The Mike Hosking Breakfast

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 1st of July, we've got a new police college opening in Auckland today – is it a case of build it and they will come?  What is it about helicopters that gets us so exercised? Mike has some thoughts on Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray's helipad getting approval.  We haven't caught up with Ryan Fox since his success on the PGA Tour, so we catch him before he jets off to the UK for the Open Championship.    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.

A new start up that could drastically reduce your power bill will soon be available in homes.  Designed to replace the current switchboards, Basis Smart Panels aim to provide Kiwis with greater control over their electricity consumption.  With over 7,500 orders already contracted, the company plans to install 50,000 panels in the next 24 months.  Co-Founder Danny Purcell told Mike Hosking the panel provides full visibility as to how electricity is consumed in your house, which customers can use save money and make their homes safer.  He says the panel pays for itself fairly quickly, and they expect the payback period to be around 15-18 months for the average customer.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Action to attract crucial international investment.  Invest New Zealand is up and running, a government organisation that'll work with global investors to create jobs, boost innovation, and lift productivity.  It's been given $85 million over four years to cement itself.  Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges told Mike Hosking that our settings were suboptimal, and we’re now getting better ones.  He says that they’re not world leading, but they are being made with impeccable timing, as they’re being made as the world’s increasingly turning to custard.  Bridges says there’s real enthusiasm for this in New Zealand, as new residents investing in businesses and startups will have a real flow on effect on the economy.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deputy Prime Minister believes the Government would be better off with the part-privatisation of Interislander ferries.  A Treasury paper presented to Cabinet by the Minister for Rail, Winston Peters, says the Government can consider private investment to reduce costs.  David Seymour agrees with the idea and says the Government has been far too relaxed with capital.  He told Mike Hosking the Government is not a good operator of commercial enterprises, and there's no shortage of evidence for that.  Seymour says you have to balance the books, and at the moment the Government owns too many underperforming assets.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A charitable trust is commending tougher sentences for people throwing coward punches.  The Government's new specific offence for striking a distracted victim could carry a sentence of life imprisonment if fatal.   Walk Without Fear has been pushing for changes after MMA fighter Liufau Vake was killed by a single coward punch in 2021.   Board Member Mike Angove told Mike Hosking the charges need to be in conjunction with education that starts at a school level.  He says that no one argues against the lethality of attacking someone with a knife or a gun, but people are unaware that hitting someone who’s unaware can result in permanent damage or a lethal outcome.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Positive signs when it comes to consumer arrears, but some businesses are still doing it tough.  The latest Centrix data for June shows the number of people behind on payments is down on last year, for the fifth consecutive month in a row.  At the same time company liquidations have risen 27% year-on-year.  Chief Operating Officer Monika Lacey says that's partly due to increased enforcement, after a softer approach from credit providers during Covid.  She says Inland Revenue is among those businesses which is now taking a normal approach again, and that's having an impact.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a belief Auckland's new Police training centre will make recruitment more accessible.  The new space on the Massey University campus includes multiple classrooms, along with gym and recreation areas.  Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told Mike Hosking over the years some people have steered away from a career in Police because they couldn't go to Porirua for training.  He says it's about creating more opportunities for those who might find Porirua for 20 weeks a challenge.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a world of pressing problems one of the bigger, longer term ones is due a good looking at because if we don’t, when we get there we will want to shoot ourselves. IRD has been looking at the cost of stuff and where that money comes from. The trouble, and this is not new, is we have more older people needing more money and fewer younger people to work to raise the money to pay the bills. This is more than Super. It's health. It's pretty much everything. Currently 16% of the population is over 65-years-old. By 2060 it will be a quarter. The IRD conclusion is that people will likely have to pay more tax. Really? Is that it? Well, no. Somewhere in the advice they mutter something like "we could always cut costs". Bingo! Give those people a prize. And why that idea is not top of the pile of ideas, I don’t know. Because here is what I do know. Most of the money to pay for all this comes from you and me. Personal tax is over 50% of Government income, its 52%. Companies pay 17%. GST is 25%. A lot of GST is us as well. In fact our top tax rate is 39cents. Add GST on to that you are at 54%. Add the bits and pieces on top - the ACC, the road user charges - and top income earners will be parting with 56-57% of everything they earn. And the IRD advice is we will need more please. So how much more? And at what point does it become ruinous? At what point do the young, bright things move offshore? The ones of course that haven't already. So let's take stock. We are highly taxed. Remember at the other end we have no tax free component in income. We are a low wage economy. We have a massive savings issue with KiwiSaver at an average of $30,000-ish and a fiscal cliff in a bunch of years where the main idea is we will bleed you some more. Spot the red flag. So, what to do? And how urgently do we do it? Ideas please.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 30th of June, we've got some good retail crime changes coming to a store near you and the Government's Retail Crime Advisory Group spokesperson Sunny Kaushal is on the show. The Prime Minister has some questions to answer around Whanau Ora, Section 127b and NATO spending. Andrew Saville and Jason Pine talk Liam Lawson's best ever F1 result, the Warriors' loss and how the All Blacks will go in their first test against France. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is introducing new laws focused on protecting first responders and prison officers.  Luxon told Mike Hosking that no ambulance driver, firefighter or police officer should face aggression and assault while trying to help people.   Also in discussion is the new IKEA store, which has faced trouble during the planning phase.   Luxon said that he has more concerns about the planning than IKEA do, and blames the struggles on ‘Māorification’.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.