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.



The Government: 7/10

A very solid week with the Prime Minister in Asia selling our image, Todd McClay in China drumming up business, Mark Patterson in Australia spruiking our wool and Shane Jones slashing red tape in mining and sticking it up the Waitangi Tribunal. That's ideas, policies, changes and common sense. It's got a desperately needed feel of momentum about it.



The CPI number: 3/10

The real issue is the 5.8% non-tradable figure, the stuff we control, yet aren't controlling.



Jury selection: 3/10

Twelve New Yorkers who don’t care either way about Donald Trump? Come on.  



Russia: 4/10

Because they are growing this year faster than any other major developed nation. Those sanctions work, aye?



Stuff/Hub: 7/10

Because we wish them well, but it had a very distinct whiff of rip and read, cheap and hasty, didn’t it?



The A&P show: 3/10

It's a travesty, but what about the model! Are you serious? Twelve months work for three days revenue. You don’t think there is a bit of room to wind the old efficiency up?



Supercars: 8/10

Sold out in Taupo both days. Cars with big engines are so hot right now.



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. 
 
The Government: 7/10 
A very solid week with the Prime Minister in Asia selling our image, Todd McClay in China drumming up business, Mark Patterson in Australia spruiking our wool and Shane Jones slashing red tape in mining and sticking it up the Waitangi Tribunal. That's ideas, policies, changes and common sense. It's got a desperately needed feel of momentum about it. 
 
<a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/steven-joyce-former-finance-minister-says-the-latest-inflation-rate-points-to-stagflation/">The CPI number: 3/10 </a>
The real issue is the 5.8% non-tradable figure, the stuff we control, yet aren't controlling. 
 
Jury selection: 3/10 
Twelve New Yorkers who don’t care either way about Donald Trump? Come on.   
 
Russia: 4/10 
Because they are growing this year faster than any other major developed nation. Those sanctions work, aye? 
 
<a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/mark-jennings-newshubs-former-head-of-news-on-stuffs-acquisition-of-tv3s-6pm-bulletin/">Stuff/Hub: 7/10 </a>
Because we wish them well, but it had a very distinct whiff of rip and read, cheap and hasty, didn’t it? 
 
The A&amp;P show: 3/10 
It's a travesty, but what about the model! Are you serious? Twelve months work for three days revenue. You don’t think there is a bit of room to wind the old efficiency up? 
 
<a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/jaxon-evans-kiwi-super-cars-racer-ahead-of-this-weekends-event-in-taupo/">Supercars: 8/10 </a>
Sold out in Taupo both days. Cars with big engines are so hot right now. 
 
LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW

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

Mark the Week: A very solid week for the Government

The teacher shortage has hit a new crisis point.

A Post Primary Teachers Association Survey has found that 56% of principals had to employ untrained or unqualified teachers because they were unable to find qualified staff.

President Chris Abercrombie told Mike Hosking that a lot of it comes down to those being hired having a limited authority to teach.

He said this might be someone without a qualification or it may be hiring people to teach subjects they aren’t specialised in.

LISTEN ABOVE  

The teacher shortage has hit a new crisis point. 
A Post Primary Teachers Association Survey has found that 56% of principals had to employ untrained or unqualified teachers because they were unable to find qualified staff. 
President Chris Abercrombie told Mike Hosking that a lot of it comes down to those being hired having a limited authority to teach. 
He said this might be someone without a qualification or it may be hiring people to teach subjects they aren’t specialised in. 
LISTEN ABOVE

Chris Abercrombie: PPTA President on principals hiring untrained and unqualified teachers due to the shortage

Do you want some savings?

I have found a couple of hundred million for you then.

A report out has looked at who gets the Winter Energy Payment. It's a shedload of money that is yet again going to be doled out this month for the colder period, so oldies don’t freeze to death.

It's one of the more shameful decisions of this new Government and reminded me of the Christchurch Call, which they also inexplicably carried on with.

