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The Japanese market is clawing its way back, after an epic tumble overnight. Its Nikkei had a historic one-day drop - the first in a volatile chain of global financial markets. It's now starting to stabilise, sitting about nine percent up on yesterday. Matt Goodson from Salt Funds Management says Japan's weakness began a couple of days ago, when the central bank hiked up cash rates. "The Japanese market had been pretty strong all year, the yen had been really weak - and that just turned everything around, the market fell hard, the yen really strengthened." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business owners in Wellington's Courtenay Place hope to boost the area's image with a New Year's Eve street festival. 35 businesses have come together to pitch an outdoor event offering food, drinks and entertainment - and all they need is approval from the council. Courtenay Place business owner Greig Wilson says they're putting extra pressure on the council to ensure it gets approved on time. "It's a model that's worked really well in the past, with Sevens parties and Lord of the Rings premieres." LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast for Saturday 3 August 2024, New Zealand sailed its way to silver medal at the hands of Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie, McHardie joining Piney to recap the race.  Trampolinist Dylan Schmidt crashed out of the Olympics, while Madeline Davidson pulled through to the women's trampoline final. Piney caught up with both of them shortly after their respective events.  And Rugby League Journalist Brad Walter gave his thoughts on last night's match between the Warriors and the Eels at Eden Park.  Get the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast every Saturday and Sunday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maritime NZ and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission are investigating the Aratere incident – putting the future of the Cook Strait connection under spotlight.  The Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground on Friday night - after more than 24 hours it was successfully re-floated on Saturday night.  Associate Finance Minister David Seymour told Mike Hosking “It feels like we're a nation in decline - the question is are we going to tweak it, or change it?”  Semyour said you've got to ask whether private enterprise should be contracted or take it over completely.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's opposition leader Peter Dutton has vowed to override the nuclear power ban.  Dutton made the comments during a federal Liberal party council meeting in Sydney, where he called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “fraud” and a “child in a man's body”.  Australia Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking “I expect there'll be some more fireworks today.”  Price said “If we don't have a mature debate about it – we're going to end up with no energy.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jetstar's hoping to bring down fares by expanding its New Zealand operations.  It will fly directly against rival Air New Zealand with new flights between Auckland and the Sunshine Coast's Maroochydore, Christchurch and Cairns.  An eighth aircraft in New Zealand will help add 240,000 new seats each year.  Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully told Mike Hosking “This is the biggest expansion for Jetstar in over ten years.”  Tully said “It's a fantastic example of when we work together as an industry – we can really put more low fares into the market.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saturday's match is one the Warriors will want to forget.   The side was annihilated in NRL's round 16 by the bottom-of-the-table Titans 66-6 in the Gold Coast.  They conceded 11 tries to Te Maire Martin's one.   Former Kiwi and league commentator Richie Barnett told Mike Hosking “Around 70% of the crowd were Kiwis – basically a home game, but it was awkward to watch.”  Barnett said “I don't understand how a side can show so much effort in the past couple of years – and show up and get destroyed.”  He said "Every facet of the game was poor." LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children's Minister is hoping the military-style academies will incentivise Judges to sentence youth offenders.   The Government's introducing a label for teens aged 14-17 with multiple offences: ‘Young Serious Offender'.   It's also looking at establishing a new military style academy - currently in the pilot stage.  Minister for Children Karen Chhour told Mike Hosking “It's still at the discretion of the judge – but what we can do is send a clear message to the judiciary that the public's had enough.”  Chhour said “I have every confidence that this will give these young people some hope for a better future.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Community Beat Teams have been announced - 63 additional police staff will be deployed across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.   It's alongside Operation Safer Streets, which will see an extra 21 officers redeployed in Auckland's CBD from July - to target anti-social behaviour.   