The Mike Hosking Breakfast

My uplifting story of the week involves charter schools.  Charter schools are the little idea that could. Or maybe they are the big game-changing idea that could.  We heard this week of the first public school wanting to explore the charter route.  It's in Northland and it's being driven by the realisation that what they currently do doesn’t work for their kids.  And that is the genesis of the charter school thinking.  Remember, charter schools go back to a previous Government, before Labour took to them in 2017.  So this isn't new. But the basic premise was one size does not fit all and a lot of kids may well benefit from different styles and approaches to learning.  I have been a fan from day one. Not because charter schools are magic bullets, but rather the simple premise that what we have demonstrably doesn’t work for everyone.  You can't hide from the facts and the truth and our pass rates, our success rates, are shocking.  The unions simply bleat for more resource. Even if it is a partial answer, it isn't close to being the whole answer and their myopic view that there can only be one way is a very large part of the overall handbrake that has prevented real change and advancement.  The Northland school, I thought, gave excellent insight. They have good people, they work hard, but they are simply not getting the cut through, so they need to try something different. They didn’t used to be “for” charter schools, but just their ability to accept change needs to be admired and encouraged.  Chris Hipkins as Education Minister in 2017 killed them. Not because they weren't working, but because he is beholden to the unions and there was no way they were ever going to get a chance to prove them wrong.  So what we have seen this time round is no shortage of demand for schools. In fact, more schools are demanding it than there is money allocated.  We see the first public school, or at least the first public school prepared to admit they want to look at change, which leads surely to a growing sense charter schools might at last have their time.  Some may well turn out to be brilliant, lives may well get changed and the recognition of a decent idea may well be widely accepted.  It seems the momentum is on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Friday which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back to Wrap the Week that was with Mike Hosking.  They reminisced about David Bryne, discussed the Dame Noeline Taurua situation and the cost of marimbas – plus, Mike was given a lovely gift.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Army is embracing the race to the latest drone technology.  A tri-service team is being sent to the UK for the Military Drone Racing Tournament.  It aims to develop the Defence Force’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities as drones become a key part of combat systems.   Major Richard Adams, the NZ Army’s lead on Uncrewed Aerial Systems, told Mike Hosking that if you look at what’s happening in Ukraine at the moment, every six months looks completely different to the last, given the way this technology is changing.  He says they’re looking to adapt as quickly as possible, so they have the most up to date equipment available to their people.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 12th of September, a new school subject list has been announced, and there’s an emphasis on artificial intelligence.   There’s a new plan to restore the Christ Church Cathedral, coming not a moment, or a year, too soon.   Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk Mike's gift and Noeline Taurua's suspension 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.

Authorities say they are making significant progress in the manhunt for Charlie Kirk's killer.   The highly influential conservative activist and Donald Trump ally died after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University yesterday morning.   Investigators say they've recovered a high-powered bolt-action rifle and have good quality video of their latest suspect.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking there has been bipartisan denunciation of the murder.  He says there have been statements not just from Trump, but every living former president condemning this attack and any and all political violence.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Voter turnout could be an issue for a proposal to introduce binding referendums on major council spending projects.  The Local Government Business Forum has released a report in favour of holding referendums for significant projects exceeding $500 per ratepayer.  It says it should only apply to non-essentials, preserving councils' ability to invest in key utilities like water and transport.    Forum Secretary Nick Clark told Mike Hosking thresholds need to be in play to help low voter numbers.  He says there should be a turnout threshold or a super majority, particularly if it's a binary choice.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's cautious optimism in the construction sector and hopes the economy will improve.   The Master Builders State of the Sector Report cites remaining demand issues like consumer confidence.   The report finds 66% of people describe their recent build as a positive and a similar number of people report no significant delays.  CEO Ankit Sharma told Mike Hosking regions are leading the way while urban centres like Auckland and Wellington are still facing headwinds, but there’s a strong pipeline.  He says they’re transitioning from survival mode into a place of, hopefully, sustainable recovery.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Christ Church Cathedral rebuild could be the last milestone for the Garden City to thrive.   Work will begin next year to complete the nave, entrance way, tower, and restore the rose window by 2030.  This halves the funding to about $40 million, with the Anglican Church pledging another $20 million.  Reinstatement Director Mark Stewart told Mike Hosking they've been working on this for years and have a robust plan.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister says a lot of schools were already trying to teach some of the new curriculum subjects.  A new list of study topics has been unveiled as part of a refresh of the national curriculum from 2028.  It places greater emphasis on the STEM subjects and adds Civics, Politics and Philosophy, and Media and Journalism.  Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking a lot of schools were trying their best to teach some of these subjects in the NCEA system.  She says they were trying to cobble together credits from different subjects, to make topics like Civics, Philosophy, and Politics work.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the teachers maybe, maybe not accept their pay offers and maybe, maybe not go on strike yet again, I can't help but worry about the new recruits.  We were busy celebrating just last week, enrolments to become teachers have gone up markedly – big, big increases.  This seems, on the surface anyway, to in part be a solution to a long-term problem, i.e. our permanent shortage in a profession that has lost its lustre.  I am not against migration to solve issues, but there is a balance to be struck and you would like to think that the profession is actually staffed by people who like what they do, and not a pile of recent arrivals whose main criteria for being in a New Zealand classroom was to be in the country, not the job itself.  So, lots of new recruits, good. But once out the other side, what awaits them, and does it look like the ongoing industrial mess that pervades our work landscape at the moment?  Do these recruits know what they will get paid? What their conditions are? Do they know what actually teaching in a New Zealand classroom in 2025 entails and looks like?  Because somewhere between the enthusiasm of enrolment and the jaded misery of experience a decade on, something dramatically goes wrong.  The money seems decent —not spectacular, but decent— the same way it seems decent for nurses and doctors.  It seems to me we have got to a point where no small amount of energy, money, and change has been put into education, and between that and the pay, it’s not a bad deal.  Yes, it's challenging, given kids and their issues. Yes, you'd like more specialist teachers, or non-contact time, or whatever, but negotiations are quin pro quo.  The rises we have seen in recent years, the change currently being implemented to turbo charge performance by way of results, seems to be setting us up for a decent sort of system producing a decent sort of outcome.  Is it the unions that are wrecking this? Are they really the impediment? Do most teachers just want to get on with it?   We seem at a place where the public support is most certainly not what it was for the teachers' plight, and might just be tipping against them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.