Эпизоды
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So having looked at every council in the country and the pending rate rises we are all going to have to pay, a couple of inescapable conclusions are to be drawn.
1) We need central Government to cap rates.
2) We need fewer councils.
If you were to roughly use inflation as a guide, Waitomo and Whanganui are your only councils to get under the wire at 2.93 % and 2.2% – so congratulations to them.
I'm sure every council could, and would, mount an argument as to why whatever it is they have come up with, whether it be the 12.9% in Taranaki or the 15.5% in Hamilton, is in some way, shape, or form, justifiable.
A lot of it will be historic. In other words, if previous councils had done their job and been fiscally prudent the work being undertaken today would not be the current burden it is.
But a lot of it if you were DOGE-like, or brutal, would not in fact be needed at all.
Councils have become fiefdoms. They have entered areas they have no business in, but like so much in life, once you have ventured there is no turning back.
Apart from the specific, like the 9.76% for Otorohanga or the 12.4% for Central Otago, you also have the more general impact. In other words, you are adding cost to the economy, and you are charging fixed-income folk who don’t have the money.
What you are doing is inflationary.
None of us have the ability to simply add more charges. We don’t simply get the pay rise we want, or up our hourly rate to the poor sap we are servicing. Life isn't like that.
We cut our cloth. Could we buy more? Could we do more? Could we spend more? Of course we could, but we can't. Unless you're a council.
Even if a council could say "look at what all that money got you, look at the gold plating and the shiny baubles and the tens of thousands who have flocked to our region because of our expenditure", but they can't say that because none of that has happened.
15% doesn’t buy you utopia. It merely sets you up for another 15% next year because councils know a sucker when they see one.
So, cap those rates and can those councils. It might well be the most popular thing this central Government does in three years.
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New Zealand’s largest bank is lending less cash to businesses than it was half a decade ago.
Figures from the Reserve Bank show a softening across all bank business lending since the pandemic, with ANZ the only one going backwards.
The overall growth rate across all banks has slowed to just 1.5%, down from 6% in 2013.
ANZ CEO Antonia Watson told Mike Hosking much of the drop is caused by a decrease in lending to commercial property.
She says their decision was to support their existing customers through rising interest rates and tougher circumstances as opposed to taking on new customers.
However, she confirmed the bank is back to taking on new customers.
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 24th of June, our golden visa has done better in the last few months than it had under two and a half years of Labour. People want to come here, and they are bringing millions of dollars with them.
Local Government NZ respond after Christopher Luxon and Shane Jones proposed getting rid of regional councils.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson tells Mike what he's been doing during the offseason and his expectations for the 2025 season.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Scott Robertson has called up five new faces for his first All Blacks class of 2025, with his 35-man squad for next month’s series against France named.
All Blacks regulars Dalton Papali'i, Ethan Blackadder and David Havili have been left out of the squad instead.
The trio’s exclusion comes with the inclusion of Ollie Norris, Brodie McAlister, Fabian Holland, Timoci Tavatavanawai, and Du'Plessis Kirifi.
Coach Scott Robertson says it wasn't easy to leave out players like Papali'i, Blackadder, and Havili.
He told Mike Hosking that you need to give opportunities to players over this period of time and get to know what they’re going to be like in action.
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The leader of the country's local government association says there's global evidence a rates caps can have detrimental effects.
The Government's mulling a cap as part of its wider reform to refocus local government.
Sam Broughton —Mayor of Selwyn District Council and Local Government NZ President— says if core infrastructure like water and transport aren't included in a cap, it can lift a council's borrowing costs.
He told Mike Hosking Australia is seeing the negatives: New South Wales has a cap, and has seen higher rates increase than those states without one.
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US and UK law enforcement will soon be using a New Zealand-developed strategy to help boost police performance.
Vantaset utilisises research into people’s breaking points to assist elite athletes in performing their personal bests, at a rate of 87%
Now they’ve signed long-term deals with global law enforcement agencies to reengage frontline officers.
Founder and CEO Craig Steel told Mike Hosking that agencies such as the police understand the performance of their people is really critical for their success.
He says they’re really looking for better ways to be able to engage their people and ultimately help them deliver the outcomes that matter.
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The application process for New Zealand's 'golden visa' scheme' is firing up and going strong.
The Government's confirmed almost 200 applications have been received from overseas investors since settings loosened in April.
Queen City Law Managing Director Marcus Beveridge told Mike Hosking he's predicting a tsunami of capital into our little economy.