Police Commissioner Andrew Coster told Mike Hosking “We've had visibility as a key priority for a long time.”  Coster said recruitment has turned in a positive direction in the last few months.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 24th of June, Associate Finance Minister David Seymour talks our ferries and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announces more cops on the beat.  Our infrastructure is a mess. Ferries, trains, planes, transmission towers. Boy this Government have a lot to try and solve and the tens of billions they don't have that are needed to solve it.  Guy and Sav regretfully have to cover the woeful Warriors in the Commentary Box. And Mike gives out a prize for what is the most exciting upcoming sporting event.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US election is edging closer – with the first debate between President Joe Biden and rival, Donald Trump, is only one week away.  Both will formally become their parties' 2024 candidates – and this will be the first of at least two debates before the 5 November election.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking it's the first time the two have been in the same room since October 2020 – when Biden told Trump, “Will you just shut up, man?”   Arnold said “The debate took the political process down to a new low.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's being warned it must invest in New Zealand's ageing infrastructure.  It comes after a week of infrastructure woes, with the Defence Force plane breaking down, a toppled power pylon wiping out power to Northland, and the Aratere Interislander ferry running aground on Friday.  Infrastructure NZ Policy Director, Michelle McCormick, told Mike Hosking “I think it's terrible for New Zealand's reputation.”  McCormick said “I think it's right across our infrastructure sectors - I think it's symptomatic of our ongoing lack of investment in maintenance.”   She said "It's not politically that exciting - but we need to look after what we have." LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) has been very low in New Zealand – but it's finding life in the United States services sector.  JMI Wealth Director Andrew Kelleher told Mike Hosking “We've had some pretty poor data recently.”  Kelleher said “It's another set of statistics reminiscent of the GFC – that's the space we're in.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here is the real problem with a ferry running aground.  It comes in the same week the plane didn't work and the same week a transmission tower fell over.  It's pathetic. This country is on its knees and it's embarrassing.  As we said last week, the upside is it might just be so embarrassing we actually now get around to doing something about it.  KiwiRail need an investigation into how they have run the business.  Sadly, I note Helen Clark yet again weighed in via social media with another one of her petty barbs about cancelling the ferry contract.  What we need are adults. Read the papers that have been released publicly between KiwiRail and Grant Robertson.  Even he was aghast at the blowout in the ferry budget, despite KiwiRail over and over again reassuring him their latest estimate was the final figure, until it wasn't.  When Grant Robertson is aghast at a blowout you know it's gargantuan.  So this is as much on KiwiRail as it is on any Government.  But you can only embarrass yourself so much and so often before that becomes part of the country's psyche.  A recession is one thing and its outworking has an effect on us all both psychically and psychologically.  But you want to, in some way, feel there is something about this place that is decent and proper and rewarding. You want to feel good about your country.  The Prime Minister can't travel the world promoting business and saying we are open when the planes don't fly and the ferry runs into stuff and the power is out because towers fall over.  We must do better.  We have to wake up to the fact this country has, in too many respects, been run into the ground. It looks increasingly third world.  The fear is the battle between the size of those who care and those who don't is not that obvious.  The fact we can be in this mess and all former Prime Ministers can do is snipe is an increasing worry.  We are reaping what we sowed.  If this doesn't strike you as an emergency, we are in deeper trouble than I thought.    LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Huddle tonight: All Sports Breakfast Wellington Host Adam Cooper, and sports journalist Jim Kayes.    The Blue will face-off against the Chiefs tomorrow night – only one will reign victorious.     Adam Cooper told Heather du Plessis-Allan “The Crusaders have been incredible – because we're celebrating the fact they're not there.”    Jim Kayes said “The Chiefs have really surged in the playoffs - if that momentum continues, they're going to be really for The Blues tomorrow.”    LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rocket Lab is entering a league of its own --reaching 50 space launches in the shortest space of time.  Its latest electron rocket launched this morning from the Mahia Peninsula, is taking a French satellite into orbit.  