The Mike Hosking Breakfast

• Heather du Plessis-Allan: The RMA change is good, but prepare for issues

  Cast your mind back a couple of weeks to what the boss of Auckland Port Roger Gray said. He told us New Zealand is a country that says 'no' so often, Miami cruise bosses he spoke to had taken to calling us 'No Zealand'. Yesterday the Government unveiled its plan for how we stop that, which is a rewrite of the RMA because the RMA is part of the problem. It has turned 'no' into an art form in this country. No to your new deck, no to that road, no to you putting a door on the side of the house rather than the front of the house. We are a country the size of Japan geographically, yet we have 1200 planning zones each with its own unique, bespoke set of rules, while Japan has 13 zones. Chris Bishop’s proposal is to take that 1200 and drop it down to 17. It's still more than Japan, but about a 98.5% reduction, which can’t be sniffed at. So prolific and ridiculous are the stories that we can all tell about our encounters with the RMA that I think you’d struggle to find anyone who opposes change. The trouble has always been agreeing on what change looks like and that is no different this time around. This RMA reform is welcome, overdue, brave, and almost certainly going to help the country grow. But mark my words: it will create all kinds of political problems. Just look at the case of Auckland and Wellington. Both cities need to build more houses but the minute the rules change to make that a reality, the nimbys start complaining. And that will happen with the RMA. Because sure, your property rights are being strengthened so you can do what you want on your property. But it's the same for your neighbour, which means if he wants to build that big whatever you have to look at, you might not be able to say no. None of us want to lose our views, have a road running right next to us or want the infrastructure development to kill the precious, indigenous snail. And those things might happen because we are all losing some of our ability to say no. Now, I think that’s a good thing. There’s been too much 'no', clearly, otherwise we wouldn't be 'No Zealand'. But saying yes will take some getting used to. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on Trump wading into Netflix and Paramount's battle over Warner Bros. Discovery

  Donald Trump has waded into the battle to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount Skydance has launched a hostile bid for company in a last ditch effort to outbid Netflix. The offer would be worth about NZ$188 billion compared to the $125 billion Netflix has been offering. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this level of presidential involvement is new, with Trump saying he’ll look at both proposals. He says Trump has said that neither company are particularly great friends of his, so it’s unknown as to what his approval will hinge on. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Full Show Podcast: 10 December 2025

  On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 10th of December, the Contact Energy CEO responds to Chris Bishop's RMA reform and Chris Bishop responds to the industry. Is there a New Zealander who hasn't skipped a stone? If you think you're pretty good at it, we've got the first ever NZ Stone Skimming Champs coming next year. Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen discuss the RMA reforms and whether Sunny Kaushal and the Ministerial Advisory Group for retail crime are taking the mickey with how much they're charging for their services on Politics Wednesday. 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.

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• Pollies: Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk RMA reforms, Andrew Coster, Retail Crime Ministerial Advisory Group spending

  Today on Politics Wednesday, Labour’s Ginny Andersen and National’s Mark Mitchell joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the week thus far. They discussed the newly-announced RMA reforms – how does Labour feel about the new acts? There's been another development in the McSkimming saga, with Andrew Coster claiming he briefed both Chris Hipkins and Mark Mitchell on the situation previously – something neither of them recall. And is the Ministerial Advisory Group for Retail Crime taking the mickey with how much they’re charging for their services? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Richie Lang: Lake Hāwea Station Tourism Manager on New Zealand's first National Stone Skimming Championship

  A classic pastime is getting its own national championship. The Stone Skimming Nationals will be held next May at Lake Hāwea, with the winners heading on to the World Championship in Scotland. Around 150 people are expected to compete, with more than 100 spectating the event. Lake Hāwea Station’s Tourism Manager Richie Lang told Heather du Plessis-Allan originally there wasn’t a huge amount of interest in hosting the event, but then a cheating scandal at the World Stone Skimming Championships came around and put the sport on the world map. After that, he said, they thought it was time to strike. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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