Avsnitt
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So, who is right?
"The rental market is like musical chairs". That was a headline yesterday. Landlords are offering grocery vouchers and incentives to sign up for rentals.
But then headline number two; "Even the middle class are struggling to pay rent".
Story number three was a report I read by JB Weir about wealth transfer, which is actually a story in itself. But the upshot is we are the 7th wealthiest country on Earth. If you do the median, i.e. half above and half below, we are the 5th wealthiest.
So if we are so wealthy, how come we can't afford rent?
If we can't afford rent, how come they are offering grocery vouchers to lure us in?
The answer, of course, lies in the specifics of each story.
The middle class line came from a unionist they called an "economist" in the story, so a man with an agenda. He cited a teacher on $60,000. Teachers don’t earn $60,000 unless there are one of the new, young ones and let's be frank, if you are new and young and on starting wages you should be flatting.
As for the voucher story, well that is a reflection of the good news. Rentals are not rising the way they were because of supply. Thousands more houses are on the market and there are more houses than punters. That sort of supply and demand equation is good for the consumer.
So, if you drum up the worst case scenario, guess what you will find? A problem, closely followed by a headline.
But what of this wealth transfer? It was an interesting report showing billions is changing hands as the boomers die and the kids get the inheritance.
Women are disproportionately benefiting over men, it will carry on well into the 2040's and is a reminder that we are not in fact the squalid, broke, backwater that many would make us out to be.
We might be a low paid or "wage economy", but we are not as economically divided as some would make out. We are not broke and through things like housing, vast sums have been amassed.
And it's currently being bequeathed and left to others.
The trick is to read the detail, not fall for the headline.
Can some not afford rent? Yes.
But it's not the norm. That's your story.
But then that doesn’t make a good headline.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 19th of March, there have been overnight developments on both the Ukraine and Gaza wars, and the ceasefire call between Trump and Putin seems to be a bust.
Mike recounts his troubles with One NZ and the call system.
And Mark Mitchell stays up late in India to join Ginny Andersen on Politics Wednesday, talking PPPs and Rawiri Waititi's comments about David Seymour.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Labour is ruling out supporting foreign investment in what it calls "critical infrastructure", including hospitals, schools, and prisons.
Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds has told Ryan Bridge there is a place for some public private partnerships but won't say which ones Labour will support.
Labour’s Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking that there some fundamental areas that they believe aren’t helped by making a profit out of them.
However, she says, they’ve made it clear that if National goes into a deal for a PPP, they won’t wind it back.
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A silver-lining in otherwise bleak retail crime numbers.
Data gathered by retail crime reporting software Auror shows the number of events with weapons in 2024 was 10% higher than 2023.
It shows threatening and violent behaviour similarly increased.
But Auror Chief Executive Phil Thomson says New Zealand's still doing better than some other countries.
He told Mike Hosking the unfortunate part is that this is happening across every retail store, and it’s the frontline retail workers being threatened.
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Aotearoa's joining the Minecraft world.
Tourism New Zealand's joined forces with developer Mojang to make six Kiwi hotspots playable locations within the game.
That includes destinations Abel Tasman National Park, Waitomo Caves, and Tekapo, and is expected to generate $50 million in advertising value.
It's a cross-promotion for locally-filmed ‘The Minecraft Movie’.
Tourism New Zealand Marketing Manager Brodie McLeish told Mike Hosking the pack is available to the game's 170-million monthly users.
She says the Kiwi sites are free for all to download and engage with.
McLeish says it aims to encourage people to play the game, then come and travel around New Zealand for real.
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There’s a belief better pathways to industry and trades training are needed.
A report from the New Zealand Initiative has found just 6% of 16-to-19 year-olds participate in workplace learning, while 11% are unemployed.
It states schools are geared toward university education, even though only about a third enrol in degrees.
Report author Michael Johnston says apprenticeship options need to be more visible to young people.
He told Mike Hosking part of the problem is apprenticeship training is viewed as being for the kids who don’t cope with the academic path.
Johnston says we need to rearrange the system so that young people, regardless of their background and propensities, look at apprenticeship training as a viable option.
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A relatively minor breakthrough for the US in its attempts to end hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's agreed to pause attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days and progress talks about a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.
It follows a call with Donald Trump, who had been seeking a temporary ceasefire on all fronts.
Edward Lucas from the Centre of European Policy Analysis told Mike Hosking Putin's tardiness prior to the call could be perceived as a weapon.
