The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The son of Martin Luther King Junior says instead of defunding the police, they should be restructuring the police.
An investigation in to Minneapolis police practices has been launched after former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd.
Martin Luther King the third told Mike Yardley society expects police to do everything, but the police role was never designed to protect and serve every specific need.
"There should be funding for mental health and other areas that police shouldn't have to attend to."
King says it's a tragic situation when police don't know how to apprehend someone, without killing them.
Chauvin is being held in a prison housing unit until his sentencing in eight weeks.
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When New Zealand lost Invercargill cancer patient Blair Vining there was anger in the air.
The 39-year-old, with the support of his family, dedicated his last months on Earth to fighting for better cancer care across New Zealand.
His doctor and top oncologist Chris Jackson said this new health system would help save lives like Vining - who was told he was dying of bowel cancer and would have to wait eight weeks for an urgent appointment.
"We have been calling for this for years and finally it's here," Jackson told the Herald.
Yesterday Health Minister Andrew Little unveiled the major changes that will see the country's 20 DHBs culled and replaced with a national health body due to come into effect July next year.
The major announcements are:

All DHBs will be replaced by one national health body, Health New Zealand to fund and run the health system• A new Māori health authority will be created, with power to commission health services• The Ministry of Health will become an advisory and policy agency only• A new public health agency will be created within the Ministry of Health

While Jackson, who is also the medical director for Cancer Society of New Zealand, said the announcement was welcomed widely across the cancer sector, he said "we should not underestimate the task".
"Having worked at a DHB that was amalgamated with its neighbour that's a very difficult logistic process and to amalgamate all of the DHBs into one unified everything is a bigger task than it sounds at first glance."
New Zealanders would not see changes immediately and it would take a long time to alter care on the ground but in the long term it would hopefully improve the system, he said.
It was a risk but New Zealand could not afford to keep the same system because cancer care has not been good enough, he said.
"It's an opportunity and one we must embrace."
Currently DHBs have a one-year budget, but Jackson said he hoped it would mean the health system could start thinking more long-term.
"If we can get some clarity around the funding pathways that will make it easy in the long run."
Jackson said when it came to accessing high complexity surgery it was impossible and it all varied around the country.
"This should change with the nationalised system."
Since his death, Vining's widow Melissa has work tirelessly to launch a in Southland gathering support from Blair Vining's Epic Journey.
Speaking after the announcement, she said her husband would still be around if we'd had a well-funded health system
However, she said radiation appointments still have a nine-week wait in the south.
Vining said it remains to be seen whether the structure announced today could've saved her husband.
"A centralised system that was well funded would have definitely given Blair a chance and many others.
"We are still seeing people on a weekly basis that are unable to access oncology appointments."
Medics tell her patients are still dying while they wait for treatment.
with text by Emma Russell, NZ Herald

Americans slept well last night. Minneapolis, Minnesota and the wider nation did not burn. The spectre of mindless looting, rage and destruction was averted. Lady Justice saved the day. Justice was delivered. And the jury got it right on Chauvin.
I love America. I love America immensely, even though their mad rush to hyperbole is never far from the boil. Over-inflamed passions and a lack of context characterise their discourse. Police brutality is your classic. If a cop goes rogue they should be rooted out of the force. That’s a given. But the fact that a few bad eggs has given rise to the rudderless cause celebrate, Defund the Police, is beyond barking. And the fact that a hundred cops have died in the line of duty so far this year, barely gets a mention.
The rhetoric of fringe anarchists, the mob, has been legitimised by the political left and their media friends as mild mainstream opinion. And they’re hypocrites about defunding the police.  Look at mad old Maxine Waters. Before she went to Minnesota to rev up the prospective rioters, what did she do? She arranged a police escort to keep her safe.
Then there’s the corporate cling ons, seeking social cred in the great awokening, like Ben and Jerry’s. When the tragic Daunte Wright story broke, they tweeted out this. The system can’t be reformed. It must be dismantled. Hashtag Defund the Police.
They gob-off a few slogans, while giving up nothing, for some cheap kudos. Corporate giants like Ben and Jerry’s have mastered the art of the drive-by virtue signal.
It’s so cynical. But these brave gelato-toting activists are actually out of step with majority public opinion on law enforcement. Yes, the latest Gallup survey shows black Americans want better policing. But eighty one per cent of them also want the police to spend the same amount of time or more time, policing their neighbourhood. Defund the Police? Give me a break. Those who advocate this nonsense have little respect for the rule of law.

