The Mike Hosking Breakfast

More than 70 Massey professors have made a rare and direct appeal to the university's chancellor over a controversial science shake-up that could cost dozens of jobs.
The move - which came shortly before the university this month finalised a wide-ranging overhaul of its science offerings - is believed to be unprecedented in New Zealand.
The letter to chancellor Michael Ahie was signed by 71 professors and represented about half of those employed full-time at Massey, and outside its senior leadership team.
Among the signatories were three professors emeriti - and more than 20 based outside the College of Sciences, working in business, health, humanities and social sciences.
The Herald has chosen not to name any of them.
The letter was in response to a recent discussion document that indicated more than a third of Massey science academics could go - equivalent to about 100 scientists across most disciplines - as part of restructures.
The university has since opted to slash its science course offerings by nearly half - although few students are expected to be directly affected - and will review any staffing changes next year.
The letter stated that, after 90 years of "iconic science and innovation leadership", the core strengths that made Massey a leading university would be removed with the proposed cuts.
The professors argued research-led teaching would no longer be possible in core disciplines, and staff remaining to teach service courses would be in "no position to deliver the innovation needed to drive New Zealand forward".
"The proposed changes will greatly weaken Massey University, impact its international ranking, and the revenue and sustainability of the institution."
The professors said there had been no "meeting of the minds" between senior leadership and academic staff, and argued the situation could lead to "bright flight".
They were worried over the speed, scale and process of the changes, which were having "severe negative impacts" on staff wellbeing, and were "divisive and counter to" university strategy.
"We see that instead of working for a common good, campuses and disciplines have been pitted against each other."
The professors recommended that redundancies be deferred, that disruption to teaching and research be minimised, and that their concerns be relayed to Vice Chancellor Jan Thomas and the senior leadership team.
In his response, also provided to the Herald, Ahie said Thomas had been asked to "give due consideration" to specific concerns raised when making decisions around the college's portfolio.
Massey professors have also shared their anger over the restructure confidentially with the Herald, with some questioning the need for it, and criticising the way it had been overseen.
One went as far as suggesting Thomas should resign.
Tertiary Education Union organiser Heather Warren, who has been co-ordinating a response to the latest plans, said the letter "directly reflects the mood of every union meeting we've had".
"[The letter] shows there are a whole pile of people at a senior level who are willing to put their head above the parapet."
NZ Association of Scientists president Professor Troy Baisden said the letter also echoed similar points shared in a separate appeal to ministers by representatives from several scientific societies.
"It's disappointing," he said.
"It appears the university is acting in a way that is not acceptable under the legislative definition - and international expectations - of universities."
A Massey spokesperson said the university was confident the changes would set the college on a "successful pathway" to the future.
"We do not believe the changes, which affect just 0.7 per cent of incoming students to the university, will pose any adverse impact to revenue, global ranking or sustainability," they said.
"Massey University and the College of Sciences...

The nation's first COVID-19 vaccine will begin arriving in states Monday morning, U.S. officials said Saturday, after the government gave the final go-ahead to the shots needed to end an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.
Trucks will roll out Sunday morning as shipping companies UPS and FedEx begin delivering Pfizer’s vaccine to nearly 150 distribution centers across the states, said Army Gen. Gustave Perna of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine development program. An additional 425 sites will get shipments Tuesday, and the remaining 66 on Wednesday.
Initially, about 3 million doses were expected to be shipped nationwide. It was unclear exactly who would receive the first shots, though health care workers and nursing home residents were the priority. Perna said health authorities would decide.
A similar number of shots will be held back for those recipients’ second dose, which is needed for full protection from COVID-19.
The announcement Saturday kicks off a massive logistical operation involving the federal and state governments, private companies and health care workers to quickly distribute limited vaccine supplies throughout the U.S. It offers hope in a country grappling with surging COVID-19 infections and deaths, which are overwhelming hospitals and raising fears that things will only get worse as people gather over the holidays.
Perna compared the vaccine distribution effort to D-Day, the U.S.-led military offensive that turned the tide in World War II.
“D-Day was the beginning of the end and that’s where we are today,” Perna said a news conference. But he added that it would take months of work and "diligence, courage and strength to eventually achieve victory.”
MaineHealth, a network of 12 hospitals based in Portland, plans to provide an expected first delivery of nearly 2,000 vaccines to doctors, nurses and others facing risk as they treat COVID-19 patients, said Dr. Dora Mills, chief health improvement officer.
“It’s almost hard for me to talk about without tearing up,” Mills said Saturday. “This vaccine gives us some glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.”
The first shipments will leave Pfizer’s manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by truck and then be flown to regional hubs around the country. Medical distributor McKesson and pharmacy chains, including CVS and Rite-Aid, also are involved in the initial rollout and vaccinations at nursing homes and assisted living centers.
In a key distribution challenge, the vaccine, co-developed with BioNTech, must be stored and shipped at ultra-low temperatures — about 94 degrees below zero. Pfizer has developed shipping containers that use dry ice, and GPS-enabled sensors will allow the company to track each shipment and ensure it stays cold.
Distribution sites are mainly large hospitals and other facilities able to meet those ultra-cold storage requirements. Within three weeks, vaccines should be delivered to all vaccination sites identified by states, such as local pharmacies, Perna said.
The vaccine was timed to arrive Monday so health workers could receive the shots and begin giving them, Perna said.
Workers at Mount Sinai Hospital System in New York did a dry run this week to prepare for their shipment. In a clean room, pharmacists practiced making separate doses of a training vaccine and ensuring the freezer was kept at temperatures colder than in Antarctica.
“Not a lot of people have vaccinated for a large pandemic like this,” said Susan Mashni, vice president of pharmacy at Mount Sinai. “So we want to make certain that we get it right. There’s a lot of different moving pieces and parts.”
At a meeting where an expert panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines unanimously endorsed the Pfizer shot, some said local health officials were struggling to ensure the vaccine is distributed fairly and to those most in need...

