a former journalist and Tesla employee has written a book exploration the revolutionary car company.  

Hamish McKenzie's book is called, Insane Mode: How Elon Musk's Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil, and follows the companies electric car journey.

McKenzie told Mike Hosking he reached out to Elon Musk for his book and instead was offered a job.

"I was working as a tech reporter...had written a couple of things about Elon Musk and an editor in the UK got in touch and said, "hey, would you be interested in writing a book about Elon?". I said, "yeah, I would be let's see if he [Musk] would cooperate".

"I got in touch with him and he said, "I'm not sure about the book but I like your book and would you be interested in a job at Tesla?" And after awhile of going back and forward I decided yeah, it would be an interesting opportunity."

He said working at Tesla met all his expectations.

"It would be a bit of a wild ride, lots of ups and downs, hard work but lots of thrills and that is pretty much what it turned out to be."  

"It is an incredible exciting company with a lot of downsides."

While Tesla has had a good financial year, ending the quarter in the black for the second time in the company's history, Elon Musk has been in a world of trouble this year for things ranging from smoking cannabis in an interview, to tweeting he was taking his company private, when he wasn't and being removed as chairman. 

McKenzie said the environment at the company is "not all that happy".

"There are definitely high points but the corporate culture, as has been reported quite a lot, is not all that positive".

He said it is "pretty unconventional for Silicone Valley standards" in that staff don't get numerous free lunches and parties and it is mostly a "cost saving exercise".

Good news for Kaikoura! Airbnb has named the coastal town its top trending destination of 2019, beating 19 other holiday spots which were considered for the title.

After being heavily damaged by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016, Airbnb said the South Island town made a "marvellous comeback" .

Co-owner of Encounter Kaikoura, Lynette Buurman told Mike Hosking it's such an honour. 

"We're surprised and absolutely excited about this announcement."

"We are recovering really well and I think we are almost back to pre-quake business levels which is pretty incredible in a two-year time frame."

Buurnman said there is a lot of curiously around the earthquake which is attracting people to the town.

"It does surprise us because, for us, we have had the quake, which was an event and we have all gotten on with our lives and tried to recover, without realising there was such an opportunity attached to it."

Despite being a small rural location, Kaikoura has been put on the map because of the tremendous support they have received, she said.

"We've had a fantastic marketing programme that has been funded by the New Zealand Government and without that we couldn't have achieved this recovery. The message has gone beyond our natural means."

Both domestic and international visitors are flocking to the town.

"We've got a huge international visitation here. I can only speak for my own business stats but we are about 84 per cent international and 16 per cent domestic." 

Despite the good news, there is concern over whether Kaikoura can cope with the increase in demand. 

"We are so constrained. There's a chronic accommodation shortage here and it's driven by tourism high season demand for staff, as well as the reconstruction of our roads and infrastructure which is happening, so there's a lot of pressure on commercial accommodation so it will be an interesting season." 

Towns in China, Mexico, France and the US were also included in the list.

There are calls for more widespread action when it comes to boosting success rates of science programmes in schools.

The latest national monitoring study of student achievement, shows a 74 per cent drop in the number of students meeting the expected standard in science between Years four and eight.

Former science teacher Chris Duggan told Mike Hosking while there's been plenty of money being thrown around - it's not targeting a big enough range.

"In my view, we need to rethink this and do something a lot bigger that is reaching every single student in this country."

He said it's because a lot primary teachers don't feel confident to teach the subject, and schools often aren't adequately resourced.

"Myself and many other secondary teachers, have seen kids coming into their classes year after year with an attitude that science isn't for them. By the time they are 13 or 14 that's really hard to unpack that."

Duggan started a non-profit, House of Science, to give teachers travelling, self-explanatory experiments and kits on different topics tat they can pull out of the box, and teach.

"It is hard work because we are not funded through the government but we are finding that this system works. The teacher love it and we have posted 10,000 students per week doing hands on science."

Winston Peters says the government will pass a law to stop petrol companies "ripping New Zealanders off" if the Commerce Commission's investigation into the petrol industry finds Kiwis are being overcharged. 

Yesterday, the government begun the year-long investigation into the petrol industry – almost two months after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said consumers were being "fleeced

The Deputy Prime Minister told Mike Hosking we are being fleeced by petrol companies and it needs to stop.

"If you look at the margins that were being charged eight years ago and what's being charged now they're up dramatically. What's the excuse? There is none."

He said the government has two options they will consider.

