The Mike Hosking Breakfast

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD (highlights from Tuesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) If You Don't Know, Who Does?/Testing Trump/Understanding the Aussie of the Year/Why We Care About Beers/Streaker Review

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD (highlights from Monday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) This President Follows Through/A CalExit By Any Other Name/Kim's Ugly Head/Black Humour Makes You Smarter

In the wake of a Labour and Green party show of unity over the weekend, and with the Mt Albert byelection looming next month, Labour candidate Jacinda Ardern and Green candidate Julie Anne Genter joined Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the campaign, and the upcoming election. 

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW ABOVE

An expert on gangs says we need to work with gangs, rather than set out to crush them.

Labour MP Stuart Nash says he wants to "smash" gangs and get them off the streets and out of our communities.

Gang researcher Jarrod Gilbert said there have been claims made like this for many years, including former Prime Minister Norman Kirk who vowed to take the bikes off the bikies before the 1972 elections.

He told Mike Hosking we need to police gangs and crush them when their activities are illegal.

"But I think we do need to start with working with these older members and see if we can't try and slightly different way, because if history has taught us anything, we can't just simply say we'll crush them."

Gilbert said if it was that easy to crush the gangs, we would've done it already.

He said gangs have matured and now include members in their 50s and 60s. For example, many of them are trying to rid the gangs of meth, Gilbert said.

"These older members are trying to push the gangs in different directions. This offers an opportunity to reach in and try and work with them."

LISTEN ABOVE AS SOCIOLOGIST JARROD GILBERT SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

Helen Clark is being acknowledged for her ability to communicate across the board at the United Nations.

New Zealand's former Prime Minister has stepped down from her post as head of the United Nations Development Programme. Her second four-year term comes to an end in April.

Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan told Mike Hosking yes, Helen Clark missed out on the top job.

"But that does not mean that people did not like Helen Clark, that they did not respect her. Certainly, people are going to miss working with her."

Jordan said Clark was "very popular" at the UN. She said her political background helped her deal with the day-to-day execution of bureaucracy.

"She also understood how to talk to business organisations, how to talk to non-governmental organisations, how to work with local communities."

Jordan said that made the spending of development dollars very effective.

LISTEN ABOVE AL JAZEERA'S ROSILAND JORDAN SPEAK WITH MIKE HOSKING

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD (highlights from Friday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Early Election Excitement/Mark the Week/No Long Weekend/Mary Was Funny/glennzb MC

Beautiful is not a word one would normally associate with breast cancer, but it's one Nikki Kaye uses a number of times as she talks about her journey back to Parliament.

The 36-year-old Auckland Central MP is delighted to be back at work this week after doctors cleared her to return, following her breast cancer diagnosis in September last year.

She told Mike Hosking she is feeling better than she has for a very long time and has made changes to ensure she is eating and sleeping well.

"I'm making sure I'm more organised than ever before to make sure I get breaks, get a walk every day and eat properly. One of the beautiful things about this is that I think I can be better at my job because you can't serve anyone if you're not health, and I think I could have done better in that respect."

Kaye said her diagnosis has been transformational.

"I look at life differently and I think I'm more grateful, and I hope that in terms of work it means that I'm more focused because I don't take things for granted, whereas I might have before," she said.

She said although she wouldn't wish anyone to go through what she has, it's been a "beautiful" experience from a family perspective.

"I'm a lot closer to my family, and I just think I feel a lot more grateful for life."

Kaye said staying positive throughout the whole really mattered.

"If you are positive then everything from getting out of bed and doing that bit of exercise really matters.

"I've had some incredible support from a friend perspective as well. And I think just putting positive goals ahead, because there have been really tough days, and just getting that good support network around has been amazing."

She also praised the medical professionals helping her, in particular the person who delivered the bad news to her. "He was amazing".

Kaye said when she was first told she had breast cancer, she had a moment of "why me and why now?" - but quickly snapped out of it. 

She said so many people contacted her with their stories and there is always someone who has had a much worse road.

"When all those stories came through I snapped out of it. I've had such an amazing support network of people who have contacted me so I've had a chance to think it through mentally."

Kaye also has praise for the New Zealand media who she said respected her request for privacy when she asked for it.

She said she is now excited to be back at work, has been easing back into it over the past week and looking forward to the new year.

LISTEN ABOVE AS NATIONAL MP NIKKI KAYE SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD (highlights from Thursday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Thanks for Your Business/Changes to the Way We Trade/School Age, Schedule and Books/Coming Back for Pork Pie

A man who worked in immigration under the Barack Obama administration says a wall on the Mexican border will stop some people going into the US, but others will find another way.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services former Chief Counsel Stephen Legomski told Mike Hosking all a person has to do to gain access to the US, is to come in as a tourist and stay.

"So given the exorbitant cost of a wall and deploying additional border patrol personnel, it's hard to see how much positive effect that could have in any event."

US President Donald Trump today signed his latest executive order to build the wall along the border with Mexico, which the White House still says Mexico will pay for "one way or another".

"Building this barrier is more than just a campaign promise. It's a common sense first step to really securing our porous border," said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Wednesday.

"This will stem the flow of drugs, crime, illegal immigration into the United States."

He said the orders will strip federal money from so-called sanctuary cities and end a "catch and release" policy of previous administrations.

Good economic fundamentals and Donald Trump's election is being credited for the the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching a historic high.

It's broken through the 20,000 mark for the first time.

First National Financial chief market economist Peter Cardillo said business performance is on the up, with most showing earnings growth of three to four percent.

He told Mike Hosking by the stroke of executive orders Mr Trump is also making good on some of his business friendly promises.

"I think right now it's mostly on fundamentals, because the noise that we get out of the new President was the post election rally - you might say some of this rally could be attributed to the President."

CNN's Paul La Monica said there's optimism across the financial board.

"It's important to remember - the S&P 500 and Nasdaq which are broader indexes, include a lot more companies - companies like Google for example. They're also at record highs so this is not just about these 30 stodgy old Dow stocks."