He says he wouldn't be surprised if we don't exceed $10 billion a year from immigration alone, and with those migrants bringing more money, we could end up with up to $30 billion per annum.
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New Zealand First says the country can no-longer afford a drawn-out Treaty settlement with the largest iwi.
The party's drafting legislation to require a single settlement with Ngāpuhi, rather than multiple agreements.
However, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith has signalled he's open to settlements with smaller groups within iwi.
NZ First MP Shane Jones told Mike Hosking the $20 million process is holding up Whangarei Hospital redevelopments.
He says one group is hijacking the claim by introducing notions of sovereignty at the cost of the taxpayer.
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If you didn’t know, ACC is in some fiscal trouble again.
This isn't new. ACC has been in trouble for years.
Last year, 1.6 million of us managed to do something to ourselves which involved money - $4.5 billion dollars worth. That's just on rehab.
The total is $7 billion paid out.
It's an astonishing amount of money - and the problem is what we pay in doesn’t cover what goes out.
ACC run a scheme whereby money is invested in the hope the returns offset the bills.
I personally pay thousands a year and have done for decades. To this day I have never claimed a cent.
The original idea was a no-faults scheme, as opposed to a U.S style scheme where we lay blame and get lawyers.
16,000 people did something to themselves in the garden last year and claimed millions.
Previously physio has been the issue. When does physio stop? Who knows, but let's have another three sessions while we decide.
Go to any doctor with anything that hurts and the first thing they do is start tapping away on the ACC claim.
Like most of these altruistic ideas somewhere along the way we lost the plot.
It might be that we need to tidy this up. Foolishly perhaps, I have always seen ACC as work related. If you injure yourself and can't work, this is its value.
Not if you cut your finger pruning hydrangeas.
We had a family member who was off work for months, I think too many months. They wouldn’t let him back even though he wanted to go back. But they kept saying "oh, just in case".
I wonder if there is too much "just in case".
The risk payments work to a degree. 40 percent of payouts are in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and fishing. I pay as a journalist, even though I'm not a journalist, but they can't work out what I am or how to charge me.
Part of a journalist's risk is being in a war zone. I can tell you journalists generally in New Zealand don’t go to war zones.
Anyway, 1.6 million people with two million claims and all up it cost $7 billion.
In barely over two years basically every single one of us makes a claim.
That's not right, it's not normal and it's why they can't pay their way.
The system doesn’t work.
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that ongoing strikes and counter-strikes won't lead to a resolution.
He says all the parties need to get around the table and negotiate a way forward, although that will be very difficult.
The Prime Minister said, “You’ve got to be able to get the parties around the table and have a negotiation.”
This comes ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the Netherlands, where he will meet with the Dutch Prime Minister and leaders of NATO.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 23rd of June, we go to the US after they got involved in Iran and Israel's war and talk to Winston Peters about NZ's stance on it.
The Prime Minister has touched down in Belgium for a NATO meeting but had time to talk to us about Iran, councils and hundreds of millions of dollars of deals done in China.
Andrew Saville and Jason Pine cover the big weekend of sports - the Crusaders win, the Warriors loss and Peter Burling's big move.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Foreign Minister Winston Peters joined Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the developing situation in Iran.
The Foreign Minister said he wants to “get a proper analysis” before discussing how effective Operation Midnight Hammer was at destroying Iranian nuclear facilities.
“One of the first victims of war is truth, and boy, have we seen it.”
The Foreign Minister also discussed the Kiwis stuck in the regions, and that it is “New Zealand character” to bring them home safely.
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US forces have executed operation “Midnight Hammer” - a bombing raid targeting Iranian nuclear development sites.
The US government has claimed an “obliteration” of Iranian Nuclear assets. However, analysts are skeptical of the actual level of damage dealt.
Senior Fellow at the Defence Priority in Washington Gil Barndollar says, “These strikes are unlikely to have destroyed everything,”
He said that it’s likely Iran would have moved key nuclear components from the raid targets, meaning they would be able to recover from the raid faster than the US would expect.
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New Zealand’s largest industrial development ever is about to begin in Invercargill.
Mike Hosking spoke to the general manager of the project Ben Murphy this morning, who said the project is making progress.
“We do have a fully zoned sight there, which is the key unlocker for this project.” Ben Murphy told Mike Hosking this morning.
Although progress has been made, the project must secure occupiers before the project breaks ground.
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Global oil prices are forecast to increase in the wake of US airstrikes against Iran.
