The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The ongoing US federal government shutdown could stop many Americans returning home for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  The shutdown's now the longest in US history.  Thousands of air traffic controllers and security screeners aren't being paid for their work, prompting a sharp drop in flights across the country.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that more than 5000 flights around the country were delayed in the past 24 hours.   He says air traffic controllers are reportedly resigning every day due to the prolonged nature of the shutdowns.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another missed opportunity this week driven by fear and blunt honesty, or lack of it.  When asked on Wednesday in Parliament whether the Government was going to change the law to ban homeless people from camping in downtown areas of this country, the Prime Minister gave us an answer of a scared person.  Technically it may currently be true they have not discussed it in Cabinet. Technically it may be true they haven't passed a law.  But that wasn't the point. The point is trouble in CBDs is crippling entire cities and it needs to stop, and that’s where his answer should have started.  Then he should have gone on to say we have had meetings, and we have worked out no one has the power to really tackle the issue, so we are going to change that.  Then he should have outlined how they were going to change it.  We don’t deal with emotive stories well, because of fear, and that needs to change as well.  Homelessness for many is sad. Not all, but many. There will be addiction, and sorrow, and madness, literally and figuratively, and you can get lost in that if you let yourself and then you end up like the Labour Party – apologising for shocking outcomes.  Rotorua anyone?  But each part of any given emotive story has a weighing. If the weighing is wrong on one part, then disaster ensues. Being afraid to deal with a very real problem for fear of offence is overweighing the plight of the homeless.  The homeless need help but they can't wreck the joint simply because of their status. They don’t get more rights because of who they are, and we can't look away just because it's easy to do so.  Also requiring their share of weight is every business operator, bus driver, worker and citizen who wouldn't mind using their CBD but doesn’t, or is fearful too because our leaders won't deal with hard issues.  No one argues it isn't a problem. We can debate a bit, if you like, on how we resolve it. But resolve it we must and that involves getting the problem out of downtown and it requires the right attitude to do it.  Labour asked the question because they back the homeless. They are happy to wreck cites and businesses and their record shows that.  The Prime Minister failed to show up as a leader and run with a solution, because as he stood, his backbone vanished. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Friday which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was.  They discuss the ongoing saga with Netball NZ and Dame Noeline Taurua, which New Zealand restaurants could earn a Michelin star, as well as fulfilling the secret purpose of Wrapping the Week: bullying Mike.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 7th of November, changes are coming to the film industry’s rebates and there are two major announcements for the energy sector.   The All Blacks are looking to go two for two in their match against Scotland this weekend, Damian McKenzie joining to preview the clash.   And Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson bully Mike and discuss whether any New Zealand restaurants would earn a Michelin star as they 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.

The All Blacks take on sometime rivals Scotland in the second leg of their potential Grand Slam tour.   After a strong finish to put away Ireland in Chicago, the All Blacks now look to retain their unbeaten record against Scotland.  Scotland is set to be highly motivated, as they’re celebrating 100 years of tests at Murrayfield and are eager to mark the occasion with a historic success.   Damian McKenzie told Mike Hosking they know the strength of northern hemisphere rugby, and the last thing they need is to get complacent.  He says playing in a Grand Slam is a rare occasion and an exciting opportunity, and each week they know they have to get better.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pacific Championship wraps this weekend with Sunday’s decider between the Kiwis and Toa Samoa.   The Kiwis dominated Tonga last week in front of a record 39,000 strong crowd at Eden Park, cinching their spot in the final.   But even though the Kangaroos aren’t involved, the NRL have decided the final will be hosted in Sydney, despite efforts from the New Zealand Rugby League.   CEO Greg Peters told Mike Hosking they would’ve loved to have hosted the whole thing in New Zealand, as the two fixtures we did host were pretty successful.   However, he said, the NRL is the big dog in town, and they wanted content in the Australian market ahead of the World Cup, which is being hosted there next year.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our largest electricity gentailer is welcoming two major announcements for the energy sector.  The Government's announced it’s widening the scope of its $200 million co-investment fund to support a broader range of projects.  And the Commerce Commission has given final approval for the big electricity gentailers to build a coal stockpile at Genesis' Huntly Power Station.  Genesis Chief Executive Malcolm Johns told Mike Hosking the generation units at Huntly will no longer be retired.  He says they give New Zealand another 10 years to solve the long-term energy security issue.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Bill Clinton's former top officials says a crucial Supreme Court decision on tariffs probably won't go Donald Trump's way.  The court's due to make a decision tomorrow on the legality of the US President's tariff regime.  Former US Under Secretary of Commerce Bill Reinsch says it's a major decision.  He told Mike Hosking the justices are being asked to determine the limits of presidential power.  Reinsch says Trump won't want to give the tariff money back, but the court could force him to do so.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good news for our screen sector as it looks to become more competitive globally.  The Government's set to lower the minimum spend for feature films to qualify for a 20% cash rebate next year from $15 million to $4 million.  It'll also expand eligibility for an extra 5% rebate to include post-production, so films can be finished locally.  Screen Music and Sound Guild New Zealand Chair John Mckay told Mike Hosking incentives like this are the backbone of film financing.  He says we're not even competitive with Australia's rebate of 30%, so more flexible rules are welcome.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am hoping events this week, at least in some small way, teach us all a simple economic lesson or two.  Lesson 1: the red meat numbers.  We export a fortune in meat to the world. The critical part of it is it is the best of quality – quality will always beat quantity.   Why? Because the world will always contain large numbers of people unaffected by economic tides, and people with money like good stuff.  There are some things in life beyond the prevailing tide – Château Lafite, Bugatti cars, Rolex watches, and New Zealand meat and indeed wine. Not literally, but you get the point.  Onions will sell better in Europe because of our free trade agreement with the EU. We need fewer tariffs in that case because onions are onions, but meat is about quality. Like kiwifruit is. Like great Boudreaux wine is.   That’s not to say tariffs are good business, because they are not. And lord only knows how rich we could be if the world really was truly tariff free, but for the here and now our red meat numbers into America are unaffected because people will pay for quality.  Lesson 2: the job numbers. More people, young people, have stayed in or gone back to school because if they didn’t, they would be jobless. The 15 to 24 age group have an unemployment rate of over 15%. It’s shocking.  Why? Because a constrained market doesn’t provide work for people with limited or no skills.  Young people start out with the disadvantage of no experience, add no skills to that and you are toast.  This is not new, but it is new to the current lot, who clearly never got the previous lot’s memo that it’s hard enough as it is to get into the job market without turning up ill-prepared.  But here is what I know about life and economies: it doesn’t matter what the economic circumstances are, good people with good skills and good attitude and good determination are always, always, in demand and will do well.  And good stuff, well made, with a story, high in quality, will always, always, do well.  Quality, whether in person or product, is recession proof. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.