Podcasts about Mike Hosking

Our largest sector is continuing to do it tough. Latest data from BNZ and Business NZ shows our services sector —which makes up almost three quarters of the economy— has contracted for the 18th consecutive month. Our manufacturing sector is also back in contraction after a period of growth. Business NZ Chief Executive Katherine Rich told Mike Hosking we're still seeing a tale of two economies. She says the primary sector is doing quite well, but the services sector is continuing to face challenges. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for the business end of the NRL season. The Warriors have finished 6th, securing a home final against the Penrith Panthers, but losing a couple more players to injury. Coach Andrew Webster says after their loss to the Manly Sea Eagles over the weekend, the real season starts now. Webster told Mike Hosking that he wants them to be judged on where they are now and what's about to happen. He says their mentality is to play the best football and see where it takes them, instead of putting a team on a pedestal and assuming they're beaten before they get to the start line. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An expectation New Zealand needs to do more to keep people here longer. Latest Stats NZ data shows close to 48 thousand New Zealand citizens left in the year to July. There were 14 thousand migrant arrivals and nearly 10 thousand departures during the same period. Immigration lawyer Marcus Beveridge told Mike Hosking half of the citizens leaving for Australia weren't born here. He says the government could look at extending the period new residents have to be here before they become a citizen. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government wants to deal with shoplifting offences in a quicker way instead of going through the entire court system. The Justice Minister's newly released Cabinet paper proposes the burden of proof should fall on the suspect to prove their innocence. This clashes with the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, as protected in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. But Paul Goldsmith told Mike Hosking this could be compared to a traffic offence. He says someone caught speeding is given a ticket and must pay a fine unless there is a reasonable excuse. He's also welcoming a High Court ruling that the decision to extradite Kim Dotcom was legal. The Megaupload millionaire had challenged Paul Goldsmith's decision to surrender him to the US earlier this year, arguing the charges against him are politically motivated. Dotcom fought the extradition process all the the way to the Supreme Court and his latest effort was a judicial review. The Justice Minister told Hosking he's pleased to see his decision upheld but notes there are still potential appeals to be had. The Dotcom legal battle began 13 years ago. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A telling response as speculation swirls around the standing down of Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua ahead of next week's international series against South Africa. Netball New Zealand claim they've made the decision due to "issues" within the high-performance environment which remain unresolved. When asked by Mike Hosking if the players were boycotting Taurua because she's pushing too hard, Board Chair Matt Whineray paused, before denying the claim. Whineray told Hosking that they have some issues they need to resolve, and they're hopeful they can, but in the meantime, they need to focus on the series against South Africa. Yvette McCausland-Durie has been parachuted in as interim coaching cover. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jetstar says it's done its homework on the New Zealand market before unveiling its latest —and biggest— expansion in the trans-Tasman market. The airline's adding close to 500 thousand seats a year across five of its most popular domestic and trans-Tasman routes. The Australian based carrier has operated in New Zealand for 20 years. Jetstar Chief Executive Stephanie Tully told Mike Hosking it's always looking to open new markets and expand on existing ones. She's seen a shift in preference and demand for Jetstar. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A young inventor has taken home the top honours at the James Dyson Awards for a pair of glasses made to tackle epilepsy. University of Canterbury engineering student Mark Campbell has developed ‘Lensare', which uses smart LCD lenses that detect harmful light patterns and instantly darken, providing protection for people with epilepsy and photophobia. Campbell told Mike Hosking it's still in the early stages of development, but the aim is to make it as bulletproof as possible. He says the next steps are to make the prototype as robust and unobtrusive as possible, but after that there's the potential to commercialise it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's finance leaders are more confident for the year ahead. A new report from the Hunter Campbell Group shows an uptick in confidence from CFOs, with 38% expecting modest to strong growth over the next 12 months – up from 31% last year. But on the flip side, confidence in the Government's ‘responsiveness' remains low across the board. Hunter Campbell Managing Partner Lee Marshall told Mike Hosking they're starting to see a two speed economy take shape in New Zealand, with almost half of businesses surveyed meeting or exceeding their targets, while the other half stagnated or went backwards. He says in general, those whose businesses performed well in the last 12 months are very confident things will continue to improve in the next 12 months. