The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Auckland FC have the second leg of their A-League semi-final clash against Melbourne Victory tomorrow night. It’s the home leg for AFC – with Go Media Mount Smart Stadium expected to be a sellout with 28-thousand fans. The club’s CEO Nick Becker told Mike Hosking the team aren’t getting ahead of themselves – and are solely focused on this game. He says it would be a brilliant achievement to reach the Grand Final in the franchises’ debut season. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An oil and gas lobby group is celebrating the Government's 200 million dollars for gas fields. Resource Minister Shane Jones announced the money would be used to co-invest with developers to start new fields. Energy Resource Aotearoa Chief Executive John Caregie told Mike Hosking it's a positive signal to the sector. He says it will tilt the economic signals from negative to neutral. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is defending her budget and growth agenda, despite a surplus being some years away. The Government's books aren't set to return to surplus until 2029. Nicola Willis says that surplus is coming despite disruption on the world stage. She told Mike Hosking alongside spending cuts they're also investing to encourage businesses to grow. Willis says the biggest risk to getting back into surplus would be a slow down in the economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two people are dead and eight injured after a plane crashed in San Diego overnight. The small business jet crashed into the Murphy Canyon neighbourhood, spilling jet fuel across the road and engulfing multiple homes in flames. Police evacuated around 100 residents. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking authorities are doing more searches, to make sure everyone's out. He says it's believed those killed were on board, but among those injured were people on the ground. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A view suggests says yesterday's Budget is highlighting New Zealand's fiscal realities. It found more than 21-billion dollars in savings - including nearly 13-billion from its pay equity changes. Despite the many cuts - the Government isn't forecasting New Zealand to return to a surplus until 2029. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking reaching that will be touch and go. He says the next few Budgets are likely to be the same, and it will probably get harder to reach that target -- meaning less spending, or something else, may be required. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What I hope for today is a sign and a sense that what we are facing economically as a country is real, and it's real bad, and the Government see it, accept it, and chart a path forward that gives us some sort of hope.  The damage done by Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, Chris Hipkins, and Adrian Orr is now years long.  You can't invent money in that volume without spending the ensuing years trying to dig yourself out of it.  The start has been made.  The cutbacks have begun and the screaming, wailing, and upset has ensued. But there is a lot more where that came from.  The seeds of recovery are real, manufacturing is expanding, and has been for several months, but services aren't. Sentiment isn't.  The farmers have struck gold, but the weather has been exceptionally kind, as have Americans with their passion for burgers.  Our debt is shocking. We are not running a surplus on an annual basis and still won't be for years.  The Finance Minister today has virtually nothing to play with; no excess, no lolly, and no largesse.  She has, I hope, found a fortune in savings and she will redirect that to better places.  I pray she isn't borrowing on top of what we have already incurred. If she has, she may well be making a generational mistake, given Treasury says 50% debt by way of GDP is it, and we are close enough to that to worry the conservatives.  In a sense today should wrap some numbers and forecasts around the rhetoric, being we are open for businesses, we are pro-growth, we are big on infrastructure and most importantly, fiscally as well as economically, we are not going to die wondering.  Today is not a day for a dollar here and a dollar there. It is not an itch-scratching exercise.  It should be a document that lays an ongoing foundation for the major project that is the economic resuscitation of the New Zealand economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of New Zealand’s most influential music groups is back after five years out of the game.  Fly My Pretties was first formed in 2004, and brought together musicians from a lot of well-known Kiwi bands to record live albums.   The cast includes musicians from the Black Seeds, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Phoenix Foundation, and The Phoenix Foundation, among others, and was founded by Barnaby Weir and Mikee Tucker.  Tomorrow marks their first release in five years, with their seventh album ‘Elemental’.  Weir told Mike Hosking the project has turned out different to how he would have imagined it, but the core concept is still there.  “I hope that there’s still a lot of, y’know, more leads in it,” he said.  “This new album is really strong, and y’know, in the future, I might not be on the stage, I might be just more of a mental kind of character involved with it, but the concept can just, y’know, continue.”  And, as a special treat, Weir gave an exclusive, acoustic performance.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

North Auckland oyster farmers have been hit with a wave of uncertainty.  Norovirus has been found in the Mahurangi River where the shellfish are grown, resulting in contaminated product and closures until further notice.   They're blaming Watercare and Auckland Council, claiming they let sewage flows get out of control before infrastructure could catch up.  Watercare says a new pipeline should be completed in 2028.  Matakana Oysters co-owner Tom Walters told Mike Hosking it’s too little too late for many of the businesses, who have been begging for measures to be introduced for years.  He says there’s been no accountability from Watercare or the council, or compensation after the growth and development of the area cost them their farms and livelihoods.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 22nd of May, we talk to the major sectors to hear their wish lists for today's Budget.    145 years of Smith & Caughey's has officially come to an end, and Mike is ropeable.  Fly My Pretties co-founder Barnaby Weir is on to talk their first album in five years, plus, gives us an exclusive look at a new song.  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.

KiwiSaver's a hot topic in today's budget announcement.   Low and middle income earners could be getting tax back on their contributions into the fund.   Deloitte Tax Partner Robyn Walker told Mike Hosking it's a recommendation made by the tax working group.   She says that will make a difference to people's savings.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.