The Mike Hosking Breakfast

It’s been a busy start to the week and Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to delve into some of the biggest topics thus far.  The Government is completely overhauling secondary school qualifications, aiming to completely replace NCEA over five years. Is this a sensible plan?  The criteria for Māori claiming Customary Marine Titles will be tightened as the Government forges ahead with the changes to the Marine and Coastal Area Act – is pushing forward the right decision?  And the National Party President has made some bold claims at the party conference – does she have a point?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s wine industry is facing some troubles.   The industry is facing hundreds of millions of dollars in extra tariffs, Donald Trump imposing a 15% rate on New Zealand while many competing markets will continue to face only 10%.  Along with this, there is an oversupply issue and declining global demand, with nearly 100,000 tonnes of fruit remaining unharvested this season alone.  Winegrowers NZ’s Charlotte Read told Mike Hosking that despite the challenging times, there is a very strong demand for New Zealand wines, which will continue to be sought after around the world.  She says they have no long term reason for concern.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 6th of August, we look forward to the unemployment figures due today, and the Government pushing ahead with the foreshore and seabed law.   Mike looks at our wine industry and all the grapes going unharvested. Are the golden days of Sauvignon Blanc over?   Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell cover some of the major announcements of the week 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.

Last year's recession is still being felt in the job market.  Stats NZ data —due out this morning— is expected to show unemployment reached a nine-year high of 5.3% in the June quarter.  The economy's been back in growth since the latter part of last year.  But ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith told Mike Hosking the economy has lost about 40,000 jobs since the late 2023 peak.  More full-time roles have been lost than part time, he explained, and the labour market is getting that much weaker.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Triathlon New Zealand's claimed hosting rights for pinnacle events in Tauranga over the next three years.  A World Triathlon Cup will take place in the Bay of Plenty next year, before a top-level Championship Series race in 2027 and the Series' Grand Final in 2028.  Triathlon NZ chief executive Pete de Wet says they could see upwards of 3000 Kiwis racing across age groups and the all-comers race in 2028.  He told Mike Hosking there’s a big interest in the sport from an age group perspective, and it’s great for the athletes to be able to compete at home instead of having to chump on a plane.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The minister responsible for the Marine and Coastal Area Act says the Government would have passed the bill even if the Supreme Court had agreed with a lower court's ruling against it.   The Government will proceed with the bill which will tighten criteria for Māori claiming Customary Marine Titles.   Justice and Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith told Mike Hosking he thinks the settings will be right after the legislation's passed.   He says they want Māori to be able to apply for the titles but there has to be a high bar.  Goldsmith says they want to move on this quickly, and he’s hoping to have the legislation introduced in October.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Power companies are warning the road to fully renewable energy will be a bumpy one.   The big four power companies will co-invest in an energy stockpile which will include 600-thousand tonnes of coal.   Mercury Chief Executive Stew Hamilton says power companies have a commitment to renewables.   He told Mike Hosking Mercury has invested a billion dollars into geothermal and wind power, but there needs to be a backup.   Hamilton says when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining, there needs to be a more solid source of energy.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A digital education expert is cautious of blanket adoption of artificial intelligence for exam marking.   Education Minister Erica Stanford says AI is already partly used for marking and expects it could do almost all assessments by 2028.   It comes as the Government plans to scrap NCEA for an entirely new qualification.   Canterbury University Associate Professor Kathryn MacCallum told Mike Hosking AI comes with its own complexities. She says it will solve one problem, but won't address how it affects education overall.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leader of the Reform UK Party has called for police to release more information about those charged with crimes.  Nigel Farage believes details such as immigration status should be made public, saying it’s not in contempt of court for the British public to know the identity of those who have allegedly committed serious crimes.  UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking it comes after the arrest of two men in connection with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Warwickshire.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several interesting bits out of the NCEA changes for me.  Firstly, the "New Zealand Certificate of Education” actually sounds like something, doesn’t it? The same way an “A” tells you something.  The New Zealand Certificate or Advanced Certificate of Education is a “thing” you can get your head around, as in do you have one, or do you not?  NCEA is an acronym.  Under the changes you need to pass things. How wonderfully old-fashioned.  If you don’t pass you don’t advance, therefore when you do pass it actually counts. It means something and you have achieved something.  Having watched NCEA in action with five kids, it has been shocking. Virtually anyone could get it and that was, and is, never a good thing.  Under the new regime you take five subjects, and you need to pass four. There's nothing too complicated about that.  The compulsion around maths and language I am, in a way, sad about.  Choice is good and freedom is good, if you know what you are doing. If you're aiming somewhere specific a tailored approach is vastly more appealing.  But in a mass system you are vulnerable to chancers and the weakest links, and they were always going to take the joke subjects, the easy gets. And as such, wreck any reputation you might have hoped for around your qualification.  The vocational aspect is years overdue. Gateway and versions like it sort of touched on the trades and specific careers or jobs. But this fascination, if not obsession, we seemed to have had with university has been ruinous for too many.  Being a tradie is actually to be admired. It is not second place. The snobbishness around a university degree has got so absurd, you’ve ended up with any number of bewildered teenagers chasing arts degrees and Bachelors of Communication for no discernible reason other than that’s what they thought they should do.  I'm dreadfully sad though for the thousands of kids who have been messed around with NCEA. What's its value? What weight does a generation of kids place on a thing that’s been binned?  For some they got locked down in Covid and given a crap qualification, thanks for coming.  But onwards and upwards. It's a little bit back to the future.  But along with the mad open classrooms, isn't it fascinating how forward the old days appear now to be? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.