The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There's optimism from the Agriculture and Forestry Minister on the future of food and fibre exports.  The Ministry for Primary Industries projects exports will reach just under $57 billion by June, and over $58 billion the following year.  Horticulture exports are expected to rise 12%, with dairy forecast to grow by 10%.  Minister Todd McClay told Heather du Plessis-Allan he sees a positive future with China.  He says its market will be a key reason why dairy exports are forecast to increase.  Meat and wool revenues are also expected to rise slightly to $11.4 billion as demand strengthens.  McClay told du Plessis-Allan that wool's commodity price is starting to increase and there's new users.  He says the Indian Parliament only has New Zealand wool in its buildings, which shows there's a good role for wool but there's a lot of work to do.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters, New Zealand's former Deputy Prime Minister and newly appointed Minister for Rail, dives into the chaos surrounding Cook Strait ferry services. He candidly discusses the inherited financial mess, with costs spiraling to $3.2 billion. Peters emphasizes the importance of transparent infrastructure funding and critiques media misinformation. He also addresses delays in the ferry project and the need for effective transport solutions, promising an upcoming announcement that aims to clarify the government's long-term plans.

Microsoft says its new New Zealand facility will create thousands of jobs and pump money into the economy.  The tech giant's today opening its first "hyperscale" data centre in Auckland's Westgate to power cloud-based software and AI tools.  It will ensure local organisations' data can be stored, processed and backed up locally, addressing sovereignty issues for the Government and banks.  Managing Director Vanessa Sorensen told Heather du Plessis-Allan they plan to train up 100,000 people over the next two years.  She says it's going to supercharge the country's digital transformation and enhance data residency, security and compliance.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s little faith from some in the freight industry that new Cook Strait ferries will be delivered on time.  The Government's announced its intention to buy two new ferries for the Cook Strait crossing but is being criticised for refusing to reveal the cost.  The first stage of the procurement process is set to finish in March, with the vessels sailing by 2029.   But Mainfreight Managing Director Don Braid told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's not sold, and expected more information.  He expects the March deadline to come and go, and says delays seem typical of this government.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It looks like NZ Post might finally pull a trigger they haven’t pulled yet and stop delivering mail to some letterboxes.  It's kind of been on the cards for some time, but up until now the proposal has mostly been to not deliver to new houses.  Now, what they're talking about is not delivering to existing houses, houses that already have letterboxes and have been getting mail in them for years.  So, no more mail. Instead it will be replaced with clusters of boxes where we have to go get our mail.  According to the plan they would cut out 5% of letterboxes every year, so presumably within 20 years it’s all done and we have no more mail arriving in any letterboxes.  Look, I’m surprised.  I'm pleasantly surprised they are prepared to be as bold as this, because this has got to be done.  Letters are a luxury that cost us a lot of money.  This is what we have to understand. It’s not free.  NZ Post lost $14m in the last financial year and it lost $56m the year before.  That’s money the taxpayer could be spending on something more worthwhile.  Most things you can get on email now, things like your power bill, water bill and rates bill.  Some things still come in the mail, like credits cards and the registration for your car. But that can be switched to courier, and sometimes already are.  I get that there are communities that will be hit harder than others if the mail stops arriving, especially the elderly and rural communities.  But frankly it’ll be a schlep for everyone to have to wander down to the cluster letterbox in town to retrieve the mail items. But at least we’ll all be in it together.  The writing has been on the wall for ages.  The trend on letters has only been in one direction. It’s not a surprise it’s coming to this.  It’s just a pleasant surprise NZ Post has got the courage to actually start doing it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a few wrinkles in the possible appointment of the next New Zealand Rugby Chairperson.  David Kirk is rumoured to be up for the position, the businessman synonymous with New Zealand rugby.  Although being based in Sydney might be a small issue, the larger wrinkle is the Silver Lake deal – a deal that saw the relationship between NZR and the Players’ Association fall to an all-time low.  As Chairperson, Kirk would be in charge of implementing the deal his faction fought against.  Former NZ Rugby CEO David Moffett told Heather du Plessis-Allan he has no issues with this.   He says Kirk is a smart guy, and what’s more, he’s been very successful in business and very successful on the rugby field.  Moffett believes he’d do a great job as Chairperson.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supporters of greyhound racing are already devising a plan to challenge the Government's ban on the industry.   The Racing Minister's announced plans to wind it down over 20 months, giving time to re-home almost 3000 racing dogs.   Legislation has passed in the house under urgency today to prevent the greyhounds being killed as a result.   Greyhound Racing NZ Chief Executive Edward Rennell told Heather du Plessis-Allan that there’s a lot of misinformation out there regarding greyhound racing.  He says they owe it to the 1054 people employed by the industry to outline the steps they’ve taken regarding animal welfare as they believe they have appropriate standards in place.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 11th of December, the new Cook Strait ferry plan will be announced today, and Heather du Plessis-Allan got some thoughts ahead of time.   Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has some genius numbers around a capital gains tax that might be ever so slightly off... by 20 times more than we've ever looked at.  Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell spar over ferries, police numbers, and accountability 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.

There's a hold-up for the Government's latest crackdown on boy racers.  Police Minister Mark Mitchell had said he'd introduce legislation this year giving police new powers to seize vehicles from boy racers following a string of illegal meetups.  But that will no longer happen.  Mitchell told Heather du Plessis-Allan the law change wasn't as simple as he thought it would be.  He says there's still complexity to work through, but it's at the front of the queue for next year.  Labour’s Ginny Andersen says that between this and the delay in training new police, there seems to be a pattern where Mitchell promises big things and doesn’t follow through.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transport operators are waiting with bated breath for the Cook Strait ferry announcement expected today.  It's understood the Government will finally share plans for the future of the Interislander service after cancelling the previous project.  While Transporting New Zealand's Billy Clemens won't speculate on the Government's plans, he told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's hopeful it will ensure the longevity for the vital service.  He says there must be a competitive market.  There are also hopes rail is a key aspect of the looming announcement after the Government scrapped plans for rail-enabled mega-ferries a year ago.  Rail compatible means carriages can be transferred on and off, rather than trains themselves.   Clemens du Plessis-Allan that operators need a reliable way to transport rail.  He says rail compatibility would still allow for flexibility but would cost less to build than the previous rail enabled ferries.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.