The Mike Hosking Breakfast

With Parliament sitting once again, Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss some of the biggest stories of the week so far.   They discussed the situation with David Seymour and his letter to the UN, financial audits for political parties, and Ginny’s 50th birthday.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sleep deprivation is worse than showing up to work feeling a bit groggy warns a workplace safety expert as KiwiRail moves to ban sleeping medications.  Its Chief Medical Officer has reviewed Zopiclone and Melatonin and found them incompatible with its safety critical work.   EMA workplace safety manager Paul Jarvie wants to find out what led to KiwiRail making this decision.  He told Heather du Plessis-Allan Melatonin isn't a sedative that lasts too long, and will probably be out of a person's system after an eight-hour sleep.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday the 16th of July, Shane Jones wants to create special economic zones for fuel security – with one at Marsden Point in particular.  Sonny Bill Williams talks about the animosity between him and Paul Gallen ahead of the fight tonight.  Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen discuss the UN letter, financial audits for political parties, and Ginny's 50th birthday 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.

It all goes down in Sydney tonight.   Sonny Bill Williams steps back into the ring for his long awaited bout against fellow footy star turned boxer Paul Gallen.  There’s no lost love between the pair, who have been wanting to fight for nearly a decade.  Williams told Heather du Plessis-Allan that hate is a strong word to describe their dynamic, but the animosity between them is definitely real.  He says that he’s not generally a trash talker, but if someone’s going to keep pushing, eventually you’re going to push back.  “I don’t consider it trash talk, I kind of just spoke some truth, and I think with this bloke, every fight he’s had, he’s made it personal,” he told du Plessis-Allan.  “But the reality is, all I’ve done is spoken some truths back and I think it’s riled him up quite a bit.”  Williams says the bout can’t come quick enough.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Medical Council's expanding pathways for doctors trained overseas to work in New Zealand.   GP registrations from the US, Canada, and Singapore are being fast tracked, and doctors trained in Chile, Luxembourg, and Croatia will be recognised as eligible for provisional general registration.   Timeframes for UK, Ireland, and Australian specialist assessments are also being shortened.  But General Practitioners Aotearoa Chair Buzz Burrell told Heather du Plessis-Allan 60% of international doctors leave after two years.   He says we need to work on retaining doctors and not being an immigration agency for Australia.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand airports and its national carrier may be suffering the winter blues in new data showing the punctuality of global air travel.  The June figures base its rankings on flights arriving and departing within 15 minutes of schedule.  Air New Zealand has dropped to tenth in the Asia Pacific region after sitting in the top five earlier this year.  No airport in the country cracked the global top 20.  Air New Zealand General Manager of Airports Kate Boyer told Heather du Plessis-Allan the seasons play a big part in this.  She says it's impacted by the likes of de-icing, foggy days, and storms throughout winter.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government wants to ensure local councils get back to the basics.   A bill moving through Parliament would require councils to financially refocus their core services.  The Government wants councils to give more value to ratepayers.   Local Government Minister Simon Watts told Heather du Plessis-Allan anything could be defined as "wellbeing".   He says because of lack of clarity on council responsibilities, any activity is in scope, which is bad news for ratepayers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Associate Energy Minister's suggesting domestic fuel producers could get special treatment, to shore up energy security.  The Government's asking for feedback on its draft long-term fuel strategy.   It focuses on resilience, domestic infrastructure, low-carbon alternatives, and security.  Shane Jones told Heather di Plessis-Allan special economic zones present a great opportunity.  He says in other countries they offer a range of incentives through tailored tax treatment and planning rules for the particular site, with areas like Marsden Point already an energy precinct.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's probably sensible, don’t you think, for the Blues to consider leaving Eden Park for Mt Smart?  It’s not going to fix the attendance issues, though they seem to be hoping it will.  In the consultation they’re doing, the question they’re asking fans is whether moving to Mt Smart will make them “more or less likely to attend Blues Super Rugby [mens] home games”.  The fans might say yes, but they won’t.  Mt Smart is no better than Eden Park.  It’s not easier to get to there with public transport, it’s about the same. If you drive you still have to find a park somewhere on the road, or on private property.  You’re still exposed to the elements in the stand. You’re still paying for your beer and chips instead of getting them out of your kitchen.  Maybe you could argue Mt Smart has a slight advantage in that you’re coming straight off the motorway instead of fighting to get down Dominion Road, but I don’t think that’s enough of a difference to supercharge the crowd.  Maybe you could argue that because the Warriors and Auckland FC are there, fans form a habit, so they go because they know how to go.  But again, I don’t think that’s the problem.  I think the problem is Super Rugby  You’re seeing poor turnout for Super Rugby regular season games around the country.  6000 are turning up for Moana Pasifika games.  13,000 for the Crusaders.    11,000 for the Blues.  11,000 in a 50,000 capacity stadium looks horrible. 11,000 in a 25,000 capacity stadium like Mt Smart looks less bad.  But it's giving up, isn’t it?  The Blues leaving the home of rugby is basically accepting that this is how it is, that the crowd size of 11,000 is simply how it's going to be.  What they should really be doing is finding smart ways to get us to come to Super Rugby games again.  Find ways to get families along. Eden Park's kid zone with the bouncy castle is the right kind of thinking.  Find ways to get us excited about the game of rugby. I’m sorry, but it's a boring product.  Unless they do that, crowds that only fill quarter of a stadium are the future, in which case, move to Mt Smart.  A smaller stadium will hide the empty seats better. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whenever there’s success at the top level of international rugby in New Zealand, more often than not there is one specific name involved.  Known as the ‘Scrum Doctor’, Mike Cron was an assistant coach for the All Blacks for more than 200 games, winning the 2011 and 2015 World Cups.  He then came out of retirement in 2022 to join the Black Ferns, helping them win a world title as well, before shifting over to join the Wallabies.  In the midst of all this, he’s written a book: ‘Coach: Lessons from an All Black Legend’.  Cron told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he’s always had a thirst for knowledge, and found ideas from looking at other elite sports.  “I’ve never been really interested in rugby coaching seminars,” he said.  “They left me a bit bland, so to speak. Y’know, they just showed you a new drill or something.”   Ballet and sumo are two sports he’s pulled ideas from, saying the key is to go in with an open mind.  “If you’ve got an open mind and you look and listen, there will be some, some bit of gold there for you.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.