This year marks 80 years since the World War II D-Day landings, commemorations taking place in France this week.

At least 25 Heads of Government or State are expected to attend, including US President Joe Biden and King Charles. 

The ceremonies began this morning with parachutists jumping from World War II-era planes into the skies above Normandy.

Europe Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that the main focal point of the commemorations will be on Thursday, the actual anniversary.

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This year marks 80 years since the World War II D-Day landings, commemorations taking place in France this week. 
At least 25 Heads of Government or State are expected to attend, including US President Joe Biden and King Charles.  
The ceremonies began this morning with parachutists jumping from World War II-era planes into the skies above Normandy. 
Europe Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that the main focal point of the commemorations will be on Thursday, the actual anniversary. 
LISTEN ABOVE

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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,...

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Catherine Field: Europe Correspondent on the World War II D-Day commemorations this week

The Education Minister believes improving attendance is one reason for the narrowing achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students. 

PISA results find it's narrowed in the last four years, largely because disadvantaged students performed better. 

It also shows New Zealand students remain above the OECD average across all three subjects, ranking ninth in reading, tenth in science, and 16th in mathematics. 

Education Minister Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking attendance is vitally important. 

She says when PISA was last done in the Covid year of 2022, attendance was around 39%, compared to this year where it's 64.3%. 

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The Education Minister believes improving attendance is one reason for the narrowing achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.&nbsp;
PISA results find it's narrowed in the last four years, largely because disadvantaged students performed better.&nbsp;
It also shows New Zealand students remain above the OECD average across all three subjects, ranking ninth in reading, tenth in science, and 16th in mathematics.&nbsp;
Education Minister Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking attendance is vitally important.&nbsp;
She says when PISA was last done in the Covid year of 2022, attendance was around 39%, compared to this year where it's 64.3%.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;&nbsp;

Erica Stanford: Education Minister on PISA results stabilising, reading, science, and math results sitting above OECD average

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/163e5b59-c017-4e66-b6ea-b4bf014ae8af/transcript

There's a battle of the ideologies on display as ACT looks to cut art spending on roading projects. 

It's very ACT, i.e. fiscally disciplined. Every $1 million on roading needs to be $1 million on roading, not 99% on roads and 1% on art. 

The art is an issue for several reasons, mainly for me because most of it is unimpressive. 

I'm not actually against art per se. I like art. I prefer private operators to pay for it, but I wouldn't die in the ditch trying to cut it. 

It makes sense. We have no money, we need more roads, and so it's fairly obvious you make every dollar go as far as it can. 

And I suspect broadly most people feel the same way, so it's an easy headline and a political point to make in a campaign. 

But public art can be amazing. The trouble is a lot of ours isn't. 

On the highway out of Christchurch heading towards Kaiapoi there is some good work. At what they call Spaghetti Junction in Auckland there is what loosely looks like red light stalks. They're awful. 

On our way home on the new highway north of Auckland there are a bunch of Māori soldiers or chiefs, sort of metal cutouts that are rusted. 

It’s a look. I don’t like it, which is the other bit about art. It's fraught. 

There is also obviously an overt Māori fixation around it. There's not a lot of Siddell's or Sydney's about the place. There are more conceptual, race-based interpretations that you might argue may not get a lot of commissions if it wasn’t for the NZTA. 

So you have the battle between to do it, or not, and also if you do do it, is it any good? 

But to the ideology, ACT are about efficiency and that’s good, given our parlous state fiscally. 

The defence came from the transport wonks who said, "look, its only 1.4% of the overall budget", the inference being that we shouldn't worry about it because it's nothing. And yet, do the math. 

For every 72-odd roads, that's another free road if you don’t spend your 1.4%. Would you rather have another road or a bunch of eclectic sculptures? 

I think the inescapable conclusion is art is for better days, more affluent times, in countries that have productivity levels way better than ours and that have handled their finances better than ours. 

Art is a reward, not a must have. 

