkins calls yet again for a sacking —and surely we are bored witless with that tactic— he tells us that not since the 80's and Lange and Prebble have we seen in-fighting like this.   He is of course wrong. He forgets Peters and Shipley, and Peters and Bolger, and Anderton and Clark, and Kopu and Shipley, and the NZ First Tight Five. He forgets a vast swathe of our local and recent history and, not just that, he forgets Prebble and Lange were in the same party. Seymour and Luxon are not.  In many respects we are lucky with this current line up. In a small country coalition choice is limited. In Spain and Germany where they have recently stretched the bounds of credibility in forming deals, they have collapsed.   This deal won't collapse. The majority of the time there is cordiality, respect, and productivity. But reportage doesn’t appear to feature those aspects.  The great frustration I have with the Hipkins approach and the coverage of this frippery is that this is a time of tremendous importance on serious matters.   This country is a mess, and it is in desperate need of addressing. The side show game increasingly looks from another age and also childish.  If Seymour, Peters, or Luxon is on the phone to the Governor General to dissolve arrangements then come back to me.   But stunts and a bit of personality back and forward is a day at the office, not a lead story and certainly not a crisis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LIV Golf seems to be growing with every event.  Upon it’s arrival, the tour was rather controversial due to its financial backing from Saudi Arabia, but its popularity is continuing to grow.  Professional golfer Ben Campbell joined the league in 2024 as a reserve player, but is making his official debut this year as a member of Bubba Watson’s squad.  Campbell told Mike Hosking that it’s definitely getting bigger and bigger compared to previous years.  “Even from last year,” he said.  “The crowds have got bigger just the, the whole following had got a lot bigger.”   “And LIV just producing such a good product – they're getting better and better and better at every event, which is exciting.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A soft landing for the red meat industry after a tough 2024.  Meat Industry Association data reveals there was an overall 3% decline in last year's red meat exports, which reached around $10 billion.  Total sheepmeat exports fell 3% in both volume and value.  Chief Executive Sirma Karapeeva says it ended on a positive note with December's exports rising by 17%, reaching more than one billion dollars.  She told Mike Hosking they’re focused on putting one foot in front of the other for 2025 and making sure they continue what they do best: producing and exporting fabulous products to the world.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A reminder landlords aren't privy to the personal information of their tenants.   Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says many renters feel the need during the busy rental season to disclose more about themselves to secure a flat.   He says it can be tempting for landlords to collect this information when considering applications.  Webster says there's also been issues in the past of landlords black-listing tenants and sharing their information when they've had issues.  But he told Mike Hosking there are processes to protect landlord's property through bond arrangements in rental agreements and the Tenancy Tribunal.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 13th of February, there’s potential reforms for both the fisheries and media sector – will either make an impact?  Can you still buy KFC and rent a house? The Privacy Commissioner has new rules for what landlords can and can't look through bank accounts for.  Kiwi golfer Ben Campbell has got a full-time gig with LIV Golf, and he joined to explain how it’s currently running and whether the stigma still exists.  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.