The Mike Hosking Breakfast

I couldn’t understand it at the time, but you may remember four years ago then-Prime Minister Ardern did a deal with Anthony Albanese over our access to Australian citizenship and welfare.
Essentially, they gave us a bunch of stuff we previously hadn't had.
We get to wander in any way and time we like, a deal no other country offers, but access to welfare and citizenship was always tricky. Albanese decided to soften the approach.
Fast forward four years and Ardern is on the beaches of New South Wales and Albanese is still in power, but being overwhelmed by Pauline Hanson, who has made immigration a calling card.
New reportage out of Australia yesterday now tells us officials warned Albanese at the time that the move he was about to make was a mistake. It was making it too easy for Kiwis to game the system.
For whatever reason he ignored them. Now it's coming home to roost.
The intake of Kiwis surged 38,000 in two years. As New Zealand went into recession, ironically because of the Ardern Government, more people left and it's only this year that flood has started to dissipate.
In the meantime, Albanese has an immigration nightmare on his hands and increasingly we're being called out.
Hanson wants to limit our access and, given current polling, may well one day get her way.
But perhaps the interesting aspect of the welfare side of the deal is it gives us an insight into just what sort of New Zealander went to Australia.
For all the talk of brain drains, which has driven no small amount of angst here, the numbers would seem to indicate it was more your welfare recipient, or potential recipient, who bailed from New Zealand for a better deal in Australia.
Can I suggest that if that is the case, then are we a lot worse off for their departure?
If the low hanging job fruit here decided to scarper for the welfare and beer of Queensland, how was it we actually lost out? We may have had a net gain, not to be too mean to those who left.
But the stereotype of highly educated, highly skilled folks in demand might not have been the complete picture.
A small irony being Ardern managed to mess this country up while also, as it turns out, mucking up theirs as well. That’s quite the trick, isn't it?
Either way given immigration is now the hottest of issues, don’t be surprised if Albanese pulls the pin on us and cancels the deal.
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Another sign of New Zealand’s growing demographic problem.
Stats show our natural population growth has fallen to 18,700 for the year to June – the lowest rate since World War II.
Births are at their lowest since 2003, and the number of 25 to 34 year olds is down 1.7% – adding to our productivity woes.
Infometrics’ Lead Demographer Nick Brunsdon told Mike Hosking the supply of young people around the world, and with other countries facing the same issue, we can’t expect to bring in an exponential number of migrants every year.
He says industries will be forced to improve productivity through automation and machinery and treat workers as more of a scarce resource than something they can swap in and out as needed.
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A Labour frontbencher says a Labour government will not introduce any new taxes, except for a capital gains tax, if it wins the election.
Leader Chris Hipkins on Monday ruled out other taxes, such as a streaming tax or tax on high-emissions vehicles.
The party's Jobs and Incomes spokesperson Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking this will be an absolute bottom line in any post-election negotiation.
She says tax policies of the Greens, Opportunity, or Te Pāti Māori will not see the light of day.
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Christchurch Airport's reaching new heights and says there's still plenty of room to climb.
This summer will be the airport's biggest yet, with more than 1.27 million international seats available between November and March – up 21% on last year.
China Southern Airlines is boosting capacity by 57%.
General Manager of Aeronautical Development Gordon Bevan told Mike Hosking there's still room to grow its offering further.
He says there will be about seven million passengers at the airport this year, with room for another two-to-three million more.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 19th of August, the Government is funding the conversion of more open-plan classrooms, and a report has revealed we’re at risk of falling behind when it comes to modernising banking payments.
Infometrics’ Nic Brunsdon discusses the future of the country with natural population growth is at its lowest since WWII.
Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk taxes and an increasingly angsty election campaign on Politics Wednesday.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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