The Mike Hosking Breakfast

As 2020 comes to an end, with hopefully the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic behind us, the question is now turning to just what sort of year we can expect next year.
A travel bubble is on the cards with Australia and the Cook Islands, but a resurgence of cases in New South Wales has threatened that.
A mini-lockdown is underway in Sydney's northern beach suburbs, with more than 200,000 people living between The Spit and Palm Beach have been told to stay at home for at least the next three days as cases spread throughout the state.
Wrapping the Week for the final time this year, host Mike Yardley and guests Tim Wilson and Trish Sherson discussed what the future holds for Covid-19 and if we really need to go overseas anytime soon. 
They also discussed the summer of sailing coming our way, and celebrating Christmas traditions.
LISTEN ABOVE

As 2020 comes to an end, with hopefully the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic behind us, the question is now turning to just what sort of year we can expect next year.
A travel bubble is on the cards with Australia and the Cook Islands, but a resurgence of cases in New South Wales has threatened that.
A mini-lockdown is underway in Sydney's northern beach suburbs, with more than 200,000 people living between The Spit and Palm Beach have been told to stay at home for at least the next three days as cases spread throughout the state.
Wrapping the Week for the final time this year, host Mike Yardley and guests Tim Wilson and Trish Sherson discussed what the future holds for Covid-19 and if we really need to go overseas anytime soon. 
They also discussed the summer of sailing coming our way, and celebrating Christmas traditions.
LISTEN ABOVE

Sol3 Mio is heading on tour this summer - and they're likely playing a show near you.
The operatic trio will deliver a summer of music fun to Kiwis when they play shows across the country.
As well as playing their repertoire of classics, the trio will also debut new original material.
The band is comprised of brothers Pene and Amitai Pati, who are both tenors, plus their baritone cousin Moses Mackay.
Sol3 Mio will play 10 shows nationwide from the end of February, starting the tour in Havelock North on February 20 before finishing up in Hamilton on March 7, ahead of an Auckland show on March 11.
Mackay says: "It's been a tough year for everyone and it's time to get together and sing!
"We love touring here in Aotearoa, especially to perform in some of these stunning venues. We can't wait to share these new songs with you," Mackay added.
New Zealanders will be hearing a lot more from the band when they continue their stint as Flava's morning show hosts in 2021. The band have hosted Flava's breakfast show since August and added over 28,000 listeners to the show's audience.
The band has been a successful staple of the New Zealand music scene since launching their career as Sol3 Mio in 2011. Their debut album, released in 2013 was the biggest selling album of that year.
In 2015, their second album also topped the charts, boosted by their cover of Ed Sheeran's track 'I See Fire'.
Auckland fans can catch the band at their Spark Session at Spark Arena on March 11 2021, which will feature a live orchestra, special guests including Stan Walker and will be emceed by Hilary Barry.
The concert was postponed from its original August 2020 date due to Covid-19 restrictions at the time.
Tickets for Sol3 Mio's tour go on sale this Friday.
Tour dates
Havelock North:Black Barn VineyardSat, Feb 20, 2021Invercargill:Civic TheatreWed, Feb 24, 2021Oamaru:Oamaru Opera HouseThurs, Feb 25, 2021Dunedin:Dunedin Town HallFri, Feb 26, 2021Christchurch:Christchurch Town HallSat, Feb 27, 2021New Plymouth:TSB TheatreWed, Mar 3, 2021Whanganui:Whanganui Opera HouseThurs, Mar 4, 2021Wellington:Michael Fowler CentreFri, Mar 5, 2021Palmerston North:Regent on BroadwaySat, Mar 6, 2021Hamilton:Claudelands ArenaSun, Mar 7, 2021
 