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country is being urged to give Tom Phillips' children time and space to begin their long road to recovery. The children are now at an undisclosed location after their father died during an altercation with Police near Marokopa in western Waikato. Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad told Mike Hosking the children's needs must come first. She says over time, more can be understood about what's happened, but right now the privacy of the children is the most crucial thing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ministers from both sides of the divide are praising the Police for their handling of the Tom Phillips situation. The four-year manhunt for Phillips ended early on Monday, when he was shot and killed by Police after he shot at an officer in rural Waikato. The children were safely recovered and are in the care of Oranga Tamariki. Former Police Minister Ginny Andersen says authorities have been doing their best, during the four-year search for Phillips. She told Mike Hosking the area is very remote and a difficult part of the country to navigate, so she thinks the police did everything they could. Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Hosking the police have been outstanding, and the huge relief is having the children in a safe situation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airports could save money and drive down airfares by bringing domestic and international terminals together. A study has found integrated airport terminals save on double-ups and encourage passengers to spend more money. It shows this extra revenue could help airports cut costs for airlines, which could mean cheaper fares for travellers. NZ Airports Association CEO Billie Moore told Mike Hosking integration is the dream for all airports. She says it helps them build better, save on spending over time, and makes the passenger experience better. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand red meat prices are at record levels and are expected to remain strong throughout the year. Earnings for core red meat exports are expected to rise by $1.4 billion to $10.5 billion for the 2024–2025 season. Beef + Lamb New Zealand Board Chair Kate Acland says there's incredible global demand for red meat. She told Mike Hosking that while they're seeing lower export volumes in the current year, the value is rising. Acland says there's been fewer exports from key countries like Brazil, Australia, and the US, so it's a perfect storm of supply and demand coming together. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A panel of experts has a solution to tackling organised crime but won't yet say what it is. The Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime has put out a new list of recommendations ahead of its final report later this month. Among the suggestions are greater accountability across government departments and a new minister whose entire job is working on the problem. Group chair Steve Symon told Mike Hosking the overall solution is bold. He says they've had a lot of encouragement; the question is whether it will translate into financial support and the political will it needs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A view that more students are dropping out of school early because they have a clear career pathway in mind. More than 1300 15-year-olds received an exemption last year and 90% went into further study. Canterbury's Darfield High School Principal Andy England told Mike Hosking schools have been working hard with polytechs, while the Ministry runs a youth guarantee programme. He says students can spend one or two days with a tertiary provider while attending school, and sometimes they want to do that full time before they turn 16. It's also believed some students are leaving early due to the people around them in successful careers. England told Hosking lots of students, particularly in rural areas, look up to people who leave school early. He says role models often don't have an academic pathway but many are in successful careers or running businesses. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new digital health service is being praised, but one doctor believes it's doing more harm than good. More than 21 thousand consultations have been delivered through the 24/7 online scheme, which launched in July. Health Minister Simeon Brown says it gives Kiwis faster access to care when usual GPs are unavailable. Despite views it's easing pressure on the health system, General Practice Association Chair Angus Chambers told Mike Hosking it hasn't made any difference to staffing issues. He says it's making problems worse as it's taking doctors away from providing care for people in clinics. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