A UK defence expert says New Zealand's in serious danger of being expelled from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.
Daily Telegraph defence editor Con Coughlin has accused our Government of cosying up to China, at a time when our western allies are trying to present a united front against Beijing.
It follows a speech by Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta, in which she said New Zealand wasn't comfortable with Five Eyes speaking on our behalf.
Coughlin told Mike Yardley  China is considered the single greatest threat to the future of western democracies, and New Zealand's position is out of step with the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
He says New Zealand appears to be "playing footsie" with China and alarm bells are starting to ring.
“New Zealand is at risk of being expelled, if it doesn't pull its diplomatic weight.
“If New Zealand wants to be part of the Five Eyes, in the western alliance's fight against authoritarianism, it needs to show more solidarity with its western allies.”
But sources in New Zealand say no change in the Five Eyes remit haven been discussed by Cabinet.
No Five Eyes partner has raised the suggestion of expulsion or suspension with New Zealand.
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THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Thursday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Dodging a Figurative Bullet/Yep, ANZAC Day Again/Dude, Where's My Apple?/Guilt Free Snacks/Zoom Fatigue

National leader Judith Collins says New Zealand's place in Five Eyes is now seriously under threat.
She says New Zealand is in a situation where our biggest trading partner is in a dispute with our biggest security arrangement.
Judith Collins told Mike Yardley she's particularly concerned about former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer calling Five Eyes  "four eyes and a wink".
But one of his former contemporaries Sir Don McKinnon applauded Nanaia Mahuta's speech earlier this week regarding Five Eyes.
He told Newstalk ZB the New Zealand Foreign Minister used measured, middle of the road rhetoric.
Jacinda Ardern is yet to comment.
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More sporting codes are joining the push to ensure sport is fun for kids.
The initiative created by Sport New Zealand called Balance is Better is designed to keep young people playing by focusing on development and experiences. 
Another 10 sports have joined netball, rugby, cricket, hockey and football. 
Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle told Mike Yardley a lack of engagement for children not chosen for rep teams is an issue. 
"It's about educating coaches that developing skills and capabilities and allowing young people to have fun is just as important as winning and selecting the best children."
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The travel bubble has arrived just in time for an exciting event on the Aussie cultural calendar; special naked screenings of a film about a nudist colony.
The film is called ‘Patrick’ and it's billed as a “Shakespearian tragi-comedy set in a nudist colony”
At the Sydney and Melbourne 'viewings' you can leave your clothes behind, but organisers have asked people if they can BYO a towel.
The screenings are part of the Fantastic Film Festival Australia and the festival's director, Hudson Sowada, told Mike Yardley all about it earlier this morning.
“You get your popcorn fully clothed, as normal.” says Sowada, “Once you enter the cinema itself, you sit down and derobe, put your towel over the seat and enjoy the film.”
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The Super League collapsed before a ball was kicked in the European breakaway competition after being abandoned by the six English clubs, leaving the Spanish and Italian participants stranded.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham throughout Tuesday evening deserted the proposal to launch a largely-closed midweek competition amid an escalating backlash from their supporters and warnings from the British government that legislation could be introduced to thwart it.
The Super League project was overseen by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, who also signed up Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in Spain, and Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan from Italy. The rival for the UEFA-run Champions League became unviable without the six clubs from the world's richest league.
The remaining fledgling Super League organization was defiant, blaming “pressure” being applied for forcing out the English clubs and insisting the proposal complied with the law and could yet be revived in some form.
“Given the current circumstances,” the Super League said in a statement, “we shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always having in mind our goals of offering fans the best experience possible while enhancing solidarity payments for the entire football community.”
The English clubs heeded the appeals from UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin to remain part of the Champions League, which has a qualification criteria based on a team's performance in the domestic league.
“I said yesterday that it is admirable to admit a mistake and these clubs made a big mistake," he said. “But they are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game.
“The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.”
As it became clear Chelsea and City were quitting the Super League on Tuesday evening, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and his teammates posted a message advocating staying within the open European competitions.
Liverpool, which is owned by the Boston Red Sox investment group, eventually issued a statement thanking those inside and outside the club for “valuable contributions” before making the decision to stick within existing structures.
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw also went against his club by tweeting his backing of the existing Champions League minutes before his club's about-turn.
“We have listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders,” said the club owned by the American Glazer family and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. "We remain committed to working with others across the football community to come up with sustainable solutions to the long-term challenges facing the game.”
Just as the Glazers also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Stan Kroenke has the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in his portfolio along with Arsenal. It is the closed models of American sports that were believed to be so appealing to the U.S. owners by offering financial certainty.
But they were resisted by fans of English clubs.
“It was never our intention to cause such distress, however, when the invitation to join the Super League came, while knowing there were no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure we protected Arsenal and its future," the north London club said. "As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologize for it.
“We know it will take time to restore your faith in what we are trying to achieve here at Arsenal but let us be clear that the decision to be part of the Super League was driven by our desire to protect Arsenal, the club you love, and to support the game you love through greater solidarity and...

Maori will have joint sign-off on measures to shape healthcare in New Zealand.
An overhaul of the system includes an independent Maori Health Authority.
Health Minister Andrew Little says it will work with the new Crown agency Health NZ which will replace the country's 20 DHBs, and run the health system.
He says things such as a long term health plan, and determining health services at a local level - all need to be agreed with Maori.
Stuart Nash and Mark Mitchell joined Mike Yardley to discuss this, along with the India travel suspension and New Zealand’s relationship with China.
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