The Mike Hosking Breakfast

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Monday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) First Pause for a While/Where. Are. The. Workers?/Serious Gun Questions/Annual ACC Angst/Forced Listening

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the timetable for a vaccination against Covid-19 in New Zealand was looking like a March date - but not everyone would get a jab at the same time.
She said details of the timing would take place later in the month.
"At this point, our expectation that we've been running to is more around the March date," said Ardern.
But she warned not everyone would receive the vaccination at the same time and the delivery timetable was far from set in stone.
Ardern was on Newstalk ZB with Mike Hosking this morning talking about significant steps in climate change as well as opening up the borders to additional workers in the coming summer months during the Covid pandemic.
Ardern said she had spoken with the German and French leaders about the different dates they expect vaccines to arrive in their countries.
"There's been speculation around December for some countries receiving vaccines - some claim it will be later in January - so at the moment while they're still in clinical trials there's still some ambiguity."Ardern said she would making an announcement on vaccine arrangements before the end of the year, detailing the timetable and what everyone could expect because it wouldn't happen in "one fell swoop".
So far two vaccines have been announced for New Zealand - Pfizer and Janssen.
Pzifer's product could be in the country as early as March and is a two-dose vaccine that would cover 750,000 people.
Janssen's requires just one injection but would not get here until closer to September 2021, with two million initial doses and more to follow if needed.
Meanwhile, Ardern said this morning that an announcement of a potential travel bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Islands was still being worked through. She would not be drawn on a timeline.
She said New Zealand's climate emergency would be declared this week.
"This is the first opportunity we have with parliament back."
Ardern is personally introducing the motion in Parliament tomorrow. She said it had been called for for some time but a declaration in Parliament doesn't have the same effect as power being granted in a civil defence emergency.
"However, we're very much of the view that we do need to make sure that we are sending very clear messages into the public service and equally outwardly around what our expectations are of the work that needs to be done.
"This is an issue where if we don't have both mitigation and adaptation working at pace, people, for instance, lose their houses, and assets that are of value to us as taxpayers are compromised.
"There are very real effects from us not taking action on this issue that are akin to what becomes a civil defence emergency."
Last week Ardern said Labour had always considered climate change to be "a huge threat to our region".
It was something that had to be tackled immediately, she said.
This morning she denied the move was "woke symbolism" and said it was important to take this step.
She said if the Government didn't do something, people would lose their houses and assets would be destroyed, with the climate change toll on our environment becoming akin to a civil state of emergency.
Meanwhile, it was revealed on Friday the Government would let in 2000 workers from the Pacific early next year to pick fruit for the horticulture and wine industries.
Their arrival is hoped to cover a huge hole in the labour force and avert what many growers have been calling a crisis.
But there are government conditions to the deal.
Employers will have to pay the workers a living wage of $22.10 an hour, pay them 30 hours a week while they're in managed isolation for 14 days, and cover their isolation costs - estimated at $4472 a worker.
It also emerged last week that evidence given by ministers and public sector bosses to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terrorist attack...

Australian-British academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been released from an Iranian prison after spending more than two years behind bars over allegations of espionage.

“Thank you … to all of you who have supported me and campaigned for my freedom, it has meant the world to me to have you behind me throughout what has been a long and traumatic ordeal,” Dr Moore-Gilbert said in a statement.
“I have nothing but respect, love and admiration for the great nation of Iran and its warm-hearted, generous and brave people.
“It is with bittersweet feelings that I depart your country, despite the injustices I have been subjected to. I came to Iran as a friend, with friendly intentions.”
The Islamic studies lecturer was tried in secret for espionage and sentenced to 10 years prison, despite no evidence of her alleged crimes having been publicly presented.
She has been detained since September 2018, at times in the notorious Qarchak prison, which has been described as an unsanitary and insect-infested place where the sewage system frequently overflows and where COVID-19 has been running rampant this year.
A report by a Washington, DC-based organisation for human rights in Iran described the conditions in the prison: “Every day, Qarchak’s sewer system overflows into the wards’ courtyards, filling the grounds with a terrible stench that draws in swarms of insects … The purportedly drinkable water – which has an odour of sewage – comes from a different source that is also cut off periodically in the summer.”

