The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There’s been a change in approach in a bid to secure Smoke-Free 2025.  Minister-in-Charge, Casey Costello's unveiled a refreshed Health New Zealand action plan.  It includes no new funding or programmes, with the existing $24 million budget being reallocated to the frontline.   Costello told Mike Hosking the Government's tried to pare back the programme to practical applications and tools for those wanting to quit.  She says it's about informing and leading people to available services, rather than the previous prohibitionist approach.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New polling shows Australians are losing hope in their Labour led government ahead of an election middle of next year. The Redbridge Poll found half of all voters think the country is headed in the wrong direction, with less than a third seeing it as on track. Australian Correspondent Steve Price says this is very bad news for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Price says voters are concerned about the government’s focus and 6% of Australians agree strongly that the government is focused on the right issues. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US President-elect is pledging to hit Canada and Mexico with large taxes.  Donald Trump says of many first executive orders, one will be charging the neighbouring countries 25% goods tariffs. He says they'll continue until they clamp down on illegal border crossings of drugs and migrants.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the last time Trump played the tariff game it was with China, which resulted in Trump having to give US farmers bailouts worth $23 billion.  He says economists are speculating that the tariffs taking shape in the way Trump is illuding could add up to $2,600 extra a year for consumers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's being accused of having no vision for the struggling health sector.  The Health Minister's announced $20 million dollars to hire 50 senior doctors, and $10 million for senior specialist nurses and allied health professionals.  The Nurses Organisation says the funding is only a 0.2% increase in investment for nurses.  Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Sarah Dalton told Mike Hosking she doesn’t want to rain on the parade, but she doesn’t think it achieves anything.  She says it’s disappointing, given the report released last year that states New Zealand is short by 1,700 doctors and GPs.   Dalton says nothing that has happened since has referred to that data or tried to address it in any concrete or tangible way.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 27th of November, the Reserve Bank has their final OCR call today, so will we see relief from that cut?  Did you know it's illegal to serve any kind of drink when you are at the hairdressers? A bill has been added to the ballot to remove the law that is baffling hairdressers.  Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk about the life and legacy of Nikki Kaye, and whether we should have four year terms 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.

Politicians from across the political spectrum are remembering former National MP Nikki Kaye. Kaye died aged 44 on Saturday after a cancer battle.   National's Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking she was an amazing lady.  He said that she was in the midst of her treatment when he was wanting to become a Minister, and she was sending him a full strategy on what he needed to do.  Kaye served as the Auckland Central MP from 2008 until 2020, a seat Mitchell said she won through hard work and guts – a combination she lived her life by.   Labour's Ginny Andersen told Hosking she will remember her energy.  She said it was amazing to see a young woman who was so passionate and driven, but who wasn’t afraid to laugh at herself.   Andersen said she’ll always be thankful for the stance she took on mining on Great Barrier Island, saying she has huge admiration for that strength.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are fears big Wellington City Council budget cuts don't go far enough.  The council yesterday voted in a mammoth meeting to make hundreds of millions of dollars of savings by slashing projects like cycleway spending, and demolishing Begonia House in the Botanic Gardens.  Councillor Tony Randle told Mike Hosking the projects Mayor Tory Whanau managed to save, like the Golden Mile redevelopment and climate initiatives, should have been cut too.  He claims they add more spending to the budget and says they now won't be able to make enough savings.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a push to alter New Zealand's laws to allow people to indulge in a tea or coffee while at the hairdressers.  It's an offence to serve a drink in a salon's service area – deemed unsafe under health regulations.  National MP Dana Kirkpatrick has added a bill to the ballot to remove the law.  Rodney Wayne Chief Executive Julie Evans told Mike Hosking the offence is news to them, as their salons have long served tea and coffee to clients.  She's unsure why it was never brought to their attention when the council conducted checks of salon dishwashers, to ensure they worked to legal standards.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A friend of Nikki Kaye has described her as an incredibly determined person.   The 44-year-old former National MP died on Saturday after battling cancer.   Her family says a private cremation service was held on Monday.   Kaye served as Auckland Central MP from 2008 until 2020.   Friend David Farrar told Mike Hosking that he and others in the National party told her she wouldn't win the nomination or seat for Auckland Central.   He says Kaye had a belief in herself and thought she could win it, she knocked on every door in the electorate, and did win.  Farrar says she did a lot of cross-party work.   He says she was very much a National MP, but never thought all goodness came from one party and worked across the political spectrum to achieve things.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Reserve Bank economist says there's a case for the Reserve Bank cutting the Official Cash Rate by 75 basis points.   The Reserve Bank will release its latest decision today.   It's widely expected to cut the rate by 50-basis points from 4.75% to 4.25%.   Former reserve bank economist Michael Reddell told Mike Hosking the Reserve Bank's view of an OCR of 2.5-3% as being neutral is the best guess.   He says we genuinely won't know until after we've got there and seen the inflationary consequences, but he thinks we will be at that figure by next August.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.