The Mike Hosking Breakfast

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Thursday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Everything Is Cancelled/More Wrong Numbers/A Bully and a Hussy/Appleageddon/No Jab No Beer

The high school at the centre of the cluster that has sent New Zealand's biggest city into two lockdowns has been subjected to abuse - including one email so bad, it had been referred to police.
Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillault says although the school was mostly receiving positive feedback there had been negative comments on social media.
Couillault told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking today that by tomorrow everyone at his school would have either been tested twice or spent a fortnight in self-isolation.
"We're getting some emails - I got a few yesterday - things like 'sort your lot out, your kids are a disaster, your school's a joke, you're a joke', all that sort of stuff that you can quite easily say when you're anonymous and behind a keyboard," said Couillault.
"I did pass one on to the police because there was a bit of vitriol in it with words that would have offended my mother," he said. "My mother's not easily offended, I might add."
However police told him there was not much they could do as there was no tangible threat, he said.
However, they did follow it up to make sure it wasn't anything more sinister.
Couillault said he was looking forward to the alert level being lowered and school resuming.

It must be hard working in treasury. When you’re wrong everyone thinks you’re a doofus, but when you’re right, you must get frustrated that no one listened to you.
Treasury warned about the wage subsidy and company profits and wastage, they were right.
Treasury warned about printing money and seeing interest rates plummet and the effect that would have on housing prices. Remarkably, it is suggested the Finance Minister was sceptical, which is shocking given how obvious it is.
Now treasury’s latest warning is over film subsidies. They project we are handing out over a billion dollars’ worth in the next five years.
Their concern is it's unlimited. In other words, there are no specific criteria other than you turn up and start making movies, and when you do, you get large tax breaks.
This was dreamed up for Peter Jackson, who in the early days of Lord of the Rings told the government he could shoot anywhere and plenty of places were going to make it worth his while.
So, a conservative government, National, caved to the subsidy industry, and not just that, revisited the criteria several years on and sweetened the deal.
And that led to the debate over the race to the bottom. In other words, how much of a deal do you want to offer? At what point does it become farcical?
Places like India, Ireland, and Canada have long been in the business and the simple truth is this: as wonderous as the South Island scenery maybe as a backdrop, if the dollars don’t make sense, they’ll do it elsewhere.
And like most things, once you’ve bitten the bullet, who has got the gonads to bring it to a grinding halt?
Do we like having a film industry? Yes, we do.
Have we benefitted in a myriad of ways that may or may not be measurable by dollars? Yes, we have.
Does it bring jobs and income outside the subsidies? Yes, it does.
So, with hindsight I think we can say we did the right thing. But, if that’s true, why don’t we do it for other industries?
Tech and space and cars and manufacturing - what’s so special about film, it needs a deal all of its own?
The answer is glamour. We are star-struck. Never underestimate the pride factor: Middle Earth, Taika, Sam Neill, anyone that flys our flag in a high-profile way gets a freer ride than say the bloke who invented a machine in the back shed that none of us are quite sure what it actually does.
And never forget our current predicament: given our debt, our closed borders, and destruction of tourism, $1 billion over five years to keep people in work and the world knocking at our door with their cameras seems a fairly decent sort of deal.
Treasury, I think, might be wrong on this one.

A US family are trying to honour their father who died of Covid by getting a word he made up into the dictionary.
The word is 'Orbisculate' - and according to Neil Krieger who made it up, it describes when a fruit squirts juice into your eye.
For year's Neil's family thought it was a word and his kids only discovered after about 20 years that it wasn't.
Now The Orbisculate Project is a way to remember him and stay close to him after his death.
His daughter, Hilary, told Mike Hosking that she only learnt it wasn't a word in her twenties.
"My dad invented this word in college and just used it around the house.
"And one day I used it with a friend, and he was sure it wasn't in the dictionary."
After placing a bet that it was in the dictionary, Hilary learnt the truth.
She says that they are encouraging people around the world to use the word, in order to encourage dictionary researchers to add it to their list. 
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Australian music industry legend Michael Gudinski has died aged 68.
According to a statement from the Mushroom Group, Gudinski "died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Melbourne".
Gudinski is survived by his wife, Sue, and their children Matt and Kate and two grandchildren.
"The family respectfully ask for privacy in this incredibly difficult time and thank everyone for their support," the statement said.
Gudinski founded the Mushroom Group in 1972 at just 20 years old, which went on to become Australia's largest independent entertainment group covering touring, record labels, publishing, merchandising, booking agencies, film and television production and creative services.
Some of Australia's most iconic albums have been released under one of his Mushroom Group record labels.
His touring company Frontier Touring is Australia's leading promoter and has toured acts including Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran and Paul McCartney since its inception in 1979.
A larger-than-life figure, Gudinski was widely respected for his unwavering passion for all music – in particular Australian music.
Most recently, with the music industry severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Gudinski conceptualised and developed Music From The Home Front, The Sound and The State Of Music, platforms designed to showcase and support contemporary Australian music in an incredibly difficult time.

