The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Local production of pet food is about to grow - and it's partly due to Covid-19.
Wattie's has invested more than $20 million into a Hastings factory to ensure it can keep producing pet food here amidst a global shortage on pet food.
Managing director Neil Heffer says pet food makes up about 12 per cent of business, but that's increasing significantly.
He told Mike Hosking the shortages are due to freight issues leading to a global petfood shortage, and an increase in pet ownership is pushing up demand.
"We're probably producing 40 percent more than we were a year ago, and that's before we had the ability to ramp up production further with our new facilities."
Heffer says the new facilities will allow it to keep up that growing demand.
"We're certainly around the clock, and our teams are working incredibly hard to keep products on the shelf and keep New Zealand dogs and cats as happy as possible."
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The number of new coronavirus infections in the U.K. hit a near two-month high Friday as British regulators authorized the use of the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.
The latest authorization, which takes the number of vaccines in the U.K.'s armory to four, comes amid growing speculation that the new variant of the virus first identified in India may prompt the British government to delay its next planned easing of lockdown restrictions in England.
Government figures showed that another 4,182 new confirmed cases were reported across the U.K., the highest daily figure since April 1. The cases bring the total number of confirmed infections reported over the past seven days to 20,765, a 24% increase from the previous week. The rise prompted scientists to say the U.K. is now in the midst of a third wave of the pandemic.
The number of cases remains well below the daily high of nearly 70,000 recorded in mid-January, during the peak of the second wave, but but the upward trend has raised questions about the U.K. government's plan to lift all remaining social restrictions on June 21. The government, which has lifted restrictions in stages and allowed pubs and restaurants to resume indoor service last week, has said it will make a decision on the next planned easing on June 14.
The variant identified in India is believed to be responsible for up to 75% of new cases in the U.K. and more transmissible than the previously dominant strain of the virus.
Critics argue that the Conservative government is to blame for the variant's seeding in the U.K. They say officials acted too slowly to impose the strictest quarantine requirements on everyone arriving from India, which is in the midst of a catastrophic resurgence of the virus.
Many scientists say the increase in cases is no surprise but that the rapid rollout of vaccines will provide a firewall in a country that has seen Europe's highest virus-related death toll at more than 127,500. While the most vulnerable people should have vaccine protection, there are worries the virus could spread widely among younger adults.
As of Friday, 58% of the British population has received at least one vaccine dose and around 35% have gotten two shots. The U.K. vaccination program started with the oldest age groups and aims to have offered a jab to all adults by the end of July.
"It seems almost certain that we will face a third episode of rising COVID-19 infections," said James Naismith, a professor of structural biology at the University of Oxford. "It seems likely that the Indian variant will mostly confine itself to the unvaccinated younger population. It is much less likely to cause serious disease in this group. However, less likely is not the same as zero. With large enough numbers of infections, appreciable numbers will get seriously ill."
Also Friday, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the vaccine by Johnson & Johnson met "the expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness." The regulator previously authorized the two-dose regimens developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, and Moderna.
The regulator said the vaccine developed by J&J subsidiary Janssen has been shown to be 67% effective overall in preventing COVID-19 infection and 85% effective in preventing severe disease or hospitalization. It can be be stored at refrigerator temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 47 F), which the regulator said makes it "ideal for distribution to care homes and other locations."
Details of which groups will get the vaccine have yet to be determined. There was speculation it might only be administered to older adults after it was linked to reports of rare blood clots.
The Johnson & Johnson's vaccine looks set to be used as part of the country's planned booster program in the fall. The British government has amended its order from last year of 30 million J&J doses to 20...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has married his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, in a small private ceremony that came at the end of a tumultuous week during which a former top aide said he was unfit for office.
The couple wed Saturday at the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral in front of a small group of friends and family, Johnson's office said Sunday, confirming newspaper reports that were published overnight. Photos taken after the ceremony in the garden of the prime minister's residence showed Symonds in a long white dress and floral headband. Johnson wore a dark suit.
"The Prime Minister and Ms. Symonds were married yesterday afternoon in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral,'' Downing Street said. "The couple will celebrate their wedding with family and friends next summer."
