The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There’s cautious optimism New Zealand could achieve the country's largest medal haul at a Winter Olympics.  17 athletes, all in various snowboard and ski disciplines, will compete at the Milan-Cortina Games starting this weekend.  Chef de Mission Marty Toomey told Mike Hosking that recent form points towards a new frontier of success.  He says the Snow Sports NZ crew have come off an X Games with six medals, and New Zealand took three medals in the Beijing Games, so he’s hoping they’ll get north of that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little says critical damage to the city's wastewater treatment plant couldn't come at a worse time.  Heavy rain flooded the building's lower floors causing sewage to leak into Tarakena Bay, writing off equipment and forcing the plant to shut down.  Wellington Water says it could take months to fix and urges people to stay off beaches along the south coast, and avoid collecting seafood.  He told Mike Hosking the failure appeared to be a “freak thing”, and since becoming mayor, nobody had ever indicated to him that the treatment plant was at risk.   He says there’s been ongoing investment in it, and they have contractors looking after all the rest.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes things will gradually turn a corner for Canterbury milk processing firm Synlait.  It's revealed it expects to report a $77 to $82 million half-year loss, due to the ongoing impact of previous "manufacturing challenges” at its Dunsandel plant.  Ashburton-based supplier Willy Leferink says suppliers are worried, but they have supply contracts to honour, and what really matters is that they continue to get paid.  He told Mike Hosking the company seems to have a good plan to get things back on track.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Economic Growth Minister says things are picking up in some regions sooner than others.  Unemployment's hit a ten-year high nationally, reaching 5.7% in Bay of Plenty, 5.8% in Wellington, 5.9% in Waikato, and 6.4% in Auckland.  But it's fallen to 3.7% in Canterbury and just 2.3% in Otago.  Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking employment is rising in many sectors, but it's not even around the country.  She says Canterbury in particular has seen a big rise job numbers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it a bombshell?  A moment too weird to properly comprehend and, because of that, is that why it isn't real? And if it's not real then it's not worth speculating on.  And yet here I am speculating.  The NZ Rugby Union has approached Steve Hansen and Ian Foster and asked them to apply for the coach's job.  Is that the most absurd, bizarre, nutty, unbelievable, possibly stupid thing you have ever heard around rugby, or perhaps even sport?  And yet it's suggested it's true.  In a way I hope it isn't, unless it is. But first I'll deal with the 'isn't'.  I hope it isn't because the union already have enough reputational issues without adding to them, like the panel, the rules and the criteria. For goodness sake, just go get a rockstar. Surely the All Blacks coaching job still has enough prestige that getting great talent isn't an issue?  That's if you haven't already targeted someone, which they should have!  But then I hope it is true because I love Hansen and I love Foster and I'm an old romantic who fizzes over the edge of the glass in excitement at what would be/could be one of the great redemption stories in all of sport.  Both have issues with rugby and rules and unions. Foster especially got treated abysmally. How good could it feel to march back into the dressing room and say "Hello lads. Now where were we before I was so rudely interrupted?"  But for the union, this is why it can't be true. You don’t go to a Hansen or a Foster and say have an application form and see what you think.  You beg for such talent to frequent your business! And if you're asking them to apply, what are you saying to Jamie Joseph and Co. who might be asking why they're looking for reheats when they're there. Not a bad point.  See? It would be way better if none of this were true.  Mind you it would be way better if they hadn't sacked Scott Robertson mid-term with a mass pay out and a restraint of trade with no clear plan going forward.  This is almost so good it can't be real, while also being so bad it shouldn’t be real.  The key of course is to win the world cup and if we do that no one will care who the coach is.  But that bit seems a long way off when we currently have no coach and in front of us what could be a stroke of genius, or sheer insanity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has called for the Republican Party to nationalise elections.   He made the statement during his appearance on the podcast of former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino, saying the Party should seek to take over voting in at least 15 places.  Elections are primarily run by state law, with voting administrated by local officials across the United States.   US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that nationalising the election would go against the Constitution, which says elections are governed by state law, not by any party in power.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 4th of February, Transport Minister Chris Bishop delves into the overhaul of the drivers licensing system.  Mike runs through what words he can, can't, and shouldn't say after the BSA's latest swearing report.  And Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell discuss Peeni Henare’s resignation, the messy press conference with Labour and the Greens, and Waitangi on Politics Wednesday. 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.

Today on Politics Wednesday, Labour’s Ginny Andersen and National’s Mark Mitchell delve into the biggest political stories of the week so far.  They discussed the proceedings at Waitangi, the joint press conference between Labour and the Green Party, and the resignation of Labour MP Peeni Henare.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More good news on the tourism front.  Auckland Airport has reinstated its partnership with Thai Airways, bringing back non-stop flights between Auckland and Bangkok.   The route reconnects New Zealand with one of Asia’s major aviation hubs, and is expected to bring in around $250 million a year in visitor spending.  Auckland Airport Chief Customer Officer Scott Tasker told Mike Hosking not only will it make it easier for Kiwis to visit Thailand, the flights also make New Zealand a much more attractive destination for Thai tourists.   Also, he says, Thai Airways has a network of 56 international destinations from Bangkok, so this route will help bring in more high spenders from places like the UK, Germany and India.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A chance to open next year's Rugby World Cup with a blockbuster Wallabies-All Blacks clash has been passed by.  Organisers have opted to kick-off the tournament with Australia taking on Hong Kong on October 1, with the All Blacks facing Chile the following day.  The move is being labelled as a play to keep interest levels “alive”.   International Rugby Players’ Association CEO Omar Hassanein told Mike Hosking getting a mostly guaranteed win in the first match is important, and while one would like to hope Australia could beat the All Blacks, form over the last decades indicates they may struggle.   He says the opening match in Peth is likely to sell out regardless of opposition, so it was a tactical ploy to ensure Australia stays in the tournament and momentum continues.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.