He believes Putin doesn't show Trump a mutual level of respect, and perhaps the thin pickings out of the call reflect that.
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Landlords offering incentives to entice tenants is said to be a simple supply and demand issue.
Rental listings in Auckland and Wellington have seen investors offer free weeks of rent, or bonuses like supermarket vouchers and even free moped scooters for people who sign on to a lease.
Residential Property Managers' Association Chair Tony Mitchell told Mike Hosking investors are fighting for tenants due to a lack of demand.
He expects it to be only a temporary thing and hopes the strong underlying demand factors will make a difference soon.
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The war in Gaza appears to be back to square one.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 400 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes overnight, ending a fragile truce that began in January.
Israel is vowing to ramp up the attacks towards Hamas.
International geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller told Mike Hosking it's been the deadliest 24 hour period since November 2023.
He says things are looking grim, with Israel's Defence Minister warning he'll open the gates of hell if the remaining hostages aren't released.
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If the New Zealand Labour Party wants to get real about re-election, they should look no further than the UK Labour Party.
Keir Starmer blew up the NHS on Friday because he said it doesn't work. He says the bloating of the numbers has not improved anything.
Jobs will be lost.
Before he blew up the NHS, he attacked the welfare system. He called it unjust and unfair because, essentially, there are too many people sitting on welfare doing nothing and there is no incentive for them to change their habits.
Remember, this is a British Labour Prime Minister.
We are also expecting the chancellor to slash more spending. Why? Because they don’t have any money.
If only a Hipkins or an Ardern or a Robertson were anything close to this.
What was close to this was Roger Douglas, David Lange, David Caygill, and Mike Moore - the proper Labour Party. The Labour Party many recognise as being a middle-of-the-road centrist-type party that a lot of New Zealanders could recognise.
If what Starmer is up to works, he is Tony Blair 2.0, and the lesson Blair taught us is the same thing Bob Hawke taught us in Australia – a Labour movement doesn’t have to be about wokeness and largesse and economic ineptitude.
It needs to be about common sense and the worker. Not a hardcore unionist, but a middle class New Zealander who gets up, makes their kid's lunches, heads to work and comes home late, a bit tired and ready for a beer and a BBQ at the weekend, living in their own home in suburbia with a belief that life is pretty good, New Zealand is pretty good and the future is moderately bright.
None of that is hard. But I bet you it's completely foreign to most of the current Labour lot who butchered the place between 2017-2023.
The old adage around votes and political support about the centre being large and the place to get a lot of votes, is real.
We wouldn’t mind some wider representation. National or Labour can occupy the centre. History shows it's possible and it's successful.
Hipkins needs to study Starmer and learn.
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Kiwi musician Blair Jollands has made a name for himself overseas.
He works as a sound designer and composer in the film industry, as well as creating and releasing his own music.
Jollands has a wide range of film credits, but some of the most popular he left his mark on are Poldark, Shackleton, Midas Man, and Alien vs Predator.
He’s worked with a wide range of stars, including Madonna and Rhianna, and won praise from the late David Bowie and Boy George.
‘Little Comet’ is his fourth album, which he recently released under his own name after performing under the pseudonym ‘El Hula’.
Jollands left New Zealand in 1995, spending awhile in the United States before winding up in the UK, where he’s remained since.
He told Mike Hosking that getting a job in sound design at the time was very much a right time, right place situation.
“I was a coffee barista, and I thought y’know, I really need to get something that pays a little bit more to help my music along.”
“So I actually walked in and gave them my CV, and a week later they said ‘will you come in because we had three people just, they’ve been headhunted and they’ve gone to another studio.’”
Although sound design and music production may seem like different areas, Jolland says these days the line between them is really fine.
“For example, the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, for say, his movie ‘Sicario’, it’s, I find it very hard to establish what is music and what is sound design – it's very tonal, it’s not as harmonic, less melodic.”
“But generally speaking, sound design is more organic, and we capture sounds and manipulate them.”
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 18th of March, there's almost a billion dollars' worth of Covid-era business loans that need to be paid back soon.
Christopher Luxon joins Mike from out of India, having just spoken with Modi about our potential Free Trade Agreement.
Kiwi singer and music composer Blair Jollands popped over from the UK to launch his new album, joining Mike in studio for a special performance.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Nearly one billion dollars is still owed as the deadline for Covid-era loans approaches.