Well, ka-thud. I’m sure that’s the sound that ricocheted across New Zealand at midday yesterday as news broke about Ihumātao.
What a dud Christmas present to dump on the nation’s doorsteps. A purchase the nation didn’t want, and a big fat bill that we certainly don’t deserve to be lumbered with.
The $30 million purchase of Fletcher’s land at Ihumātao is a shameful outcome to a shoddy fit of interference by the Prime Minister.
And isn’t it typical, that after she dabbled in these waters, she’s nowhere to be seen when this deal is finally revealed. Grant Robertson is left to do the heavy-lifting.
It was quite obvious this week that this wretched intervention was imminent. If you were listening to Politics Wednesday, Stuart Nash said that Jacinda Ardern would ensure that the deal would be of benefit to all New Zealanders. Well, what a crock of nonsense that’s turned out to be.
This deal should scare the bejesus out of most Kiwis. This will empower a whole new arm of the grievance industry to mobilise. Occupiers are us. Taking aim at privately-owned land that they actually think should be returned for iwi, and land that they will say should never have fallen into private hands.
Hello Kapiti Airport. And what Shelly Bay?  Will the Beehive now poke their nose into that?  How much taxpayer money is going to be hurled at that stand-off to calm the farm?
But as I said on Tuesday, if the iwi really want Ihumātao back so badly, for its cultural heritage, why don’t they open their chequebook?  Why haven’t the Kingitanga and the Waikato-Tainui had the good grace to offer a fair market price to Fletcher’s to purchase it. Why should we be the mugs that end up footing the bill?
For a government that repeatedly bleats about the housing crisis, it is ludicrous that not only have the destroyed Fletcher’s plans to build 480 homes, but under this divisive deal, there’s no guarantee that we will see even 10 houses built there anytime soon.
What a sell-out. And what a recipe for trouble. They have paid off protesters. The precedent stinks.

The New Zealand bowling stocks are set to get even deeper, with another promising paceman a chance to make his international debut tonight.
Otago's Jacob Duffy is a chance to run out for the Black Caps in their opening Twenty20 match against Pakistan at Eden Park, with his opportunity coming after the New Zealand selectors opted to rest key seamers Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Trent Boult for the first game of the three-match series after their performances in the second test victory over the West Indies earlier this week.
The likes of Blair Tickner, Scott Kuggeleijn and Doug Bracewell will be relied upon alongside Duffy to supply the necessary pace against Pakistan in tonight's opener.
Duffy, a 26-year-old right-armer who's been a domestic standout in recent years, played for the New Zealand A side during their two matches against the West Iindies as part of the latter's pre-tour preparations.
Duffy says his palate's been teased by some international flavour.
"The good thing about that is your realise you're not too far off in terms of your skill levels, you can actually compete with guys at international level… you just got to take that into this and back your skills, and hope it's good enough."
One particular seamer who has flourished on the international scene straight after success at domestic level has been an inspiration to Duffy. Jamieson burst onto the scene last summer after encouraging performances for Auckland, and his eight international matches across all formats have been superb.
"He's absolutely killed it… he's done very well in domestic cricket and he's shown the next level up is just another level," Duffy says.
"Yes everyone's a bit better but your skills are still good here in New Zealand in domestic cricket. It's not easy playing here, some of the small grounds and good wickets we play on, it prepares you well for what's to come at the next level.
"The bowling stocks in New Zealand cricket are at the best they've ever been, it's awesome to watch."
It hasn't been a smooth ride for Duffy on his travels to an international debut, since he first donned a domestic strip at 17.
"A few ups and downs in my career… I actually went through an actionary model about four or five years ago, coach Rob Walter and Anton Roux sat me down… they knew something was a bit off so went back to the drawing board, I missed a lot of cricket one summer. Honestly, that's turned my career around.
"I was just falling away and wasn't swinging the ball anymore, little bit inaccurate. I was bowling 135 [kilometres] and not shaping the ball, doing no good to anyone."
The Black Caps will be hoping fringe players like Duffy can step up in the absence of their stars, including Kane Williamson, who will miss the opening game and potentially further matches after his daughter was born on Wednesday night.
However, the visitors are also missing some key players, most crucially captain and star batsman Babar Azam, who won't feature after fracturing his right thumb in training, and is in doubt for the first test on Boxing Day.
text by NZ Herald

A former Attorney General fears the Ihumātao deal could encourage further land occupations.
The Government has agreed to buy the disputed land from Fletchers for 30-million dollars, after years of protests over a proposed housing development at the site.
Chris Finlayson, who spearheaded Treaty settlements in John Key's cabinet, says the deal could set a dangerous precedent.
He told Mike Yardley it sends a message to people opposed to housing developments, like the one at Wellington's Shelly Bay, that land occupation will get results.
"They're the sorts of things that I think all administrations need to keep their eyes open on.
"We can't afford to have that kind of thing going on."
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Grant Robertson says New Zealand is on the road to economic recovery but the bad economic news may not be over yet.
The country has bounced out of recession with GDP up 14 percent in the September quarter.
The Finance Minister says the result is better than expected, and a vindication for New Zealand's "go hard, go early" approach to the pandemic.
But he told Mike Yardley there could still be tough times ahead.
"It's a good result. It doesn't mean the full effects of Covid-19 have been sent yet, and we see a bit of bouncing around in the GDP in the coming quarters."
He is adamant houses will be built on Ihumātao.
The Government's struck a deal with Fletchers to buy the disputed land for $30 million after four years of protests from iwi.
Save Our Unique Landscape co-founder Pania Newton says it should be up to whanau to decide what happens to the land.
But Robertson says the memorandum of understanding clearly states the Government's bought the land for housing.
"We want to work with all of those who have an interest in the site to come up with a sensitive solution that has housing, but also recognises the cultural and heritage aspects."