"We either see whether they can see sweet reason and play the game or pass a law to ensure they can't go on fleecing the New Zealand customers."

When asked what exactly the law would say, Peters replied, "to say you're going to stop ripping New Zealanders off".

"If you aren't prepared to pass a law, then your commitments are worth the air they pass on. You have to have the preparedness to make a stand in the interest of the consumer and we hope they see common sense."

Peters wouldn't comment on what he thought a fair margin was but said he "never thought it was fair 10 years ago". 

The Deputy Prime Minister said petrol companies aren't the only companies which could face regulations.

"Offshore in Australia, there is a major inquiry going on into all aspects of banking and we're asked to believe in New Zealand, the same children of this offshore Aussie parent, aren't acting like Ned Kelly, but no here they are as pure a drop of snow."

He said men's wear and telecommunications company are also ripping Kiwis off, but there are no plans for immediate action in those industries.

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi told Mike Hosking New Zealanders are concerned that they aren't getting a fair deal at the pump.

"There are issues that we need to look at. I think making sure that we can have a look at the fuel markets, what competition issues lie behind that and making sure we can give New Zealanders some peace of mind is the right thing to do."

"For some time they've [New Zealanders] been asking, quite rightly, whether they are getting a fair deal."

When asked, "what is a fair deal?", Faafoi said it's about making sure Kiwis "aren't paying an excessive amount.

"It's making sure the margins that companies are making aren't excessive. That there is good competition within the market, either barriers to competition coming in or to those already in the market."

"I think at the end of the day, making sure we aren't paying an excessive amount that could be spent on other things. There's 6 billion litres of petrol purchased every year in New Zealand so it's a big wack of our economy and most New Zealanders want some peace of mind that they aren't paying too much."

He said the Commerce Commission will decide what a "fair margin" is in their investigation.

Mike Hosking challenged the Minister over his statement asking, "so you're telling me they will literally make that up?".

Faafoi replied, "No, they won't. I think what they are going to do and what they have the power to do now, which is a new power for them, is to be able to dig deep into the details of the wholesale, retail and refinery margins and competition and get an idea of how this industry works".

He said at the end of the day it's up to the government to decide what's a fair margin.

"It will be up to the government to look at the recommendation of the Commerce Commission, post the study and I don't want to preempt that, to determine whether or not we need to take action."

Once the report is back there will be a range of options for the government to decide between, he said. 

"It's going to be up to the government to respond to them. If there are rather large issues then we will have to but at the other end of the spectrum  they might come back and say, "everything'...

The Government has begun the year-long investigation into the petrol industry – almost two months after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said consumers were being "fleeced". 

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi told Mike Hosking New Zealanders are concerned that they aren't getting a fair deal at the pump.

"There are issues that we need to look at. I think making sure that we can have a look at the fuel markets, what competition issues lie behind that and making sure we can give New Zealanders some peace of mind is the right thing to do."

"For some time they've [New Zealanders] been asking, quite rightly, whether they are getting a fair deal."

When asked, "what is a fair deal?", Faafoi said it's about making sure Kiwis "aren't paying an excessive amount.

"It's making sure the margins that companies are making aren't excessive. That there is good competition within the market, either barriers to competition coming in or to those already in the market."

"I think at the end of the day, making sure we aren't paying an excessive amount that could be spent on other things. There's 6 billion litres of petrol purchased every year in New Zealand so it's a big wack of our economy and most New Zealanders want some peace of mind that they aren't paying too much."

He said the Commerce Commission will decide what a "fair margin" is in their investigation.

Mike Hosking challenged the Minister over his statement asking, "so you're telling me they will literally make that up?".

Faafoi replied, "No, they won't. I think what they are going to do and what they have the power to do now, which is a new power for them, is to be able to dig deep into the details of the wholesale, retail and refinery margins and competition and get an idea of how this industry works".

He said at the end of the day it's up to the government to decide what's a fair margin.

"It will be up to the government to look at the recommendation of the Commerce Commission, post the study and I don't want to preempt that, to determine whether or not we need to take action."

Once the report is back there will be a range of options for the government to decide between, he said. 

"It's going to be up to the government to respond to them. If there are rather large issues then we will have to but at the other end of the spectrum  they might come back and say, "everything's sweet" so I don't want to preempt anything."

The Commerce Amendment Bill, which passed last month, gives the Commerce Commission power to initiate market studies into certain industries.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has previously said petrol companies were fleecing consumers and questioned their high margins.