A call for calm, from the man who led the campaign for Britain's exit from the European Union.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reached an agreement with the European Commission, to extend talks on a post-Brexit trade deal.
But a deal is unlikely to be signed before the Brexit transition period ends, at the end of this month.
Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage told Mike Yardley it could cause some goods in Britain to cost more, but it won't be the end of the world.
Farage says a no-deal wouldn't be the end of the world, but a deal is still more than likely.
"In New Zealand, you see Boris Johnson threatening Britain might walk away. I don’t think that’s very likely, there is a large theatrical element going on here."
LISTEN ABOVE

I do a love weekend for the chance to take stock.
I would hope that our embattled Speaker of the House has been doing exactly that. Sniffing the breeze.
I have been and despite chatting to numerous people, of all political stripes, the sentiment was unanimous. It’s terminal for Trevor Mallard. The Speaker has to go.
Arrogance during the height of a scandal is one thing. But arrogance in the wake of being found at fault, is the worst possible impulse.
If I went public and wrongly labelled a work colleague or underling as a rapist, it would be rightly adjudged as serious misconduct. I’d be sacked. And you can add to that the legal fallout of the defamation costs. No employer would give an employee going so rogue, a second chance.
And of course this is just the start of Mallard’s multiple misdeeds, with respect to his mangling of this matter, including hiding under the skirts of a Royal Commission release.  
Which is why Trevor Mallard’s credible grip on the Office of Speaker is toast. It’s shot. His hubris, unrepentance and unaccountability is gobsmacking. I’ve never rated this individual in the Speaker’s chair. He’s far too partisan, a life-long hack. He’s barely any better than Labour’s last pick, the cranky, cantankerous, humourless Margaret Wilson. Compare Mallard to the man who set the gold standard, the marvellous Lockwood Smith and his quiz show smile.
The Speaker’s role demands mana, dignity and gravitas. And impartiality. Mallard has never risen to the occasion – and after this debacle, never will. After costing us a packet, I wish he would have the good grace to relinquish the role. Thirty six years on the taxpayer’s tab is a good run. But there’s nothing to suggest he will.   If it takes a vote of no confidence in February, so be it. Surely the Prime Minister is aware how corrosive this circus is to her brand and her party’s reputation. She should be having a quiet word with him. Parliament deserves better. We all do. If he won’t go willingly, he must be pushed.

I don’t mean to sound like a Grinch, but the weekend’s Cook Islands travel bubble announcement was hollow hot air. It was an announcement when you are not having an announcement. An empty gesture that gets us no further ahead.
Is the government good to go? No
Do we have a launch date for the Cooks? No
Should we already have quarantine-free travel with the Cooks? Absolutely. Months ago.
It’s a disgrace that friends and family between the Cooks and New Zealand cannot see each other for Christmas.
It’s also an affront to the Cooks economy, that Wellington drags the chain on what should have been an early win. 85% of the Cooks GDP is generated from tourism. 85%. Pre-Covid, in New Zealand, the direct and indirect impact of tourism amounted to 10% of our GDP. 
There’s actually little geographical difference between travel to the Cooks, with travel to our outer islands.  Whether you’re an Aucklander heading to Stewart Island, or tripping from Christchurch to Chathams, what really makes Rarotonga so hard? Is there really a big bad world of difference?
All we know from this joint statement is that we’re now shooting for a start to quarantine-free travel by the end of March next year. And it’s sounds like their next steps will actually be a two-step process. For starters, quarantine-free travel will only apply to Cook Islanders wanting to visit New Zealand. Two way quarantine-free travel will follow at some point after that.
This joint statement is as clear as mud. Its Labour’s preferred approach to bubble updates. Keep it opaque, imprecise and ambiguous. The prospect of quarantine-free travel with Australia remains even foggier. A pea-souper.
Where is the verve? Where is the resolve? Where is the impetus to actually get moving on reconnecting with our Covid-free neighbours? Where are the clear dates so that people can actually plan their lives and make arrangements? When can we start dreaming again?
This joint statement about the Cooks might strike you as being hopeful, but it’s hardly helpful.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Monday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Just So Damn Complicated/Trevor's In Trouble/Better Scooters Required/What to Do with Cheap Strawbs

The Government is looking to change how much Kiwi retailers pay for contactless payment services as it's revealed they pay $13,000 more each year than their Australian counterparts.
Banks generally charge service fees for contactless debit and credit card transactions, something watchdogs have been calling for change over.
The announcement comes after a pre-election promise from the Labour party to look into how much businesses are forced to pay for contactless payment services.
Early in the pandemic response this year, banks temporarily waived fees on contactless transactions and raised the purchase limit from $80 to $200.