Rocket Lab's Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Morgan Connaughton, told Heather du Plessis-Allan “A lot of rockets don't get past ten – and we're talking globally here – it's a massive deal.”  Connaughton said “To get there faster than anyone else... it puts us up there with the best rocket companies in the world – it's us, and Space X.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, Transpower has given us a master class in how to look guilty, hasn't it?   I mean, come on. Who doesn't now think that the crew took the bolts out of the leg, which caused the thing to fall over, which caused the entire region of Northland to lose power? And why do we think that? Because Allison Andrew, the Chief Executive, sounded guilty as all hell in her media interviews this morning.   “I didn't want to talk about it, it's really unhelpful to speculate at the moment, we have to focus on the power restoration.” - I mean, come on. In 2024, when modern communication is in your pocket – no one believes that Allison Andrew doesn't already know what happened. Of course she does. If she doesn't, then she sucks at her job.   Because in any decent organisation, the first thing that happens when there is a major snafu is the boss calls the points person who's on the ground and gets a preliminary idea of what happened. And they do that because if there's a bigger problem, they need to know what happened.   You cannot tell me that Allison Andrew, the chief executive, was like, “Oh, did you call them? No, don't tell me. It's not helpful. I'll wait for the investigation.” No one can tell me Allison Andrew did not want to know what happened. If she's or any good at her job, she already knows. So why didn't she just fess up this morning? She had multiple interviews, pulled the same lines and looked so guilty.   The reason, I would guess, is that Transpower is trying to bury the details until we've moved on and lost interest. Because right now we are at peak interest. Not everyone's got their power back yet. And we've all seen the pictures on Reddit, haven't we? So we're all super interested right now, but fast-forward two weeks, two months... God only knows how long their investigation is going to take. Now, all of a sudden, it's not so interesting, right? And that is what they're banking on.   But it's backfired on them. Because instead of burying the info this morning, Allison Andrew just left us with the with the impression that, “Yep. It was them.” They just don't want to say it. And look, there is always the chance that the investigations will find that it wasn't them. Maybe. You never know.  But we all think it was them now, don't we?  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Super Rugby finals clash is tomorrow night at Eden Park – selling out hours after tickets went on sale.  A crowd of more than 44,000 is expected – with many coming up from Hamilton for the event.  Weekend Sport host Jason Pine told Heather du Plessis-Allan “I think Blues will win – they've got a lot stacked in their favour – it's a home game, they've had an extra day of rest.”  Pine said “They've got their inspirational skipper back – after a fortnight.”  He said “Having said all of that – The Chiefs are a good team, with more genuine gamebreakers – it could come down to moments.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Joe Biden recently unveiled a halt to asylum-processing at the U.S. border with Mexico when illegal entries reach a certain threshold.  About 4,000 people already are entering the U.S. each day.   Biden has received Republican criticism over an unprecedented surge in new arrivals in an election year.  US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan the cartels are offering ‘VIP packages' for trafficking illegal immigrants across the border.  He said “Experts say the return on investment for trafficking humans has overtaken drugs.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Electricity Authority says Northlanders deserve answers - as it launches an investigation into a toppled electricity tower.   The region experienced outages yesterday after a transmission tower fell down northwest of Auckland.  Transpower says its workers were carrying out maintenance at the time and has started an investigation.  Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan “It knocked out power to 100,000 users.”   Soper said “Simeon Brown was there today – he said the event was completely unacceptable.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Energy Minister Simeon Brown wants appropriate accountability over a fallen electricity tower.   Thousands of Northland residents experienced outages yesterday after a transmission tower toppled northwest of Auckland.  The Electricity Authority says it's investigating and Simeon Brown's asked WorkSafe to do the same.  Electricity Authority Chief Executive, Sarah Gillies, told Heather du Plessis-Allan “Consumers have a right to have confidence in their electricity supply.”  Gillies said “We're the regulator – and we're independent.”   LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future of National's promise around 13 cancer drugs is set to become clearer.   