France has been plunged into a fresh political crisis, with MPs voting to oust the prime minister. The BBC reports Francois Bayrou called the surprise vote of confidence on himself after huge opposition to his budget plans. France's National Assembly voted by 364 votes to 194 to eject him from office, and bring down his minority government. President Emmanuel Macron now faces a choice between calling a snap election or picking a fifth prime minister in less than two years. France Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that part of the problem was Bayrou's attitude. She says he seemed to antagonise everyone he spoke to, and he didn't try to negotiate or seek coalitions. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to achieve excellence? James Laughlin is a 7 time world champion drummer, a high-performance leadership trainer, and the mental skills coach for Canterbury Rugby. He's written a book, ‘Habits for High Performers', distilling his approach to life into a book that's shot to #1 on the Book Scan List, and comes highly recommended by the likes of Sir John Key and Sam Whitelock. The book contains 27 simple principals for those aiming for success. “High performance is not a birthright, it's a habit,” he told Mike Hosking. “What separates high performers from everyone else is not hustle, it's not luck, it's simply habits.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Super Fund has bucked economic trends. It's generated returns of nearly 12% over the past year, growing to $85 billion, and it's suggested it will reach $100 billion by 2028. CEO Jo Townsend told Mike Hosking that despite the ever-increasing amount of uncertainty in the world, markets have been incredibly strong over the last five years. She says it goes to show it's almost impossible to pick what the market is going to do over the short term – be it one year or five. Their job, Townsend says, is to build a portfolio that's resilient enough to cope when markets are doing well, and when they're not. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell says officers faced a difficult and complex situation bringing an end to Tom Phillips's time on the run. He was shot dead by Police in the early hours of yesterday on a rural Waikato road following a burglary. An injured officer, who was shot multiple times, remains in Waikato Hospital and is facing a number of surgeries. One of his three children was with Phillips, the remaining two were found yesterday afternoon at a campsite around two kilometres from where Phillips died. Mitchell told Mike Hosking it's almost the worst-case scenario for Police. He says that although it was an absolute tragedy, safely recovering the three children is a good thing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Commissioner says they're very relieved to have safely recovered the children of Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips after nearly four years. He was shot dead by Police in the early hours of yesterday on a rural Waikato road following a burglary. One child was with him, the two others were found in the afternoon at a remote campsite. Richard Chambers told Mike Hosking it took them a while to recover the children, but they'd been told there were firearms at the campsite. He says the way the situation played out was not something they wanted, but they suspected it could end that way. Chambers says the injured officer who was shot multiple times remains in Waikato Hospital. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent pay offers to teachers are seen by the Public Service Commissioner as entirely reasonable. Primary teachers decided to reject its latest offer, while PPTA members are voting on the revised one. It includes increasing the number of days secondary teachers can be called back to work outside of term time. Commissioner Sir Brian Roche told Mike Hosking they have the ability to call them back for 10 more days a year, which is what's being asked. He says they're getting paid for this and just want teachers to be available for career development when students aren't at school. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: The All Blacks have defeated South Africa to defend their unbeaten streak at Eden Park. The Wallabies have narrowly defeated Argentina after scoring a try 6 minutes after full time. And the Warriors have suffered another loss ahead of their game against the Panthers later this week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief the health sector should set targets for all elective surgeries to ensure wait times are reduced fairly. The Government's exceeded its half-year target, by delivering more than 16-thousand extra operations before the end of June. The overall waitlist has also dropped by nine percent. General surgeon Chris Wakeman told Mike Hosking targets are a good manoeuvre - but they do have their downfalls. He's worried staff won't be able to deal with smaller and high turnover cases if they don't see them in public institutions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's surprised Labour lost in the Tamaki Makaurau by-election. Te Pati Maori's Oriini Kaipara won the seat over Peeni Henare by three thousand votes. The by-election was triggered by the death of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Total turnout was around 27.1 percent. Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking he thought Labour would trounce Te Pati Maori, as they've had no policies and have only been criticising. Luxon says he also felt bad for Peeni Henare with Chris Hipkins not showing up to the party. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Judith Collins has had frontline access to the war in Ukraine. She's returned from the war-torn country, visiting sites impacted by Russia's three and a half year long invasion. Collins met with Ukraine's Defence Minister while there, alongside speaking with the Foreign Minister, the Office of the President, and Deputy Minister of Defence. She told Mike Hosking it's a difficult situation. Collin says the Ukrainians are not giving in, but they do want a ceasefire, and they do worry about the people being slaughtered. The Defence Minister says she saw appalling behaviour from Russia, with war crime after war crime. