The Government has quietly set aside $1 billion from next year's Budget but is refusing to say where it'll go.

It amounts to 22 million dollars in 2027/28, before ramping up over a four-year period.

Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this is not a common occurance.

"That is just a little bit of an odd approach," he said. 

LISTEN ABOVE

The Government has quietly set aside $1 billion from next year's Budget but is refusing to say where it'll go.
It amounts to 22 million dollars in 2027/28, before ramping up over a four-year period.
Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this is not a common occurance.
"That is just a little bit of an odd approach," he said.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

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The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show. Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda. The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion, delivers the best talent, and always leaves you wanting more. The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show.Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda.The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion,...

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Brad Olsen: Infometrics economist says Government's unrevealed $1B an 'odd approach'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/466a0c56-610f-40e6-baf8-b4630014bb7b/transcript

Ryan Fox has won The Open Championship, becoming the third Kiwi ever to take home the title. 

He's been praised for his efforts by Sir Bob Charles, who won the same title sixty years ago.

Fox's coach Marcus Wheelhouse told Mike Hosking that he's still in a state of disbelief. 

'Yeah, so, so many deep breaths are going on at the moment and, states of disbelief and, and excitement and yeah, all, those emotions. It's incredible.'

LISTEN ABOVE

Ryan Fox has won The Open Championship, becoming the third Kiwi ever to take home the title.&nbsp;
He's been praised for his efforts by Sir Bob Charles, who won the same title sixty years ago.
Fox's coach Marcus Wheelhouse told Mike Hosking that he's still in a state of disbelief.&nbsp;
'Yeah, so, so many deep breaths are going on at the moment and, states of disbelief and, and excitement and yeah, all, those emotions. It's incredible.'
LISTEN ABOVE

Marcus Wheelhouse: Ryan Fox's coach celebrates Kiwi victory at The Open Championship

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/78840fc2-64d4-4125-82bc-b48d0003ef3d/transcript

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 20th of July, Ryan Fox's coach Marcus Wheelhouse joins us straight after Fox's first golf major win at The Open.

The PM is back from holiday and talks the new ferries and names, councils doing deals with local iwi ahead of the law changes and when we are doing more about AI.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville talk the Fox win, the World Cup final and it's halftime show and the Warriors as the potential minor premiership winners.

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 20th of July, Ryan Fox's coach Marcus Wheelhouse joins us straight after Fox's first golf major win at The Open.
The PM is back from holiday and talks the new ferries and names, councils doing deals with local iwi ahead of the law changes and when we are doing more about AI.
Jason Pine and Andrew Saville talk the Fox win, the World Cup final and it's halftime show and the Warriors as the potential minor premiership winners.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Full Show Podcast: 20 July 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/3d78f160-5161-440b-b01f-b48c015d6ca2/transcript

With a war he doesn’t know how to finish it seems the Trump plan, given the Iran problem will reflect badly for him in the midterms, is to gerrymander the vote by pretending they have an emergency.

That was largely the point of Friday's speech, which contained a re-issuing of old material, none of which specifically claimed his famed 2020 election was stolen.

A couple of polls out over the weekend have;

1) His approval rating for the war and the economy down,

2) The overall view of personal financial circumstances at multi-year lows.

Americans are miserable. Oh, and import prices out over the weekend as well were way higher than expected, which of course means everything gets more expensive for those already miserable and adds to inflation.

And that’s before the 30-year fixed mortgage is now mid 6%. So once again, multi-year highs and killing any summer house-buying sentiment.

Faced with all that, stacking an election would seem the only way to move forward.

Whether he can pull it off will be interesting and worrying to watch. You wonder if at some point even the Republicans who have stayed the course with the increasing amounts of madness might see it as a bridge too far.

It looks increasingly obvious that America is run by a dictator, if not in reality, certainly in his own mind.

His whole second term has been about testing the boundaries of presidential power, mainly thanks to the Supreme Court, in a futile fashion. But the plan appears to be to try ten things and maybe win two.

An emergency around voting will be another test of the system.

Ironically this should be fertile ground for the Democrats. But they are busy pulling themselves apart as they scrap over progressive madness driven by the Mamdani brigade vs centralism as led by the likes of Gavin Newsom.

But one of the aforementioned polls only gave them a four point edge on congressional success. All that madness and corruption in the White House and you still can't muster a runaway lead?

How broken does that make the place look? Which would be fine if this was Poland or Turkey.

But it's America and America counts, which is why we should all be worried.

It can't end well.  

LISTEN ABOVE

With a war he doesn’t know how to finish it seems the Trump plan, given the Iran problem will reflect badly for him in the midterms, is to gerrymander the vote by pretending they have an emergency.
That was largely the point of Friday's speech, which contained a re-issuing of old material, none of which specifically claimed his famed 2020 election was stolen.
A couple of polls out over the weekend have;
1) His approval rating for the war and the economy down,
2) The overall view of personal financial circumstances at multi-year lows.
Americans are miserable. Oh, and import prices out over the weekend as well were way higher than expected, which of course means everything gets more expensive for those already miserable and adds to inflation.
And that’s before the 30-year fixed mortgage is now mid 6%. So once again, multi-year highs and killing any summer house-buying sentiment.
Faced with all that, stacking an election would seem the only way to move forward.
Whether he can pull it off will be interesting and worrying to watch. You wonder if at some point even the Republicans who have stayed the course with the increasing amounts of madness might see it as a bridge too far.
It looks increasingly obvious that America is run by a dictator, if not in reality, certainly in his own mind.
His whole second term has been about testing the boundaries of presidential power, mainly thanks to the Supreme Court, in a futile fashion. But the plan appears to be to try ten things and maybe win two.
An emergency around voting will be another test of the system.
Ironically this should be fertile ground for the Democrats. But they are busy pulling themselves apart as they scrap over progressive madness driven by the Mamdani brigade vs centralism as led by the likes of Gavin Newsom.
But one of the aforementioned polls only gave them a four point edge on congressional success. All that madness and corruption in the White House and you still can't muster a runaway lead?
How broken does that make the place look? Which would be fine if this was Poland or Turkey.
But it's America and America counts, which is why we should all be worried.
It can't end well. &nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Mike's Minute: We should all be worried about America

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/d3180c77-bf6f-4f04-afe5-b48c015eb4f5/transcript

Brad Olsen: Infometrics economist says Government's unrevealed $1B an 'odd approach'

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