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I’m loathe to keep talking about this, but I think Chris Luxon is being treated really unfairly on the sale of his apartment.
And because he’s being treated so unfairly, it’s hard to avoid saying something.
The latest instalment on this is a series of articles pointing out that Chris Luxon would’ve paid up to $70 thousand in tax on the sale of his apartment if it wasn’t for his government changing the bright-line test rules.
He bought the apartment in 2020 when the bright-line test was five years and because he sold it within five years, it should’ve been subject to the 5 year bright-line test and he should’ve paid a capital gains tax on it.
But his government cut the bright-line test back to 2 years, effective July this year, so he didn’t have to pay the tax.
The implication being that either by design or luck, he managed to dodge a tax he should've paid.
Honestly, give me a break.
The only reason Luxon is selling the apartment is because we’ve pressured him into moving into Premier House.
He didn’t want to move there, that was obvious, and why would he? The place is famously cold and drafty, and given that this guy’s been earning mega bucks for at least a couple of decades, he probably hasn’t lived in a house as cold as a student flat for a couple of decades.
But we gave him grief for not living there and taking the accommodation allowance instead, so he caved and said he’d move into Premier House.
And now that he’s doing that, we’re not happy either because he’s making money off his apartment.
Come on. What do we want here?
He isn’t costing the taxpayer on the accommodation allowance any more, he didn’t change the bright-line test so he could avoid tax – that was an election promise made last year when he clearly still intended to keep owning his property.
The absence of fairness in this ongoing drama suggest that this is exactly what he says this is, which is politics of envy.
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Today on Politics Wednesday Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the biggest stories of the week so far.
They discussed the conflict in the Middle East, Damien O’Connor’s ill-advised tweet, and point the finger as to who’s to blame for the Dunedin Hospital mess.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 2nd of October, we speak to our Middle East correspondent as Iran launches ballistic missile strikes on Israel.
Big day in the US as JD Vance and Tim Walz prepare to go head-to-head in the Vice Presidential debate.
Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell put the blame on each other for the Dunedin Hospital mess and discuss Damien O'Connor's ill-advised tweet on Politics Wednesday.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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There’s optimism from within Athletics New Zealand that hosting the World Indoor Athletics Championships isn't beyond the realms of possibility.
The sport's governing body, with support of the government, are working on a bid to bring the event to our shores in March 2028, prior to the Los Angeles Olympics.
The biennial event has never been held in Oceania since its inception in 1985.
Athletics NZ CEO Cam Mitchell told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they’re quietly confident.
He said that it’s something they have as an aspiration, and there’s also a massive novelty factor they think people would get behind and support.
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It’s believed US voters will be more concerned about records than personalities heading into today's vice-presidential debate.
JD Vance and Tim Walz will meet for their only debate in New York today, getting underway at 2pm NZ time.
Key issues expected to be on the agenda include the economy, cost of living, and border security.
Republican strategist Matt Terrill told Heather du Plessis-Allan if Vance focuses on those, he'll have a much better night than Walz.
He says many voters will be questioning if they're better off today than they were four years ago.
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Dogs are on their way to sniffing out early signs of bowel and ovarian cancers.
K9 Medical Detection New Zealand has had a 100% success rate in recent trials.
The four-legged workers are trained to detect specific odours connected to bowel and ovarian cancers.
CEO Pauline Blomfield told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the dogs are clearly detecting the odour released from cancer, but they’re not replacing any tests.
She said that they’re currently working with scientists to identify the markers dogs are picking up on, because they don’t currently know what exactly the dogs are smelling.
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The Education Minister says she has a great relationship with the teachers’ union, despite some disagreement.
A PPTA survey shows a majority of teachers are unhappy with the NCEA level one roll out.
It comes as the organisation has its conference this week, with Minister Erica Stanford speaking yesterday, defending the controversial move to remove te reo funding for teachers.
She told Heather du Plessis-Allan most of teachers' concerns are with NCEA changes, which are the previous Government's fault, and she agrees.
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Casey Costello's hit back at health advocates over criticism of her heated tobacco tax cut.
The Associate Health Minister cut the tax by 50% in an effort to encourage use of the products instead of smoking.
Costello has faced a tense reception regarding the move.
But she told Heather du Plessis Allan she's working hard to reduce smoking rates, despite what she calls "the noise".
She says the Health Coalition became fixated on the tobacco industry, not Costello's plans to reduce smoking rates.
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The Conservatives annual conference in Birmingham – essentially one big job interview. By Wednesday afternoon the Conservatives should be a lot closer to knowing who their next leader will be.
The selected candidates are Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat with Rishi Sunak as the leader.
Tens of thousands of council homes sit empty as the waitlist grows.
Rod Little told Heather du Plessis-Allan that today it was Tugendhat who seems to be one of the outsiders.
Liddle states the general thinking is that this will come down to a final between Badenoch from the right and Jenrick from the centre left.