Congressional leaders struggled on Thursday to hammer out a major rescue package in the final days of the 116th Congress, raising the spectre that talks could drag out and potentially cause a brief government shutdown over the weekend.
With government funding set to expire Friday at midnight, lawmakers are now discussing the possibility of extending the shutdown deadline, again, to allow more time for negotiations to lock down a deal and push it through the House and Senate. The two issues are tied together since leaders want to tie the relief deal to a $1.4 trillion funding bill to keep the government open through next September.
Republican leaders have signalled they believe passing a stop-gap bill, or continuing resolution, to extend the deadline by an additional 48 hours may be necessary, but Democrats have shown little appetite for that approach and have suggested that Congress may be more likely to cut a deal quickly with lawmakers' backs to the wall.
Senate Majority Whip John Thune said Thursday it's possible a brief government shutdown could occur over the weekend because it could be difficult to pass a stopgap spending bill before the Friday deadline.
"I know people who are gonna object to that, that want to keep pressure on the process until we get a deal. So, it would take consent obviously to do a short-term CR," the South Dakota Republican told reporters Thursday.
On a conference call with Senate Democrats, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats are pushing to get the deal done immediately.
"Chuck was very adamant about shooting for tomorrow at midnight," said Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat.
The holdup in finalizing a deal comes as lawmakers are working to sort out a number of outstanding issues, including whether and how long to extend the expiring federal eviction moratorium and whether there should be additional restrictions on eligibility for stimulus checks.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday it's "highly likely" lawmakers will need to work through the weekend and if a stopgap bill to avert a shutdown is necessary he hopes the extension will be for just a "short window of time."
Unless things change quickly, final consideration of the massive legislative package could slip to the weekend or early next week.
The consensus on Capitol Hill is that there will be a relief deal after months of bickering and stalemate. But Congress is now stuck in a waiting game as the top four congressional leaders and the White House try to iron out the fine print and haggle over the final details.
Details of what's likely to be in the plan began to emerge on Wednesday, though nothing is final until legislative text is released.
The price tag could be close to $900 billion and it's expected to include money for vaccine distribution and for schools, jobless benefits of $300 per week, roughly $330 billion for small business loans, and a new round of stimulus checks, which could be set at around $600 per individual under a certain income threshold.
While the proposal is also expected to include a $90 billion fund administered by FEMA to provide to states and cities, it will not include a large pot of money for state and local governments that Democrats had demanded. It also won't include protections from lawsuits for businesses and others that opened up during the pandemic, a key GOP priority.
Once a deal is unveiled, congressional leaders will have to corral the rank-and-file and move as fast as possible to bring the legislation to the floor of both chambers.
What's in part driving the urgency: The Georgia Senate runoff races in January that will determine the next majority. On a phone call with his conference on Wednesday, McConnell noted multiple times how the issue of direct payments has become a major issue in the races.
"Kelly and David are getting hammered," McConnell said of his...

Keep calm and carry on.
That's the sentiment from Team New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling, who could only find positives from the first day of the America's Cup World Series, despite a close loss to American Magic in their second race.
After a one-sided demolition of Luna Rossa in the opening outing, the Kiwis got a reality check later in the afternoon, with Dean Barker and his crew prevailing by 12 seconds in a thriller.
Meanwhile Team New Zealand's scheduled two races against INEOS Team UK are in some doubt today, with the British team suffering from major problems with their foil cant arms on Thursday, which saw them pull out of their second race, after losing the first by more than five minutes.
Sir Ben Ainslie was clearly agitated afterwards, implying that Team New Zealand have to do more to help the other teams with the equipment, which was designed by the defenders as part of cost containment.
"We are trying to do everything we can to help them there and I am not quite sure what Ben was talking about with us withholding information," said Burling. "We have been as open book as we can and if there is anything he wants all he has to do is ask our technical team. They have been helping all these teams as much as they can."
Even though it is extremely early days, there might be a few frowns around the nation, as American Magic proved their trial win earlier this week was no fluke.
But Burling was understandingly nonplussed about the result, preferring to emphasise the lessons from the first official day of action and the fact that they came back to push the Americans to the end, despite an untidy race and some unspecified technical issues at the start.
"For us it doesn't mean a whole heap, we were really happy we actually managed to get into the race," said Burling. "We had a few issues going on and our team did an amazing job making sure we had the opportunity to win the race.
"We are really pleased how the boat was going and to be able to actually claw your way back into it – from where we ended up – was pretty good."
Team New Zealand in action. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Burling also admitted that having a genuine rival – at least one at this stage – in the New York Yacht club representatives could only be good for the defenders.
"We want close racing, we want to be challenged and we want to learn and improve," said Burling. "So to have races like that, when things don't quite go your way and you have to dig a bit deeper and fight hard [is positive]."
Burling also shrugged off the incident at the final mark, when Team New Zealand forced a penalty on the Americans, but there was no net effect, as Barker's boat fell 50 metres behind almost instantly to wipe the penalty (according to the rules) while Burling's crew seemed to gain no advantage.
"We still thought the incident was live and we had a lot of issues afterwards from trying to avoid them but at the end of the day the ref blows his whistle and you have to play on," said Burling.
Enjoy smooth sailing to the Cup with Auckland Transport

