The Mike Hosking Breakfast

From our “he would say that, wouldn’t he” file, comes the predictable Winston Peters response to the National Party's medicine for aid deal.
National are reading the room. If you have no money and you need to trade one thing for another, does medicine beat aid?
Yes, hands down.
Although Pacific aid is protected, where Peters has fallen hopelessly short is in his oft-used line about being friends, "long-standing friends", and that counts.
In other words, the fact big players like China roll into town and start writing cheques won't ultimately make a lot of difference because good old New Zealand has been along for the ride for years.
Well, that ain't true, and we know it.
Money talks and the last Pacific Islands Forum with its missing members and its lack of communique because of the various players who are now overtly pro-China, tells the real story.
That’s before you get to the lack of accountability. Aid has become a sop, a hand-out, and the recipients don’t appear overly grateful.
Then you might well argue about effect – what exactly does aid solve? What problems does it fix when it is more these days, at best, a band-aid?
A never-ending, ever larger band-aid, driven as much by habit as a potential answer to a problem.
It's part of our international commitment of course. We need to be seen to be playing our part.
It's like defence – we can't piggyback on bigger, richer countries.
But in a world increasingly looking inwards this should not be a surprise.
The same way Pauline Hanson has upended the immigration debate with the Coalition yesterday slashing their target, not because it makes sense or is good for the economy, but because they are losing to Hanson, for National there are no votes in invisible money in offshore locations we don't care about.
There are votes in better pills and potions.
It's called retail politics and Peters of all people should recognise it.
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Exercise chain CityFitness is lining up one of the sector's biggest expansions yet.
It's looking to pump $100 million into 50 new gyms over the next five years, expanding its network beyond 100 locations.
The plans include growing its Simplicity Fitness Premium Facilities and launching women-only gyms, and would create around 1000 new jobs.
Chief Operating Officer Doug Hatten told Mike Hosking they're focused on creating the offering that's right for the market they're heading into.
For example, he says, if they go into a market where there's 30,000 people within 10 kilometres, they know they can provide a fitness offering for that market – it's just a matter of what the right one is.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 7th of October, Mike gives his thoughts on last night's debate, and we bring you a selection of the best bits.
Kiwi pro golfer Steve Alker keeps on winning on the PGA Champions Tour, so he's back for a chat.
Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell discuss the debate, education, and cocaine use 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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Labour says schools need more flexibility around teaching reading, writing, and maths to make room for critical thinking.
Leader Chris Hipkins confirmed at last night's leaders' debate Labour wouldn't require schools to teach an hour a day of each subject if elected.
National introduced the mandate in its first 100 days.
Labour's education spokesperson Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking the Government's reforms haven't put children at the centre.
She says politicians shouldn't be deciding how kids learn.
National's Mark Mitchell hit out at the party's stance, saying the party needs to keep their weird social experiments away from kids, and just let them learn maths and read for an hour a day.
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National's plan to cut aid is troubling a foreign affairs expert.
The party says it will take 10% of the aid budget and shift it to Pharmac's budget, if it forms the next Government.
Funding to the Pacific will be spared.
National says our money's gone to such far flung things as workshops with indigenous farmers in Patagonia and installing live emissions equipment in South African universities.
Geopolitical Analyst Geoffrey Miller told Mike Hosking while there are legitimate questions to ask about the efficacy of individual aid programmes, that's not an argument for cutting them.
He says it's an argument for making them more effective and ensuring every dollar works as hard as it can for those who really deserve it.
Miller says that most people around the world probably won't notice what we're doing with our aid budget, but it's the people at the bottom of the pile who will suffer the most, especially since we probably aren't the only ones making cuts.
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