Friends, colleagues and family of the woman say they are ‘over the moon’ to hear of her release, following a hard-fought battle to bring her home.

“An innocent woman is finally free. Today is a very bright day in Australia indeed!,” friends posted on a Twitter account that campaigned hard for her release.
Iranian state media claims she has been exchanged in an inmate swap for three Iranian citizens who have been detained abroad.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was “extremely pleased”.
“Dr Moore-Gilbert’s release has been an absolute priority for the Government since her detention,” Ms Payne said in a statement.
“The Australian Government has consistently rejected the grounds on which the Iranian Government arrested, detained and convicted Dr Moore-Gilbert. We continue to do so.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he spoke to Dr Moore-Gilbert on Thursday morning and that it was “wonderful to hear her voice”.
“Securing Dr Moore-Gilbert’s release has been an absolute high priority for our Government,” he said.
“We have always rejected her conviction and detention and I join with all Australians in praising Dr Moore-Gilbert and her family for their courage, strength and patience as we have all worked tirelessly together to secure her release.”
The Prime Minister said Dr Moore-Gilbert is with the Australian Ambassador to Iran and other officials in Tehran.



Mr Morrison said Dr Moore-Gilbert’s case had been an enduring and high priority case for the government for many years.



“This is a great day for Australia and obviously a wonderful day for Kylie and her family,” the prime minister said.
“She is an extraordinarily intelligent, strong and courageous woman.
“She is an amazing Australian who has gone through an ordeal that we can only imagine and it will be a tough transition for her, as it has been
for others in similar experiences in the past.”
Dr Moore-Gilbert will go into quarantine but Senator Payne said she would not be alone and would be “well supported”.
“We would all understand that Dr Moore-Gilbert has adjustments to make, some plans to consider, so this will be a period of privacy and one expects, decompression,” Senator Payne said.
The BBC quoted Iranian state media as saying Dr Moore-Gilbert was exchanged for an Iranian businessman and two...

A review of Parliament's dress code is on the cards, with the Speaker taking soundings over the summer break.
Earlier this week, Greens co-leader James Shaw asked Trevor Mallard if he could look into the rule that requires men to wear ties.
Mallard, who first arrived at Parliament in 1984, told the House MPs can write to him individually with their views. 
He says what's changed is the interpretation as to what business attire is.
Mike Hosking weighed into the issue with Tim Wilson and Kate Hawkesby this morning, saying he wasn't impressed with the dress-code of many members of Parliament.
"I was looking at parliament yesterday, and what a motley crew. Not all of them, but many of them were looking very dishevelled.
"You look at that and think if that's New Zealand, then I want no part of it."
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The declaration of a climate change emergency next week could be a crucial move, at a crucial time.
Jacinda Ardern will introduce a Government Motion on Wednesday, asking MPs to support a symbolic emergency declaration.
It won't materially change any rules or regulations.
But Victoria University climate change expert Adrian Macey told Mike Hosking it could be a very good step, if it helps to shape the Government's decision-making over the next term.
He says some very important climate decisions are going to be made in the next year, including how to reduce the rising emissions from transport
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All you need to know ahead of the All Blacks' clash against the Pumas in Newcastle
The All Blacks have made three changes to their starting lineup for Saturday's Tri Nations rematch against Argentina, retaining an unchanged backline and most of the lineup which slumped to an historic loss to the Pumas two weeks ago.
Akira Ioane will start on the blindside flank, Nepo Laulala comes in at tighthead prop and Scott Barrett replaces Patrick Tuipulotu in the second row in a selection which suggests fine-tuning rather than a decisive response to recent defeats.
Argentina has been far more bold, making 10 changes to the team which drew 15-15 with Australia last weekend and naming lock Lucas Paulos to make his test debut.
Nicolas Sanchez, who has scored 40 points in two Tri Nations matches from a try, a conversion and 11 penalties, remains at first five-eighths but will combine with a new partner at halfback, Felipe Ezcurra.
In a backline shakeup, Emiliano Boffelli is at fullback, Ramiro Moyano and Santiago Cordero on the wings and Jeronimo del la Fuenta and Juan Cruz Mallia in midfield.
Captain Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer will combine with Facundo Isa in the backrow. Paulos joins Guido Petti in the second row while Mayco Vivas and Santiago Medrano will prop the scrum.
The All Blacks, particularly head coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Cane, have been under heavy pressure after the team's first back-to-back losses in nine years. A win in Newcastle, north of Sydney, on Saturday might still be enough to allow New Zealand to win the Tri-Nations title. A loss will endanger Foster's job, with public opinion already strongly against him.
"We've had a great week building into what will be a vital test for us," Foster said. "It's exciting in the sense that we have the opportunity to redeem ourselves after our last game and we also have the opportunity to win the Tri-Nations.
"There's a real determination in the team to perform well, not only for ourselves but also our families and friends at home and our country."
Ioane was named ahead of Shannon Frizell in an effort to add another ball carrier and some punch at the breakdown. The All Blacks failed to make a single line break in their 25-15 loss to Argentina in Sydney two weeks ago and seldom even made the gain line. The Pumas followed up with a 15-15 draw against Australia last weekend in Newcastle.
Barrett is a risky selection because of his poor disciplinary record, receiving a yellow card in the All Blacks' 24-22 loss to Australia a week before the defeat by the Pumas. The All Blacks discipline has been poor in recent matches and Barrett will be under pressure to keep a cool head in Newcastle.
One-test utility Will Jordan has been included on the bench along with Tuipulotu, whose demotion follows a poor performance in the first match against Argentina.
Powerful backrower Hoskins Sotutu has been left on the bench, despite calls for his addition to the starting lineup to also inject some power into New Zealand's ball carrying game. Foster's selection may be seen as an admission he has few players he can inject to immediately lift the team's performance.
Beauden Barrett has been retained at fullback, though his form has been well below his best. His brother Jordie Barrett, named out of position on the right wing, appears a better fullback on current form.
Saturday's test will be the All Blacks' last in 2020 and might also be Foster's last if they lose again. His record in his five matches as head coach since his appointment in December is two wins, two losses and a draw.
The standard of the All Blacks' performances over the last two weeks has been sheeted home to Foster, and Cane has also faced criticism for his lack of leadership. He made matters worse when he responded to criticism of the team's performance by suggesting All Blacks fans know nothing about rugby.
Match details:Saturday 28 November,...