The Christchurch Call isn't that expensive, but it is a grandiose truckload of virtue signalling, psychobabble that, as information revealed this week shows, has achieved basically nothing but “feels”.

If a new Government was looking for easy day one savings, that would have been a goodie and the Winter Energy Payment would not have been far behind.

So, the detail is that 53% of those getting superannuation don’t need a heating top up. They have enough to look after themselves.

So why do they get it?

Well, that’s Labour all over, isn't it? It's a high trust model. You can opt out if you like. But who does? No one.

So, the waste builds. With that 53%, if you didn’t hand it out you have just saved $205 million.

Now, you can only blame Labour until someone else comes along to re-introduce a bit of reality to the room.

Except the new lot decided not to.

It's not dissimilar to John Key who thought Working For Families was communism by stealth, until he decided to carry on with the programme. Here it is to this day, churning through billions as you work and pay your taxes only for them to take your money, have an entire battalion of public servants rifle through your entitlements and, if you are lucky, hand some of it back.

It is ruinously wasteful.

I assume someone, somewhere thought about the slightly simpler idea of you keeping the money in the first place so you don’t need the paperwork and hassle of trying to repatriate it. Of course, if they did it that way they wouldn’t have a financial hold over you, which of course is what a previous Labour Government had in mind when they invented it.

So, we end up with $205 million in wasted money.

Clearly not all money saving ideas have been exhausted.

Do you want some savings? 
I have found a couple of hundred million for you then. 
A report out has looked at who gets the Winter Energy Payment. It's a shedload of money that is yet again going to be doled out this month for the colder period, so oldies don’t freeze to death. 
It's one of the more shameful decisions of this new Government and reminded me of the Christchurch Call, which they also inexplicably carried on with. 
The Christchurch Call isn't that expensive, but it is a grandiose truckload of virtue signalling, psychobabble that, as information revealed this week shows, has achieved basically nothing but “feels”. 
If a new Government was looking for easy day one savings, that would have been a goodie and the Winter Energy Payment would not have been far behind. 
So, the detail is that 53% of those getting superannuation don’t need a heating top up. They have enough to look after themselves. 
So why do they get it? 
Well, that’s Labour all over, isn't it? It's a high trust model. You can opt out if you like. But who does? No one. 
So, the waste builds. With that 53%, if you didn’t hand it out you have just saved $205 million. 
Now, you can only blame Labour until someone else comes along to re-introduce a bit of reality to the room. 
Except the new lot decided not to. 
It's not dissimilar to John Key who thought Working For Families was communism by stealth, until he decided to carry on with the programme. Here it is to this day, churning through billions as you work and pay your taxes only for them to take your money, have an entire battalion of public servants rifle through your entitlements and, if you are lucky, hand some of it back. 
It is ruinously wasteful. 
I assume someone, somewhere thought about the slightly simpler idea of you keeping the money in the first place so you don’t need the paperwork and hassle of trying to repatriate it. Of course, if they did it that way they wouldn’t have a financial hold over you, which of course is what a previous Labour Government had in mind when they invented it. 
So, we end up with $205 million in wasted money. 
Clearly not all money saving ideas have been exhausted.

Mike's Minute: I've found some more cost savings for the Government

One small step for peanut butter, one giant leap for New Zealand foods.

Kiwi nut butter brand Fix & Fogg has launched 50 pouches of various products into space for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Fix & Fogg Chief Executive Roman Jewell told Mike Hosking that it also has wider implications for New Zealand food products.

He says it proves to NASA kiwi producers can be trusted to work with.

LISTEN ABOVE  

One small step for peanut butter, one giant leap for New Zealand foods. 
Kiwi nut butter brand Fix &amp; Fogg has launched 50 pouches of various products into space for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. 
Fix &amp; Fogg Chief Executive Roman Jewell told Mike Hosking that it also has wider implications for New Zealand food products. 
He says it proves to NASA kiwi producers can be trusted to work with. 
LISTEN ABOVE

Mark the Week: A very solid week for the Government

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