The Mike Hosking Breakfast

I don’t love the idea of the LNG terminal. Never have, probably never will.
But I’m fast coming around to the idea that there is no solution to our energy problem that we’re going to love.
Our electricity system—our wider energy situation—is so broken now that whatever we do to try to fix it is going to have to be so drastic or expensive, it’s going to hurt.
For the LNG terminal, the problem is the cost for what is really a short-term band-aid.
We’re running out of gas fast. The entire country is.
It means we all have to get off gas. But that won’t happen overnight. It’ll take years, so we’ll probably run out before we’ve all switched to alternatives like electricity.
Hence the terminal – it will tide us over with gas until we’re all off it.
A billion dollars plus to get us through a few years? That’s pricey.
But not doing it—losing the Pan Pacs of this world—that’s much more costly. That’s a billion dollars, year after year after year, in lost revenue, income, and tax.
And this terminal is going to help Pan Pac stay here. That company is the last big pulp mill that hasn’t upped sticks. Maybe they do in the end, but the LNG terminal will keep them here for longer.
Yes, the LNG terminal decision hasn’t gone well for the Government. It’s going to divide opinion, if it hasn’t already. They’ve already had to backtrack on the gas levy that they spent weeks defending. It’s hardly going to look climate-friendly to the townie swing voter.
But it’s a tough call that probably needed to be made. And we’ve got more of these coming, because the LNG terminal won’t fix our energy system completely.
It’s an expensive solution for a short-term fix – but at least it is a fix.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nasa has named the astronauts who'll blast off in the next Artemis mission, with a view to eventually returning humans to the Moon.
The crew of four will launch on the Orion spacecraft next year from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Originally a crewed Moon landing, Artemis III will instead fly in low Earth orbit and test special manoeuvres and dock with prototype lunar landers.
US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Heather du Plessis-Allan the first crewed lunar landing is now the Artemis IV, set for 2028.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More and more Kiwis are choosing to order in instead of eating out.
Uber Eats is booming – its revenue growing 23% last year to $367.3 million.
The service now reaches more than 84% of the country, covering 178 locations.
Celebrity chef and health advocate Simon Gault told Heather du Plessis-Allan it’s about convenience, and people are time poor.
He says it’s a bit like getting room service in a hotel – convenient and easy, but always more expensive, and it’s what people are prepared to pay for.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s fresh criticism of Labour's selection process, while the party itself continues to brush off concerns.
Police are reviewing whether new Labour candidate Rakesh Naidoo shared any sensitive information with the party while deciding whether to stand.
His bid for Parliament was announced on Monday after two months of discussions with Labour, but he only informed his manager last week.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Heather du Plessis-Allan Richard Chambers is responsible for maintaining neutrality.
He says the Police Commissioner should have put a plan in place to manage the perception of neutrality but was never given a chance by Labour.
But Labour's Police spokesperson Ginny Andersen insists Naidoo followed the correct process.
She told du Plessis-Allan it's surprising and unusual for the Commissioner to make public comments before any review's taken place.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast with Heather du Plessis-Allan for Wednesday the 9th of June, we hear from an expert why the Government's proposed LNG terminal shouldn't go ahead.
We go to Waikato to celebrate the opening of Fieldays for 2026.
Heather dives into the changing perceptions New Zealanders have towards Asia.
And on Politics Wednesday, Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen go toe-to-toe over the appointment of Rakesh Naidoo to the Labour list.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.