She said New Zealanders "deserve peace of mind that the price they're paying at the pump is fair."

"At the moment, we can't definitively say whether that is, in fact, the case across New Zealand so this is a market that most certainly warrants a full investigation."

She said the Government is committed "to easing financial pressure on families".

Under the legislation, the Minister of Commerce must officially nominate an industry for the Commerce Commission to probe.

The terms and reference of the market study said the commission would look into the structure of the industry, as well as "any factors that may hinder competition between industry participants".

It would also look at the conditions for entry for any potential entrant into the petrol market.

The commission would have the power to compel petrol companies to provide financial information.

New research has sparked calls for New Zealand to rethink the way we deal with pensions and better care for our ageing population.

The New Zealand Initiative has suggested raising the age in its latest report.

Lead researcher, Jenesa Jeram told Mike Hosking the current system works really well but there is room for improvement. 

"It's actually a good news story about superannuation. We currently have a system that works really well for a lot of New Zealanders [...] and it's relatively cheap."

"[But] one of the recommendations is to link the pension age to health expectancy. We know that with an ageing populations that people are going to get older and we also know that they are working for longer."

She said linking it to health expectancy would mean the age of superannuation would rise, but it would also allow for more flexibility within the system.

"People age at different rates and have different health outcomes. One of the difficulties with a universal system is that it doesn't differentiate."

"Linking the pension age with health expectancy would free up money to target it to those who need it most, so those who cannot work  up until the pension age should be able to get support through the welfare system and freeing up money by reducing the cost of superannuation is one way to do that."  

CHANGE NEEDED

Jeram said the age of eligibility should be linked to health expectancy - a measure for how long people live for without any major health complications.

She said health expectancy rather than life expectancy was a good measure to use because it indicated what age a person may be able to work until.

The health expectancy is currently 71.8 years for New Zealand women and just under 70 years for men.

Some have suggested having a different retirement age for men and women and for different ethnicities to match their health expectancy would make superannuation fairer.

But Jeram said it should be the same for everyone to fit with the universal system New Zealand has.

She said linking the pension to health expectancy would also give flexibility for future adjustments rather than a one off rise with a long lead in which was likely to be out of step with labour force trends by the time it comes into force.

Jeram said super should also be indexed to inflation growth rather than wages and inflation.

"Decoupling NZS from rises in wages is way of ensuring productivity gains reduce the costs of NZS.

"The real purchasing power of NZS should remain the same while the real purchasing power of wages would increase."

Jeram said contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund should not come at the expense of paying down debt.

"The Super Fund should not be relied on to reduce the future costs of NZS (it cannot do that)."

Jeram also urged the Government to focus on increasing productivity as that would make New Zealand Super and everything else more affordable.

But she said any changes needed to be signalled well in advance to give people time to prepare.

"Consecutive governments do taxpayers no favours by refusing to tweak Super.

"Governments could be spending taxpayers' money more efficiently, and the public needs warning of proposed changes to make other arrangements."

It looks like there is finally some good news for the first home buyers, with data showing 28 per cent of buyers in New Zealand are first home buyers.

The data by OneRoof and Valocity also shows 26 per cent of buyers in Auckland are first home buyers. 

Valocity CEO Carmen Vicelich told Mike Hosking it is largely down to the types of properties they are purchasing. 

"The trend is already showing that first home buyers are back in the market."

"I think that they [first home buyers] are recognising that there are apartments or they can travel an hour, particularly in the Auckland market, they can travel a little bit further out to Hamilton and it's much more affordable, so they are the fastest growing segment in the housing market."

"First home buyers are either moving further out of the city to afford a home or buying more terraced housing or central city homes." For more property news and listings go to oneroof.co.nz

She said KiwiSaver and the banks' low-interest rates are also helping first home buyers.

"The competitiveness of the banks is helping with the interest rates."

Vicelich said it's about aligning your expectations with the market.

"You don't get the dream house from the get-go."

While Donald Trump hails a political win in the trade war, China has a different take.

China and the US have agreed to halt additional tariffs and engage in new negotiations, with the goal of reaching an agreement within 90 days.

Senior Writer at Bloomberg Economics Shawn Donnan told Mike Hosking both countries think the other side is hurting more, and both think the other blinked first.

"When you have got the Chinese officials, they quietly point to the Midterm elections here in the US where Donald Trump suffered some losses, lost control of one of the Houses of Congress and the financial markets here haven't been doing well in the last couple of weeks."

