The Mike Hosking Breakfast

More support could be on the way for the tourism regions most affected by the closure of international borders.
New figures show tourism spending in Otago dropped by almost a quarter last year, while many tourism businesses in Fox Glacier are operating at 20 percent normal capacity.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the Government is looking at a number of support options.
But he told Mike Hosking any support will need to be targeted to protecting a core, long-term tourism sector, while we wait for a trans-Tasman bubble.
"The Government won't be able to save every business, but it wants there to be a tourism sector ready to go,  when borders eventually reopen."
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I was slightly disturbed at reportage that Judith Collins was trying to bring Simon bridges into line over his Coster ‘wokester’ comments
I hope it’s not true, because what this country needs - all countries need - is strong opposition.
Not opposition for opposition’s sake, but well thought through critique.
The trick to good opposition is not just that the government are wrong, it’s why they are wrong and what is the alternative.  You have to give people an “out” or an “idea”.
Collins herself did well over this nutty person refusing a Covid test in MIQ, calling to deport them. It’s something the government hasn’t done and it’s a good idea,
Simon Bridges on Coster, there is no question gangs are a major issue and a concern to many new Zealanders, and there is little if any doubt that once Coster appeared to support Māori-led road blocks that kind of thinking at the top might just be a problem.
National have been suggesting MIQ out of down town Auckland, a purpose built facility. It’s a logical sensible eminently doable idea, and that is what opposition is about, the contest of ideas.
ACT too has carried on where they left off pre-election. Their revelation that Matariki is a $400 million proposition not $200m as stated is the sort of information the government were never going to tell you, if left to their own devices.
Opposition is hard. It is well known that most of the time the wider public are not hyper tuned to the minutiae of political life.
It’s been made even harder these past few years with the increasingly partisan role of the media who refuse to look for balance or anything that isn’t officially headlined as a press release by the government  
But let us never forget, that half the country didn’t vote for the incumbents.  The concept that labour romped to victory is an out working of the electoral system.
the same way it was from 2017 to last year - cobble together three parties or one party gets all the spoils - the fact remains only half want the outcome, the other half don’t.
Both halves though deserve service and good service at that.
This is a weak and lazy government that is being found out daily on its Covid response.  They refuse to change, they refuse to listen, they refuse to be pro-active and, most sadly, they refuse to want better for us all.
That’s fertile ground for those charged with looking out for the interests of half the country. It’s never been a better time to be the Opposition. More please.

