Following Otago University’s implementation of a free speech and academic freedom policy earlier this year, universities countrywide are following suit.

The Free Speech Union has engaged with most New Zealand universities and says it has held high-level talks.

Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling tells Mike Hosking the Free Speech Union is concerned about the state of free speech and academic freedom across the university sector. 

LISTEN ABOVE

Following Otago University’s implementation of a free speech and academic freedom policy earlier this year, universities countrywide are following suit. 
The Free Speech Union has engaged with most New Zealand universities and says it has held high-level talks. 
Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling tells Mike Hosking the Free Speech Union is concerned about the state of free speech and academic freedom across the university sector.  
LISTEN ABOVE

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, 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

Jonathan Ayling: Free Speech Union Chief Executive on NZ universities implementation of free speech policies

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.



Toast: 2/10

A sad example of how you lose the plot when you are down a rabbit hole. At $30b a year, health's problem is not cooked bread. So stop saying dumb things.



The Grand Tour: 8/10

It's out this time next week. I've seen it - it's worth it.



The All Blacks: 4/10

A ten-point lead should never be surrendered.



The TMO: 1/10

If it's that inept, if it gets that in the way of a good game, then what's the point?



Road funding: 7/10

Because we love roads. All roads, big roads, wide roads, roads that allow us to get places and go vroom-vroom.



Spring: 8/10

How good? A warm winter and longer days now daylight saving is coming. Life is good.



LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. 
 
Toast: 2/10 
A sad example of how you lose the plot when you are down a rabbit hole. At $30b a year, health's problem is not cooked bread. So stop saying dumb things. 
 
The Grand Tour: 8/10 
It's out this time next week. I've seen it - it's worth it. 
 
The All Blacks: 4/10 
A ten-point lead should never be surrendered. 
 
The TMO: 1/10 
If it's that inept, if it gets that in the way of a good game, then what's the point? 
 
Road funding: 7/10 
Because we love roads. All roads, big roads, wide roads, roads that allow us to get places and go vroom-vroom. 
 
Spring: 8/10 
How good? A warm winter and longer days now daylight saving is coming. Life is good. 
 
LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW

Mark the Week: Health's problem is not cooked bread

The process isn't over, but the Hawke’s Bay District Council was the latest yesterday to confirm a decision they had made earlier to introduce a Māori seat to their operation.

Under the new law passed by Wellington, if you had done that you need to either drop the seat at next year's local body elections or take it to a vote.

They have voted to take it to a vote. A lot of councils have done the same thing.

I think in totality this is a good thing.

Having race-based seats is wrong. But at the very least you have to give your constituents a say, which has been the crime quite rightly identified and corrected by the Government.

Part of the argument put forward in Hawke’s Bay, as I'm sure it has been in various council meetings, is Māori voices are under threat.

Now, the trouble with that is it simply isn't true and never has been. In that misrepresentation of the facts is the beauty of democracy.

Democracy is alive and well in this country. It's just sadly one of those things we take for granted.

Part of the democratic process is anyone can stand, anyone can have their voices heard, and it's far from being under threat

The fascinating bit now, once all the decisions on elections are made, is how many votes for seats will there be, and will anyone be able to get a majority to actually earn a seat?

If every single vote votes 'no', what has that told us about the entire Māori seat exercise?

Could it be in certain areas, maybe Northland, Gisborne and possibly Hawke’s Bay, that a campaign can be successfully run to get enough numbers over the line, and if that happens does that spur others on?

Could it be that the democratic exercise of actually voting leads to a growth in the number of Māori seats? Imagine that. Success by election, growth by democracy and a voice heard and acted upon in a positive way.

Surely the prospect of that potential is far more satisfying, and satisfactory legally, than the gerrymandered mess we have had up until now?

