The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Wrapping the Week went through all sorts of topics this week.
The US election has dominated headlines globally, as Donald Trump and Joe Biden edge closer and closer towards a result - even though Trump is vowing to contest the results. 
Mike Hosking was joined by Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to analyse all the latest, and what Trump's future could be. 
On the lighter side of things, Mike and Kate put their relationship to the test this week with Kate's first TradeMe purchase - which came unassembled and required "very stressful" assembly. 
Mike and Tim agreed that this is the perfect way to test any sort of relationship. 
"Put yourself under an element of stress, in an uncomfortable position, see how you handle, and see how long it takes you before you lose your rack." 
LISTEN ABOVE

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.
The US Election: 7/10
"For putting on the only democratic show that the whole world is truly gripped by.
"It cements its place as the most important and influential country in the world, no matter who runs it."
Donald Trump: 7/10
"It's ending badly.
"But when over 60 million still vote for you, most of the world has fundamentally misunderstood what you brought to the American equation in the first place."
Joe Biden: 6/10.
"Not the President America needs, and not the best person the Democrats could have found.
"But he's clearly the circuit breaker for enough to get rid of Trump."
America's Electoral System: 3/10
"It makes for brilliant watching and calculations, but, come on, look at it.
"You call this 20th century electoral sophistication?"
Jacinda Ardern's Cabinet: 6/10
"I think there are enough real talents there not to have the whole thing implode.
"The fact Phil Twyford is out of the room is enough to know the whole place won't be blown up accidentally when he trips over the cord."
Houses: 9/10
"We love them, we buy them, sell them, paint them, borrow for them, and die for them.
"They are a celebration and yet too many fret way too much about them."
Property Investors Federation: 3/10
"Clowns of the week for claiming first home buyers are nicking rentals from the market.
"Join some dots you fools, first home buyers are renters solving their own problem."
Damien Grant: 8/10
"He gets another shot and that’s more than fair.
"If you haven't followed the story, look it up. It's about redemption and us doing the right thing."
Raelene Castle's New Job at Sport NZ: 5/10
"Nothing personal, but how does someone who got rolled out of Australian Rugby in ignominious fashion end up running our top sports body?
The All Blacks: 9/10
"I hope all the doubters, mainly sports journalists who whined after the first test, have applied for a transfer to another department, given they clearly haven't got a clue what they're talking about."
LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW

Scientists say Kiwi innovation hasn't progressed as far as it could or should - and now's the time for a reset.
Economists and researchers at Auckland University's Koi Tū says we have a unique opportunity to develop research and development and grow the knowledge economy.
Director Sir Peter Gluckman told Mike Hosking we need strategies for the economy, environment and social justice that extend beyond political cycles.
"New Zealand politics and New Zealand society is really short term in its thinking. We need to be thinking about where we will be 10, 20 years from now."
He says creating a knowledge hub will help attract multinational companies and foreign investment.
"We have the lowest activity by large companies of any OECD country. Without large companies, we're not going to grow economies to the scale we need." 
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A raft of restrictions are expected to be eased this weekend in Victoria, with one major change to test the state's COVID-19 response.
“Sunday is going to be an important day, we’re on track to make some significant announcements,” Premier Daniel Andrews said earlier in the week.
The government has already outlined a number of restrictions set to ease on Sunday, with a huge change seeing Melbourne residents allowed to travel to regional Victoria again.
Multiple health experts have said this will be the true test to see if Victoria can keep virus cases under control with more movement across the state.
Australia recorded another “doughnut day” on Thursday, with no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases across the nation in the previous 24 hours.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the happy news on Thursday afternoon.
“The latest advice from the National Incident Centre is that Australia has once again recorded a zero community transmission day – this occurs at a time when the world has recorded its second highest daily global case numbers and sadly its highest daily loss of life,” Mr Hunt wrote on Twitter.
However, residents in western Sydney are being urged to get tested for coronavirus after traces of the virus were detected at a sewage pumping station in the area.
NSW Health confirmed fragments of COVID-19 were identified in samples taken on Wednesday from the sewerage system that drains parts of Leppington, Catherine Field, Gledswood Hills, Varroville and Denham Court.
“Symptoms like a runny nose or scratchy throat, cough, tiredness, fever or loss of taste or smell can all signal COVID-19,” a statement read.
“After testing, you must remain isolated until a negative result is received.”

