The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Calm before the storm for Auckland's flood-risk communities as the council takes action.  It'll buy more than 1200 high risk homes by the end of the year, at a cost of $352 million.  A large chunk of the land will be retained for flood resilience and safer areas will be sold for development.  Auckland Council Policy and Planning Committee Chair Richard Hills told Mike Hosking it's going to be a long road.  He says people will find it hard seeing houses removed from the street they live on.  The Council has also acknowledged the time it's taken to take action on flood risk areas.  Hills says he hoped it would be a faster process.  He told Hosking homeowners could apply to be categorised for most of last year, and then needed individual assessments.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My ongoing advice to the Government is: don’t make big announcements on a Friday. I watched the Prime Minister from Waikato at the Ruakura Superhub. This is what the Government lives for. It's what they dream of. It's what they preach. The Superhub by the way is one of the great visions for this country. It services 45% of the population and 55% of GDP. It's part of what they call the "Golden Triangle" when it comes to business, servicing Hamilton, Tauranga and Auckland. Anyway, at the press conference was a representative from the company with a trillion dollars in assets under management. I'm talking about the local tribe, Waikato-Tainui, with the Prime Minister. Tuku Morgan from the tribe, who in another life became famous for expensive taxpayer funded underwear, spoke eloquently about what the Superhub means, how big it is, how massive the vision is and how transformational it all could be. So, not just a miss for the Government in terms of coverage for exactly what this country needs, but also the chance for us to see a part of the so-called Māori economy we don’t often see. Waikato-Tainui are a wonderful success. The sadness for me is I don’t see them as Māori. I see them as a business, and a good one. Race should not be part of business because performance is the key to business, not race. But there is no denying their money came out of the Treaty settlement process and they have taken it and run with it. Not only don’t we get to see the successful side of the Māori economy, we don't ask often enough how it is you can have that much success and yet still have so much Māori deprivation? That’s the news we do hear a lot about - poverty, addiction, violence and bad health. It's all bad news. Why? If Māori can do well why are we so obsessed with why they aren't? And if there is a way out for those who need it, and Māori have provided the blueprint, why is it still an issue? Māori are held back, we are told. Are they? Why haven't Waikato-Tainui been held back? Or Ngai Tahu? If you listen to the Willie Jackson's of the world, he will tell you colonialism has ruined the Māori dream. I didn’t see that on Friday. Quite the opposite.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 14th of April, the Government are proposing changes to the driver licensing system, including no test needed to go from your restricted to full license.   Has trust in the media bottomed out? New yearly report shows the drop in trust has slowed. Andrew Saville and Jason Pine talk the rugby, Supercars and F1 over the weekend. And do we dare mention the Warriors? Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian election campaigns were officially launched yesterday.  Many financial promises in the billions were made - the Greens leader promised free University fees, which would cost the country $45 billion a year.  Opposition leader promised a one off cost of living tax break that would cost the country $10 billion.  Australian Correspondent talks to Mike Hosking about the details of yesterday's launch.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he has been talking to Iwi leaders about how to better investment for the past 12 months.  It comes as one of the country's wealthiest iwi, Waikato-Tainui makes the biggest investment since Treaty settlement 30 years ago.  On Friday Waikato-Tainui announced a partnership with global investment firm Brookfield to develop an inland port in Waikato that services more than half of the country’s GDP. The port, Ruakura Superhub, is connect to the country's two largest commercial ports, Auckland and Tauranga.  The Prime Minister talks to Mike Hosking about Māori investment, the significant Sealord loss, reaction to Winston Peter's 'hysterical' claims, and more.  LISTEN ABOVE OR WATCH BELOW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our annual trust in media report shows our trust has fallen by one percent, to 32 percent.  Forty-five percent of Kiwis say they trust their chosen news.  The report's co-author Greg Treadwell says we're no longer among leading countries.  "Our trust in news has been falling much faster than other countries, and now we're way down the bottom with countries like the UK and the US," he said.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has backtracked on reciprocal tariffs set on China by removing them on electronics.   Twenty percent of Chinese business in the United States comes from electronics.  Tech Commentator Bill Bennett talks to Mike Hosking about the impact this will have.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Changes are coming to our drivers licensing system, with only one practical test in a bid to have more Kiwis on full licenses.  Transport minister Chris Bishop tells Mike Hosking a lot of people 'don't bother' graduating from a restricted to full license.  "There are a lot of people out there right now breaking the law, just driving on the restricted," he said.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's good news for supermarkets: In the year to March, supermarket supply costs have risen by 2%.  However, a survey out this morning shows that one in four people are struggling financially and the cost of living remains the main issue for voters.  Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen talks to Mike Hosking about the survey.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro has been evacuated from his home after a suspected arson attack. The attack took place after the Jewish governor celebrated the first night of the Jewish holiday, Passover.  He said he woke up in the middle of the night to authorities banging on the door of the home as a fire spread. US Correspondent Richard Arnold talks to Mike Hosking about the incident, tariffs, and the all female Blue Origin space flight.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.