The couple have reportedly sent save-the-date cards to family and friends for a celebration on July 30, 2022. Under current coronavirus restrictions in England, no more than 30 people can attend a wedding.
Johnson, 56, and Symonds, a 33-year-old Conservative Party insider and environmental advocate, announced their engagement in February 2020. Their son, Wilfred, was born in April last year.
The marriage is Johnson's third. He has at least five other children from previous relationships.
Johnson's previous marriages would not have stopped him from having a Catholic wedding because they didn't take place in the Catholic church, Matt Chinery, an ecclesiastical and canon lawyer, told Times Radio.
"In the eyes of the Catholic church, Boris Johnson woke up last week as somebody who wasn't married and had never been married and so was free to marry in the cathedral this weekend," he said.
Johnson was baptized as a Catholic but he was confirmed as a member of the Church of England as a teenager.
The last British prime minister to marry in office was Lord Liverpool in 1822.
The wedding followed a difficult political week for Johnson.
His former top aide, Dominic Cummings, on Wednesday told lawmakers that Johnson had bungled the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic and said he was "unfit for the job."
Britain has Europe's highest coronavirus death toll, at over 128,000 people, but it has also produced one of the world's most successful vaccination programs, inoculating 74% of its adults. Daily deaths have plummeted to single digits of late, compared to over 1,800 one day in January.
On Friday, a government ethics adviser released his long-awaited findings on the "cash for curtains" scandal in which Johnson was criticized for failing to disclose that a wealthy Conservative Party donor had paid for the redecoration of the prime minister's official residence in London. Although Johnson later settled the bill, the inquiry found that Johnson had acted "unwisely" in carrying out the work without knowing where the money had come from. He was cleared of misconduct.
The opposition Labour Party was not giving Johnson any space for a honeymoon, with one Labour lawmaker, Jon Trickett, suggesting that the weekend wedding was "a good way to bury this week's bad news."
- words by DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

We must find an answer for the sake of the sport.
That's new New Zealand Rugby chairman Stewart Mitchell's response to where they take the Silver Lake or sharemarket options on the future investment in the national game.
Mitchell has outlined the current state of affairs on the Mike Hosking Breakfast.
“It’s a work in progress. We’re unanimous as a board, hat Silver Lake is our plan. That’s been backed up by our 26 provincial unions and the Māori board.”
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There are hopes the Climate Change Commission's final report will show we can have our cake and eat it too.
The Government has begun considering the commission's final advice on how to tackle climate change and slash emissions.
The public will see it next Wednesday, when it's tabled in Parliament.
Dairy NZ chief executive Tim Mackle told Mike Hosking the big question is how do we lower emissions and still be world-leading in production.
“Dairy certainly, and agriculture more broadly, are up for this. We’re not saying we don’t want to shift, we’re saying let’s do it in a practical and sensible way that we can manage this, and that’s why we need to listen to scientists.”
There is concern the Climate Change Commission has too big a job when it comes to its emissions reduction plan.                          
Victoria University climate scientist David Frame says he worries a small commission has been asked to do everything across the board.
“Each sector is complex and that they’re only reporting to one person in parliament, I’m not totally convinced about the stability of this thing over time.”
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Several European nations want Denmark to explain why its foreign secret service allegedly helped the United States spy on European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, more than seven years ago.
"We want the cards on the table,' said Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hulqvist, adding it was "unacceptable to eavesdrop on allies."
Danish lawmaker Karsten Hoenge of the left-leaning Socialist People's Party, which is supporting Denmark's Social Democratic government, said Monday that he would quiz the Scandinavian country's defense and justice ministers in parliament about the case.
"The government must explain how come Denmark has been acting as a willing tool for a U.S. intelligence service, and what it will mean for cooperation with Denmark's neighboring countries," he said.
The Danish broadcaster DR said Sunday that the Danish Defense Intelligence Service, known in Denmark by its acronym FE, in 2014 conducted an internal investigation into whether the U.S. National Security Agency had used its cooperation with the Danes to spy against Denmark and neigboring countries.
