The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The Warehouse founder has joined a group of the world's richest people calling on governments to raise taxes on the rich - in a bid to help with the recovery from the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Sir Stephen Tindall is the only New Zealander on a list of millionaires from different countries who have penned a letter titled "Millionaires for Humanity."
In the letter, it points out the "critical role" the very rich can play in healing the world.
"We are not driving the ambulances that will bring the ill to hospitals. We are not restocking grocery store shelves or delivering food door-to-door.
"But we do have money - lots of it," the letter says.
"Money that is desperately needed now and will continue to be needed in the years ahead, as our world recovered from this crisis."
Others who have signed the letter include Disney heirs Abigail and Tim Disney, ice cream king Jerry Greenfield - co-founder of Ben & Jerry's and British screenwriter Richard Curtis.
Many of those on the list are not only known for their net worth numbers, but also for their philanthropic works throughout the years.
Sir Stephen's own work includes the setting up of The Tindall Foundation, which gives donations and support to charitable organisations around New Zealand.
The letter goes on to put out a call to governments to raise taxes on "people like us".
The call goes on to stress that it needs to be done immediately, substantially and permanently.
"The impact of this crisis will last for decades," they write.
'Humanity is more important than our money'
"It could push half a billion more people into poverty. Hundreds of millions of people will lose their jobs as businesses close, some permanently.
"Already, there are nearly a billion children out of school - many with no access to the resources they need to continue their learning."
The ongoing need for more hospital beds and protective gear and ventilators was also a "painful daily reminder of the inadequate investment made in public health systems around the world."
It goes on to stress that the pandemic crisis cannot be solved with charity alone - no mater how generous people around the world were.
It was the responsibility of governments and world leaders to raise the funds needed and to go onto spend and spread those funds out equally and fairly.
"We can ensure we adequately fund our health systems, schools and security through a permanent tax increase on the wealthiest people on the planet - people like us.
"Please. Tax us. Tax us. Tax us. It is the right choice. It is the only choice.
"Humanity is more important than our money."

The Washington NFL franchise announced Monday it is dropping the “Redskins” name and Indian head logo, bowing to recent pressure from sponsors and decades of criticism that they are offensive to Native Americans.
A new name must still be selected for one of the oldest and most storied teams in the National Football League, and it's unclear how soon that will happen. But for now, arguably the most polarizing name in North American professional sports is gone at a time of reckoning over racial injustice, iconography and racism in the U.S.
The team said it is “retiring” the name and logo and that owner Dan Snyder and coach Ron Rivera are working closely to develop a new moniker and design. The announcement came on the old letterhead with the Redskins name because the team technically retains it until a new one is approved.
“As a kid who grew up in the (D.C. area), it’ll always be #HTTR (fight song ‘Hail to the Redskins’) but looking forward to the future,” starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins tweeted.
The “R” in “Hail to the Redskins” could soon be replaced by Redtails, Redwolves or Redhawks. Redtails or Red Tails — an homage to the Tuskegee Airmen from World War II — is the favorite on online sportsbook BetOnline, and the group said it “would be honored and pleased to work with the organization during and after the (name change) process, should this name be adopted."
This will be the NFL's first name change since the late 1990s when the Tennessee Oilers became the Titans two seasons after moving from Houston.
After President Donald Trump last week criticized the Redskins and Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians for considering name changes, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president "believes that the Native American community would be very angry at this and he does have polling to back him up.” She cited a 2016 Washington Post poll showing 90% of Native Americans aren't offended by the name, a survey that has since been discredited by experts.
The announcement came less than two weeks after Snyder, a boyhood fan of the team who once declared he would never get rid of the name, launched a “thorough review” amid pressure from sponsors. FedEx, Nike, Pepsi and Bank of America all lined up against the name, which was given to the franchise in 1933 when the team was still based in Boston.
Native American advocates and experts have long criticized the name they call a “dictionary-defined racial slur.” Over a dozen Native leaders and organizations wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last week demanding an immediate end to Washington’s use of the name. Goodell, who has fielded questions on the topic for years, said he supported the review.
“The NFL and Dan Snyder, we have to commend them on making the right call to change the name,” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter, leader of the “Change the Mascot” campaign. “Dan Snyder won today because now he has a legacy that will be different from the racial slur that was the team name. I know that’s not an easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.”
Protests against the name predate Snyder buying the team in 1999, and, until now, he had shown no willingness to consider a change. Strong words from sponsors — including a company run by a minority stakeholder of the team — changed the equation.
FedEx earlier this month became the first sponsor to announce it had asked the organization to change the name, particularly important because CEO Frederick Smith owns part of the team. FedEx paid $205 million for the long-term naming rights to the team’s stadium in Landover, Maryland.
The lease at FedEx Field expires in 2027, and dropping the name keeps open various possibilities in Maryland, Virginia and Washington for the team’s new stadium and headquarters. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has said the name was an “obstacle” to Snyder building on the old RFK Stadium site,...

