Today on Politics Wednesday, Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to delve into some of the biggest stories of the week thus far.  

They discussed the Government watering down the Auckland housing intensification plan again, Labour’s concerns with the India Free Trade Agreement, and the bill going before Parliament today that could revamp holiday alcohol trading laws. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Today on Politics Wednesday, Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to delve into some of the biggest stories of the week thus far. &nbsp;
They discussed the Government watering down the Auckland housing intensification plan again, Labour’s concerns with the India Free Trade Agreement, and the bill going before Parliament today that could revamp holiday alcohol trading laws.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

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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

Pollies: National's Mark Mitchell and Labour's Ginny Andersen on the Auckland housing intensification plan, India Free Trade Agreement, alcohol trading laws

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/9429aca7-94d3-4cb7-8467-b41e01577d18/transcript

The Auckland housing number and the Government's housing vision now looks like a school project gone wrong. 

Chris Bishop, by anyone's standards, is a competent, if not excellent, political operator but he appears to have come unstuck on Auckland housing. 

His two million homes got the sort of reaction anyone with anything to do with Auckland might have expected, so after a lot of gnashing and expletives it got readjusted to 1.6 million and now, if you can believe it, it's 1.4 million. 

The real issue of course is the number. All the numbers are huge, so they freak people out. 

Not helping is the fact Bishop is not from Auckland, he is from the Hutt. Which doesn’t mean he can't make decisions on Auckland, it just means he doesn’t seem to know what rarks Auckland up, and the obvious suggestion is made that maybe that’s because he is from Wellington. 

Making it worse is the Government has a Minister for Auckland, but he seems to be nowhere to be seen and one wonders whether he was in Bishop's ear at any point suggesting bandying around large numbers and causing confusion about high-rises in suburbia wasn’t the smartest thing he could have done. 

It's not helpful either for the Government, given it's election year. Like it or not, elections are won and lost in the country's biggest city and economic engine room. 

Also about to land is a report on volcanic view shafts, another of Auckland's special features Bishop doesn’t seem to get. 

We can delve into it another day, but in a sign Bishop is all about bottom lines and not the real world, the report suggests there is $4 billion worth of lost productivity because of these view shafts, which is $2500 per household. The inference being if we just got on and built stuff, even if they are high-rises smack bang in the middle of your Rangitoto view, we would be off to the races economically. 

I can tell Chris even before the report is released that this will go down worse than his original two million homes idea. 

In really simple terms, if the National Party, and by default the Government, want to piss a large number of Aucklanders off, let Bishop loose on the place and we'll catch up for a drink at the Opposition benches. 

The Auckland housing number and the Government's housing vision now looks like a school project gone wrong.&nbsp;
Chris Bishop, by anyone's standards, is a competent, if not excellent, political operator but he appears to have come unstuck on Auckland housing.&nbsp;
His two million homes got the sort of reaction anyone with anything to do with Auckland might have expected, so after a lot of gnashing and expletives it got readjusted to 1.6 million and now, if you can believe it, it's 1.4 million.&nbsp;
The real issue of course is the number. All the numbers are huge, so they freak people out.&nbsp;
Not helping is the fact Bishop is not from Auckland, he is from the Hutt. Which doesn’t mean he can't make decisions on Auckland, it just means he doesn’t seem to know what rarks Auckland up, and the obvious suggestion is made that maybe that’s because he is from Wellington.&nbsp;
Making it worse is the Government has a Minister for Auckland, but he seems to be nowhere to be seen and one wonders whether he was in Bishop's ear at any point suggesting bandying around large numbers and causing confusion about high-rises in suburbia wasn’t the smartest thing he could have done.&nbsp;
It's not helpful either for the Government, given it's election year. Like it or not, elections are won and lost in the country's biggest city and economic engine room.&nbsp;
Also about to land is a report on volcanic view shafts, another of Auckland's special features Bishop doesn’t seem to get.&nbsp;
We can delve into it another day, but in a sign Bishop is all about bottom lines and not the real world, the report suggests there is $4 billion worth of lost productivity because of these view shafts, which is $2500 per household. The inference being if we just got on and built stuff, even if they are high-rises smack bang in the middle of your Rangitoto view, we would be off to the races economically.&nbsp;
I can tell Chris even before the report is released that this will go down worse than his original two million homes idea.&nbsp;
In really simple terms, if the National Party, and by default the Government, want to piss a large number of Aucklanders off, let Bishop loose on the place and we'll catch up for a drink at the Opposition benches.&nbsp;

