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Keir Starmer has signalled a potential U-turn regarding the winter energy payments.
Back in March, the UK government changed the rules for the Winter Fuel Payment, so that from winter 2024/25, it was only available to households that received the Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits.
This made it so that only 1.5 million pensioners received the payment, down from 10.8 million.
UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking reinstating them looks like a defeat for Starmer, as it was his government that axed the payments in the first place.
He says the Prime Ministerâs in a difficult position.
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There seems to be increasing reportage, based around some new research, that our dream of being smokefree is up in smoke.
2025 is the year when we were aiming to be smokefree. By smokefree, it would have been reduced to 5% left smoking.
To meet that goal, the research says about 80,000 more people need to quit. They won't.
As always, the fact they haven't, or won't, is somehow the Government's fault, who haven't done enough. Or worse, this particular Government, who they say have been shocking, led by New Zealand First and Casey Costello who is a devil and in the pocket of the tobacco companies â or some such gibberish those like the Labour Party spend a lot of time trying to suggest.
Where it went wrong was twofold.
The first was the belief, and this was classic Labour under Helen Clark, that you could force people to do something they didnât want to, and there were always going to be people who didnât want to.
Where it worked, and we can be grateful, was in the public space part of it. No longer are you forced to inhale if you donât want to, or smell like a smoker, or stand in a group, or be trapped by it.
But beyond that, once the hardcores were on the footpath, some were never giving up.
The second thing that went wrong was vaping, a shocking miscalculation that it was a cessation tool, when what it really was a gateway for kids. A whole new generation got easy access, and the slippery slope was never going to get stopped.
Governments could have nipped it in the bud but didnât. They could have made vapes script only like Australia, but didnât.
The Labour Party under Ayesha Verrall, a medical professional from the party who invented smokefree, hurled their best wet bus ticket at the vaping market. So nothing happened.
History will show they were out of the gates, Clark-style, with gusto. There was early progress on public spaces and a general change in attitude to the habit, followed by the predictable malaise and hardcore resistance, leaving us 25 years on with a change in society but well short of what was envisioned.
Good crack, failed on the follow through.
I'd give it 7 out of 10.
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Kiwi Supercars driver Matt Payne has had a dream start to the season.
Heâs been racing under Grove and Penrite, and has already racked up three wins for the season.
Itâs had fans and former drivers raving about his prospects as a future champion and considering heâs currently sitting third on the overall ladder, heâll be hoping itâs the very near future.
Two of his wins so far came in the same weekend, on the home track at Taupo.
âI think that was a pretty special weekend for, for all of us,â Payne told Hosking.
âYâknow, two wins in one weekend is pretty cool, and I think for me, winning at home, especially in front of the New Zealand crowd, it couldnât have been any better.â
His other win came in Tasmania, Payne moving from his starting position in 10th to claim the victory.
âThat was a pretty special race,â he said.
âJust how everything played out, as the tyres were going away, and just how close it was at the end... it definitely stayed with me for a while.â
âPretty awesome race.â
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 5th of June, we're finally making ground when it comes to clearing the backlog in our courts. And when it comes to competition in the supermarkets, we might have good news too.
The NZR have their sponsor to replace INEOS - it's Gallagher, an insurance broker out of the US. NZR CEO Mark Robinson discusses the good news.
Kiwi Supercars driver Matt Payne has had a stellar start to the year, and joins ahead of the next race weekend in Perth.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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New Zealand Rugby have secured a new sponsor.
Theyâve partnered with American company Gallagher Insurance, whoâs logo will appear on both the training and match day shorts of all our national teams.
It comes two months after Ineos terminated their $21 million a year contract with the union.
NZR CEO Mark Robinson told Mike Hosking Gallagherâs got a deep connection with the sport, having been involved with World Rugby and the English Premiership, as well as already being involved in NZ rugby at the provincial level.
He says theyâre connected to the values and ethos of the game, and they obviously feel that thereâs a strong opportunity for branding, as well as business opportunities.
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The Commerce Commission's making moves to level the playing field in the grocery sector.
It's found the big supermarket players are shovelling in billions of dollars a year through supplier charges and promotional pricing, which largely isn't reaching consumers.
It's proposed a simplified grocery code that limits the range of payments supermarkets can charge suppliers.
Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden told Mike Hosking it's about taking away all the carve-outs.
He says smaller suppliers currently have difficulty pushing back against large supermarkets because of the power imbalance.
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The Courts Minister is chuffed at improvements to the backlog in Auckland's criminal district courts.
The latest Government figures show a 26% reduction over the past year, with an 11% reduction nationally.