With the Bledisloe Cup locked in for another year, the All Blacks will give an opportunity to several rookies and returning players for their fourth and final clash against the Wallabies.
Head coach Ian Foster has named four players who are set to make their All Blacks test debuts, including Akira Ioane who starts at blindside flanker, while veterans Sevu Reece and Ngani Laumape also return to the side.
"We have reset this week and our focus has been on this weekend and the Investec Tri Nations," Foster said.
"It's an All Blacks-Wallabies test and that's special. We know how fired up they'll be, so we have to make sure we are as well, because we don't want to give ourselves any excuses at the end of it."
Foster said the new players are raring to go.
"We've been really delighted with the whole squad, so we feel that there are some players who are really putting their hand up and deserve an opportunity.
"Secondly, it's been a big three-week test series to date against Australia. It'll be another massive test, so we've brought in some freshness and new energy into the group. Players are jumping out of their skins to get onto the park."
The All Blacks will be handed a unique challenge this weekend due to Covid-19 protocols for the tournament.
In a unique build-up to the test, the All Blacks will fly from Sydney into Brisbane several hours before the game and return to Sydney post-game.
"We have to change the structure of our game day preparation, but we don't have to change the approach," Foster said. "It's obviously going to be a different test day for us, but it doesn't mean it's going to be disruptive. We've worked hard on getting a structure in place that we think is the right one for Saturday and just have to make sure that when the whistle goes, we are ready."
Match details: Saturday, November 7 at 9.45pm, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane
Squads
All Blacks: Jordie Barrett, Sevu Reece, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ngani Laumape, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara; Ardie Savea, Sam Cane (c), Akira Ioane, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Ofa Tuungafasi, Codie Taylor, Karl Tu'inukuafe. Reserves: Asafo Aumua, Alex Hodgman, Tyrel Lomax, Patrick Tuipulotu, Cullen Grace, Brad Weber, Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan.
Wallabies: Tom Banks, Tom Wright, Jordan Petaia, Hunter Paisami, Marika Koroibete, Reece Hodge, Nic White; Harry Wilson, Michael Hooper (c), Lachie Swinton, Matt Philip, Rob Simmons, Allan Alaalatoa, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper. Reserves: Folau Fainga'a, Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou, Ned Hanigan, Liam Wright, Tate McDermott, Noah Lolesio, Filipo Daugunu.

The series of lawsuits the Trump campaign has announced in multiple states amount to longshot legal arguments focusing on thin claims or affecting such a small portion of votes that they wouldn't decide the presidential election, several legal analysts say.
The lawsuits have often tackled issues that would be relatively inconsequential to the vote results, such as asking for expanding access to observers already allowed to monitor ballot processing, or challenging a very small number of votes in which voters who sent in absentee ballots with defects were contacted ahead of time.
On Thursday, the Trump campaign announced a court victory in Philadelphia after a judge said observers could stand closer in watching the canvass proceedings -- a result that would not affect votes themselves and did not make major changes to the observation already allowed.
At times, the lawsuits have contested ballots that number in the double digits, which would be hundreds, if not thousands, of votes shy of potentially swinging any state's result.
In practical terms, the lawsuits mostly have the effect of fueling the Trump campaign's baseless attempts to undermine public faith in the validity of the election process as President Donald Trump seeks to stay in office.
"Admitting defeat is not a plausible reaction, so soon after the election, so they throw a lot of Hail Mary lawsuits at the wall and hope something sticks," said longtime Republican elections lawyer and CNN contributor Ben Ginsberg. He said these types of suits aren't indicative of a campaign that's feeling optimistic and is instead scrambling.
"I think much of the litigation is a long shot and unlikely to succeed," Franita Tolson, a law professor at USC Gould School of Law and CNN contributor, said.
She pointed to a lawsuit in Georgia, where the Trump campaign announced Wednesday night over a poll worker mixing unprocessed and processed absentee ballots. That might have the potential to affect few votes, she said.
"I suspect that a big goal of this litigation is, in the short term, to change the narrative" from a potential Biden win to a conversation about election mismanagement or even fraud, Tolson said.
Another law professor and CNN contributor, Rick Hasen, said the lawsuits appeared to be more aimed at public relations than initiative serious litigation.
"These lawsuits so far are not tackling any major problem that would seem to call overall vote totals into questions," he said.
Justin Levitt, another elections expert and law professor, called some of the suits, like one in Michigan, "laughable."
"One says (they) didn't put people by absentee dropboxes, so stop the count. Huh?" he said.
Even a Republican-appointed federal judge in Pennsylvania cast doubt on the validity of a suit from Republicans on Wednesday, when they challenged fewer than 100 ballots that absentee voters corrected in a county outside Philadelphia.
At a hearing Wednesday morning, the judge, Timothy Savage, did not rule but he suggested the lawyer for Republican canvass observers was seeking to disenfranchise votes. He noted the lawsuit appeared to have other problems in its arguments.
Some legal challenges in Pennsylvania from the Trump campaign were quickly dismissed on Election Day, with Trump touting his appeals of those losses apparently as new cases on Wednesday.
For instance, a Philadelphia Election Day judge shot down a Trump campaign case over ballot processing access, writing that "observers are directed only to observe and not to audit ballots" and deciding that the city's board of elections complied with the law. Another Election Day challenge from the Trump campaign to the ballot observation process in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, also near Philadelphia, was dismissed by a judge, though Trump is now appealing, according to Pennsylvania court records.
Lawyers for the Trump campaign sued in Nevada on Tuesday, too,...