Mike's Minute: The Govt's housing vision – a school project gone wrong

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/253e0114-b30a-4832-9f64-b41e0158e89b/transcript

The Trade Minister doesn’t see anything material in Labour’s concerns over the India Free Trade Agreement.  

New Zealand First's shunned the deal, leaving its coalition partners reliant on Labour to ratify it.  

But Leader Chris Hipkins says his party's support can't be taken for granted, and he's concerned there's a mismatch between descriptions of the deal, and its contents. 

Todd McClay told Mike Hosking they’re going to do this in good faith – a formal meeting has been set for tomorrow so they can go through the details and the advice, but it's rather straightforward. 

But he says Labour needs to make a decision soon.  

He says it’s important that Parliament as a whole gets to scrutinise the deal instead of having individual parties closing the door.  

LISTEN ABOVE 

The Trade Minister doesn’t see anything material in Labour’s concerns over the India Free Trade Agreement. &nbsp;
New Zealand First's shunned the deal, leaving its coalition partners reliant on Labour to ratify it. &nbsp;
But Leader Chris Hipkins says his party's support can't be taken for granted, and he's concerned there's a mismatch between descriptions of the deal, and its contents.&nbsp;
Todd McClay told Mike Hosking they’re going to do this in good faith – a formal meeting has been set for tomorrow so they can go through the details and the advice, but it's rather straightforward.&nbsp;
But he says Labour needs to make a decision soon. &nbsp;
He says it’s important that Parliament as a whole gets to scrutinise the deal instead of having individual parties closing the door. &nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Todd McClay: Trade Minister on the India Free Trade Agreement and Labour's concerns

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/b3269d59-7cb5-4104-a314-b41e0151c358/transcript

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 1st of April, criminal defence lawyer Nigel Hampton KC discusses the quashing of David Tamihere’s double murder convictions.  

Trade Minister Todd McClay has returned from Cameroon to answer Labour's new queries about the India Free Trade Agreement as Mike asks whether it's still on or not. 

And on Politics Wednesday, Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk National's housing mess and the bill that should pass today allowing bars to operate normally on Easter and Anzac. Plus, wait until you hear about the April Fool's joke that got Mike. 

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

LISTEN ABOVE 

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 1st of April, criminal defence lawyer <a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/nigel-hampton-kc-criminal-defence-lawyer-on-david-tamiheres-double-murder-convictions-being-quashed/">Nigel Hampton KC</a> discusses the quashing of David Tamihere’s double murder convictions. &nbsp;
<a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/todd-mcclay-trade-minister-on-the-india-free-trade-agreement-and-labours-concerns/">Trade Minister Todd McClay</a> has returned from Cameroon to answer Labour's new queries about the India Free Trade Agreement as Mike asks whether it's still on or not.&nbsp;
And on Politics Wednesday, Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk National's housing mess and the bill that should pass today allowing bars to operate normally on Easter and Anzac. Plus, wait until you hear about the April Fool's joke that got Mike.&nbsp;
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Full Show Podcast: 01 April 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/ba65bb40-527c-4819-af0c-b41e014c8aa0/transcript

Pollies: National's Mark Mitchell and Labour's Ginny Andersen on the Auckland housing intensification plan, India Free Trade Agreement, alcohol trading laws

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