The Government's due to make a Pharmac funding announcement – which could bump up its medicines budget by 40%.  Pharmacy Minister David Seymour told Heather du Plessis-Allan Pharmac could be instructed to fund specific drugs, another entity could be set up (like the previous government did for Covid vaccines), or more money could be allocated to Pharmac - protecting its independence.  Seymour said “Pharmac at any given time has its options for investment lists”  He said “I wouldn't be able to ask them – the whole point is that they're at arm's length from politicians and they're independent.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark has ignored requests for his resignation from his council today.   Clark was found to have breached the code of conduct after comments he made at a United Fire Brigades' Association prize giving - which he blamed on surgery brain fade.   The council voted to diminish his duties around public events, due to his health.   Invercargill Councillor Ian Pottinger told Heather du Plessis-Allan “I don't know if he's going to listen to the council ruling.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blues captain Patrick Tuipolotu will make a remarkable return from a knee injury, playing lock in the starting side facing the Chiefs at Eden Park in the Super Rugby Pacific final tomorrow night.  However - many of the 44,000 sold-out Eden Park crowd will be coming up from Hamilton.   Chiefs Assistant Coach David Hill told Heather du Plessis-Allan “We understood last year that we had a really good squad – but ultimately we didn't come away with the final.”  Hill said “That experience – as harsh as it was – it really helped us.”   LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Commission is pushing out its timeline for approving the Foodstuffs merger, due to "unresolved issues".  It now expects to reach a decision in October.  The North and South Island co-operatives - which run the Pak'nSave, New World and Four Square supermarkets - sought clearance to merge last year.  Foodstuff's North Island Chief Executive Chris Quin told Heather du Plessis-Allan “We knew this could happen, but we remain committed that this is the right thing to do.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

London hospitals declared a critical incident after a cyber-attack led to operations being cancelled and emergency patients being diverted elsewhere.  It applies to hospitals partnered with Synnovis - a provider of pathology services.  UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Heather du Plessis-Allan “This was potentially one of the worst cyber-attacks in the UK.”  Grey said “Overnight, the ransomware company dumped 400 gigabytes on their darknet site – including patient names and dates of birth.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a pair of Pungsan dogs, a local breed, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.  Asia Business Correspondent Peter Lewis told Heather du Plessis-Allan “Three's very few places left that Putin can go to.”  Lewis said “He's become an international pariah because of the Ukraine war.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 21 June 2024, how did a power pylon just topple over and plunge a massive power outage? Electricity Authority boss Sarah Gillies speaks to Heather with two investigations now trying to figure that out.  Cabinet is reportedly about to sign off on a funding boost for Pharmac to fulfil its promise to fund more cancer drugs. Pharmac Minister David Seymour tells Heather it's important Pharmac's independency is preserved.  Chiefs Assistant Coach David Hill is confident ahead of the blockbuster Super Rugby Final, and the Sports Huddle weighs in on who will be named as All Blacks captain on Monday.  Plus, Rocket Lab has powered through another record and become the fastest commercial space operator to successfully launch 50 missions.  Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the Prime Minister's Air Force plane broke down in Papua New Guinea.  Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper breaks this down, as he wraps the political week.  Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan “They're very good planes – but it's like anything – if you don't use them, they'll break down.”  Soper said “They're only used as VIP aircraft about 15% of the time.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four months ago, Wellington Water said plumbers weren't qualified to repair the capital's water crisis.  However, it's now been revealed that they're more qualified than Wellington Water's own workforce.  Master Plumbers Chief Executive Greg Wallace told Heather du Plessis-Allan “The Workplace Development Council have agreed the NZQA standards that plumbers do, are more than what Wellington Water requires.”  Wallace said “In February, [Wellington Water] told us they had a workforce crisis, and they couldn't fix the 3,572 leaks at the time.”  He said they make things as difficult as possible. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson says she's feeling grateful that her breast cancer will be treated - and she has the care and support to focus on it.  Davidson will work up until Matariki, before a partial mastectomy next month and further treatment.  