Since April 2023, the number of jury trials awaiting hearings in Auckland has dropped by 8%.
Minister Nicole McKee told Mike Hosking she's confident they're making good changes for victims and people entering the court system.
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Good news for tourism operators in Milford Sound, as the Government rejects plans to ban cruise ships
More than $15 million has been invested into infrastructure and conservation upgrades in Milford Sound.
Cruise ships will also be allowed back in the area, rejecting the 2021 master plan advising against their access to the sound.
Cruise Association Chief Executive Jacqui Lloyd told Mike Hosking Milford Sound is an icon of a New Zealand itinerary by land or sea.
She says the option to lose Milford cruises would've impacted the industry in New Zealand.
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Parliament's picking up where it left off last month, debating proposed sanctions on three Te PÄti MÄori MPs.
The Privileges Committee's suggested Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer be suspended for 21 days, and Hana-RÄwhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven.
The three had performed a haka during a vote on the Treaty Principles Bill last year.
Leader of the House Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking he just wants the debate over and done with.
He says we need to deal with the issue, but it's a distraction from the need for economic growth, and he hopes it's dealt with swiftly at Parliament this afternoon.
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The Insurance Council's highlighting the tough balancing act facing the Government, over the Natural Hazard Commission insurance fund shortfall.
The Government is signalling a home insurance levy increase to help bolster the Commission's kitty.
Cabinet is set to decide on the changes in the coming months.
Insurance Council Chief Executive Kris Faafoi told Mike Hosking it's a tricky task when money is tight.
Faafoi says funds are necessary, as the commission provides the first payout, but increases will be tough given the current cost of living.
Levies could increase between $200 and $300 a year.
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Christmas came early for Tiwai Aluminium Smelter.
They get to do business. In fact, they get to do business in a country where you would have thought doing business is to be encouraged.
They have been prevented from doing all the business they can because they have a deal with their power company, Meridian, whereby they have to contain themselves if things are a bit tight in the old power department.
It is indeed a weird, old world where we revel in ideas like AI and crypto and data centres, and yet we donât have the slightest idea where the power to make it all work is coming from.
Big tech is under pressure globally. It is claimed they have data centres running and using things like water in areas of the planet where water is scarce.
New Zealand wants to be a data centre hub, and yet we can't allow an aluminium plant to run to its capacity because it didnât rain enough.
The good news is it has rained a bit lately so the southern lakes look solid, which means, they think, we might not be as pinched as we have been in other winters.
The idea that you aspire to run a power grid that is reliant on things you have no control over is a very modern version of insanity.
We need it to rain, we need it to blow, and we need the sun to shine. We have no control over any of these things so we convince ourselves we aren't idiots by thinking we will build options.
So if the sun isn't out, the wind will be. Or if it doesnât blow, at least it will rain.
But when it doesnât do any of those things, which it hasnât, we need Tiwai and your average punter to take it easy on the cold mornings.
And that's with, right here, right now, hardly any AI, crypto not really being a thing here, and data centres at a minimum. Imagine how stuck we would be if we had actually got any of these things up and running?
Gas would help. But Labour stopped all that and our re-opening of the market is only just beginning. We really do look very 1987.
In the meantime, the coal comes in from Indonesia, defeating the entire purpose of the climate exercise of renewables.
Cart before horse, anyone?
They say it will all work out, eventually. We will have so much renewable capacity, and we will have all bases covered, apparently. Do you believe that?
Do you believe a country that makes its biggest power user limit its capacity every time winter comes around, really is a country that deals successfully in big picture thinking?
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Politicians arenât worrying too much about the latest poll results.
There were starkly different results in the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll and 1News-Verian poll â with the first showing the left bloc in the lead and the second showing the right bloc well ahead.
Labourâs Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking the polls bounce around, so they donât take them to heart that much.
She says in general, Labour is gradually trending upwards but they know they have more work to do, which is what theyâve been taking from the polls.
Nationalâs Mark Mitchell told Hosking he doesnât take much notice of them, as what matters is what happens next year heading into the election.
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Foodstuffs North Island's facial recognition trial might have the tick of approval overall, but there's still work to do.
The Privacy Commission's ruled the trial was compliant with the Privacy Act and was successful in reducing harmful behaviour.
But Commissioner Michael Webster told Mike Hosking they're recommending Foodstuffs keep systems updated and review impacts of skin tone on identification accuracy.
Webster says there are still concerns over technical bias issues due to the software coming from overseas.
It's also made recommendations for other interested businesses.
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Renewing existing infrastructure rather than investing in new shiny projects is the best way to go, according to a new report co-produced by the Helen Clark Foundation and WSP New Zealand.
