The Mike Hosking Breakfast

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 10th of September, the Children's Commissioner speaks on what happens now with Tom Phillips' kids and calls to give them privacy.  We have a record number of 15-year-olds leaving school early, but the vast majority are moving straight into different education.  Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen speak on the police operation that finally caught Phillips 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.

Airports could save money and drive down airfares by bringing domestic and international terminals together.  A study has found integrated airport terminals save on double-ups and encourage passengers to spend more money.  It shows this extra revenue could help airports cut costs for airlines, which could mean cheaper fares for travellers.  NZ Airports Association CEO Billie Moore told Mike Hosking integration is the dream for all airports.  She says it helps them build better, save on spending over time, and makes the passenger experience better.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand red meat prices are at record levels and are expected to remain strong throughout the year.   Earnings for core red meat exports are expected to rise by $1.4 billion to $10.5 billion for the 2024–2025 season.   Beef + Lamb New Zealand Board Chair Kate Acland says there's incredible global demand for red meat.   She told Mike Hosking that while they're seeing lower export volumes in the current year, the value is rising.  Acland says there's been fewer exports from key countries like Brazil, Australia, and the US, so it’s a perfect storm of supply and demand coming together.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A panel of experts has a solution to tackling organised crime but won't yet say what it is.  The Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime has put out a new list of recommendations ahead of its final report later this month.  Among the suggestions are greater accountability across government departments and a new minister whose entire job is working on the problem.   Group chair Steve Symon told Mike Hosking the overall solution is bold.  He says they've had a lot of encouragement; the question is whether it will translate into financial support and the political will it needs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A view that more students are dropping out of school early because they have a clear career pathway in mind.  More than 1300 15-year-olds received an exemption last year and 90% went into further study.  Canterbury's Darfield High School Principal Andy England told Mike Hosking schools have been working hard with polytechs, while the Ministry runs a youth guarantee programme.  He says students can spend one or two days with a tertiary provider while attending school, and sometimes they want to do that full time before they turn 16.  It’s also believed some students are leaving early due to the people around them in successful careers.  England told Hosking lots of students, particularly in rural areas, look up to people who leave school early.  He says role models often don't have an academic pathway but many are in successful careers or running businesses.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new digital health service is being praised, but one doctor believes it's doing more harm than good.  More than 21 thousand consultations have been delivered through the 24/7 online scheme, which launched in July.  Health Minister Simeon Brown says it gives Kiwis faster access to care when usual GPs are unavailable.  Despite views it's easing pressure on the health system, General Practice Association Chair Angus Chambers told Mike Hosking it hasn't made any difference to staffing issues.  He says it's making problems worse as it's taking doctors away from providing care for people in clinics.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country is being urged to give Tom Phillips' children time and space to begin their long road to recovery.  The children are now at an undisclosed location after their father died during an altercation with Police near Marokopa in western Waikato.  Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad told Mike Hosking the children's needs must come first.  She says over time, more can be understood about what's happened, but right now the privacy of the children is the most crucial thing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We should all thank Kelly Eckhold, a some-time participant on this show and most-of-the-time economist at Westpac, for his thinking around the future of the Reserve Bank.  As I have said many times, if one good thing came out of Covid, it put the Reserve Bank, its role, and its influence front and centre for many more of us that may never really have paid attention to its workings and its ability to shape everyday aspects of our lives.  Eckhold suggests the new governor put the inflation target a little higher than 1-3%. Historically we sit at about 2.5%, so chasing less than that can have a lot of effects you may, or may not, want.  Do remember some inflation is good. You want inflation, you just don’t want the amount we have had, and you want it produced from growth, not just cost-plus-accounting from councils and power companies.  More importantly for me is the public accountability. The Quigley/Orr debacle shows you what can go on when public disclosure is not as fulsome as it could be.  Eckhold wants the Monetary Committee vote made public. Good idea, so it should be.  It's not often there is a divergence, but there has been lately. In fact, the last statement involved a 4-2 vote, which has never happened before.  So why don’t we know who they were and what they said?  The rules as they stand mean a person on the committee can out themselves. But you will notice from last time that no one has. Why not?  Next idea: a press conference should be held after each meeting, not just the ones that produce a cash rate call.  I know I'm a wonk, but I cannot press enough the value of watching these things live. Not just the Reserve Bank, but opticians who these days, thanks to digital coverage of places like the Herald, run them in full routinely.  The irony of that is you would be amazed what you learn, as opposed to what you may or may not learn from a news bulletin edited and often curtailed to a point of nonsense later in the day in a news bulletin.  The best example is the Prime Minister's press conference on a Monday after Cabinet.  So, more pressers, more transparency, which is more detail, more sunlight, more inquisition and more knowledge.  What possibly could the Reserve Bank argue is wrong with that? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

France has been plunged into a fresh political crisis, with MPs voting to oust the prime minister.  The BBC reports Francois Bayrou called the surprise vote of confidence on himself after huge opposition to his budget plans.  France's National Assembly voted by 364 votes to 194 to eject him from office, and bring down his minority government.   President Emmanuel Macron now faces a choice between calling a snap election or picking a fifth prime minister in less than two years.  France Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that part of the problem was Bayrou’s attitude.  She says he seemed to antagonise everyone he spoke to, and he didn’t try to negotiate or seek coalitions.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to achieve excellence?  James Laughlin is a 7 time world champion drummer, a high-performance leadership trainer, and the mental skills coach for Canterbury Rugby.   He's written a book, ‘Habits for High Performers’, distilling his approach to life into a book that’s shot to #1 on the Book Scan List, and comes highly recommended by the likes of Sir John Key and Sam Whitelock.  The book contains 27 simple principals for those aiming for success.  “High performance is not a birthright, it’s a habit,” he told Mike Hosking.  “What separates high performers from everyone else is not hustle, it’s not luck, it’s simply habits.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.