The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Listen to the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday 1 September. 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.

Rhetorical question - why do you think Neil Quigley quit on a Friday night? The key is, he would have been booted if he didn’t walk. So it sort of ends a shambolic and shameful period for what should be one of our most esteemed institutions. Between Orr and Quigley (mainly Orr) they have made a joke of the Reserve Bank. What should have happened is simple. When the Government decided, rightly, that the gargantuan amount of money Orr wanted to run his fiefdom was never going to fly Orr should have, in an adult way, stated he disagreed and he disagreed to the point he could not see himself continuing in the job. He would then resign, they would organise a nice, but frugal, farewell morning tea and that would have been that. But what actually happened was Orr chucked his toys, yelled and stamped his feet to the extent that Quigley had to write to Orr. All this was also kept secret until the Official Information Act and the Ombudsman forced their hand and exposed them for the bunch of egotistical babies they are. Quigley was yelling at Treasury, Orr was yelling at Willis, deals were looking to be done, letters and proof was looking to be binned and cheques were being written to make it all go away. Lest we forget, in an irony of ironies, this is the same group of clowns who buried the economy in the hole we are still trying to get ourselves out of years after Covid. So they couldn’t do their job, they stuffed the place, then packed a massive sad when their rain shower of funding was getting rectified, started a big tantrum and scrap with various departments and ministers, then tried to cover it all up. Have I missed anything? Oh, Orr vanished with the money, never to be heard from again. To his credit Quigley hung around and made a few public appearances while trying to paint a picture of normality, until the Ombudsman undid him last week and that was that. They really are an embarrassing, shambolic mess. On a side note, it's also why I assume Christian Hawkesby stands zero chance of getting Orr's old job. He is fatally linked to this period of mayhem. We'd be glad to see the back of them, if it wasn’t for the fact we are still trying to clean up the mess and every one of us is paying the bill. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: How are the Warriors shaping up for the playoffs, and do they have a chance at success?  The Springboks have arrived in Auckland ahead of next week's game against the All Blacks. And new technology graces the world of surfing, thanks to surf legend Kelly Slater. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent decision by the US Court of Appeal has ruled Trump’s tariffs illegal.   The court has said it will leave the tariffs in effect for the next few weeks, giving time for Trump to appeal the decision. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that although the President has been given the chance to appeal, his team are likely shaken by this ruling.   ‘The back and forth shows the concern behind the scenes in Trump world.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon doesn't think the Reserve Bank's reputation has suffered any long-term damage. Neil Quigley resigned as chair of the central bank on Friday night, after Nicola Willis raised concerns over its handling of Adrian Orr's resignation earlier this year. Willis has revealed to Newstalk ZB, she would have asked Quigley to resign, if he hadn't resigned of his own accord. The Prime Minister says Quigley has made the right decision. He doesn't think the current situation is a mess, but it would have been a shambles if it had carried out much longer. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Board games have rolled past go, and seen a massive resurgence in popularity in the past decade. The global market has an estimated value of more than 31-billion dollars, and is expected to grow a further five billion by 2029. New Zealand's largest board game convention, WellyCon has just been held. Convention organiser Ceedee Doyle told Mike Hosking some of the world's top games are made here locally. She says a game from the Kapiti Coast won game of the year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A game-changer for smaller airlines that don't want to up prices, amid soaring aviation costs. The Government's offering up to 30-million dollars in loans from the Regional Infrastructure Fund.  It's also approved funding for a digital development that will allow regional transport bookings,  to be integrated with the platforms of major carriers. Associate Transport Minister James Meager told Mike Hosking most regional airlines couldn't opt to charge more,  as a solution to tough times. He says if they push prices too high, people will make the decision to travel regionally by road.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Commissioner's putting a focus on the basics down as a key contributor to a fall in violent crime. The New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey reveals most violent crimes have been dropping in the past two years, while sexual assault cases increased. There's been a 113 percent increase in Police beat patrols over the last year. Richard Chambers says he's been clear he wants his staff to do the basics well. He says it means getting officers out into the community, but beat patrols are only one aspect and his team is doing an incredible job. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency housing may not be being used the way it's intended, with application rejections on the up. Data obtained by our newsroom shows applications have dropped significantly to the end of June, but the number being declined, is rising. Rules introduced last year allow officials to decline grants if they believe a person has caused or contributed to their immediate need for housing.  Social housing commentator Bernie Smith told Mike Hosking that people have become too reliant on the Government to back them up.  He says it was never set up to do that - it was to support the most vulnerable, like those kicked out of home.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is with real enthusiasm that I see the Public Service Commissioner potentially doing what the main Government should have done two years ago.  What the Government did two years ago was say they were going to rectify the absurd size of the public service.  It had blown out to gargantuan proportions under the Labour Government, who knew no bounds in terms of fiscal largesse based on debt.  What the new Government actually did with the public service, sadly, was tinker.  It peaked at a bit over 65,000 and it sits at over 63,000. In fact in the ensuing period, it's gone up again.  So rough math will tell you they got rid of about 2,000 jobs. As a raw number it's a lot of jobs. A percentage it's tiny.  As an effective exercise in efficiency and savings, it's a joke.  The shame of it was the new Government of the day had licence. Yes, it was controversial. Yes, the unions bleated and moaned. Yes, the media went to town on a Tory slash-and-burn exercise.  But the trick was always simple – if you're going to dish out the bad news go hard, DOGE it, blow it up, do it once and do it properly.  The fall out, headlines, and anger will be exactly the same whether you trim a couple of thousand for no effect or 6,500 and make a difference.  So they blew it. They took the heat but got few, if any, results. In an odd way it’s symbolic of the weaker parts of this Government; the ideas, rhetoric, and execution are never quite aligning.  But now the Commissioner Brian Roache looks to be having another crack by merging departments. The Ministries of Women, Pacific peoples, disabled peoples, and Māori Development could all be in for an upending.  I'd go further. The never-ending series of commissioners and their offices that have no actual power and really only write reports would not be missed.  But ministries for ministries sake is what holds this country back. They all fill a space to meet their budget and so-called mandate.  If this is on, and I pray it is, wait for the bleating. Every one of them will tell you the critical nature of their existence but I defy anyone of you to list me the profound and productive change they have made to all our lives.  Given you can't they then fall into the category as largesse, waste and tokenism.  Do it once and do it right. That's how change should happen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.