The foundation claims 99% of the infrastructure New Zealand needs, has already been built.
Foundation Deputy Director Kali Mercier says renewals and repairs are much cheaper.
She told Mike Hosking one of their recommendations is keeping scorecards so the management and condition of major infrastructure can be tracked.
Mercier says that currently, just one of six central government agencies keeps a full asset register, and just two have comprehensive asset management plans in place.
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New Zealand Rugby Players Association boss Rob Nichol admits their members have been approached to join a new global breakaway club competition.
R360 âbacked by former England international Mike Tindallâ is set to launch in 2026.
The league plans to mirror the likes of sevens and F1, moving from port to port with events at major cities and stadia around the globe.
Nichol told Mike Hosking they've been across the proposal since last year.
He says that from a player perspective, itâs about waiting and seeing as competitions like this have to get through some pretty strong headwinds to succeed.
Nichol says one of R360's proposed calendar blocks from April to June is likely to face strong opposition from the sport's global governors.
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Concerns bad investment choices in electricity generation will keep our supply unreliable.
Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is ramping up production reversing previous restrictions, to ease winter supply concerns.
Meridian Energy says the hydro storage is looking much healthier this winter.
Major Electricity Users' Group Chair John Harbord told Mike Hosking restrictions will likely be back in force next winter, without investment in firmer electricity supply like geothermal and hydro plants.
He says solar panels only generate electricity 25% of the time and wind turbines only create energy 40% of the time.
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Fewer people are behind on debt payments.
Centrix's May Indicator Report shows consumer arrears fell in April â it was the fourth month in a row where overall arrears were lower than 2024.
However, the number of consumers who are more than 90 days past due has risen to its highest since July last year.
Managing Director Keith McLaughlin told Mike Hosking theyâre starting to see household budgets become balanced.
He says to an extent, it could be due to the dropping interest rates starting to flow through into budgets.
However, it could be a while before we see an easing in the high rate of company liquidations.
Company liquidations are up 30% year-on-year, with 175 recorded in April.
McLaughlin says they should stabilise in the next couple of months, before trending downward.
He says there's an increase in consumer confidence, meaning people are going out and spending more, which will create stimulation for businesses.
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Tourists are being told New Zealand is open for business.
A Government survey's found international visitor spending increased by 10% and contributed more than $12 billion to the economy in the year ending March.
But this is only 86% of pre-Covid visitor numbers and spending.
Tourism Minister Louise Upston told Mike Hosking it shows there's work to be done, especially targeting key markets like China.
She says we want our visitors to return and come back in the numbers they were.
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The UK is set to spend more on defence.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's unveiled plans to lift the defence spend, signalling it could reach 3% of GDP at the next Parliament.
He vowed to make Britain "a battle-ready, armour-clad nationâ, and Defence Secretary John Healey says theyâre in a ânew era of threatâ, which demands a higher spend.
UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking that although many understand the need for increased defence, itâs not understood where the money is going to come from.
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If the headline is right, and I hope it isn't, the Government are seeking advice on what to do about Run it Straight.
If the Government is seeking this advice, they have been sucked in.
Unless of course they are saying they are seeking advice so everyone shuts up for a bit, because the whole thing has got hopelessly out of control.
We need to break the ongoing grip too many New Zealanders have with Government, or the ongoing spell that too many are under, that Governments run our lives and it is only Government that can do stuff.
Ardie Savea, God bless him, got it spot on last week. He spoke for all of us in trying to balance a sensible observation about an activity, while balancing the reason for the angst for the tragedy that led to the heightened upset around it.
What happened was a tragedy. But accepting that, we seem unable to separate out tragedy from Government, or accident from rules, or mishap from common sense.
We fail to recognise the most obvious lack of connection â Run it Straight the competition, the organised sport, was not involved in a death.
The death happened at a 21st party. As the Prime Minister pointed out, no law is stopping a 21st.
We want desperately to stop stupidity. We would like to find a way to prevent young men, mainly, doing dumb stuff young men do.
But as Ardie quite rightly put it, the athletic side of the activity is part of contact sport. We have all in our own way, whether it be bullrush, or league, or union, or MMA, all done something like it.
Savea and his brother did what many, many, many, young men do in backyards: try to run each other over. Why is his brother called 'Bus', do you reckon?
The heat I took on this last week when I said similar things was interesting. There seem a group who feel if they spray, or get aggro with a person like me, that makes them feel better.
Maybe psychologically they can absolve themselves for feeling helpless.
Tragedy generally leaves us helpless.
But looking to a government is pointless and a government looking for advice is even more pointless.
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