With his team already facing injury issues, Black Caps coach Gary Stead is hoping this is the worst he sees of the condensed cricketing schedule.
New Zealand will open their international Twenty20 series on Friday against the West Indies at Eden Park, which will be their first international match since March 13.
Friday's clash marks the start of a gruelling four matches in eight days for the two teams – three T20Is and the opening day of the first test in Hamilton.
The Black Caps are already without a key player for that test, with all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme ruled out of the test series due to bone bruising in his right foot, and being replaced by Daryl Mitchell.
Spinner Ajaz Patel is also out of the first test due to a calf tear, with Mitchell Santner drafted into the squad as spin cover.
Stead says it's an unknown challenge that beckons, which could become coming more difficult when juggling test, 50-over and 20-over squads.
"This year - three internationals in four days is different. We haven't had that," he says.
"In terms of selection, it's about as complex as I think I've ever seen it, and hopefully will ever see it, so there's plenty of moving parts."
The Black Caps have plenty of pressure on their shoulders to perform in the 20-over game, having failed to win in their last seven matches, all of which were hosted on Kiwi soil.
They will also have a new captain for the final game of the series, with Santner confirmed to become the eighth Black Caps T20 captain when he takes over from Tim Southee – who leaves the series early to prepare for the first test - for the third and final match of the series at Bay Oval on Monday.
The schedule will be a major wake-up call to the players, who haven't played an international since a one-day international against Australia over eight months ago. That was supposed to be the first of a three-match series before the coronavirus outbreak cut short the Black Caps' trip.
Since, players have served in the Caribbean and India Premier Leagues, as well as domestic cricket.
While those competitions also had to deal with the effects of Covid-19, neither have featured schedules as condensed as a game every two days on average.
"It's just something that we have to adapt to. A little injury has a flow-on effect right throughout the whole camp as well and the systems that are in place," Stead adds.
But the coach can see the silver linings.
"It's also exciting that guys are getting exposure at international level, we're finding out about them and ultimately every series we play is a lead-up to a World Cup, where our key focus is."
The team will have a five day break between the first and second tests, but will launch into their T20 series with Pakistan on December 18 – just three days after the conclusion of the West Indies' tour.