Polytech staff are confident of the future of their industry, despite job cuts and predicted financial losses.
A report by the Auditor General warns Polytechs could lose $53 million this year, and double that next year.
An audit shows some institutes adapted well to remote learning, while others were just getting through.
Tertiary Education Union national president Michael Gilchrist told Mike Yardley the losses will be smoothed out as they move into a national network.
"Some places have seen a forty percent increase in enrolment for next year, which is very healthy."
LISTEN ABOVE

New Zealand's largest collection of cars, motorcycles and automobilia is set to go under the hammer.
Included in the classic collection is a 1989 Lotus Esprit, identical to the car that Richard Gere drove when he picked up Julia Roberts in the 1990 film Pretty Woman.
Eighty-three lots - including 56 cars, 20 motorcycles and a boat - are expected to fetch more than $3,500,000 when they're put under the hammer at the ASB Showgrounds on Sunday.
Webb's head of collectors' cars, motorcycles and single owner collections, Caolan McAleer, said the auction was expected to be a record sale for the Auckland-based auction house, and likely the country.Growing from a 17-lot sale in July this year, the offering had quadrupled in size resulting in the flagship event moving out of its usual Mt Eden home with all lots being showcased at Pavilion 2, ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane.
As well as the Lotus, other auction highlights include a 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL, a 1972 Ford Fairmont XYGT Shaker and the Len Pearce Collection of Indian motorcycles.
This 1972 Ford Fairmont XYGT Shaker is likely to be a crowd favourite. Photo / Webb's
That would include one of only 280 on the globe and the only one in New Zealand, a Model 401.
Not all the bikes were Indians with AJS, Matchless and Triumph also represented alongside the Italian spectacle of the Moto Guzzi marque at its very best, with two of their finest on offer.
Also on display was a wide selection of prestige marques including Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Bentley, Mercedes, Jaguar and Aston Martin.
McAleer said: "The Covid experience had created a change in the way we lead our lives with many freedoms and the things we take for granted variously curtailed."
"Research from across the ditch indicates that folk think a classic vehicle is still a good place to park some money."
One of the many cars on auction include this 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL. Photo / Webb's
The first of several viewings of the lots begin tonight from 6pm.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is entering the final phase of review before the U.S. government decides whether to allow millions to get the shots.
The Food and Drug Administration posted a positive review of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday and will hold a public hearing on Thursday. Next week, it will do the same thing for Moderna's coronavirus vaccine candidate.
A look at the process:
FDA REVIEW
The agency's scientific review is a key step — not just for the U.S. — but for countries around the world weighing whether to begin using a vaccine. Teams of FDA scientists scrutinize tens of thousands of pages of technical data provided by the companies, focusing on vaccine effectiveness, safety, side effects and the manufacturing process needed to ensure the quality and consistency of the doses.
Up until now, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech had only released minimal results about their vaccine’s safety and performance in company press releases. The details have yet to be reviewed and published in a medical journal.
Unlike most other regulatory agencies worldwide, the FDA reanalyzes raw company data to verify results. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn says that careful approach carries weight far beyond the U.S.
“The FDA is known around the world for its rigorous standards for safety and efficacy,” Hahn told The Associated Press. “I think you’ll see with the data we’re going to provide at the meeting that we have done our job.”
VACCINE EXPERT MEETING
Next, a group of about two dozen outside experts weighs in on the FDA’s findings and gives their own assessment. The panelists have expertise in vaccines, infectious diseases and medical statistics. The FDA is not required to follow their advice, though it usually does.
The daylong event also gives the agency a chance to pull back the curtain on its review process and try to assure the public that the vaccine was independently vetted. That confidence will be critical for the country’s largest-ever vaccination effort. The meeting concludes with the panel’s non-binding vote on whether the vaccine should be authorized for use in the U.S.
“It’s both the transparency and the actual data that I think will be very important,” Hahn said. “What are experts outside the agency asking? I think that will be very informative for the American people.”
FDA DECISION
How soon does the FDA make a decision? There is no deadline for a ruling, but FDA's Marks said he hoped a decision on the Pfizer vaccine could come by the following week.
Importantly, if the FDA gives the thumbs-up, it would still only allow limited use in certain high-risk groups because final-stage studies are not yet complete. That comes under FDA's “emergency use authorization,” which is used to speed up the availability of medical products during a health crisis. The decision amounts to a careful calculation between potential benefits and risks.