The Mike Hosking Breakfast

A Judge in the United States has blocked Elon Musk and his team from accessing Treasury Department records, keeping him from the personal finance data of millions of Americans.  Musk was appointed as a 'special government employee' upon Donald Trump's return to office and is now arguing against the Judge's ruling.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold gives Mike Hosking the details on this, and discusses the Super Bowl kicking off at 12:30pm NZT.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's speech yesterday afternoon, to what I assume was a business audience, was well received. Another piece of tangible evidence that we are at last trying to get this place moving economically again. The nomad visa, or digital nomad announcement, was of a similar vein but a mile too late. Over 60 countries have a similar scheme and, to be honest, if you're on holiday and you open your lap top, are you a visitor or a digital nomad? Yesterday's golden visa is not a minute too soon for a couple of reasons; 1) The settings from the last Government are bordering on an economic crime. Prior to Covid, investors brought in money to the value of billions. Post the changes made by Labour, the Prime Minister told us it was about $70m. It’s a joke. It's almost as though they hated being successful. 2) Simplified categories. $5m over three years for the riskier investment and $10m for the safer ones. The other reason we needed to move is because it is likely Peter Dutton in Australia is going to re-introduce a golden visa there. It will have little, if any, requirements outside of money. He stands a half-decent chance of being Prime Minister in a couple of months. We simply have to be competitive, which is why we have also dropped the language test. It's not, as the Prime Minister pointed out, because no one can speak English, because they can. It's because we look arrogant and child-like in making people who want to improve the country sit a test. This isn't school. This is real world business. The next move, and given our talk with Winston Peters on the show on Friday, I am convinced the speculation that is rife is right. The next step is housing. Not everyone who invests wants, or needs, to live here. But the Prime Minister's speech contained the thought that once you take the plunge, opportunities arise. It might be you like the place, it might be you have more money and more ideas, or it might be you want to hang around a while. To do that you need to buy a house. The foreign ban then becomes absurd. Stand by for the change to the policy and, like these other moves, not a moment too soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown will be signing agreements in China this week, with New Zealand and much of the Cook Islands left out of the loop.  Member of the Cook Islands Parliament Tina Browne said the island nation is not in favour of the Prime Minister's plans.  "The country is reacting in a way that I've never seen before ... we thought that things were calming down, but actually they're not, they're escalating," she said.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Job creation in the United States slowed through January, but payroll reports have indicated unemployment is falling and wage growth is picking up.  Amazon investors didn't like what they heard about the company's guidance, despite a positive delivery in the cloud division.  In Super Bowl news, ad slots are going for roughly $8 million, do investors have reason to be wary of the outcome?  Greg Smith of Devon Funds management talks to Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's doubling down on his plan for a US takeover of the Gaza strip.  Posting on social media, the US President says Gaza will be turned over to the US by Israel when fighting has "concluded".  He says by then Palestinians will have been already resettled in "far safer and more beautiful communities" elsewhere in the Middle East.  However, it turns out that Trump didn’t inform some of his top cabinet picks about the idea beforehand, which has lead to some backpedalling.  The new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio says that the only thing Trump has done is offer the United States’ willingness to step in and clean up the strip.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that in direct contrast to Rubio’s words, Trump said that he does see a “long term ownership position” for the US.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.    Waitangi: 2/10  At some point the minority is going to realise the majority, i.e. us, tuned out years ago, and the circus that passes for a so-called National Day needs a massive rethink.    School lunches: 2/10  Well, the whining is a two anyway. General reports suggest the lunches themselves are fine, but the bitching and media clickbait superficiality has to stop.    The Warriors: 7/10  First trial game tonight in Sydney against the Sharks. Can it be? Yes it can!    Tariffs: 6/10  Lord knows where it goes and whether a full-scale war breaks out, but it’s a first early win for the Trumpster over Mexico and Canada.    The Trumpster: 6/10  If you ever want to experience Trump in full mad, unrestrained, "can this be real", "how nuts is he" flight, watch the presser with Netanyahu. It was mental.    The NZRU: 2/10  If you ever wondered why they are in the state they are, read the story about TJ's tantrum and their handling and there is your answer.    Dairy: 9/10  That lot are going stratospheric. Another blockbuster auction and the billions continue to flow. God bless the farmers, and that’s before we get to the apples. Go the Bay!    LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The TJ Perenara performance and the reaction to David Seymour are both indicative of all that is wrong with this country in terms of race relations.  It is not harmonious, it is not well debated, it is not cordial, and it is not better than it has been.  The Prime Minister gets it, but Seymour doesn't. There is no point in heading north each year, you are simply treated poorly by rude people.  This year in Seymour's speech the mic was removed twice, backs were turned, and people tried to sing over the top of him. It's the same old, same old.  There is always a grievance and there is always someone to hate on. They defend it by telling you how angry they are and this year it's the Treaty Principle's Bill, but at no point does anyone accept that just because you disagree, it doesn't mean you have to be rude.  Rudeness is not justified simply because you are on opposite sides of the debate, or page.  It is why most of us have tuned out of the national day.  Then you come to the rugby union, the guardians of our national game.  The Perenara scenario unfolded because we live in a country where Māori issues are too often acquiesced to in an excessive manner.  Perenara is just a player and a player in a team. His race does not trump the team.  Yet it is very clear, as per the story on Wednesday, that he was allowed to blackmail a woke collective into a sort-of submission.  The NZR was woke, enamoured by the modern-day practices, because it is inept and has been for years.  Organisations, groups and businesses who are not sure of themselves sway in the wind and, as such, are captured by whatever is currently cool.  Māoridom in public life, or public service, or the zeitgeist, for a while got cool. Everyone had to say "kia ora", call it the "motu" and token it up to look like you were part of the gang.  That tide has turned, but because the NZR were submerged in it, the Perenara scenario was allowed to unfold, with all the indecision and panic so eloquently recounted in the story if you haven't read it.  It's as much about Perenara and his arrogance as it is about governance and ineptitude, whether in Waitangi or Turin.  It is this sort of nonsense that prevents progress, and we are all paying the price. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data has revealed the pay of chartered accountants in New Zealand lags behind that in Australia.  A survey by Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand has found members across the ditch took home a median NZ$177,000 compared to NZ$144,200 in New Zealand.  Chief financial officers were being paid around $336,000 to New Zealand's $265,000.  But Chartered Accountants' Charlotte Evett told Mike Hosking she's not surprised.  She says they've always seen higher salaries in Australia than New Zealand, and the big gap in economic performance has been there since the 70s.  However, there are reasons for accountants to stay in the country.  Evett says a third of Australian accountants felt they were unfairly paid compared to 20% in New Zealand, and New Zealand can also be more affordable to live in.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 7th of February, Mike was astounded at the youth unemployment rate reaching a record high, so Michael Reddell joined to break down the situation.  How concerned is Winston Peters about the potential deal between the Cook Islands and China? The Foreign Minister discusses the situation and whether the foreign buyers ban could be lifted.   Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson didn't take a long weekend, instead joined Mike to Wrap 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.

Instead of taking a long weekend after Waitangi Day, Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was.  They discussed homeownership and Winston Peters’ potentially changing stance on foreign buyers, the number of kids going to school today, and if you should be able to have a helicopter pad in the suburbs.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.