Liddle believes that it's looking more like the conservative MPs will try to get rid of Badenoch before it gets to the final.
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We've got a fascination with prime ministers and their money, it turns out.
Last night 1News did the calculation that Christopher Luxon stands to make $480,000 off the sale of his apartment in Wellington —he's moving out because he's going over to Premier House— and also a rental property that he's selling in South Auckland.
Now the implication of the story was that Christopher Luxon's making too much money off these properties, and he should be taxed.
Over the weekend, a newspaper in Wellington also reported that Jacinda Ardern is earning $316,000 per appearance every time she speaks on the international speaking circuit, and the implication there was —certainly in commentary afterwards— that it's unethical for her to be doing that. It's damaging her reputation by showing that she really does love money over doing good after all. And if prime ministers keep on doing stuff like this, how do we know that they're actually making the right decisions when they are in power and not thinking about what kind of money they're gonna earn afterwards?
Now, look, I don't mind the fascination with prime ministers and former prime ministers' earnings. I think it's completely human nature to be into it. We're fascinated by what our colleagues earn, right? So why wouldn't we be fascinated by what Luxon and Ardern earn? However, that is where I think it should stop – at fascination.
There's nothing wrong with Jacinda Ardern earning that much money off the speaking circuit. Frankly, if we're honest about it, talking was about the only thing she was actually good at, and she'd be a fool not to take that kind of money if it's on offer.
Same goes for Luxon. He was a well-paid businessman before politics. You would expect him to have plenty of money, you would expect him to put some of that money into property. And unless things have gone very bad for him in his calculations, you would expect him to make money off a property, especially one that he has apparently renovated. Nothing wrong here.
To suggest that Luxon's capital gain on his property is evidence that we need a capital gains tax and to suggest that Jacinda's speaking circuit means that we need to put some sort of restraint of trade on future prime ministers is just taking it a bit far, isn't it?
It's fine to be fascinated, just leave it at that.
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A French far-right politician is on trial, accused of misappropriating EU funds.
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally Party, along with the party itself and 24 others, are accused of using money destined for work at the European Parliament to pay staff working for their party.
Le Pen denies the charges, and is confident she would be able to prove she did nothing wrong.
France Correspondent Catherine Field told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they’re accused of diverting around $5.5 million New Zealand.
She said they’ve paid back about a quarter of that sum, but the party did say it doesn’t mean they’re guilty.
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For eleven years Mitch James has been releasing music and touring the world.
He’s opened for Callum Scott, supported Ed Sheeran, and toured with Six60, not to mention his own tours.
James has just released a new single and has a new EP coming out next month, but the release comes with a caveat.
The Kiwi musician is stepping away from the trade, James telling Heather du Plessis-Allan that the industry has become an environment that was just too difficult to overcome.
“I’ve got this music coming out now that I believe is my most complete, most mature, advanced work as a songwriter and an artist, and coupled with the fact that this industry had sort of turned against me in a lot of ways, I just thought, you know. I’m sick of this.”
“I just wanna hang my hat on something that I can look back on in twenty years’ time and go like, this is my finest work, and something that I can be very proud of.”
It’s a bittersweet feeling, he said.
For eleven years Mitch James has been releasing music and touring the world.
He’s opened for Callum Scott, supported Ed Sheeran, and toured with Six60, not to mention his own tours.
James has just released a new single and has a new EP coming out next month, but the release comes with a caveat.
The Kiwi musician is stepping away from the trade, James telling Heather du Plessis-Allan that the industry has become an environment that was just too difficult to overcome.
“I’ve got this music coming out now that I believe is my most complete, most mature, advanced work as a songwriter and an artist, and coupled with the fact that this industry had sort of turned against me in a lot of ways, I just thought, you know. I’m sick of this.”
“I just wanna hang my hat on something that I can look back on in twenty years’ time and go like, this is my finest work, and something that I can be very proud of.”
It’s a bittersweet feeling, he said.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday 1st of October, the Government has announced their Q4 plan with a focus on infrastructure. We get Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett’s thoughts on the plan.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is in studio with Heather to talk Dunedin Hospital, the working from home backlash and the obsession with his capital gains.
Kiwi singer Mitch James is in studio to play his newest, and final, single and hinting about what he's doing after announcing he's stepping away from music.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Many Kiwis will be feeling relief today as new Pharmac funded drugs officially become available.
Continuous Glucose Monitors are now being funded alongside widened access to insulin pumps and consumables.
Cancer drug Keytruda is also now more accessible.
Cancer Society Chief Executive Nicola Coom told Heather du Plessis Allan that Keytruda will make a massive difference for those who've re-mortgaged their homes and travelled overseas for treatment.
She said that its absolutely life changing.
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Local councils want to clip the ticket on the Government's increased tourism fee.
The International Visitor Levy has been bumped from $35 to $100 as of today.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell says local councils pay for tourism amenities, so the Government should share the profits.
She told Heather du Plessis Allan while the Government may not want to share a cut of the increased fee, it's worth asking.