Greg Smith from Devon Funds Management told Mike Hosking analysts are forecasting a rise in oil prices, from anywhere from 5% to 70%.
Currently, oil prices sit at around $75 per barrel. But Smith warns prices could rise to $130 a barrel.
The increasing cost of food around the world was also discussed this morning as the price of rice in Japan has doubled due to inflation.
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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.
Good ideas: 7/10
Not a bad week. Monthly inflation data, the census scrapped, the Housing Minister to overrule council and health targets improving. Things feel a bit like they're moving.
The Crusaders: 7/10
A great comeback story for Rob Penney, who was vilified a year ago, on the verge of being a hero this weekend.
Nico Porteous: 7/10
Story of the week in some ways for me. Living his dream, charting his destiny, and mature beyond his years. I wish him well.
Venice: 3/10
They're protesting the Jeff Bezos wedding. He has booked the place out, he is throwing money at the joint, and they are a tourist town. What is it you want?
Radio NZ: 4/10
They're looking for people to quit and that, sadly, is what you get when the Willie 'Snake Oil' Jackson rolls his circus into town to hand out lollies that can never be real.
The world: 4/10
It’s a mess, isn't it? This time last week yet another war started and where traditionally we have a country and a leader that rises to the occasion, sadly these days there's no such luck. He's too busy launching his gold phone.
LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW
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I think this was the move of the week.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop dropped the bombshell on local body operators that the Government has decided to give him the power to intervene around housing in local body decision making.
Mind you, we could argue scrapping the calamitous Census was a good move, and indeed I'm a massive fan of reporting inflation data on a monthly basis, which sort of makes us look like a first world country. These are all good decisions.
But as regards councils and housing, in the broader interests of this small country finally getting its fiscal act together, this move cannot come soon enough.
The simple truth is we are over councilled. We have ludicrous numbers of local do-gooders in a vast array of fiefdoms making decisions that may, or may not, make any sense locally, far less incorporating themselves into the bigger national picture.
Part of the problem is too often councils have not been up to much. Too many councils are littered with acrimony and in-fighting, progress is stalled, or watered down, or major work is ignored in favour of more headline grabbing material that makes the local representatives look good.
Not all of course, but too many.
From Tauranga, to Wellington, to Christchurch, to Invercargill; the infighting and dysfunction has become legendary.
What you can say about central Government that you can't say about local Government is most of us took part in the democratic process and as a result this Government, rightly or wrongly, has a mandate to get on and do stuff.
Mainly, stuff that got cocked up by the previous Government.
If there has been a constant theme of this current Government, even from its broad-based supporters, it is that they haven't done as much as they might have.
They have plans and ideas and announcements and KPIs. What they don't have is a vast array of results.
They don't have tangible things that have been changed leading to us quite clearly being better off.
With the Bishop announcement it would appear that message and the lack of traction is finally hitting home, and they have sat around the Cabinet table and worked out they have about a year left to put some major runs on the board so that election time is about delivery and not more promises.
The country basically is too small for this many councils and committees. A lot of decisions have major national economic implications and as such, central Government has, or should have, a say.
They will hate it of course. They will gnash and wail and moan about local democracy. But guess what? Big picture economic success is more important.
The big picture, generally, is more important. The national story is more important.
Christchurch learned this last week over their intensification scrap, which lasted years and cost them millions, that this Government is serious and on a central vs local head-to-head, only one side is coming out on top.
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Are early finishes to blame for the surgical backlog?
Surgeon Chris Wakeman claims that public health professionals won’t perform surgeries past the 4pm cutoff, causing backlog issues.
Health NZ’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan told Mike Hosking that early finishes do occur.
The rosters generally run until about 4:30/5pm, and he says that there are very few operations that can be done in less than half an hour.
He says they’ve been running weekend theatres to try get more people through, but you need quite a big work force to do that consistently.
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With Matariki this weekend, we’ve come to the end of a short week.
Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking to get their session of Mike-bullying in early – going after his expensive tastes, his lack of control over his life, and his special burgundy suede loafers.
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The latest carbon auction was a bust.
It attracted zero bids, becoming the eighth auction to be declined.
The secondary market currently sits around $58 a tonne, while the auction price sits at $68.
ACT’s Climate Change Spokesperson, Simon Court told Mike Hosking it shows that industrial emitters, such as coal users, already have enough units in the carbon bank to pay for this year's emissions.
With the success of the secondary market, Court says it’s evidence the Emissions Trading Scheme and the carbon markets are working quite well.
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