There's a battle of the ideologies on display as ACT looks to cut art spending on roading projects.&nbsp;
It's very ACT, i.e. fiscally disciplined. Every $1 million on roading needs to be $1 million on roading, not 99% on roads and 1% on art.&nbsp;
The art is an issue for several reasons, mainly for me because most of it is unimpressive.&nbsp;
I'm not actually against art per se. I like art. I prefer private operators to pay for it, but I wouldn't die in the ditch trying to cut it.&nbsp;
It makes sense. We have no money, we need more roads, and so it's fairly obvious you make every dollar go as far as it can.&nbsp;
And I suspect broadly most people feel the same way, so it's an easy headline and a political point to make in a campaign.&nbsp;
But public art can be amazing. The trouble is a lot of ours isn't.&nbsp;
On the highway out of Christchurch heading towards Kaiapoi there is some good work. At what they call Spaghetti Junction in Auckland there is what loosely looks like red light stalks. They're awful.&nbsp;
On our way home on the new highway north of Auckland there are a bunch of Māori soldiers or chiefs, sort of metal cutouts that are rusted.&nbsp;
It’s a look. I don’t like it, which is the other bit about art. It's fraught.&nbsp;
There is also obviously an overt Māori fixation around it. There's not a lot of Siddell's or Sydney's about the place. There are more conceptual, race-based interpretations that you might argue may not get a lot of commissions if it wasn’t for the NZTA.&nbsp;
So you have the battle between to do it, or not, and also if you do do it, is it any good?&nbsp;
But to the ideology, ACT are about efficiency and that’s good, given our parlous state fiscally.&nbsp;
The defence came from the transport wonks who said, "look, its only 1.4% of the overall budget", the inference being that we shouldn't worry about it because it's nothing. And yet, do the math.&nbsp;
For every 72-odd roads, that's another free road if you don’t spend your 1.4%. Would you rather have another road or a bunch of eclectic sculptures?&nbsp;
I think the inescapable conclusion is art is for better days, more affluent times, in countries that have productivity levels way better than ours and that have handled their finances better than ours.&nbsp;
Art is a reward, not a must have.&nbsp;

Mike's Minute: The battle of ideologies at play

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/44941b39-ee87-422d-8757-b4be017cecf2/transcript

Proving there's always mileage in a car show, it's time for a new era of the Grand Tour. 

There'll be three new hosts behind the wheel, Francis Bourgeois, James Engelsman, and Thomas Holland taking over from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. 

Holland and Engelsman have hosted the YouTube channel Throttle House together for over a decade, while Bourgeois is a well-known social media trainspotter and mechanical engineer. 

The trio has big shoes to fill, and Holland told Mike Hosking they've been careful while making the show, as they know how much it means to so many people. 

"The whole team focused on, I guess, making the show that we would want to watch were we not on it," he explained. 

"I made sure that was in my mind the whole time, going like, is this good enough for me if I was watching it?" 

The inter-host dynamic was a huge draw of the original show, and fortunately there seems to be no lack of chemistry between the new hosts. 

Bourgeois told Hosking their first conversation would be familiar to most car enthusiasts —a discussion of who's driving what— but the building blocks of friendship grew quickly. 

"We're having laughs, we're going through into these chemistry tests, we're having drinks together in the bar afterwards." 

"It feels like our friendship was actually kind of ready to go and it was rocketing away by the time we were filming the first episode." 

They're hopeful the new iteration of the show will receive the same support as the last, Engelsman saying they have a lot of ideas for the future. 

"We went through so many for what would be in this series that were either not possible because of seasonality or timing, that now we can tackle if there is a season 2 and more," he told Hosking 

"I think there's more hope than there's ever been for a successful reinvention of the show, while honouring the formula and then the musical note that it hits with the audience." 

LISTEN ABOVE   

Proving there's always mileage in a car show, it's time for a new era of the Grand Tour.&nbsp;
There'll be three new hosts behind the wheel, Francis Bourgeois, James Engelsman, and Thomas Holland taking over from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May.&nbsp;
Holland and Engelsman have hosted the YouTube channel Throttle House together for over a decade, while Bourgeois is a well-known social media trainspotter and mechanical engineer.&nbsp;
The trio has big shoes to fill, and Holland told Mike Hosking they've been careful while making the show, as they know how much it means to so many people.&nbsp;
"The whole team focused on, I guess, making the show that we would want to watch were we not on it," he explained.&nbsp;
"I made sure that was in my mind the whole time, going like, is this good enough for me if I was watching it?"&nbsp;
The inter-host dynamic was a huge draw of the original show, and fortunately there seems to be no lack of chemistry between the new hosts.&nbsp;
Bourgeois told Hosking their first conversation would be familiar to most car enthusiasts —a discussion of who's driving what— but the building blocks of friendship grew quickly.&nbsp;
"We're having laughs, we're going through into these chemistry tests, we're having drinks together in the bar afterwards."&nbsp;
"It feels like our friendship was actually kind of ready to go and it was rocketing away by the time we were filming the first episode."&nbsp;
They're hopeful the new iteration of the show will receive the same support as the last, Engelsman saying they have a lot of ideas for the future.&nbsp;
"We went through so many for what would be in this series that were either not possible because of seasonality or timing, that now we can tackle if there is a season 2 and more," he told Hosking&nbsp;
"I think there's more hope than there's ever been for a successful reinvention of the show, while honouring the formula and then the musical note that it hits with the audience."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;&nbsp;

Francis Bourgeois, James Engelsman and Thomas Holland: New hosts of The Grand Tour on the making of the show

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/deacb8d8-36f5-4e39-81f5-b4be01792bbd/transcript

Catherine Field: Europe Correspondent on the World War II D-Day commemorations this week

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