The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Outgoing Watercare chief executive Raveen Jaduram has defended the company's grant to take on an extra 100 million litres of water daily from the Waikato River.
It comes amid fears of a severe water shortage following Auckland's worst recorded drought and the prospect of looming water restrictions this summer.
With the river currently above median flow, Watercare already has consents to take 175 million litres a day (MLD) from the river, which is the maximum its Waikato Water Treatment Plant in Tūākau can currently treat and deliver.
An application Watercare lodged in May for an additional 100 MLD has now been granted by Waikato Regional Council. It enables Watercare to take the extra water between May and September (inclusive), and at other times of the year when the river is above median flow.
Waikato Regional Council has also granted consent for Watercare to use the 25 MLD shared by Hamilton City Council.
When asked by Newstalk ZB host Mike Hosking who was going to fund the extra water, Jaduram said it was the Government's position that Watercare need not have to.
"We are not paying for water at all. We have never paid for water.
"Another 100 million litres of water is a substantial volume of water. Currently we are taking in 175 million litres a day and the demand at the moment in Auckland is just under 400 million a day.
"Given that we have been in a drought, and we don't know how long this will continue, this 100 million litres a day will see us through if we had another drought similar to what we have again next year."
Hosking called Jaduram and Watercare's efforts to minimise the risk of drought "useless", and asked why Auckland still don't have a drought-proof water system.
"That's a very good question, and that's a question we would like to answer now given the standard we are using was set by the council after the '93-'94 drought and we haven't had restrictions since then," Jaduram said.
"We have been building the infrastructure in Auckland to meet the demand. You and many, many other Aucklanders want a higher reliability than what we have got at the moment.
"We haven't been useless and we haven't mismanaged the situation. There is always going to be an earthquake that's going to cause a building to collapse, or if you put in stormwater systems, they're always going to be a flood that will cause flooding.
"This drought is potentially worse than the drought than our standard is able to cope with.
"We need a higher level of security for Auckland and that is a decision we need Auckland Council to make for us. We haven't been banging on anyone's desk, and that is something in hindsight we needed.
"We are not in the fault game."

Labour is standing firm - saying its new tax policy isn't about taxing people on big salaries.
The party yesterday promised, if re-elected, it would introduce a new 39 per cent top tax rate on anyone earning over $180,000 a year, which would bring in $550 million in revenue a year.
That money would be put towards health, education and paying down New Zealand's Covid-19 debt.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson told Mike Hosking the revenue will be useful, in case the Covid-19 wage subsidy has to be paid out again.
"This is about a permanent change to the tax system that will bring this amount of revenue in the initial period and on into the future as well."
He said injecting $2 billion of revenue across the four year budget period into health and education would be valuable.
"Obviously we'll get criticism for this policy. It's coming from all directions, so I think it means we got the balance about right." 
Yesterday, Jacinda Ardern said: "Now is the time to provide New Zealanders with certainty and with confidence."
Both Robertson and Ardern pointed out that even with the increased top tax rate, wealthy New Zealanders still pay less in tax than they would if they lived in Australia.
In fact, the proposed top tax bracket still means that New Zealand is in the bottom third of the 36 OECD countries when it comes to a top tax rate.
And it's with this that the Green Party take issue.
Although co-leader James Shaw said a higher top tax rate was "long overdue" it was still simply not enough.
"It is tinkering that won't address the long-term challenges facing Aotearoa."
The party wants New Zealand's richest to be taxed much, much more.
Shaw wants two more tax brackets added, one at 36 per cent for people earning more than $100,000 and one at 42 per cent at $150,000.
At the moment, the highest tax bracket is 33 per cent – paid by those earning more than $70,000 a year.
"With the Greens in Government, we will push for taxation policy that truly addresses the challenges we face, so everyone can live with dignity," Shaw said.
But the Greens tax plan looks unlikely to be a reality even if it is able to form a coalition with Labour after the election, with Robertson ruling out any concessions.