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The Government's released its fourth quarter action plan, which largely focuses on infrastructure.
Its 43 actions include passing the Fast-track Approvals Bill, RMA reform, and looking at more road tolls.
It also includes establishing a National Infrastructure Agency.
Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett told Heather du Plessis-Allan the Fast-track approvals bill will help speed up infrastructure projects.
He says the National Infrastructure Agency will be a shop front for foreign direct investment, and funding and financing tools to build more housing are also important.
Leggett also says we need to change our mindset on tolling.
He says if people want things, there isn't a magical money fairy to come and deliver them, as we're in a tight fiscal position.
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the Dunedin Hospital project is frustrating.
“We are very committed to building a hospital in Dunedin, don’t get me wrong. But we have got to do it within the $1.9 billion fiscal envelope, otherwise that means that we can’t do Whangarei, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Nelson and other regional hospitals,” Luxon told Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan.
Luxon said the government was receiving advice on how to proceed, with an option to scale back the construction or staging the project.
“We’ve seen cost creep, scope creep from the Labour Government - whether it’s been ferries, school buildings, and now the hospital.”
Pressed on the Government’s spending priorities, Luxon said, “we have put almost $30 billion into health, so there’s plenty of money in health”.
He said the Government needed to get better at spending on infrastructure.
Pressed again on the Government’s proposal to spend several billion dollars on a single road in Wellington and whether spending had been appropriately prioritised, Luxon said “you just can’t have a project [the hospital] go from $1.2b when it started and heading out to $3b”.
Luxon said he was aware of Treasury’s warning of a structural deficit: “We’ve got to get back to financial discipline. We’ve got to make sure we then set up for growth.”
He said it was possible to “do more with less”.
He also said his Government’s spending cuts were being done “in a sensible, balanced kind of way - we’re not throwing the country into austerity”.
On his push for civil servants to return to the office, Luxon said he was not surprised at the level of flak from the workforce.
“We want everyone in the office. It’s not an entitlement that you get to work from home.”
He said he had moved into Premier House over the weekend.
“We finally managed to get new paint, new curtains and new carpet.”
Responding to a question about whether it was a cold house, Luxon said: “Well, I’ve got a jumper”.
Regarding the capital gains on his apartment and media attention on it, Luxon said he had come to expect it.
“If we’re going to criticise people for being successful, let’s be clear - I’m wealthy, I’m sorted.”
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There’s a belief from the Minister that reopening oil and gas exploration won't make a dent in New Zealand's climate impacts.
The public have until tonight to submit on the Government's bill, reversing the previous Governments ban on exploration off the coast.
MBIE figures show it will result in millions of tonnes of additional emissions.
But Shane Jones told Heather du Plessis-Allan New Zealand needs energy.
He says those opposed are simply "woke" in thinking it is a mortal threat, a claim he's rubbishing.
Jones says protestors are entitled to their views, and he’s happy to engage with those who disagree with him.
He says kiwis want to hear someone put an alternative view to these frog-loving and lizard-obsessed environmentalists.
The Government's own advice on repealing the oil and gas exploration ban, released under the Official Information Act and obtained by RNZ, says no new gas fields are likely to be discovered and developed in the next 10 years.
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When it comes to the Dunedin hospital scale back, the Government's in trouble on this.
That protest over the weekend was big. 35,000 people is more than a quarter of Dunedin's population.
If you assume they came from all over the region, which is probably true given the hospital would service the Otago region, it’s still big. It’s 14% of the population.
There are very few issues that would drive that kind of frustration, but health is one of them.
It's because we want to know that there are the medical facilities to save our kid's lives, or our parent's lives.
Or our life.
But this is the reality - we are broke.
New Zealand can’t afford a $3b hospital, and $3b dollar ferries and 64,000 public servants and any number of other things we may want.
We are running an operating deficit every single year. That's basically the household equivalent of spending more every year than you make and just running it on the credit card forever.
You can’t do it.
If you want to know how broke we are listen to the Treasury warning last week.
Dominick Stephens, the Chief Economist there, warned that for us to get back to surplus the Government would have to cut so much spending, and so fast, it would be unprecedented in recent history in New Zealand.
Our debt is out of control, largely thanks to what Grant and Jacinda did during Covid.
Treasury's been warning about our debt levels since 2006. But back then they thought we were heading for net Crown debt of 13% of GDP.
We are now 3 times that. So, we’re broke.
I don’t want to see projects like a hospital scaled back. I don’t want to be sailing on tinpot ferries I’m not sure will make it to the other side.
But you need money to buy and build and we don’t’ have any.
And we need to wake up to that.
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Thousands of Australians have collectively rallied in a National Day of Action in protest of conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
This comes following Israeli strikes into Lebanon, which killed 30 Hezbollah leaders including Hassan Nasrallah.
Australian correspondent Steve Price tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the turnout was the strongest Australia has seen in a long time.
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