The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Nicola Willis says she's not bluffing with the idea of potentially breaking up the supermarket duopoly.   The Economic Growth Minister has introduced a fast track consenting process for supermarkets encouraging more players into the market.  She told Mike Hosking it’s a welcome mat for international players that makes it very clear in law and regulation that opening stores in New Zealand is easier than elsewhere.  Willis says this is a big issue for New Zealand, and she’s going the things that are sensible to help.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lower mortgage rates and income growth have helped improve housing affordability.  Cotality NZ’s new report finds the national value-to-income ratio reached its lowest point since mid-2019 in the June quarter, at 7.5%.   National property values also remain almost 17% below their post-covid peak.  Cotality Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Mike Hosking mortgage serviceability has seen a significant change, compared to its 2022 high of 57%.  He says it now takes around 44% of the median household income, so it's getting close to normal.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s optimism over the future of professional development training for teachers.  A new report from the Education Review Office has found half of teachers don't know how to use what they've learned in their classroom.  It highlights training as one of the biggest drivers of success.  Deputy chief executive Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking new development for English in primary schools this year is doing the things shown to work.  She says three quarters of teachers are using what they learnt in that development every day.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for certainty from the supermarket sector as Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis weighs more action.   She's introduced fast track consenting to encourage new players into the market.  Willis says she's looking carefully at the idea of breaking up the duopoly.   Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive Chris Quin told Mike Hosking the future of their business needs clarity on what regulations will be put in place.   He says the individual owners are scratching their heads wondering what's going to happen.   Quin also believes the amount of competition already in the market may be higher than people realise.  He says 30% of the retail grocery market is third players in Auckland and 18% nationwide.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I would have thought the timing could not be more awkward.  If you broadly accept the current narrative that this Government is working awfully hard to get us out of the massive economic hole left to it by the previous Government, and if you accept that the previous Government was one of the worst in living memory, then just imagine where we would be if that hopeless lot of 2020-2023 had actually been rampaging across the countryside until last year because they had had a four-year term.  Surely it's that cold, present, still-throbbing reality that prevents a discussion on a four-year term going much further.  A lot of politicians seem to want one, and who can blame them? There is logic to what they argue.  In year one you arrive in your office, introduce yourself to everyone, put a few press releases out and start the spade work.  In year two you go for broke because year three is written off in campaign mode.  As Britain is discovering, five years is an awfully long time and until they changed the law about calling early elections, they got into a nasty habit of calling early elections because five years tended to exhaust them, and various calamities would present themselves with the only exit strategy being a vote.  So, if you're following the logic three years isn't enough and five is too long. So four years is goldilocks.    Or is it?  David Seymour is a fan of four years. He argued that most countries have longer terms and there are very few countries with three years.  There are also very few countries that balance their budgets or pay down their debt. That doesn’t make it good.  What is good is his admission that the gerrymandered shambles he offered up as a twist on an extended term with committees and numbers will never see the light of day.  It's taken us 25 years to get our head around MMP. The Seymour version of an extended term has a half-life of eight million years.  So, four or not? My gut says it will get to be a thing. Change is coming.  But here's a small warning: time isn't the issue. It's quality. Time doesn’t bring talent, or skill, or insight, or dedication, professionalism, or success. It just brings time.  The rest is what we should be way more concerned about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump is escalating his threat to deploy the National Guard in Democrat-run cities.  He’s doing it under the guise of cracking down on crime, beginning with Washington DC. New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Chicago were among the cities singled out.  The US President called Chicago a “mess”, and derided its mayor, Brandon Johnson, as “grossly incompetent”.  The Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, is hitting back at Trump, saying it’s not about fighting crime but rather finding an excuse to deploy the military and intimidate his political rivals.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that in the past, the National Guard has been temporarily deployed by state governors only, not the federal government, so this is all new.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen are back with Mike Hosking to discuss the biggest political stories of the week so far.  Should New Zealand swap to four year parliamentary terms? Would Kiwis support the move?  They also discuss the Tamaki Makaurau by-election and gangs in the wake of Peeni Henare saying he’d repeal the gang patch ban.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 27th of August, we have good economic news: a new Westpac report says our growth is set to outpace Australia over the next few years. Does that stop the brain drain?  Erica Stanford has another new visa up for grabs to get entrepreneurs in and spending.  Mark Mitchell joins from Queenstown and Ginny Andersen joins from Fiji to discuss four year terms, burner phones, and the Tamaki Makaurau by-election.  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 pitch has been made for a two-hour ferry link between the North and South Islands.  The ‘North South Express’ would see a new port built at Clifford Bay, near Blenheim, through a public-private partnership.  The plan proposes a multi-use terminal, with no speed restrictions, and boosted logistics productivity.  CB Port Limited Spokesperson Dr Stephen Grice told Mike Hosking they can have the port up and running by 2029 – potentially even earlier.   He says they’re bringing new engineering and capabilities to the project so the port with a floating wharf can be developed and designed overseas.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s hope the horticulture sector will see a massive boost over the next decade.  A roadmap has been unveiled to double farmgate returns by 2035.   Actions aimed at increasing value include building consumer understanding, mapping domestic supply chain vulnerabilities, and establishing an online horticulture library.   HortNZ Chief Executive Kate Scott says they're in a strong position to succeed.   She told Mike Hosking the value of having a really broad and ambitious goal is it gives a sense of purpose to the sector.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.