Avoid traffic congestion and parking niggles and download the AT Mobile app to plot your bus, train or ferry ride to race venues before you leave home.
Make sure your AT Hop card is in your pocket. It's the best way to ride to the Cup
For more ways to enjoy race day, visit at.govt.nz/americascup

text by Michael Burgess, NZ Herald

Australians have woken to find travel and Christmas plans in chaos after a Covid-19 cluster exploded on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Contact tracers are scrambling to conduct genomic sequencing and interview the 17 people who have tested positive for coronavirus.
The timing of the outbreak could not be worse - occurring just one week out from the busy Christmas period that has many Australians due to cross state borders to visit loved ones for the first time in months.
New South Wales Health has advised residents north of Sydney's Spit Bridge up to Palm Beach to work from home and remain at home as much as possible, to avoid visiting friends or relatives in the area and avoid unnecessary gatherings.
This includes avoiding clubs, restaurants, places of worship and gyms.
Nearly 20 new venues and three Sydney train lines have been listed by NSW health as affected venues that require people to get tested and isolate immediately amid the Northern Beaches cluster.
The venues include supermarkets, a Mitre 10, shops, a chemist and a bank as well as three train lines. Those who have visited are advised to get tested immediately and isolate until they receive the results.
Authorities are frantically conducting genomic testing around the potential "super-spreader" event that led to the new community cases.
A cluster in Sydney's Northern Beaches has exploded to 17 cases. Photo / Getty Images
Chief health officer Kerry Chant urged anyone who has been at the Avalon Returned and Services League (RSL) to present for testing, with authorities believing it to be at the centre of the outbreak.
"Our working hypothesis is that someone at that RSL club was potentially the source of infection for a number of subsequent cases," Chant told reporters.
All but one of Sydney's community-transmitted cases are in the Northern Beaches, with contact tracers now in overdrive, attempting to bring the handful of mystery cases under control before Christmas.
Sydney was put on high alert yesterday after a 45-year-old man, who transports international aircrew from the airport, tested positive to coronavirus.
A few hours later, a couple, aged in their 60s and 70s from Sydney's Northern Beaches, also tested positive to coronavirus.
The infections are NSW's first cases of community transmission since December 3.
States move quickly to impose travel restrictions in response
States have been quick to change their travel advice amid the outbreak, with people who have been in the affected region likely to have their Christmas travel plans disrupted.
Here's a snapshot of what has been announced overnight:
Western Australia
From 12.01am Friday 18 December, anyone arriving from NSW will now be required to self-quarantine for 14 days and be tested for COVID-19 on day 11.
Anyone who has arrived from NSW from December 11 or was in NSW from December 11 and arrived in WA before Friday will be required to enter self-quarantine in a suitable premise as soon as possible, present themselves for a COVID-19 test and return to isolation until a negative result is confirmed. A further test will be required on day 11.
Northern Territory
The NT has declared the northern beaches area a "hotspot" and said anyone entering from there will need to quarantine for 14 days.
Tasmania
The island state has also slapped the Northern Beaches with a "hotspot" label and said anyone who has been in the area since Friday December 11, is not permitted to enter Tasmania.
Queensland
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said anyone who has been in the Northern Beaches region on or since Friday 11 December 2020 and is already in Queensland should get tested and quarantine in their home or accommodation for 14 days from the date they left the Northern Beaches.
Furthermore, "anyone who was in the Northern Beaches region on or since Friday 11 December 2020 and...