Breast Cancer Foundation Chief Executive Ah-Leen Rayner told Heather du Plessis-Allan “We take it for granted in metropolitan areas that screening is readily accessible.”  Rayner said that for people living rurally - if you miss mobile-unit screenings, some may have to travel up to three hours.  She said "It's not equitable in terms of access." LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netsafe has launched an AI chat bot that will scam scammers.   It lets people forward suspicious emails to Netsafe - which uses Chat GPT to start a never-ending conversation with the scammer.  ReScam's first version was launched a few years ago, allowing simple exchanges.  Netsafe CEO Brent Carey told Heather du Plessis-Allan “We've wasted six days of scammers time." Carey said "I've got one on the hook -  we're up to 62 back and forwards." LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 15 June 2024, star of this year's Armageddon Expo John Barrowman joins Jack to discuss his sci-fi legacy and what it is about shows like Doctor Who that fans connect to so enduringly.  Jack's DIY endeavours continued with this week's task: the beanbag.  Kevin Milne was mightily impressed by podcasting this week, reaffirming that we are very much still in the days of quality long-form interviews. While, Dr Bryan Betty talks misconceptions of ADHD after it's recent media spotlight following the diagnosis of public figures.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford reviews Born in the Wild by Tems.  Tems self-produced much of the LP alongside GuityBeatz, the Ghanaian Afropop DJ behind her 2021 EP If Orange Was a Place.   It's been praised by Pitchfork for its “Polyrhythmic soundscape, adorned with the earthy tones of conga drums, wind chimes, and shekere rattles, provides a counterweight to the homogenized sound of contemporary Afropop.”  Music reviewer Estelle Clifford told Jack Tame “This is her growth on something that's a universal attraction with afrobeats.”  Clifford says “She's worked behind the scenes, but now her wn stuff is taking the forefront.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ADHD has been getting a lot of attention lately - with Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau, and Chloe Swarbrick going public with their diagnosis, its difficulties and treatment - especially for adults.   In NZ, 5-8% of children and adolescents being potentially affected, with 70% persisting into adulthood.  Dr Bryan Betty told Jack Tame “It's a very complex condition that affects people in different ways.”  Betty said “It's a neurodevelopment disorder – affecting people of any age, especially children.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes is here to review some books with Jack Tame.  Smoke by Michael Brissenden   Detective Alex Markov has recently returned to her small hometown of Jasper, California, after leaving the LAPD in disgrace, only to find her new colleagues don't want her either. When a deadly wildfire sweeps through Jasper her investigations find a deadly underbelly beneath the smoke - a town for sale to the highest bidder and authorities playing games within games, in which she's the prize pawn.  The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson  A young woman's life is forever changed in the summer after World War I when she befriends a group of independent, motorcycle-riding women in a seaside town on the English coast - a captivating novel from the bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A week away from winter – Everybody feels that – especially the birds in your garden.   Food is becoming scarce, unless you've planted a heap of trees and shrubs that provide nectar and honeydew to keep the nectivores happy.   Some species of Eucalypts are flowering right now; so do Tagasaste, some puriri and Banksia. Mexican Orange blossom does its best too, judging from the silvereyes that descend on those flowers.   Nectivores are often attracted by sugar water, delivered in all sorts of ways: bottle feeders are available in garden centres and can be filled with dilutions of that sugar water. Do NOT use honey water as that may spread bee diseases from hive to hive.    Be aware that we have heaps of Native Nectivores in Aotearoa: tui, bellbird, silvereyes to name a few.   A lot of people feed birds dodgy supplements such as stale bread and food scraps; yes – sparrows and starlings (as well as mynahs and the odd blackbird) might initially seem to appreciate your gestures, but so do rats and mice (who are also looking for fodder). A Bread meal is often quite detrimental to birds – if they drink water afterwards, the swelling of the bread can rupture their stomachs.   A number of bird species enjoy some seeds: sparrows greenfinches, gold finches and such introduced creatures; blackbirds don't mind some seeds covered in fruity stuff.   Julie has a different view on the matter: “Blackbirds are there to rip the mulch off the garden”, whether or not they want to catch worms or any other invertebrates…   Another point we need to consider about feeding birds in your garden is that you'll need to keep going till spring; Your generosity is something the birds rely on and when you stop, there will be consequences for the artificially-high populations created by extra feeding!   