The Serious Fraud Office investigation into Labour is to do with paintings it sold at silent auctions to raise money.
The party's the latest to be probed by the SFO, for donations in 2017.
Newstalk ZB political editor Barry Soper told Mike Yardley the artist has a particular figure the painting is worth and when it goes above that, it can be considered a donation.
“Wealthy people come along and bid a lot for an artwork at auction, which should be declared as a party donation.”
Soper says the Labour Party has put out a statement saying it normally declares these.
He says the SFO says the investigation is in the public interest, but doesn't mean Labour is guilty.
Victoria University political donations researcher Max Rashbrooke told Mike Yardley the donations of the art work are being registered to the artist.
“What we really want to know is who's paid large amounts of money for artworks, which is then going into the Labour Party's coffers and helping them run elections.”
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A Pacific bubble could be on its way for Kiwis within the next week.
It's been revealed the Cook Islands Prime Minister held discussions with Jacinda Ardern overnight.
Deputy prime minister Mark Brown told Mike Yardley they have the best health measures in place to keep both countries safe from Covid-19.
“I’m hopeful both countries health officials will be able to agree on the protocols for this to go ahead quickly.”
Brown says based on those discussions, he's confident an "air bridge" between the two countries will be opened within the next week.
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Maybe it’s my DNA, my Irish roots, but I love potatoes. Agria, Red Rascals, Ilam Hardy…spuds rock. Christmas wouldn’t be complete without Oamaru Jersey Bennies. Our one billion dollar potato industry is a relatively intimate one, employing around five thousand people, in growing and processing. With year round harvesting, it’s a stable employer. And the industry deserves a fair go.
Enter the foreign fries, the frozen spuds to our shops, from Belguim and the Netherlands. Huge surplus inventories have spilled on to our shores, largely due to Covid-induced supply chain disruption. Global potato prices have collapsed and there’s a mountain of product in European cool stores.
But as you will have seen in the news, the allegation is that these Euro frozen potato products are being dumped here. And of course, being European, these spuds enjoy EU subsidies. A Dutch grower for example gets a 50 Euro subsidy per tonne.
But the material damage to our own homegrown industry from this dumping could be swift and severe, if the local industry is forced to compete on price.
The definition of dumping is when imported goods are sold at a price that is below their normal value in their country of export. Analysis from the industry body, Potatoes New Zealand, determines the dumping margins are anywhere between ninety five per cent and one hundred and fifty per cent – and rising. They want the government to impose an anti-dumping duty on these Euro potato products, to ensure demand for locally grown spuds can withstand the onslaught. The industry estimates the current situation will lead to local industry product being undercut by up to nearly fourty per cent, savaging our growers and processors. Production will be slashed, jobs fried.
So a dumping complaint is before MBIE. The maddening thing is that even if MBIE believes an investigation is warranted, they’re allowed to take nine long months to probe away, before applying a dumping duty. Beauacratic paralysis at its leisurely best. In the interim, lend the industry a hand. Spurn the foreign spuds. Buy local, from God’s own soil.