Inland Revenue says many Small Business Cashflow loans will default in June if not paid off.
About 130,000 businesses were issued the loans, totalling $2.4 billion.
ABC Business Sales Managing Director Chris Small told Mike Hosking he's not surprised so many owners haven't paid it back yet.
He says there were no personal guarantees or general security agreements, so it was a free hit for business owners.
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The Energy Minister is being urged to take action as a winter electricity price spike looms.
A newly released briefing to Minister Simon Watts shows supply is tight, and gas needs to be maintained until suitable alternatives are found.
It also warns some households and businesses are finding energy unaffordable.
Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive John Carnegie told Mike Hosking it's clear we need an energy system backed with coal or natural gas.
He says we can't keep relying on the weather and lurching from winter to winter without systemic action.
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's adamant he won't be walking away from trade negotiations with India, even if they prove difficult.
Luxon's met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explore avenues for deeper bilateral ties and make more headway towards a Free Trade Agreement.
Trade negotiations will commence next month.
Luxon told Mike Hosking there's sensitivity from the Indian side about dairy, as it makes up about 15% of its GDP.
He says the Government wants to do everything it can to advance dairy with India, and that's been a key part of the conversation so far.
The Prime Minister’s hopeful they’ll be able to lock down an FTA by the end of the year.
Luxon told Hosking they haven’t put a time frame on achieving an agreement, but the two will be moving at pace.
He says given some of the work that's already happened and the relationships at the top level, we can expect to make good progress this year.
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The Act Party is hopeful its foray into local body elections will provide greater candidate transparency.
Leader David Seymour is calling for expressions of interest of anyone keen to stand, saying it's time for a clean out of local councillors.
Act isn't considering challenging the mayoralty in any parts of the country.
Seymour told Mike Hosking it's about ensuring voters know what they're getting and how candidates are aligned.
He says voters often don't know their candidates —or their beliefs— and end up disappointed with their councils.
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Dairy farmers are being urged to pay down debt while they're in a good position to do so.
Fonterra's already forecasting a midpoint of $10 this season.
Industry organisation Dairy NZ expects the situation to continue, forecasting a payout above $10 next season.
DairyNZ Head of Economics Mark Storey told Mike Hosking it's a good chance to clear debt while payouts are rising, and interest rates are falling.
He says farmers have been making repayments in the last few seasons, and they should continue to do so.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 17th of March, in very exciting news we have officially started formal negotiations with India for an FTA so trade minister Todd McClay joins us out of India.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is in Washington DC ahead of talks with key Trump cabinet members.
Andrew Saville and Jason Pine talk the F1, the Warriors and Super Rugby for the Monday morning commentary box.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters is in the United States this week, meeting with members of the Trump Administration.
On Wednesday he will meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Peters says he is approaching the administration with "eyes wide open and prepared to listen."
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We've received another one of these “the Government went against official advice“ stories.
This one was around bowel testing.
The Government has recently announced that testing has dropped in age from 60 to 58-years-old. The money to pay for that extra testing has come from the separate Māori and Pacific testing, which cuts in at 50-years-old.
The official advice is that more lives could be saved if you tested more Māori and Pacific Islanders.
The new health minister said in response that what we need to do to save more lives is test more people.
He is of course unquestionably right, because the word "people" is critical. We are all people and, given we all contribute to the system that tests us, exempting some from access i.e a non-Māori , is not right.
Yet again, this is part of the race-based system we have in this country, which hopefully is slowly but surely being dismantled.
Adding to this official advice part of the story is my increasing concern based on the Brian Roache report into the public service and the Deloitte report into Health NZ. It's possible this so-called "official advice" is either pointless or politically motivated.
If you start with a system that anyone at anytime can get a test, and then work backwards because that is not effective or affordable, at some point you come to a hap-ish, affordable medium.
Age will be a factor because there's no point in bowel testing a 29-year-old. So what is the magic number? They have decided 60years-old, until they decided 58-years-old. Breast screening mammogram have gone through the same debate.
But at no point should race be a factor. Yet, it has been.
Having just completed my first state participant bowel screen I would be deeply offended if I was bumped, delayed or stopped simply because I am not Maori or Pasifika.
I am a taxpayer and a New Zealander. My right is no more or less important or relevant than anyone else's and yet there are those that would argue otherwise.
By prioritising race, you are saying one life is worth more than another. You can't do that
That's what makes the official advice wrong.
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- Visa fler