The process isn't over, but the Hawke’s Bay District Council was the latest yesterday to confirm a decision they had made earlier to introduce a Māori seat to their operation. 
Under the new law passed by Wellington, if you had done that you need to either drop the seat at next year's local body elections or take it to a vote. 
They have voted to take it to a vote. A lot of councils have done the same thing. 
I think in totality this is a good thing. 
Having race-based seats is wrong. But at the very least you have to give your constituents a say, which has been the crime quite rightly identified and corrected by the Government. 
Part of the argument put forward in Hawke’s Bay, as I'm sure it has been in various council meetings, is Māori voices are under threat. 
Now, the trouble with that is it simply isn't true and never has been. In that misrepresentation of the facts is the beauty of democracy. 
Democracy is alive and well in this country. It's just sadly one of those things we take for granted. 
Part of the democratic process is anyone can stand, anyone can have their voices heard, and it's far from being under threat 
The fascinating bit now, once all the decisions on elections are made, is how many votes for seats will there be, and will anyone be able to get a majority to actually earn a seat? 
If every single vote votes 'no', what has that told us about the entire Māori seat exercise? 
Could it be in certain areas, maybe Northland, Gisborne and possibly Hawke’s Bay, that a campaign can be successfully run to get enough numbers over the line, and if that happens does that spur others on? 
Could it be that the democratic exercise of actually voting leads to a growth in the number of Māori seats? Imagine that. Success by election, growth by democracy and a voice heard and acted upon in a positive way. 
Surely the prospect of that potential is far more satisfying, and satisfactory legally, than the gerrymandered mess we have had up until now?

Mike's Minute: Māori ward seats voting wraps up

‘I have uncovered a scandal’ teases Newstalk ZB Mike Hosking, as he reveals a tale of sabotage allegedly involving his RNZ rivals. But RNZ says there has been a genuine misunderstanding.

--

Minister of Tourism Matt Doocey tapped the numbers into his phone to speak to Newstalk ZB host Mike Hosking.

A voice on the other end of the line answered.

Doocey introduced himself, explaining he was calling for the pre-arranged interview with Hosking – the pair were scheduled to speak on Thursday morning about the proposed new levy on overseas visitors and tourism’s contribution to GDP.

According to Hosking, the person on the other end of the line allegedly responded along the lines of that there was no longer an interview.

The minister’s office confirmed this morning he was told by the person on the other end of the line that the interview was not happening.

Tourism Minister Matt Doocey. Photo / Mark Mitchell

According to Hosking – who was relaying the tale of events to his listeners this morning – Doocey thought that was unusual, hung up and carried on with his day.

Meanwhile, Hosking’s producer at Newstalk ZB was wondering where the minister had got to and why he hadn’t called in, as had been arranged.

It turns out, Doocey had been given the wrong number by his office – a staff member had mistakenly written down a studio number for RNZ instead of Newstalk ZB.

You can see where this might be heading.

“I have uncovered a scandal that involves the state broadcaster, Radio New Zealand ...! Something nefarious, underhand and possibly dastardly has been uncovered,” Hosking teased his listeners this morning.

But RNZ has said it appears there has been “a genuine misunderstanding”.

Hosking explained that after Doocey’s no-show over the phone, his producer chased the minister down.

“Here’s a bit of insight into how the radio industry works. Matt Doocey was due to ring in, Matt Doocey is nowhere to be seen at about five minutes past seven,” said Hosking.

“What’s happened to Matt Doocey? We start chasing him down.

“It turns out the person in his office had written down the wrong number for him.

“So obviously, [that’s] immediate incompetence that needs to be dealt with forthwith. Do the basics brilliantly, I thought was the National Party. It’s not.”

Mike Hosking also interviewed Lisa Carringtion this week. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Hosking’s team eventually tracked down the minister and conducted the interview.

Off air, they were digging deeper – who did that phone number belong to? Yes, as it turned out, RNZ.

“So Matt Doocey, minister of the crown rang up the state broadcaster as funded by you and I through our tax money and said ‘Matt Doocey reporting for the Mike Hosking Breakfast’,” said Hosking.

“To which point they said, ‘You no longer have an interview with the Mike Hosking Breakfast.”

But RNZ denies that specific response was used.

An RNZ spokeswoman said: “Having spoken to the staff member who received the call, this appears to have been a genuine misunderstanding.

“On receiving the call, they explained that we had interviewed the Minister the day before and there was no interview scheduled that morning. The staff member did not mention Newstalk or Mike Hosking.”

Hosking had several questions on his show earlier.