Taxing the so-called rich isn't hard.
It shows the lack of imagination of a party that should be desperate for growth ideas, desperate to encourage opportunity and entrepreneurial attitude, and not stifle it.
A new top tax rate is not a path way to prosperity. Neither literally, given it raises a few hundred million, nor figuratively because generally it socks those who create the wealth in the first place.  
It is at the politically safe end of the spectrum, given it affects only a small percentage of voters. Which in and of itself is a reminder of why it is so small minded.
The fact there aren't more large earners is a sign we lack a certain level of productivity and success. Being a poor nation is nothing to be proud of.
Having limited expectations is the same, and comparing us to other countries, as is their want these days, and saying we are comparatively low taxed in terms of the OECD is simply another declaration of mediocrity. It exposes who Labour really are, the Cullen party who hate "rich pricks".
Here's the real out working of it. Our biggest trading partner and closest friend Australia is cutting tax. Faced with the same problem, they're doing the opposite.
And the trouble with that is cuts lead to greater expenditure, expenditure leads to growth, and when you get growth you need labour. No one has been a greater source of labour for Australia than we have.
And another simple outworking of incomes at the high end is that they are earned by people with skill, skills that are in demand and very often transportable.
The other matter is, of course, the company tax rate which is lower than the top tax rate. That's one of the reasons they cut it originally. The moment the top tax rate is higher than the company rate, you'll be surprised at how many people become companies.
I honestly hoped Grant Robertson would be better than this. It's petty. There would be hardly anyone who will be hit by this that gets their income for sitting round doing nothing. They work, they take risks, they are highly trained, highly skilled, they contribute, they employ, and they deserve a party and a government that represents and appreciates their contribution.
What they’ve got is a party that gives them the middle finger.

The British government backed a series of measures Wednesday it hopes will stem a worrying increase in new coronavirus cases, particularly among young adults, including a legally enforced ban on any social gatherings of more than six people in England.
In the biggest reversal of the months-long easing of the lockdown, it said social gatherings in England will be limited to a maximum of six people, either inside or outside of the home. The new limit will be in place from Monday and police will be able to fine, and even arrest, anyone breaching the rules.
Among other measures, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "COVID-secure marshals" will be introduced to help ensure social distancing in city centers and that border force officials will step up enforcement efforts to ensure arrivals are complying with the quarantine rules.
He also said that pubs and restaurants will have to take the contact details of all customers or face sanctions, and he put sports teams on notice that supporters may not return to stadiums in October as hoped.
"These measures are not another national lockdown," Johnson said at a media briefing behind a podium bearing the government's new slogan "Hands Face Space."
"The whole point of them is to avoid another national lockdown."
Acknowledging that the myriad of rules on gatherings have become "complicated and confusing," Johnson said more clarity was required in light of the recent sharp spike in cases in a country that has seen Europe's deadliest coronavirus outbreak.
"Now you only need to remember the 'rule of six,'" he said
The new limits on gatherings are set to be in place for months, a timescale that potentially dashes any hopes of large family gatherings during Christmas.
Johnson said he was "still hopeful" that a "moonshot" plan of mass testing — accompanied by results within minutes — could bring many aspects of life back to some sort of normality, even of ending the need for social distancing among those who test negative. He reiterated that the government was aiming for 500,000 daily tests by the end of October, more than double the current amount.
The new limit on gatherings follows a near doubling in new confirmed virus infections over the past week or so that government figures show has been largely seen among young adults, particularly those between the ages of 17 and 21. On Sunday and Monday, the number of daily laboratory-confirmed positive cases hit nearly 3,000. On Wednesday, a further 2,659 were announced.
Citing the example of Belgium, the government's chief medical officer said limits on gatherings can help prevent the spike in cases among young adults from seeping through to more vulnerable people, such as the elderly, in the run-up to winter.
"This is clear indication that if you act rapidly and decisively when these changes are happening, there is a reasonable chance, a good chance, to bring the rates back under control," Chris Whitty said.
"People shouldn't just see this as a very short term thing," he said.
Though there are exemptions, such as for schools, workplaces and "life events" like funerals and weddings, Johnson said he is hopeful the new limits will be easily understood and followed. Those flouting the rules could be fined — 100 pounds for a first offense, and up to a potential 3,200.
The other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — haven't followed suit though they also have their own different limitations on gatherings.
Stephen Griffin, associate professor in the school of medicine at the University of Leeds, said the new limits are "welcome and timely," but that "it would be wise for all the (U.K.) nations to co-ordinate in their response, and to learn from each other where various approaches have been successful."
Johnson's Conservative government has faced strong criticism for its mixed messages since it started easing the coronavirus lockdown in late spring. It...