Actor Ido Drent may have perfected his craft on Shortland Street, and garnered attention in Aussie series Offspring, but his latest show has seen him go global.
Local crime drama The Gulf – focusing on a series of crimes taking place on Auckland’s Waiheke Island – is back for a second season on Three from Monday March 1st.
The show was a success in New Zealand, but thanks to production input from Germany, the show has become a global hit, being featured on international streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Acorn TV.
Drent joined Mike Hosking in studio to discuss filming the show, it's international success, and what's different about working on a show with international input.
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A sacrifice of time and energy lies ahead for the New Zealand men's rowing eight and quadruple sculls without knowing if they'll compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
Both crews must contest what's known as the sport's regatta of death at Lucerne from May 15 to 17 to earn the final Games qualifying spots.
Presuming the Olympics are still on at that point, they'll stay isolated from families and friends through until a fortnight after the Tokyo event.
Rowing New Zealand boss Simon Peterson joins Mike Hosking to talk about the difficult decision to make ahead of the Tokoyo Olympics.
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Far more New Zealanders could be soon be getting fluoride in their drinking water.
The Government is expected to shift the decision over whether to fluoridate water from city and district councils, to district health boards.
It could mean about 85 percent of the country having fluoride in water supplies, compared to 50 percent currently.
The law change could also reduce the highly charged debates councils currently have about fluoride.
The Government also wants to introduce free toothbrushes for all preschoolers.
Dental Association president Kate Ayers told Mike Hosking fluoride on its own in the water supply can reduce decay rates by 40 percent.
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In a career filled with remarkable comebacks, Tiger Woods faces perhaps his toughest recovery of all.
Woods was driving alone through a sweeping, downhill stretch of road through coastal suburbs of Los Angeles when his SUV struck a sign, crossed over a raised median and two oncoming lanes flipped several times before coming to rest on its side. Its airbags deployed.
A sheriff's deputy poked his head through a hole in the windshield to see Woods, still wearing his seatbelt, sitting in the driver's seat.
A crane is used to lift a vehicle following a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods. Photo / AP
The crash caused "significant" injuries to his right leg and he underwent what was described as a "long surgical procedure" at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Anish Mahajan, the chief medical officer, said Woods shattered tibia and fibula bones in multiple locations. He suffered "open fractures," meaning the skin was broken.
The bones were stabilised by a rod in the tibia. He said a combination of screws and pins were used for injuries in the ankle and foot.
A statement on his Twitter account said he was awake, responsive and recovering.
"I will say that it's very fortunate that Mr. Woods was able to come out of this alive," said Carlos Gonzalez, the deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department who was the first on the scene after a neighbour called 911.
No charges were filed, and police said there was no evidence he was impaired.
The golf world was stunned by the news.
"As if his body hasn't endured enough," Jon Rahm, the No. 2 player in the world, said from the Workday Championship in Florida. "I just hope he can get out of the hospital after recovery and he can still play with his kids and have a normal life."
In this aerial image take from video provided by KABC-TV video, a vehicle rest on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods. Photo / AP
Dr Joseph Patterson, an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, said injuries like those sustained by Woods are among the most common seen in hospital emergency rooms.
Patterson didn't treat Woods and wouldn't comment specifically about the golfer's injuries but said the risk of infection is extremely high for patients with open fractures.
"Tissue can be exposed to bacteria, dirt and clothing. The outcomes can be a lot worse if that tissue gets infected," Patterson said. Open fractures can require multiple surgeries to repair.
Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith suffered an open fracture to his lower leg while being tackled. He nearly lost the leg due to infection but made a remarkable recovery and played last season.
The crash was the latest setback for Woods, who at times has looked unstoppable on the golf course with his 15 major championships and record-tying 82 victories on the PGA Tour. He is among the most recognisable sports figures in the world, and at 45 with a reduced schedule from nine previous surgeries, remains golf's biggest draw.
He won the 2008 US Open with shredded knee ligaments and two stress fractures in his left leg. His personal life imploded on Thanksgiving weekend in 2009 when he was caught having multiple extramarital affairs and crashed his vehicle near his Florida home. He returned to win his 11th award as PGA Tour player of the year and reach No. 1.
And then after four back surgeries that kept him out of golf for the better part of two years, he won the Masters in April 2019 for the fifth time, a victory that ranks among the great comebacks in the sport.
A vehicle is towed away from the site of a crash involving golfer Tiger Woods. Photo / AP
Now it's no longer a matter of when he plays again — the Masters is seven weeks away — but if he plays again.
Woods was in Los Angeles over the weekend as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Monday and...

It is grim findings for our glacier region in the days of Covid-19.
A new report looks at the pandemic effects of businesses in and around the towns of Fox Glacier and Franz Josef.It found 518 jobs have been lost, while businesses still standing are only operating at 20 per cent normal capacity.
16 per cent of businesses are no longer running at all and 73 per cent have reduced staff.
Looking ahead it found 62 per cent indicated they will not survive the next six months without additional support.
The report has been released with a letter to the tourism minister, outlining the need for additional support.
Development West Coast chief Heath Milne said this is about more than just a financial boost for the area.
"That specific area has not only suffered probably the most [from Covid-19], but it's put the whole community fabric at risk if something is not done," Milne says.
He said the report is not just about supporting businesses looking for a handout.
"This is about the wider community. The impact of Covid on that community is more severe than arguably any other community in the country."
Franz Josef operator Adam Haugh said turnover in his town - and Fox Glacier - is not high enough to maintain fixed costs and key infrastructure.
"Where we are now is we simply haven't got the reserves to get through another winter without some partnership. In order to get past this obstacle we need to get access to some funds that we've invested in the country."
Haugh said his town should be given assistance - given the impact they can have on the economy when tourists return.
"We've got the setup and we've got the infrastructure here to really make a difference as far as supporting the New Zealand economy - generate some tax revenue, pay off some debt. In order to get there, we need a partnership to get us through."