I tend to target nectar feeders in winter. The afore-mentioned Tui, bellbird and silver-eyes are beneficial species!  Silver-eyes are particularly useful insect eaters, specialising in scale insects, mealybugs, aphids, psyllids, whitefly and a heap more of those quite damaging garden pests.   I hate spraying systemic insecticides, so birds' help is always welcome.   And this is how I attract them to my garden from June onwards:   Lard blocks made from dripping and contained in an old onion bag or in a small, metal “cage” where the birds can hang from. This last contraption feeds a wide range of birds that over-winter in my garden.   Replenish frequently and remember to place the feeders in a spot out of reach from neighbourhood cats.    A source of water might also be handy as – even in winter – birds need water   My goal is to get the largest flocks of silver-eyes on the lard blocks and sugar-water stations throughout winter and right into spring, when the silver-eyes start to disperse to go breeding.  You might think you will have “lost” them from the garden... they are getting very secretive around nesting time, but they will remember your place as a heaven full of food, so...   In spring and summer they'll come and do the pest control business for you by scouting the scale insects and aphids from your plants, to feed their kids.   Tui and Bellbird will probably do a significant job of pollination in your garden.   What's not to like?  LISTEN ABOVE. Silvereyes on MeatballSilvereyes on lard blockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government decided to cut back on emergency housing motels in Rotorua.  While contracts for seven motels are being extended until the end of next year - there's hope three could be dropped before then, as residents are prioritised for new Kāinga Ora homes.  Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell told Mike Hosking the current government was very clear in their election campaign that they needed to address it.   Tapsell said “Our community were expecting this to end in December. But we are realistic, people need to go somewhere.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act party leader David Seymour believes that Act can get at least 15 percent of the vote in the next general election.  Seymour set the target while speaking at their annual rally in Auckland.  David Seymour told Mike Hosking “You've got to find a balance of being a constructive partner – but also show you can make a real difference.”  Seymour said “We have a government that's slashing red tape – but the government has not gone as far as Act would go.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 10th of June, it was signalled but the Government is finally reserving the ban on oil and gas exploration. Resource Minister Shane Jones is on the show.  In a move that came out of left-field, Emmanuel Macron called a snap election of the national assembly after unfavourable EU election exit polls.  Guy Heveldt and Andrew Saville covered the Warriors huge win, plus all the motorsport over the weekend. The less said about the Black Caps, the better.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shall we open the week with a prediction?  This is the week the Government will call an inquiry into the accusations around the Māori Party, the marae and the use of Covid and census information.  The trouble is if the Government doesn't call an inquiry, too many questions start to get asked around transparency and trust.  The allegations are too specific. They are not hearsay from people who heard from people. They are very specific, detailed allegations from people who were there.  The denials are fine. But the questions remain un-investigated and they are too serious not to be.  Whether a Privacy Commissioner and Stats NZ hiring a bloke to do it is enough, but I doubt it from the Government's point of view.  Do remember, although this goes directly to one party in Parliament, it potentially involves everyone in Parliament.  If those running the country can't be seen to be scrupulous, then that's trouble.  The Māori Party themselves haven't helped, with the president John Tamihere rolling out his standard line about this all being about race.  John is too angry to be credible these days. He has this enormous chip on his shoulder and everything is a conspiracy around race.  The irony here is that the people making the accusations are Māori. So it's not about Māori, it's about rules and laws and whether they have been broken.  Not helping is the food and voucher giveaway. Although Māori can argue this is koha, the previous Government set a damning precedent where bribes, because that's what they are, were handed out for vaccines and Census participation and they muddied the waters.  But what is clear is using Census and vaccine information to campaign and/or recruit for elections is illegal and that is what we need to find out - did it happen, or not?  There is also the matter of said information then being used to contact people via text for votes and not following the prescribed electoral laws.  So does the Government pull the trigger? And when they do, why?  Does it pass the pub test?  Not even close.    LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called a snap election after his party suffered a heavy defeat in elections for the European Parliament.  Exit polls put Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party well ahead of Macron's pro-European centrists.  France Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking “The reason this came so out of nowhere – is that it's not meant to be about local politics.”  Field said “Macron's felt he had no choice but to call these elections.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors may play their 2025 NRL season-opener at Las Vegas, as the NRL courts US sports fans.  The Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos - opened the current season at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, in March, the first of a five-year commitment.  Warrior CEO Cameron George told Mike Hosking “There's a big chance, but we're not confirmed.”  George said “We're an away team, which impacts on our home game schedule – that's non-negotiable.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A report from Auckland Council's boarding house inspectors shows out of 44 properties suspected to be breaking the law, 40 were “operating unauthorised transient accommodation or boarding houses”.  Many had issues with fire safety, gang-affiliated guests and owners questioning council authority.  Professor of Construction at AUT, John Tookey, told Mike Hosking there's been a selection of 44 – most of which turned out to be crap – and that's not entirely surprising.   Tookey said “It's a tough economy to deal with – people are not necessarily prioritising upkeep.”  LISTEN ABOVE.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Key Israeli Cabinet member Benny Gantz has announced he's withdrawing from Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government.  Gantz has said he will also withdraw from the National Unity party he chairs.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking “He was demanding some plan on ending the war.”  Arnold said “His departure will not instantly collapse the Netanyahu coalition – but most of the remaining members will be hard-liners.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government will look at ways to set up long-term security for investors, when it reverses an oil and gas ban.  Critics say this will be detrimental to the environment.  Resources Minister Shane Jones told Mike Hosking “No one is going to make a long-term capital commitment to New Zealand in the face of short-term commitments.”  Jones said “Potential investors are concerned there will not be confidence or security going forward.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America's employers added 272,000 jobs in May, accelerating from April - despite persistently high interest rates.  Devon Funds Management Head of Retail, Greg Smith, told Mike Hosking “Despite all this, the unemployment rate has ticked up to 4 percent.”  Smith said “We're seeing plenty of new jobs, but some of the old ones are going – I suppose some industries are cutting back as the economy softens.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Court of Appeal begins a second appeal into the Scott Watson murder case, today.   Friends Ben Smart and Olivia Hope were last seen getting off a water taxi onto a yacht in the Marlborough Sounds on New Year's Eve more than 26 years ago.   Watson was convicted of double-murder in 1999 following a three-month jury trial in the High Court in Wellington.   It's accepted the pair met their deaths after boarding a stranger's yacht with a man -- the Crown says that man was Watson.   Watson's always denied killing or even meeting them. This appeal is of his conviction -- and Watson's team can include new expert evidence about the reliability of forensic evidence.  Criminal defence lawyer John Munro told Mike Hosking “Transference of DNZ is much more understandable now, so is hairs.”  Munro said the key issue is whether he's had a fair trial. It won't just ‘turn on the hairs' – the judge will focus on whether he was in fact spotted on water taxi.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a weekend in sport! The Warriors beat the cowboys 42-12, Carlos Alcaraz beats Alexander Zverev in five sets to win the French Open – plus, Afghanistan beat New Zealand in the T20 World Cup in Guyana.   Newstalk ZB sports anchor Andrew Alderson told Mike Hosking “New Zealand has poor preparation for this tournament, I'm afraid.”  Alderson said “Afghanistan is a good side – particularly the bowling attack. But New Zealand should be able to beat them all the same.”  LISTEN ABOVE.       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has been awarded the highest honour – the Companion of the Order of Australia this Australian King's Birthday.  Andrews has been recognised for his service to the people and Parliament of Victoria, public health, policy and regulatory reform, and infrastructure development.  Australia Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking “There will be a lot of angry people.”  Price said “It's supposed to be awarded by an independent body, but it has the Labour government stamped all over it.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.