A political commentator says Todd Muller was clearly struggling with discipline in the National Party.
He's resigned as leader, saying it's become clear to him he's not the best person for the job and the party needs someone who's comfortable in the role.
Ben Thomas told Mike Yardley there was nothing resignation-worthy about the events of the past week, as untidy as they were.
"We are left with the possibilities that there was some big smoking gun coming, or taking Todd Muller at his word saying the job wasn't all it cracked up to be."
Ben Thomas thinks Simon Bridges will fight to get his job back.
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It seems the pressure of leading the Opposition caught Todd Muller off guard.
He's resigned as leader of the National Party after 53 days in the role, saying it has become untenable from a health perspective.
It's just 67 days to the general election.
Former United Future leader Peter Dunne told Mike Yardley the intensity of the cauldron at the helm can catch people by surprise.
"I think he had good intentions and is a decent, honest person, but the job proved to be far too much for him, given the circumstances of the moment."
"I think what this shows is the National Party is going to take a while to settle down after the John Key era."
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Todd Muller has resigned as leader of the opposition.
He says it's become clear he's no longer the best person to be Leader of the Opposition and the National Party at this critical time for New Zealand.
Muller says the role's taken a heavy toll on him and his family, and it's become untenable from a health perspective.
Political editor Barry Soper told Mike Yardley it's absolutely astounding, even though Muller was having a very hard time in the fall out of the Hamish Walker issue.
"Muller has realised how hard leadership is when the focus of the media's on you. He believes the National Party should be lead by someone who is more comfortable in the role."
"It is a bombshell so close to the election. It's extraordinary unfortunate for the National Party."
Barry Soper thinks the National Party will look to Judith Collins to lead it, but says it will be somewhat of a poison chalice for her.

Team New Zealand have come under media fire again over the weekend, with revelations that their team base at the Viaduct Events centre was secured for the peppercorn rental of one dollar a year.
Official Information documents outline that the team’s bargain deal is locked in until March 2022, with a maximum lease term for a further five years. Que the outrage and well-rehearsed claims of mates rates and furtive corporate welfare.
But there is nothing fishy or scandalous or inquiry-triggering about this rental deal for the Viaduct Events Centre.
It is not over and above Auckland Council’s contribution to hosting the America’s Cup. It is part of the council’s $113 million dollar package. Rather than building a brand new cup village for all the teams, offering up the events centre as Team New Zealand’s base was seen as a pragmatic way to reduce the cash cost of the council’s contribution.
Now you could argue that for the council’s venues operator to forgo millions of dollars in annual revenue, and extend a bargain lease to Team New Zealand, was far too generous. But that was the deal struck as part of the council’s contribution to the America’s Cup defence.
The critics are lining up to pillory the shrinking returns Auckland stands to gain from the regatta next year. But since when is Team New Zealand responsible for the global pandemic, the border closures, and the collapse in international tourism to this country?
Similarly, the financial crisis Auckland Council now finds itself in, is not of the America’s Cup’s making. Emirates Team New Zealand seems to have become a convenient catch-all whipping boy for other people’s woes.
With the council cash-strapped, I can understand that the Auckland Mayor now wants to kick the home team out of the centre shortly after the Cup defence, and rehouse them elsewhere, in a bid to raise some revenue for the coffers from the events centre. And that’s fine.
But don’t dump on Team New Zealand on this peppercorn rental deal, which was struck in good faith.

Overseas evidence suggests the Green Party's proposed ban on fossil fuels could be a step in the right direction.
The Greens want to bring forward the government's 100 percent renewable energy target by five years and re-instate the ban on building new fossil fuel electricity generation.
Tokoma Park City, just out of Washington DC, has finished phasing out one of its gas stations for an all-electric vehicle charging area.
Sustainability manager Gina Matthias told Mike Yardley she hopes this move will encourage other cities to do the same.
"Some of the policies we're talking about are really common sense.
"So going to renewable energy, those markets are proving that renewable energy can be very competitive." 
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