A licensed immigration advisor says a review into Skilled Migrant residency's needed because the queue's become too long.
Expressions of interest selections for the Skilled Migrants Category have been suspended for almost a year, and the Immigration Minister's flagged a possible policy revamp.
Immigration advisor Simon Moore claims there's more  than 13,000 people waiting in that line just to get a case officer, some since July 2019.
He told Mike Hosking that's not good enough, especially given the programme has been closed since last March.
Moore thinks a reason it's been closed was for the Immigration Department to catch up, but he doesn't think that's happened.
"There are thousands of people waiting. Many of them are they're highly skilled people, who will start looking to other countries for more security for their families."
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Together, politicians Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon took the quest for Scottish independence from long shot to strong possibility.
But now Scotland's former leader and his successor as first minister are locked in a feud that is tearing apart their Scottish National Party, even as its goal of an independent Scotland outside the United Kingdom is closer than ever.
The two former allies have traded accusations for months over who knew what and when about allegations against Salmond, who was tried and acquitted last year on sexual assault charges.
Salmond was scheduled to tell his version of the story Wednesday to a Scottish Parliament inquiry into how the Edinburgh-based government handled the allegations. He claims the sexual misconduct accusations, first leveled in 2018, were part of a witch-hunt, and he won a civil lawsuit when Scotland’s highest civil court ruled in 2019 that the way the Scottish government had handled the matter was unlawful.
But Salmond on Tuesday canceled his appearance after his written witness statement was removed from the Scottish Parliament website. He had refused to testify, if it was not made public. It was taken down after the national prosecutors’ office expressed concern about potential contempt of court, and later partially republished with some sections redacted.
Salmond accuses people within the Scottish National Party and the Scottish government of a “malicious and concerted effort” to sideline him and hurt his reputation. He has also accused Sturgeon of lying about her meetings with him and of breaking the code of conduct for government ministers. If that was found to be true, she would have to resign.
Sturgeon, who is due to testify in the inquiry next week, accused her predecessor of making “wild claims” that there was a conspiracy against him.
“It is time for insinuation and assertion to be replaced with actual evidence,” she said. “There is no evidence, because there was no conspiracy.”
The case has exposed a bitter rift between two former allies who have dominated Scottish politics for a generation.
Salmond, who led the SNP for two decades and was Scotland's first minister between 2007 and 2014, built the separatist party into a major political force and took the country to the brink of independence by holding a 2014 referendum.
He stepped down as first minister after the “remain” side won, and Sturgeon, his friend and deputy, replaced him.
In 2019, Salmond was charged with sexual assault and attempted rape after allegations by nine women who had worked with him as first minister or for the party. Salmond called the charges “deliberate fabrications for a political purpose," and was acquitted after a trial in March 2020.
The SNP has become increasingly split between Salmond's supporters, who want a new independence referendum come what may, and supporters of the more cautious Sturgeon. Sturgeon and her allies are also critical of Salmond’s efforts to stay in the public eye, especially his talk show on the Kremlin-funded English-language television station RT.
Sturgeon’s popularity, meanwhile, has been boosted by her response to the coronavirus pandemic. Her calm, measured style in regular media briefings contrasts with the erratic messaging and frequent policy shifts of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is unpopular in Scotland.
The crisis is amplified by the hothouse atmosphere of politics in Scotland, a small nation of 5.5 million. Among the Scottish National Party figures accused by Salmond of colluding against him is chief executive Peter Murrell — Sturgeon’s husband.
The feud threatens to derail a party that is riding high in the polls and increasingly confident it can secure its long-held goal of leading Scotland out of the United Kingdom.
Scotland's 2014 referendum was billed at the time as a once-in-a-generation decision. But the SNP says Brexit has fundamentally changed the situation by...

Helping 12 families own their own homes in seven months is being called a considerable achievement.
The Government's Progressive Home Ownership Scheme has helped 12 families break into the housing market since July.
Housing Minister Megan Woods celebrated the results, while National mocked - saying the government had put out more news releases about the scheme, than families into homes.
New Zealand Housing Foundation boss Dominic Foote told Mike Hosking it's a brilliant concept, but not an easy task.
"It's working with families who have been locked out of the market because their incomes haven't kept up with property prices - and that takes a lot of time and investment."
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