“One, do I secretly admire them for being so quickwitted that the first thing they do is instead of going, ‘Oh, you’ve probably got the wrong number’, or ‘Whoops, you’ve rung Radio New Zealand, sorry’, they say, ‘You no longer have an interview with Mike Hosking Breakfast’?

“That’s quite sharp to be honest, [it’s] probably worth looking into employing that person, whoever they were, because there are some people here who aren’t remotely that sharp.

“Second, is it underhand?

“Third, is that just competition and that’s life? And would we have done the same thing if we were alert enough to do the same thing?

“Fourth, is it just pure, straight up and down sabotage?”

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.

‘I have uncovered a scandal’ teases Newstalk ZB Mike Hosking, as he reveals a tale of sabotage allegedly involving his RNZ rivals. But RNZ says there has been a genuine misunderstanding.
-- 
Minister of Tourism Matt Doocey tapped the numbers into his phone to speak to Newstalk ZB host Mike Hosking. 
A voice on the other end of the line answered. 
Doocey introduced himself, explaining he was calling for the pre-arranged interview with Hosking – the pair were scheduled to speak on Thursday morning about the proposed new levy on overseas visitors and tourism’s contribution to GDP. 
According to Hosking, the person on the other end of the line allegedly responded along the lines of that there was no longer an interview. 
The minister’s office confirmed this morning he was told by the person on the other end of the line that the interview was not happening. 
Tourism Minister Matt Doocey. Photo / Mark Mitchell 
According to Hosking – who was relaying the tale of events to his listeners this morning – Doocey thought that was unusual, hung up and carried on with his day.
Meanwhile, Hosking’s producer at Newstalk ZB was wondering where the minister had got to and why he hadn’t called in, as had been arranged.
It turns out, Doocey had been given the wrong number by his office – a staff member had mistakenly written down a studio number for RNZ instead of Newstalk ZB.
You can see where this might be heading.
“I have uncovered a scandal that involves the state broadcaster, Radio New Zealand ...! Something nefarious, underhand and possibly dastardly has been uncovered,” Hosking teased his listeners this morning.
But RNZ has said it appears there has been “a genuine misunderstanding”.
Hosking explained that after Doocey’s no-show over the phone, his producer chased the minister down.
“Here’s a bit of insight into how the radio industry works. Matt Doocey was due to ring in, Matt Doocey is nowhere to be seen at about five minutes past seven,” said Hosking.
“What’s happened to Matt Doocey? We start chasing him down.
“It turns out the person in his office had written down the wrong number for him.
“So obviously, [that’s] immediate incompetence that needs to be dealt with forthwith. Do the basics brilliantly, I thought was the National Party. It’s not.”
Mike Hosking also interviewed Lisa Carringtion this week. Photo / Jason Oxenham 
Hosking’s team eventually tracked down the minister and conducted the interview. 
Off air, they were digging deeper – who did that phone number belong to? Yes, as it turned out, RNZ. 
“So Matt Doocey, minister of the crown rang up the state broadcaster as funded by you and I through our tax money and said ‘Matt Doocey reporting for the Mike Hosking Breakfast’,” said Hosking. 
“To which point they said, ‘You no longer have an interview with the Mike Hosking Breakfast.” 
But RNZ denies that specific response was used. 
An RNZ spokeswoman said: “Having spoken to the staff member who received the call, this appears to have been a genuine misunderstanding. 
“On receiving the call, they explained that we had interviewed the Minister the day before and there was no interview scheduled that morning. The staff member did not mention Newstalk or Mike Hosking.” 
Hosking had several questions on his show earlier. 
“One, do I secretly admire them for being so quickwitted that the first thing they do is instead of going, ‘Oh, you’ve probably got the wrong number’, or ‘Whoops, you’ve rung Radio New Zealand, sorry’, they say, ‘You no longer have an interview with Mike Hosking Breakfast’? 
“That’s quite sharp to be honest, [it’s] probably worth looking into employing that person, whoever they were, because there are some people here who aren’t remotely that sharp. 
“Second, is it underhand? 
“Third, is that just competition and that’s life? And would we have done the same thing if we were alert enough to do the same thing? 
“Fourth, is it just pure, straight up and down sabotage?” 
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.

Jonathan Ayling: Free Speech Union Chief Executive on NZ universities implementation of free speech policies

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