A new "additional tentacle" of Covid-19 connected to a Mt Roskill church was sparked when an asymptomatic visitor went to a bereaved family's home while Auckland was in alert level 3.
The visit may have broken level-3 rules, which require people to stay within household bubbles. "Do not invite or allow social visitors, such as friends, extended family or whanau, to enter your home," Government advice on level 3 says.
It comes amid revelations that Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship Church members were reluctant to get tested because they doubted the "science" of the virus, prompting a plea from Auckland Mayor Phil Goff for everyone to play their part.
And police have also warned the church leaders they may face prosecution if they gather again in breach of Government restrictions.
Officers were called to shut down the Mount Roskill Evangelical Fellowship prayer meeting on August 15, while Auckland was under alert level 3 restrictions and gatherings were capped to 10 people.
Otago University infectious diseases expert David Murdoch said today he did not know whether a return to level 1 would now be delayed as a result of the church cases.
"We will all be watching very carefully what happens over the next week or two," he told Mike Hosking. "The risk is it may lengthen the tail of this outbreak. There's a lot of activity now tracing these extra cases. I don't think it necessarily changes things - it is all linked, it may just lengthen the process to get us to the satisfactory spot where we feel it is contained."
Auckland is currently at level '2.5', with the rest of New Zealand at level 2 - Cabinet will review the levels on Monday. Any confirmed changes to levels next week will take effect from 11.59pm on Wednesday.
Under level 2.5, Aucklanders can travel outside the region but social gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people - apart from funerals, which can have 50 people.
Yesterday director general of health Ashley Bloomfield conceded that the new "sub-cluster" - connected to the church - might extend the long tail of the outbreak by weeks.
The visit that triggered the sub-cluster was on August 27 and involved a member of the church who had been tested, but was unaware they had Covid-19 because the result was still pending.
They were part of the church's wider congregation, rather than a close contact, and were not in isolation because they did not have symptoms at the time.
Four of the yesterday's six new cases were part of the sub-cluster, which now has 22 cases - more than half of the 43 cases that make up the church group's "mini-cluster". The Auckland cluster now has 171 cases.
Bloomfield said the sub-cluster was the "only additional tentacle" connected to the church group, but it already included a student from St Dominic's Catholic School, a Northern Express service bus driver, and "several other workplaces".
It has 108 close contacts so far, including 48 people who attended a tangi on September 2, which was allowed because Auckland had moved to level 2.5.
All members of the church are now being asked to get re-tested, while police have been brought in to encourage ongoing co-operation.
Yesterday Health Minister Chris Hipkins said some in the church group had been reluctant to be tested because they "don't accept the science" behind a virus that has killed almost 900,000 people worldwide.
He added that the St Dominic's student appeared to be a previously undisclosed close contact, but Bloomfield later clarified that wasn't the case.
Bloomfield said there were a number of reasons not to get tested, including whether people believed Covid-19 is a "real thing" or how invasive the test was.
Mayor Phil Goff said he was pleased the church members now appeared to accept the need to get tested and the reasoning behind social gathering restrictions.
"It is disappointing that some, including fringe political and other...

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Thursday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) You Can Tax Better/Handing the Greens a Serve/Feels Normal/The Meatloaf Debate/Woker Than a Woke Thing

The Labour Party's leader says it should be cheaper for businesses to provide contactless payment services.
Regulating merchant service fees is one plank of the party's small business election policy announced today.
Jacinda Ardern says people are looking for safe ways to buy during the pandemic - using things like payWave, but she says companies found bank fees prohibitively expensive.
She says some estimates claim our retailers pay 50 percent more than their Australian counterparts.
The promises comes as figures showed a quarter of workers have expressed fears they may lose their job in the next 12 months, according to a question asked by StatsNZ in its latest Household Labour Force Survey.
The survey of employed people in the June 2020 quarter showed 7 per cent felt there was a high or almost certain chance of losing their job or business within the next 12 months.
At a national level this represented 185,000 workers.
A further 18 per cent (representing 468,000 workers) felt there was a medium chance of losing their job.
Listen above as Stuart Nash and Mark Mitchell join Mike Hosking to discuss the latest political news