Cries to save a struggling community.
Businesses in the West Coast didn't get the news they wanted in a visit from Tourism Minister Stuart Nash.
He told them yesterday there's not a large well of extra government money to support tourism operators in tough times.
But Glacier Country Tourism Group co-owner Richard Benton says the conversation is not about tourism.
He says it's about the community - and people in ordinary jobs who rely on business in order to survive.
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A review of drug buying agency Pharmac is being described as long overdue.
It'll cover the drug funding agency's decision-making processes, but won't delve into budgets, due to 'commercial sensitivities'.
Cancer Society medical director Dr Chris Jackson told Mike Hosking we need to work out how we can see whether Pharmac is delivering what it's supposed to.
He says we don't have the same number, range or speedy access to drugs as other countries.
Jackson says it's heartbreaking knowing outcomes for his patients would be better, if he had access to the same drugs as his Australian colleagues.
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The Government has come under pressure over the effectiveness of its messaging, as critics argue some of its communication has been too confusing for people to properly understand.
One parent told the Herald they were upset with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's criticism of rulebreakers, given their own poor experiences with the Ministry of Health.
"I feel pretty strongly that our politicians should try to set a better tone than one that gives permission for us all to air our anger," the parent said.
National and Act say Government's messaging had not been good enough and there needed to be greater clarity – specifically when it comes to the distinction between casual and casual plus contacts.
Although Ardern said the Government was always working to improve its systems, she defended the Ministry of Health's record yesterday – particularly around the KFC worker, who has called on Ardern for an apology.
There were no community cases yesterday. Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said this was "reassuring".
"But clearly we are early on in this journey and not yet out of the woods."
Although optimistic about there being no new community cases, National's Covid-19 Response spokesman Chris Bishop said some elements of clarity were missing around the Government's messaging.
"Rules and guidelines on casual, causal plus are confusing and a communications effort is needed to ensure people understand what they are."
He said there was a degree of confusion on this front among many people – particularly young people.
Professor of Public Health Nick Wilson said overall, when compared to other countries, New Zealand's messaging had been world-class.
But that did not mean it had always been perfect and recent examples showed that the messaging had been "possibly confusing" for some people.
Act leader David Seymour said Ardern had been too quick to criticise rulebreakers.
"The Prime Minister's cynical attempts to whip up nationwide hysteria against a small group of people who have no platform to defend themselves, without accepting her Government's failures, shows kindness, and the 'team of 5 million' has been a sham all along."
On Monday, Ardern vented her frustration with lockdown and isolation rule breakers.
"It is not appropriate and it is not okay, for the members of a team of five million to let the rest of us down," Ardern said.
But yesterday, she adjusted that message slightly.
"You know, one thing I'd say, you know, the team of 5 million, we have never been perfect."
The parent of a child, who was a Kmart casual contact, told the Herald they were upset with Ardern's messaging around some people letting the "team of five million down".
The parent said they had been receiving daily calls from the Ministry of Health but the instructions had not always been clear.
Last Wednesday, they were told the child, who had a sore throat, should isolate for 14 days and get a test on day 5 and day 12.
The rest of the family were told to only self-monitor for any symptoms and did not need to isolate.
The child returned a negative test on Friday, on day five, and had been told another one was needed on day 12.
But her parents were told later on Friday that she needed a third test.
After her father queried that advice, he was told that his daughter would not actually need a third – only to have a health official call them later and say another test was, in fact, required as soon as possible.
In addition to this, the parents were told that the rest of the family had to self-isolate as well, given the fact the child had a sore throat.
On Monday, the KFC worker who Ardern said she was "frustrated" with for going to work, despite receiving health advice to stay at home, told Newshub this was not the advice she had received.
The worker, who had a sibling at Papatoetoe High School, said she had not received any...