The Selwyn District is the safest place in New Zealand based on crime statistics.
Dot Loves Data has analysed crime across the country based on the number of theft, breaking and entering, illegal use of a motor vehicle, theft from a retail premises, assault and theft from a motor vehicle.
In a report it said Selwyn has the lowest per capita static crime rate of any area in New Zealand at 12.68.
This means 12.68 crimes are committed in Selwyn per 10,000 people per month.
In comparison, Rotorua, which has the highest per capita crime rate in New Zealand, has a static crime rate of 61.21, almost five times higher.
"Selwyn is notable because it also has the lowest levels of deprivation of any region in New Zealand, providing further evidence of the strong correlation between deprivation and crime," it said in the report.
"The median household income in Selwyn is $103,737 and there are extremely low levels of beneficiaries. 98.2 per cent of all households have access to a vehicle, 93 per cent have access to the internet 79.4 per cent of households own their own home."
Mayor Sam Broughton said it is nice to have something that validates what its like to live in the district.
"I think like a lot of places in Canterbury, people know each other well and people know their neighbours.
"As a council, we have placed a huge emphasis on community events and people connecting with one another."
The safest New Zealand communities per capita based on reported crime are:
Selwyn - 12.68
Central Otago - 13.01
Southland District - 15.08
Mackensie District - 15.81
Waimate - 17.30
Carterton - 18.76
Queenstown - 19.83
Tasman - 19.92
The locations with the highest crime levels per capita:
Rotorua - 61.21
Napier - 59.68
Palmerston North - 54.44
Hamilton - 53.54
Taupo - 50.36
Hastings - 49.35
Gisborne - 46.61
Far North - 46.31

Perhaps only in Florida is a loss by fewer than 4 percentage points considered a public drubbing.
In a state famous for razor-thin margins, the size of former Vice President Joe Biden's loss to President Donald Trump was humiliating for Democrats and sent many searching for answers to how they failed to close the deal with voters — again.
Democrats zeroed in on two clear explanations: Biden didn't connect with the state's Latino voters, performing particularly poorly with Cuban voters in South Florida. They also second-guessed the party's decision to freeze in-person organizing during the worst of the pandemic, a decision that set them back in reaching voters.
"Clearly, Biden was not able to capture the imagination of the Florida electorate and create the type of enthusiasm to go out and vote for Biden like Trump did with his base of supporters in the state," said Fernand Amandi, a Miami-based Democratic pollster. "It's an unacceptable record of futility. What makes it so vexing is that the problems that need to be fixed are so apparent. But they just don't get fixed."
Amandi focused on the Biden campaign's struggles to connect with Hispanic voters in the state.
Trump and Republicans pummeled Biden for months with misleading claims suggesting he was a "socialist" and would cater to the left wing of the Democratic Party. The attacks carried added power with Cuban and Venezuelan Americans, who associate the labels with authoritarian and corrupt Latin American leaders.
Biden's weakness was most evident in his underperformance in Miami-Dade County, which has the state's deepest concentration of Hispanic voters, particularly Cuban Americans. Biden won the county, the state's most populous, by just 7 percentage points — compared with Democrat Hillary Clinton's 30-point victory margin four years ago against Trump.
AP VoteCast, a survey of the Florida electorate, found Trump won 58% of Cuban American voters statewide, while voters with South American heritage split evenly between Biden and Trump. The survey said Puerto Rican voters backed Biden by about 2 to 1.
The relatively poor showing in South Florida hurt other Democrats, as Republicans swept out two Miami-area congressional incumbents — Reps. Donna Shalala and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
"When you look at Miami-Dade in particular, there was a lot of advertising on the other side of the aisle dealing with socialism and in some cases even the word communism," said Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who has held three statewide offices.
"I think that obviously had an impact," Crist said. "When you're attacked you need to fight back. I'm not sure how much of the fighting back occurred on our side."
Trump had a head start in his adopted home state and used it to make inroads with the Hispanic community, which accounts for about 1 in every 5 voters in Florida.
Biden had a late start. Not only did he have to secure his party's nomination, he was sidelined from a more aggressive campaign because of the coronavirus pandemic — for a while, Florida was off limits as an epicenter of the outbreak.
While Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, did eventually visit the key battleground state, much of the campaign was conducted virtually because of concerns over the pandemic. When Republicans resumed going to door-to-door, Democrats remained on the sidelines.
But the problems predated the pandemic, said state Sen. Annette Taddeo, who has long been a critic of her party's approach to campaigning.
"You need a constant presence, and you cannot take minority communities for granted," she said. "You can't come in two months before an election and expect to excite these communities."
Terrie Rizzo, the chair of Florida's Democratic Party, acknowledged how "our Florida losses sting deep," adding that "we need to do a deep dive to address data, messaging, and turnout issues that caused these...