A new Government scheme to help New Zealand travellers' get their cash back may encourage more people to book through a travel agent.
Agencies will be paid 7.5 percent of cash refunds, and five percent credit value secured for customers.
Flight Centre managing director David Coombe told Mike Hosking travel agents are extremely grateful - but it doesn't change the way they go about their work.
"What it does do is give us a little bit of cash flow in an industry that's got negative revenue and gives us cost to get the job done for our customers." 
He people will be better looked after if they use a travel agent.
"We've been going about this job quietly ever since this broke to look after our customers, and we're not in control of that, but what this lets us  is stay viable for a period of time to make sure we get the job done."
It's estimated almost $700 million of New Zealanders' money is locked up overseas.

The AA is calling for the New Zealand Police to change its approach to drink driving.
Road deaths involving alcohol have increased in the last five years, while breath testing numbers have decreased.
AA road safety spokesman Dylan Thomsen told Mike Hosking police are taking a more targeted approach, rather than focusing on mass testing.
He says that approach needs to change.
"The approach we've been taking obviously hasn't been giving us the results we want, so let's go back to where we were and have those deaths coming down." 
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The last two journalists working for Australian media in China have left the country after police demanded interviews with them and temporarily blocked their departures, marking a further twist in China's increasingly troubled relationship with the foreign media.
The absence of Australian media from China for the first time in four decades comes during a low point in the two countries’ relations, and the events that led to the journalists’ departures were seen as evidence of an increasing risk to foreign journalists working in China.
Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s Bill Birtles and The Australian Financial Review’s Michael Smith landed in Sydney on Tuesday after flying from Shanghai on Monday night, both news outlets reported.
Both journalists had sheltered in Australian diplomatic compounds in recent days.
They left after Australia revealed last week that Australian citizen Cheng Lei, a business news anchor for CGTN, China’s English-language state media channel, had been detained.
Both journalists were told they were “persons of interest” in an investigation into Cheng, The Australian Financial Review reported. Seven uniformed police visited each journalist’s home in Beijing and Shanghai at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, the newspaper said.
Birtles said he knew Cheng, “but not especially well,” and Smith had met her once in his life.
“I believe the episode was more one of harassment of the remaining Australian journalists rather than a genuine effort to try and get anything useful for that case,” Birtles said from his Sydney pandemic quarantine hotel room.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters Tuesday that Cheng was “suspected of carrying out criminal activities endangering China’s national security."
“Compulsory measures have been imposed on Cheng and she has recently been investigated by relevant authorities,” Zhao said at a daily briefing.
As part of that investigation and in accordance with the law, China's “relevant authority" demanded to question Birtles and Smith “which is normal law enforcement," Zhao said.
He had no details on the circumstances of the departure of the two Australians, but said China protected the legitimate rights and interests of news gathering staff and they have the obligation to comply with the laws and regulations in China."
“As long as foreign journalists conduct news reporting in accordance with laws, they should have nothing to worry about,” Zhao said.
Australian Embassy officials in Beijing told Birtles last week that he should leave China, ABC reported.
Birtles was due to depart Beijing on Thursday and was holding a farewell party on Wednesday when police came to his apartment and told him he was banned from leaving the country, ABC said. He was told he would be contacted on Thursday to organize a time to be questioned about a “national security case,” his employer said.
Birtles went to the Australian Embassy, where he spent four days while Australian and Chinese officials negotiated. Smith had similarly holed up at the Australian Consulate in Shanghai.
Birtles and Smith both agreed to give police a brief interview in return for being allowed to leave the country.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Cheng’s detention was part of the reason her government had advised the journalists to leave. She declined to detail all the reasons.
“It is disappointing that after many years, Australia will not have a media organisation present in China for some period of time,” Payne said.
She said Australia would not retaliate by revoking the visas of Chinese journalists working in Australia.
“Australia operates according to law and in our national interests and unless individuals are breaching laws in Australia, then that would not be an approach that we would take,” Payne said.
Australia’s travel warning of the risk of arbitrary detention in China “remains appropriate...