He said the move shows that in the short term, Trump is a potentially sensible and rational negotiator.

"In the longer term there is a lot of uncertainty around exactly what they have agreed and whether or not the Chinese and the Americans can close these vast differences they have."  

LISTEN ABOVE AS SHAWN DONNAN SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

The Nelson Christmas Parade has caused a stir after the Santa wore a red korowai and graced his sleigh with a microphone and taiaha.

The non-traditional Santa outfit has split Nelsonians, with one little girl remarking, "it's definitely not Santa".

Facebook users defended the parade for using a Māori Santa without the traditional Santa kit. Photo / via Facebook

Neville Baker, who was fired from Auckland's Santa Parade after he said he wouldn't hire a female play Santa, has been rehired and told Mike Hosking Santa shouldn't stray from tradition.

"Santa Claus, I think all the little children and even the older children, come along to a parade or a mall and can see a man in a red suit and he has a Santa hat and beard and they don't have to be told who Santa is because they can see him."

"It's pretty straightforward and it's been going on for years, ever since old St Nick himself went around the streets and helped the poor children put on a colourful robe which was bright colours, purl and yellows. Until Coco Cola came along and promoted the red suit and it's been that way every since."

"I don't think I've ever come across a Santa Claus character that hasn't had the beard so if that part is missing, Santa isn't quite complete.

"That's what people expect. That's the picture that has been painted. That's what people come to see." 

A video of the Nelson Santa's float shows Father Christmas missing even his trademark hat.

The woman who shot the video told the Herald she had waited for Santa's float but "never realised it was Santa".

"I'm 75 years old today as well lol. Tricked at my age. How's that."

The big man should always be wearing a traditional costume, she said.

"The children I saw just did not accept the person on the sleigh as their beloved Santa."

Facebook users took to the Nelson Santa Parade page to share their opinions, most comments focusing on the star of the show never turning up.

"It's like going to a beer fest and there is no beer. There will be dissatisfaction. Go to a Santa parade and no Santa is very very sad," one Facebook user wrote.

"I'm pleased I never took my children to the very non-Santa parade, Nelson gets more pathetic & embarrassing each year," another said.

However, other Facebook users defended the parade for using a Māori Santa without the traditional Santa kit.

"Who dictates what Santa looks like? He is actually depicted very different in different cultures. Good on you Nelson for embracing kiwi culture," one said.

"Santa is not real, people. How long are we going to keep up with the lie to our impressionable children and stop supporting commercialism?" a user asked.

"It's time to give it a new name to embrace the magic of coming together and giving the gift of our presence at this time of the year. Time for change."

Another said it was "bout time they had a Māori Santa!!!"

At least 2400 tenants who were evicted from state houses because of meth contamination are set to receive compensation and a formal apology from Housing New Zealand.

The Government announced on Monday that the first 55 people have been paid $8000, while another 92 have had claims approved.

The process is estimated to cost between $4 and $5 million and will be funded entirely by Housing New Zealand.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford told Mike Hosking the tenants who were evicted didn't receive any justice.

"There was often no proper evidence, no baseline testing so they were unable to show whether or not a particular tenant had been responsible."

"On top of all that and at the heart of this issue, there was a bogus meth standard for contamination based on third-hand residue of methamphetamine that has been shown to be totally lacking in any scientific basis."

"Some of them were made homeless, many had their possessions destroyed without any proper evidence and so that's wrong."

"The government got it wrong, people got hurt, proper processes and natural justice were not followed and we are putting it right."

He said without baseline testing the government had no way of knowing which tenant was responsible for meth residue.

He reiterated that nobody who has been convicted of manufacturing or dealing methamphetamine from their house would be getting any compensation.

However, Twyford didn't comment on whether people with convictions for meth use would be receiving compensation.

He said the review into the situation found it was mishandled and this is about the government fronting up and putting it right.

"The review that I commissioned, a detailed probe into exactly how Housing New Zealand handled this whole debacle, showed that there was no proper natural justice, there was no proper evidence.

The Minister said nobody is blaming Housing New Zealand staff because they were just following the rules at the time.

"They were implementing the policies of the time. What Housing New Zealand has recognised is that they took a tough, zero tolerance approach to this thing and put that together with the fact that there was no decent scientific basis for the meth standard, that's why we had this whole debacle."

Twyford said the real culprits are the previous government.

"The real culpability lies with the former government who allowed this fiasco to go on for years. They could have called in decent scientific advice at any point and they never did."