Avsnitt
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I am conflicted.
In the age of tariffs and free trade and making stuff that the world wants, how is it a Government can then argue that you have to buy wool?
If you are redecorating, or building, or refurbishing a major chunk of your consideration will be around cost.
Can wool outprice what might be your desire for the cheapest product going? No, it can't.
Can wool mount an argument that over time it pays its way? Possibly.
Then we come to the patriotic side. Should we support things that we are good at? I think yes.
If you are a regular, you will know no one loves wool more than me. I'd pay anything to support wool because I'm a natural fibre geek.
Polyester should be a crime and banned.
Funnily enough, I read a report yesterday about the return of fake fur. Fake fur is now so good you can't tell the difference, but it is made out of petrochemicals. So in banning the real thing to save the animals, we have simply set about trashing the Earth some more to quell the demand for fur that never went away.
The demand for cheap flooring is driven solely by price. Wool, for what it lacks in price, makes up for in vibe. It's amazing in both carpets and jerseys.
But is the Government picking winners or is the Government artificially backing one over another, and if they are in that business, where is the line?
Why is it okay to make you buy wool, but at the same time allow any number of new building products into the market to cheapen the price of building a house? Why aren't they making you buy GIB?
It's price one day and quality the next. There is an inconsistency in this.
The wool fan in me says go for it. Wool needs and deserves help. It's been badly treated and if this programme makes a difference, then we can all feel good about it.
But the purist in me says, for a free trader, we favour quality and wool is quality.
But the reason we don’t make a lot of stuff is because we can't make it at a price we want to buy it at, and that is smart, sensible business.
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As Liam Lawson begins his new Formula One era with Racing Bulls, a new challenge has arisen if he’s to get back into Red Bull’s senior team for 2026.
The 23-year-old claimed 17th place in Formula One’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka over the weekend after a pit stop gamble did not reap the rewards they had hoped for.
He was bested by his teammate, Formula One rookie Isack Hadjar, who took home eighth place on his third outing for the squad, also beating out Lawson’s replacement Yuki Tsunoda.
Former Williams Team Manager Peter Windsor told Mike Hosking that we can expect to see a lot more of the old Lawson as the season continues, but whether he’ll be good enought to be Hadjar is another matter.
He says you have to be impressed with Hadjar – he was showing up a lot of very experienced racing drivers.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 10th of April, Trump put a pause on tariffs, sending the stock markets through the roof, so we look at the resulting scramble.
The Government has said we must buy wool. Can they enforce this or is it anti-free trade?
Former Williams F1 team manager Peter Windsor gives us his thoughts ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Rugby is mourning the passing of former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew.
Mayhew has passed away after heart complications, at the age of 70.
He served as the All Blacks doctor between 1988 and 2004 before moving to the Warriors for 15 years.
Former All Black Captain Sean Fitzpatrick told Mike Hosking Mayhew was very much part of the team, both on and off the field.
He says he was a lovely man, a confidant, very calm, and managed to bring humour to very tense situations.
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Donald Trump's turning up the heat on China but throwing a tariff lifeline to most others.
He's authorised a 90-day pause which will see tariffs dropped to 10% for many countries.
However, China's rate has been increased from 104% to 125%.
Eric Crampton —Chief Economist at New Zealand Initiative— told Mike Hosking it's a rapidly changing situation.
He says it’s really hard for any business to plan in this kind of environment – the chaos is just going to continue.
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A climate professor says forestry isn't the answer to climate change.
It comes after Parliament's environment watchdog released a report proposing completely removing the ability of carbon polluters to rely on planting trees to meet their climate obligations, instead of cutting their emissions.
Victoria University Adjunct Professor of Climate Change Adrian Macey told Mike Hosking we need a more comprehensive approach to tackling climate change.
He says planting trees simply isn't good enough.
Macey says planting trees isn't a 'get out of jail free' card, but rather a suspended sentence.
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Donald Trump says the changes to his tariff policy show he's flexible.
He's put a 90-day pause on additional tariffs and lowered tariffs on all countries to 10% – except China.
Instead, Trump hiked China's rate from 104% to 125%.
He's thanked Americans for bearing with him and promised better days are coming.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking things are uncertain, but their view is that we need to stay the course.
She says they can’t controll what happens elsewhere in the world, but they can control what they do here at home.
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The Science Minister says merging our two Government weather agencies will free up millions of dollars.
Incoming legislation will bring NIWA and MetService together before the end of the year.
Shane Reti says the merger will resolve the structural issue that's resulted in duplication and conflicting advice.
He told Mike Hosking they'll merge capabilities, assets and services, and streamline back-office functions.
Reti says they're projecting there'll be an extra $3 million a year as a result, which they'll drive back into weather forecasting.
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There’s a belief the Government's new building directive for wool will be followed.
From July, new builds worth more than $9 million and refurbishments costing over $100 thousand must use New Zealand wool where possible.
The directive orders state agencies to follow the directive where practical.
Wool Impact chief executive Andy Caughey told Mike Hosking it's not a rule, but strong advice.
He says in two to three years time, people will see how obvious the solution was and regret not using wool earlier.
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Ken Langone started a small operation called Home Depot.
These days he is a billionaire and major donor to the Trump campaign and Republican Party.