The probe concluded that NSA had eavesdropped on political leaders and officials in Germany, France, Sweden and Norway.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said it was "unacceptable if countries that have close allied cooperation should feel the need to spy on each other or obtain information about them."
Spying on others "creates more mistrust than it creates collaboration. So, it's not a smart investment for the United States," she told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
According to DR, the alleged set-up between the United States and Denmark was codenamed "Operation Dunhammer." It reportedly allowed the NSA to obtain data by using the telephone numbers of politicians as search parameters.
DR said its report was based on interviews with nine unnamed sources, all of whom were said to have had access to classified information held by the FE. The military agency allegedly helped the NSA from 2012 to 2014.
"If the news is correct (...) this is not acceptable between allies, very clearly," said French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country was also allegedly targeted by U.S. intelligence.
"I'm attached to the relation of trust" between Europe and the United States, he told reporters. "There's no room between us for suspicion."
Macron urged for the U.S. to make "full clarity" on the "past facts," but also on "current practices."
Speaking at the same virtual news conference after bilateral talks Monday between Paris and Berlin, Merkel said the issue of NSA eavesdropping had already been discussed previously with the United States, and Germany had made clear at the time its position that "spying among friends" wasn't acceptable.
"What was true then is true today as well," she said.
"I'm reassured that Denmark, the Danish government and the defense minister have said very clearly what they think of these matters," Merkel added. "As such, I see a good basis, aside from clearing up this matter, to also achieve truly trustful relations."
Reports in 2013 that the NSA listened in on German government phones, including Merkel's, prompted a diplomatic spat between Berlin and Washington that soured otherwise good relations with President Barack Obama's administration.
Still, there were also reports that Germany's own BND intelligence agency may have helped the U.S. spy on European companies and officials.
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed details of the secret U.S. eavesdropping programs in 2013, reacted to the DR report with a sarcastic tweet in Danish: "Oh, why didn't anyone warn us?"
In a written comment to DR, Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen said the government cannot discuss intelligence matters.
She added the present government has "the same point of view " as the former Social Democratic government led by Helle Thorning-Schmidt who...

One of our favourite health minds returns with her latest innovation hoping to create healthier lives.
Dr Libby Weaver is back to issue a challenge to get more fruit and veg into our diets.
She's launching her Bio Blends, a plant based supplement.
And along with that, she's issuing a one teaspoon challenge, that's where she wants you take her supplements every day this month to get some more veg into your diet.
Dr. Weaver told Mike Hosking the supplements are designed to work alongside your daily intake of fruit and vegetables.
“Nothing beats a whole real food as way of eating and supplements are designed to do just that, to supplement. They’re not designed to replace it.”
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It's like nothing he's seen before for one Canterbury farmer.
Rhys Roberts farms about two-thousand hectares of land near Ashburton - some underwater, and a branch of the Ashburton River now passing through some.
He told Mike Hosking he's been able to see some of the impacts already.
“There’s significant damage to infrastructure, i.e. fences. A lot of our drainage has been destroyed; it’s going to be a bit of a clean-up job.”
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Almost one fifth of employees are working themselves into the ground.
Research from AUT conducted in December shows 18 per cent of New Zealand workers can be classified as being burnt-out.
It also shows those workers are from 14 to 24 times more likely to have severe levels of mental health issues.
AUT Business School Professor Jarrod Haar told Mike Hosking the results are very concerning.
“So these are people in the workplace who are burnt out. They have a range of mental health problems surrounding anxiety, depression, can’t sleep and physical complaints.”
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There is a sobering reminder that Corrections Staff are putting their lives on the line each day.
Guards had to watch a man be killed inside Paremoremo's Auckland Prison in March 2020, not intervening because of understaffing at the scene.
The ratio is three guards to one prisoner.
Corrections Association vice president Paul Dennehy says every Corrections site in the country is short staffed.
He told Mike Hosking staff do they best they can every day.
“I completely support the officer who made that call. It would have been a terrible decision for him to make, but if he’d entered with less than the appropriate staffing numbers, staff would have been attacked by someone they’d just witnessed murder someone else.”
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