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Minister wants the senior doctors' union to put patients first and enter binding arbitration. Simeon Brown has given Health NZ and the union until 4pm today to respond to his urgent request to let a third party decide the terms of the contract. Health NZ's agreed to participate in an effort to resolve 12 months of collective agreement negotiations. Brown told Mike Hosking he's doing what he can to find a way forward. He's trying to persuade both parties to come to the table and agree to the process, which is in the best interest of patients. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration New Zealand's working on picking up immigrants who have overstayed their visa, following a surge. New figures estimate there's 21 thousand overstayers in the country, up from 14 thousand in 2017. The Government's also cracking down on immigrants who commit serious crimes and could deport them if they've been here under 20 years, instead of the current 10. Immigration New Zealand Compliance General Manager Steve Watson told Mike Hosking they still pick up on overstayers, even if they're not criminals. He says they quickly speak to people staying past their visas, and they usually depart quickly and easily. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No surprise from All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor at the competitiveness of the Rugby Championship. All four countries enter the third round fixtures tomorrow with a one win, one loss record. Taylor told Mike Hosking it's a continuation of what occurred in 2024, with a loss to Argentina and South Africa both. He says it's always close, which is what you want with test footy, but the All Blacks need to be better. “That's what we're striving to be.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday has come so Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was. Mike comments on the effort another ZB host puts into his prep and the effort an MP puts into her appearance. They also discuss hair styling, supermarket promotions, and the new IKEA opening in Auckland. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another tough week for brick and mortar retail. Outdoor goods retailer KMD Brands, who owns the likes of Kathmandu and Rip Curl, has announced the closure of 21 stores across its network. It's making the move in an effort to turn around struggling sales and find $25 million in cost savings. Chairman David Kirk told Mike Hosking that it's a tough environment for all businesses, but discretionary retail is being hit hard. He says people have to buy food, and if a kitchen appliance breaks you have to replace it, but people don't have to go out and buy an insulation jacket, or a raincoat, or a wetsuit. “In difficult times, people hang onto their money.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Chinese parade: 8/10 Forget politics. As a “thing”, as a spectacle, as a “can you believe how in time those goose steppers are?”, it was spellbinding. Helen Clark and John Key and Dan Andrews and Bob Carr: 4/10 On balance, given what it was really about, I think it was a mistake. Trump's death: 2/10 A sad reminder of just how thick, gullible and worryingly naive some people are. And that's before you get to the morons who thought Taylor had DM'ed Eden Park as a wedding venue. I am not making it up. Teachers: 7/10 Big increases in enrolments. Just wait until the unions get hold of them and kill the buzz. The Tamaki Makaurau by-election: 2/10 Is this the most pitiful display of disinterest in modern democracy? If you thought Port Waikato was bad, this thing looks like it will hit it out of the park. That's if the park is open. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An SOS call has been answered in Wellington's hospitality sector. Local brewers Garage Project have stepped in to save Fortune Favours' bar and brewery from permanent closure after a decade in operation. The brewery saw a 45% drop in revenue over the past two years, even after taking home top honours at this year's Beervana festival. Garage Project founder Pete Gillespie told Mike Hosking they did such an incredible job with that space, it would be a crime to see everything ripped out. He says they may have more optimism than they should, but he feels like it's worth doubling down on the bar. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a view that large tech companies could be challenged to pay more tax. A report from tax expert Nick Miller says companies like Google take payments from a New Zealand subsidiary and then pay them to an offshore section of the business. These are listed as service or licence fees, but Miller says they could be seen as royalties, which come under a withholding tax. Miller says it's not just New Zealand having this issue. He says it's a debate Australia is having at the moment and one that New Zealand can't afford to sidestep. He told Mike Hosking we can learn a lot from what's happening across the ditch, but if we want to obtain more tax from multinationals operating in New Zealand, our courts may have to reach a view on the issues. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Smooth sailing so far for Ferry Holdings, as a preferred supplier of two new Cook Strait vessels is selected. Rail Minister Winston Peters has announced a fixed price has been agreed for two 200-metre-long ferries with road and rail decks, and room for 1500 passengers each. Ferry Holdings Limited Chair Chris Mackenzie says final negotiations have started - and contracts will be signed by the end of the year. He told Mike Hosking a letter of intent was signed with the shipyard and now technical discussions have begun before contracts can be signed. The name of the shipyard will be released when the contracts are signed. Mackenzie told Hosking 60 shipyards were in the mix to begin with, and it had shipyards in four countries, that's now come down to one. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour says he's opposing planning changes in Auckland in his role as local MP, rather than his role as Act Party Leader. Seymour's opposing a move to allow more intensification near transport corridors. The Deputy Prime Minister and MP for Epsom told a public meeting that supporters must impress on Housing Minister Chris Bishop that the plan is not necessary. Seymour told Mike Hosking he's representing the views of his Epsom electorate constituents. He says his job is to ensure Epsom, Mt Eden, Newmarket, Parnell, and Remuera have their interests advocated for. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a belief the number of people studying to become teachers needs to keep rising to meet demand. There's been about 3,500 new domestic enrolments to initial teacher training so far this year – up 30% compared with the same time last year. Massey University Professor of Teacher Education John O'Neill told Mike Hosking it's not a surprise, as numbers typically rise when there's economic downturn. He says forecasting shows there will be an extra 100 thousand students in school by 2030. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fixing major challenges in the justice system might need to be a team effort from key players across the board. Concern around mounting stress in the system is highlighted by Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann in her Annual Report. It identifies key stressors including delays, limited capacity, security challenges, and insufficient funding. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith told Mike Hosking speeding up the courts is a classic system challenge. He says there's a whole lot of different players, like Police and Judges, and everyone tends to blame each other for the situation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Christchurch father-of-three has won a nationwide competition to design a helmet for Formula One driver Liam Lawson. The competition, run by Lawson's team sponsors Red Bull, invited New Zealanders to submit original designs and offered a rare chance to see their creativity come to life on the F1 grid. Nearly 500 designs were submitted, and the winning design will debut at the Singapore GP in October. Winner Ian Ebbs told Mike Hosking he took into account things Lawson likes —the colours on his previous helmets, and hobbies like golf— as well as including tastes of home. He says the design is a taste of New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump says reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated. The US president is addressing media in the White House after his recent absence from the spotlight over the weekend sent social media into a tailspin. Health rumours have been ramping up since his diagnosis of a chronic vein condition, with photos of his bruised hand circling online. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking his reappearance comes after yet another federal judge ruled against his deployment of military tropes in Los Angeles in June. He says the ruling could have significant implications for the President's future plans if it holds, but the Trump Justice Department is planning on appealing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT believes New Zealand needs to be more realistic when it comes to the Paris Agreement. The party, along with NZ First, have expressed interest in withdrawing from the agreement unless we can negotiate a better deal. Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says that trying to meet our current targets is costing the country too much. He told Mike Hosking that we've got a lot of good stuff going for us, and we shouldn't beat ourselves to death over being some sort of sacrificial guinea pig. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Schools are keen to move on from open-plan classrooms due to the negative impacts on learning. The Government's announced it will give funding to schools for the classrooms to get fixed up. They will be able to get the money from a contestable fund based on need to put walls in the barn-style classrooms. Christchurch's Avonside Girls' High School Principal Catherine Law told Mike Hosking a few things worked in them, but overall, the experiment was a disaster. She says there are some defenders, but the majority of people in education believe they were a mistake. Law says they were implemented at a time when inquiry and student-based learning was a focus. She says it was a perfect storm, but having 70 students in a classroom meant the importance of teacher-student relationships and routine was lost. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The growing volume of purchases from the likes of Shein and Temu are hitting New Zealand's import economy hard. Stats New Zealand has revised the National Accounts, with imports down $2.5 billion in the June quarter. The average value of parcels has dropped sharply, driven by fast fashion and cheap e-commerce. Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking a lot more people are looking to buy goods from overseas retailers as opposed to New Zealand. She says they're trying to encourage people to buy from local stores and businesses, as it's important to try keep the money in our economy as opposed to shipping it off to China. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tourism sector's still fighting for pre-Covid numbers. The most recent International Visitor Survey shows overseas visitor numbers have lifted by nearly 200 thousand over the past year – up 5%. Their spending was up by around $500 million but is still only 86% of pre-Covid numbers. Tourism New Zealand CEO René de Monchy told Mike Hosking they're pushing to get visitor numbers back up to pre-Covid levels by the end of next year. He says a lot of overseas markets are competing for international visitors. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Kiwi chef is demonstrating that success can be found even in a tough industry. Ben Bayly owns six restaurants around New Zealand, including Ahi and Aosta, and is set to open a seventh. Wellington will be getting its first dining experience helmed by Bayly, located in the infamous Wellington Pavillion. Between his six restaurants and his TV show ‘A New Zealand Food Story', which has just finished up its fourth season, Bayly lives a busy life. Despite this, the work isn't wearing him thin. “I have this sense of enthusiasm that I can't extinguish,” he told Mike Hosking. For Bayly, working in hospitality is less of a job and more of a lifestyle, answering calls, emails, and setting up bookings even on the weekends. “I love that stuff.” “There's nothing better than putting a smile on someone's face,” Bayly said. “What other job do you walk out at the end of the day and every single customer said, ‘wow, that was amazing, thank you so much.'” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has revealed tech-giant Amazon is investing $7.5 billion into New Zealand. Speaking exclusively to Newstalk ZB, Christopher Luxon says Amazon Web Services is scheduled to be announcing the investment. He told Mike Hosking it will create up to a thousand jobs, and make an $11 billion boost to GDP. Luxon says it's probably the largest ever publicly announced technology investment in New Zealand by an international tech firm. Speaking of international investors, the Prime Minister wants foreign investors to feel comfortable here so they invest more. New rules mean Active Investor Plus visa holders can now buy or build one home in New Zealand if it's worth at least $5 million. They'll still need to invest another $5 million separately, as part of the visa's criteria. Luxon told Hosking everything will fall into place for these investors once they have a house here. He says it's not just about the first $5-10 million they're spending, it's what comes after that when they start seeing more investment opportunities. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a call to cull some of New Zealand's ministers. A new report from the New Zealand Initiative found New Zealand has 81 ministerial portfolios, while comparable countries have a third of that. The think-tank says we should be more like countries with comparable populations, like Norway which has 17 portfolios, and Singapore with 16. Co-author Roger Partridge told Mike Hosking we keep slicing off pieces of portfolios and giving them new names, resulting in important policy areas being split across multiple ministers. Housing for example, reports up to 12 ministers, he says, and when you splinter key portfolios you get fragmented decision-making, a lack of accountability, and higher costs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our largest-ever North Island tourism alliance is just getting started, as they work to win over Australian travellers this week. More than 70 tourism operators are attending events in Sydney today and Melbourne tomorrow under the partnership Kiwi North. It was formed in May, when 15 tourism North Island organisations joined forces to draw more attention from key markets. Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Destination Director Annie Dundas told Mike Hosking that the aim is to show that the North Island has just as much to offer as the South Island does. She says the South Island enjoyed a great lift in tourist numbers from Australia, and they're hoping to see a lift of 1-2% for the North Island from this work. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Refinancing activity is continuing to surge as the Official Cash Rate continues to fall. Latest Centrix figures show mortgage enquiries are up 16% for the month of July and new mortgage lending rose almost 25%. Chief Operating Officer Monika Lacey says the market is active at the moment and people are keen to get the best deal they can. She told Mike Hosking that about 36% of fixed mortgages are set to roll off in the next six months, so that's quite a bit of activity that will start to flow through. Lacey says it should result in a bit more cash in people's pockets. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters says he wasn't dragged kicking and screaming into a new foreign investors deal. The Government's approved changes to allow people with an investor residence visa to buy or build one home, starting at $5 million. They're required to invest an extra $5 million into the economy to qualify. Peters told Mike Hosking he supports the changes and wants to make very clear it's not a change to the foreign buyers ban. He says it's a change to investment rules to attract money to the country that we desperately need. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: How are the Warriors shaping up for the playoffs, and do they have a chance at success? The Springboks have arrived in Auckland ahead of next week's game against the All Blacks. And new technology graces the world of surfing, thanks to surf legend Kelly Slater. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.