The Mike Hosking Breakfast

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 28th of January, the Government is set to adjust the Auckland housing plan – Chris Bishop gives a few details.  The Broadcasting Standards Authority is calling for a change in the laws around media broadcasting in this country.  Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk MPs leaving, the Mount Maunganui tragedy, and whether they pay attention to the polls 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.

Landslide experts say it was a matter of when, not if, the slope overlooking the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park failed.  Speculation has swirled online about the slip, where the recovery of the six people missing could still take weeks.   Canterbury University's Tom Robinson says the slip was going to happen regardless if trees had been removed from the mountain.  Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking misinformation doesn't help the mental health of those impacted by the disaster.  He says they have to do an inquiry, but they don't want to force more mental health issues.  Labour agrees there’s a need to do an inquiry, with Ginny Andersen telling Hosking it’s important people are able to get the answers they need.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Kiwi company's been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence to design a futuristic helicopter drone programme.  SYOS Aerospace is among seven companies shortlisted for Project NYX to design 'wingman' drones to accompany British Army Apache Attack helicopters.  CEO Sam Vye says it's great recognition of a young New Zealand company leading the way in un-crewed vehicles.  He told Mike Hosking they have a number of competitors all around the world, but they strive to have a solid, unique selling point being a Kiwi company.  “We’re really focused on rapid development and delivering capability at a very affordable cost.”  SYOS signed a nearly $67 million drone contract with the UK military last year.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority says the current laws it operates under are obsolete.   A Parliamentary paper on the BSA's annual review notes the watchdog's definition of a broadcaster is 35 years old.  The authority says it's been asking for legislation reform for about 15 years, as media companies produce more online content.   BSA Chief Executive Stacey Wood told Mike Hosking the jurisdiction framework is not clear.   She says it doesn't have the resources to regulate every audio-visual programme transmitted to the public, as it is defined in the Act.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Emergency Management Associate Minister says it's vital we understand exactly what went wrong leading up to the Mount Maunganui landslide.  The Government led inquiry will investigate the events surrounding Thursday's deadly slip, where recovery of the six people missing could still take weeks.   Meanwhile, it's dishing out $2.4 million to help storm-hit communities.  Chris Penk told Mike Hosking it's a high stakes event, with low information and lots of emotion.  He says the lessons we learn about avoiding preventable disasters won't be worth its weight in paper if we don't know what happened at Mount Maunganui.  There’s also an assurance that the Government's funding for storm-hit communities is just the start.  About 500 people have been displaced across the North Island, nine left dead, with one still missing.  The Government's funding $200 thousand to Rural Support Trusts, $1.2 million into mayoral relief funds, and $1 million into reimbursing marae helping out.  Penk told Hosking the funding's on top of Government investments into flood resilience.  He says it's not about just giving a small amount for this incident, it's about getting the cash flowing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Privacy Commissioner's pushing for strong incentives against cyber criminals in the Manage My Health data breach.  Michael Webster's unveiled the initial Terms of Reference for his inquiry into the data breach affecting 127 thousand users that came to light early this month.   The first phase will focus on the scale of the breach, its impacts, and Manage My Health's responsibilities and safeguards.   Webster told Mike Hosking he's concerned nothing will come from his recommendations on how to prevent this from happening again.   He says unlike other privacy regulators around the world, we don't have the ability to seek financial penalties or fines for those who don't do enough to protect our personal information.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is confirming it is making changes to Auckland's housing intensification plan.  It has been considering watering down controversial planning rules allowing two million homes to be built over the coming decades.   Chris Bishop says that target is nothing more than a modelling number on a spread sheet, but he will be changing it over the coming month.   He told Mike Hosking most Aucklanders seem to agree there needs to be more housing in the CBD and along transit routes.   Bishop says the plan will allow that while restricting up-zoning in suburban areas.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A possible sign of the economic recovery with Michael Hill's New Zealand operation reporting its first positive result in more than two years.  In the six months to December the jeweller made $62 million worth of sales, increasing by 2.4%.  First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson says jewellery's a good sign of discretionary spending and consumer confidence.  He told Mike Hosking there are also positive economic signs elsewhere.  Wilkinson says there's a lot of benefits in areas where these large projects are taking place and provinces are doing well, with agriculture also strong.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another country is looking to ban social media for children: France.  The French Parliament is due to vote on a bill that would block social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok for those under the age of 15.   Another clause would also ban the use of mobile phones in senior schools.  France Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking the bill is on a fast-track procedure, and it looks as though it will pass.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kudos to Phillip Mills.  He of the gym empire and, as it turns out, this election year's star turn in the donation department.  His money for the Opportunity Party is the first large declared donation.  I like it for a couple of reasons. Business owners and leaders too often display a fear when it comes to views and support and commentary.  I learned it sadly during Covid. The anger privately never matched the anger publicly from some of the nation's biggest names and businesses, because they feared retribution from the Government of the day.  Mills, like any owner, especially in this day and age, risks pushback from a public he wants to give him money to turn up at his place to pump iron.  It's way easier to keep your head down, so good on him.  Sadly, he has wasted his money. But that is the beauty of election year and democracy – we are all free to do the same.  TOP will not make it the way Mills thinks they will.  Personally, I kind of hope I'm wrong. The whole MMP “thing” was about greater representation and if TOP cracked it, I would be pleased to see another player.  Sadly, it is not to be because TOP are too nuanced and there is no obvious gap to fill. They are the middle of the road music station looking to find a spot between the Hits, Coast, and the Breeze. Except unlike radio where entry is free, in politics you need 5%, and 5% is a lot.  As I have said before, the Gareth Morgan era was their opening. The easier route is an electorate with plenty of choice already, get a high profile player like Morgan, split the vote, win the seat and the coattail at about 2% might get you not one, but two MPs.  They have no Morgans. Even Raf Manji, who ran in Christchurch last time and had some profile, didn’t do it.  So as we sit here this morning, dollars to donuts, you can't even name the leader or any member of the party.  And as for their polices, they are a mix of obscure and overlap. In other words, a lot of what they think is already in the Parliament if that’s what you want.  In simple terms, our Parliament is full. Six parties are all we want.  Phillip has $50,000 that says I'm wrong. But of all the predictions I will make this year, this is right up there on the confidence scale. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.