The 2021 women's Rugby World Cup to be hosted in New Zealand later this year is set to be postponed, World Rugby has confirmed.
World Rugby said in a statement that it is recommending the postponement of the competition to next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The recommendation will be considered by Rugby World Cup officials next week.
The tournament was set to take place on 18 September-16 October 2021 in Whangārei and Auckland, with the Black Ferns scheduled to take on rivals Australia on opening night at Eden Park.
"World Rugby has made the difficult decision to recommend the postponement of Rugby World Cup 2021, scheduled to be hosted in New Zealand between 18 September-16 October, until next year," the statement said. "The recommendation will be considered by the Rugby World Cup Board and World Rugby Executive Committee on 8 and 9 March respectively.
"While appreciating the recommendation is extremely disappointing for teams and fans, it has their interests at heart, and gives the tournament the best opportunity to be all it can be for them, all New Zealanders and the global rugby family.
"The recommendation is based on the evolution of the uncertain and challenging global Covid-19 landscape. It has become clear in recent discussions with key partners including New Zealand Rugby, the New Zealand Government and participating unions, that, given the scale of the event and the Covid-19-related uncertainties, it is just not possible to deliver the environment for all teams to be the best that they can be on the sport's greatest stage."
World Rugby said global travel restrictions meant there was uncertainty over the ability for teams to prepare for the tournament.
"The challenges include uncertainty and the ability for teams to prepare adequately for a Rugby World Cup tournament both before and on arrival in New Zealand, and challenging global travel restrictions.
"World Rugby can assure teams, New Zealanders and the global rugby family that the recommendation to postpone the tournament will help to ensure that Rugby World Cup 2021 will be all it can be next year for players, fans and the rugby family – one of the great Rugby World Cups."
Further updates will be issued following the Rugby World Cup Board and World Rugby Executive Committee meetings next week.
The New Zealand Government said it remains committed to hosting the Women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022 should a decision be made by World Rugby to postpone this year's tournament.
"We all wanted the tournament to go ahead as planned this year, but we also accept that the current Covid-19 constrained circumstances are not ideal for high performance athletes in a tournament situation," Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson said in a statement.
"Also, preparation for the tournament in many countries has been limited, and some qualifying matches have not been able to be played. This means that many athletes in other countries will not be getting the training or the game time they need in the lead up to this major tournament.
"Ultimately this is a decision for World Rugby to make. If they do postpone we are fully committed to hosting the event next year.
"The Government is supporting NZ Rugby's hosting of the tournament with financial contributions through the Major Events Development Fund and Sport New Zealand. That support will remain in place for 2022.
"I want to acknowledge that this will be a particularly disappointing outcome for all the players if the tournament is postponed, particularly our own Black Ferns. We want to work with them to make sure they ready for the Women's Rugby World Cup here in 2022 as they have this year."
Nine teams were already confirmed to take part in the tournament: New Zealand, Australia, Wales, Canada, USA, England, France, South Africa and Fiji, with the three final places still to be determined by qualifiers.
The 2021 Rugby World...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has avoided public appearances for days as some members of his own party call for him to resign over sexual harassment allegations.
The governor hasn’t taken questions from reporters since a Feb. 19 briefing, an unusually long gap for a Democrat whose daily, televised updates on the coronavirus pandemic were must-see TV last spring.
He was last before video cameras Thursday, when he introduced President Joe Biden at a virtual meeting of the National Governor’s Association, which he chairs. He also participated Tuesday in the group's conference call, which was off-limits to reporters.
Neither Cuomo nor his spokespeople have commented on the latest allegation made against him Monday night. A woman told The New York Times that Cuomo touched her lower back, then grabbed her cheeks and asked to kiss her at a September 2019 wedding.
Most leading Democrats have signaled they want to wait for the results of an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James into claims that Cuomo sexually harassed at least two women in his administration.
State Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs, a close Cuomo ally, said it’s “premature” to opine before the investigation concludes.
That inquiry has yet to begin. James said her office is working to hire an outside law firm to conduct it.
U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said New York's congressional delegation in Washington has not met on the issue but “everyone is monitoring the situation closely.”
“Well these are very serious allegations and they require a very serious investigation,” Jeffries told reporters Tuesday. “I’m confident that Attorney General Tish James will get to the bottom of everything, release a report that’s fully transparent and then we can decide the best way to proceed thereafter.”
As of midday Tuesday, at least one Democratic Congress member from Long Island — U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice — four state senators, several left-leaning Assembly members and the leaders of the progressive Working Families Party said they have already heard enough and that Cuomo should resign. Some suggested he be impeached.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has had a contentious relationship with Cuomo for years, said Tuesday that “if these allegations are true, he cannot govern."
"He would not be able to govern, it’s as simple as that,” the Democrat said.
Asked by a reporter whether Cuomo should resume holding in-person events, de Blasio said, “I think all leaders have to answer tough questions from the media, regardless of whether it’s convenient.”
One former aide, Charlotte Bennett, 25, said Cuomo quizzed her about her sex life and asked whether she would be open to a relationship with an older man. Bennett rejected Cuomo’s attempted apology, in which he said he'd been trying to be “playful” and that his jokes had been misinterpreted as flirting.
Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, said Cuomo commented on her appearance inappropriately, kissed her without her consent at the end of a meeting, and once suggested they play strip poker while aboard his state-owned jet. Cuomo has denied Boylan's allegations.
The woman who spoke to The New York Times about Cuomo's conduct at the wedding, Anna Ruch, hasn’t responded to request for comment from The Associated Press.
Ruch told the newspaper that when she removed Cuomo's hand from her back, he called her “aggressive,” placed his hands on her cheeks and asked if he could kiss her. Cuomo then planted a kiss on her cheek as she turned away.
A photograph taken by a friend captured a look of discomfort on Ruch's face as the governor held her face.
“I felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed when really he is the one who should have been embarrassed," Ruch told newspaper.