He is, like all the rest of us looking on, incredulous, or furious, or in disbelief, or confused.
Yesterday for a very brief period, a rumour that appeared to come out of a very small 'X' account and somehow linked to CNBC, swept the market.
It said Trump was considering a 90-day pause on the tariffs. The market which had been continuing its downward trajectory, or “tanking” as some people called it, abruptly upped stick and reversed.
It surged by about 8%, which is a lot, until it turned out none of it was true. So it fell apart again.
As one article suggested, that was an off-ramp for the President. In other words, had the rumour been true and Trump decided it could all be a mistake, the markets would have forgiven him, put it all behind them and we would be on our merry way.
But back to Ken. Ken said "I don’t understand the goddamn formula". In that, he is not alone.
Many of the billionaires who backed Trump don't understand the formula. They also didn’t back the idea that Trump would trash the place and yet more of them, mainly headed by the bloke who runs BlackRock, think the US economy is already in recession.
If it is in recession Howard Lutnick will need to be rolled out to explain how that happened, given according to Lutnick, it wasn’t possible.
So once again we ask the simple question – if the brightest people in the room don’t understand the "goddamn formula", if Trump's closest allies and supporters don’t get it, who does?
Or worse, is it possible no one does? Is this thing a runaway train?
If it's not a runaway train, is it possible that yet another Trump backer is right when he suggests America is now a global laughing stock?
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Should you look into building a house?
CoreLogic’s latest Construction Cost Index suggests that outside of Covid, the price to build is the lowest it’s been since 2012.
Costs are rising at one of the slowest rates on record, with only 0.9% over the last year.
Generation Homes CEO Craig Hopkins told Mike Hosking the sectors’ greatest competition is the pre-existing market, with around 33,000 houses currently up for sale.
However, he says, as far as building a house, now is the perfect time to do so.
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Fans may have noticed a more enjoyable Super Rugby product this season.
Static time has been cut by 73 seconds, and an average of 61 points are being scored per game – the highest ever.
Viewing numbers and game attendance have also increased.
CEO Jack Mesley told Mike Hosking the growth’s happening on both sides of the ditch, with Australia leading the charge this season.
He says their focus is to string seasons of growth back-to-back so that they’re moving in the right direction, and that’s certainly happening.
Mesley says the unexpected results are fuelling some of the interest.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 9th of April, will the tariffs affect our OCR announcement this afternoon?
A new report on organised crime shows we are in shambles, it's getting worse, not better, and we are losing the fight.
Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk Andrew Little’s potential run for Wellington mayor, David Parker’s resignation, and organised crime on Politics Wednesday.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come out on top in the first debate of the election.
Of the 100 undecided voters polled after the debate, 44 chose Albanese, 35 chose his opponent Peter Dutton, and 21 were undecided.
Australian correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking a personal tragedy struck Dutton shortly before it started.
He says Dutton received news his father had had a heart attack an hour before the debate started.
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Labour's Ginny Anderson says former party leader Andrew Little would make a great mayor.
Newstalk ZB yesterday revealed Little is actively considering running for the Wellington Mayoralty after previously ruling it out.
Little says the city needs a change, and he's been approached by many to run.
Andersen told Mike Hosking he'd improve the council
She says Little's level headed, and would be a safe pair of hands which the city desperately needs.
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Methamphetamine use skyrocketed to its highest level last year as New Zealand struggles to keep pace.
A ministerial advisory group on organised crime has released it's first report since being established in February.
It says police and customs do their best, but the reality is the country is losing the fight.
Advisory group chair Steve Symon told Mike Hosking there are high spikes in rural areas across the country.
He says that this is evidence against the theory that gangs are dumping meth in the water to avoid police raids.
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International students are returning to New Zealand campuses, with numbers reaching pre-Covid levels.
Education New Zealand says the students contribute billions to the economy annually.
Universities New Zealand CEO Chris Whelan told Mike Hosking it's a welcome financial boost.
He says as well as bringing life back to the campus, they also help keep our institutions afloat financially.
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The Police will continue with their plan to pull back from mental health callouts, but they're going about it more slowly.
From Monday, 4 of the 12 police districts will move into the second phase, which involves 60-minute ED handovers.
They will now be staggered across districts, instead of all at once.
The Mental Health Foundation has been critical of the pull back.
Police Association President Chris Cahill told Mike Hosking police need to draw a strong line in the sand to ensure people are taken care of by the right people.
He says that shouldn't involve police sitting in emergency departments for six hours.
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More than 70 countries have approached the White House for talks following Trump’s tariffs.
There's been no let up on China though – the US has promised to hit them with a 50% increase tomorrow.
That will take China's total tariff rate to 104%.
US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking the world's biggest company, Apple, has been dealt a massive blow.
He says its lost 20% of its market value in the past three days, and is pivoting production to India instead of China.
The White House has raised the idea of manufacturing in the US, but Arnold says it’s unlikely as it would costs thousands of dollars more.
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Economists are agreeing on where they think today's Official Cash Rate will land.
They expect a 25 basis point cut to the OCR, down from 3.75%.
ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Mike Hosking there's a risk the Reserve Bank opts for a different strategy after the US tariff announcement.
She says if it were to be a surprise, a 50-point cut is more likely than a pause.
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- Visa fler