Americans, millions of whom travelled against the advice of public health officials, tried to stay safe before they hunkered down with their families for Thanksgiving, a holiday remade by the pandemic as case numbers and death tolls rise.
Lily Roberts, 19, said she got tested for COVID-19 at San Francisco International Airport before driving home to Marin County in Northern California.
“I’m not worried about it because I’m not at risk,” Roberts said. “However, I do follow the rules and the precautions because of my parents. That’s why I’m getting tested because I do not want to bring it into my home.”
Thanksgiving travel traditionally comes with highs and lows but it's even more fraught this year as travelers attempt to social distance while navigating crowds.
Lexi Cusano, 23, said Wednesday she encountered people standing too close in airport terminals, some not wearing masks or wearing them improperly, on her way from Miami to Hartford, Connecticut.
“It was just a little bit overwhelming and very shocking to me that people were just — you couldn’t move in a 6-foot radius without hitting someone or breathing in with a person next to you,” she said. “It was just a little bit crazy.”
She said travellers didn't act any safer on the plane.
“People were just hanging out without their masks on,” said Cusano, who recently took a job in Miami. “I saw them walking back and forth from the bathroom, down the aisles, with no mask on, and I was like, this is a little bit ridiculous now."
Things appeared a bit cramped to Juan Mojuta who flew Wednesday night to Wilmington, North Carolina, from Arizona.
“The first flight was very claustrophobic,” Mojuta told WWAY-TV. “A lot of people. Very gathered. But the second flight wasn’t as bad.”
More than 12.7 million Americans have been diagnosed with the virus since the pandemic’s start earlier this year and deaths have topped 262,200, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Data shows the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks from 127,487 on Nov. 11 to 175,809 on Thursday. The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths rose from 1,044 to 1,658 over that time.
Millions of Americans took to the skies and the highways ahead of Thanksgiving, despite warning and pleas from elected and health officials in a number of states to stay home and keep holiday gatherings smaller than usual.
Cusano said she got tested at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut after landing and was told to expect results in two to three days.
Regardless of her test results, she said she plans to quarantine in Connecticut for a month or two to make sure that, if she is infected during the holidays, she won’t infect anyone else. She works as a chief operating officer for a media company and can do the job remotely.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.
Housing.
8/10.
"On fire for another week.
Profits on sale, prices asked, auctions attended, scraps with politicians, and angst for first timers. This is the soap opera that just won't quit."
Grant Robertson's Letter to Adrian Orr over Housing.
5/10.
"It's smoke and mirrors and we are being played."
Adrian Orr's Response.
5/10.
"Like he didn’t already take housing into account, like he didn’t know his FLP money is going out the door to houses.
Come on, are we thick? No, we are not."
Capital Gains Tax "by Stealth."
3/10.
"I wouldn’t rule it out.
They won't call it that, they’ll spin a bright-line extension like they’ve never spun a bright-line, but it's essentially the same thing."
Helen Clark Foundation's Call for a Higher Minimum Wage.
3/10.
"Those who ask the loudest are never the ones paying.
And they're almost always devoid of economic knowledge and reality."
Third Quarter Spending.
9/10.
"We went nuts.
We bought everything in sight, several of them in fact, and the stats back it up."
Local Councils.
3/10.
"Surely this is not a model that is sustainable?
There are real issues in Invercargill, Tauranga, Northland, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland.
We can't be bothered voting, they're changing the laws on Maori Wards, half those running the places hate each other, and the other half are useless.
How is that serving us well?"
Canada.
7/10.
"A major survey found of all the places people wanted to live, if they could leave their own country, Canada was the top pick."
New Zealand.
8/10.
"Of all the places who tackled Covid, we were the best."
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The Government wants out of work New Zealanders to put up their hands for seasonal summer work.
It's offering unemployed Kiwis up to $200 a week for accommodation costs, and a $1000 payment for workers who complete jobs of six weeks, or longer.
Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni told Mike Hosking they're aiming to break down barriers that make seasonal work difficult.
"Transport, location, accommodation and paying conditions are all factors we've considered, and are working on."
Sepuloni says the package isn't expected to be a long term solution to the shortage.
She says it will be reviewed over the next two years.
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