I could have sworn stuff happened yesterday. I spent, yet again, too many hours watching the minutiae unfold stateside.
And yet if you pull back and think about it, since we were here this time yesterday, virtually nothing has changed.
Joe Biden got Michigan and Wisconsin confirmed shortly after we left. But 24 hours on, Arizona is still in play, Georgia is still in play, Lord knows what's happening in North Carolina no one seems to have been seen or heard from anyone there for days, Nevada is still in play, Pennsylvania is still in play, and no one seems to have done a thing in Alaska.  
But the simple truth is time is the only quantum holding back Biden from officially winning this thing.
To summarise, Biden leads in Arizona but his lead is shrinking. Trump leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania, but his leads are shrinking. Biden leads in Nevada, but that is still in play.
So, most people are happy to give North Carolina and Alaska to Trump.
Most people can't see why Biden won't collect Nevada, and if you have him holding Arizona that's 270 and the end of the game. Trump argues Arizona is still in play, it's unlikely but not impossible.
What will finish this for sure is Georgia. It has 16 college votes and Trump's lead is vanishing and fast. If it flips, we are done.
Even Pennsylvania looks troublesome for the President. Same story applies if it flips, and Biden's camp now say they will win it with a wide margin.
Technically, can Trump still find a path to 270? Yes. If he holds Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and flips Nevada. But I don't think even his lawyers, his sons, or he believes that's going to happen.
Which is why we have the lawsuits. That is the sadness of all of this. A lot of this reaction is desperation. If they had confidence, they'd let the counting unfold and see what the numbers say. But they know what the numbers will say, hence they want to stop the counting, or in some places count all over again.
If we are patient enough it might well be that Biden ends up with 310 college votes. That would be better than Trump in 2016. The upside of that is it would be decisive.
I don't blame Trump for eking this out, who wouldn't?
But as each hour passes there is a fine line between looking like a guy who is counting numbers, and a guy who is a sore loser.

Villa Maria, one of New Zealand's largest privately owned wineries, is selling 31ha of land surrounding its South Auckland headquarters and is exploring raising capital from investors to support its future plans.
Chief executive Justin Liddell said the company planned to invest across the value chain from viticulture and wineries to brands and marketing to meet increasing demands in key markets.
"Over the last 20 years the size of our business has quadrupled. We rolled into Covid and everyone felt that might put a bit of a dampener on demand but - touch wood - that hasn't been the case and the global demand is strong.
"So that has given us the confidence to go out and grow the business."
The land up for sale includes vineyards and bare land surrounding Villa Maria's headquarters and core business activities.
"We will continue to operate our Auckland winery, bottling, warehousing, head office and hospitality functions on the remaining 10 hectares," said Liddell.
He said the Villa Maria site in Mangere has a special place in the history of the company since founder Sir George purchased the land in 2000.
Since then the land value has increased to a point where it's not possible to generate a reasonable return on vineyards.
The land is zoned as light industrial and Liddell said any sale could run parallel to a capital raise.
He declined to say how much money the company was looking to raise.
"It's early days and we don't want to speculate on who a new investor might be or the nature or extent of the investment. We will work through the options and go from there.
"We don't expect any decisions to be made until the first quarter of next year and our day-to-day activities will go on as usual," he said.
Fistonich, who founded the wine company in 1961, stepped down as CEO in March 2018.
Villa Maria is now the leading New Zealand wine brand in the United Kingdom market by volume and value and Liddell believes there is untapped potential for the brand in the North American market and in Asia.
He said the business has hit record volumes in the year to September 30.