The Mike Hosking Breakfast

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.

The Government: 7/10

Off and running and plenty to do. Two cabinet meeting and 49-long list of things to do in 100 days. Looks good.

The reaction to the new Government: 7/10

There is a palpable sense that this is different, this might be a bit professional and there is a decent amount of good will.

Smoking: 4/10

A little bit of political capital might have gone up in smoke.

EV's: 3/10

The letter to Joe Biden from the car retailers is a sign of what is happening globally. The hype is not translating.

Tauranga City Council: 7/10

Listening to the ratepayer over parking, my word! You reckon that attitude could spread?

Shane van Gisbergen: 9/10

Despite the fact he got all pissy this year over his car, he is still one of the greatest and what a joy he has been in Supercars.

Wanaka: 4/10

Come on Wanaka. What's wrong with Macca's? You've got a dominos, you like hot apple pies. Don’t be snobs.

Tory Whanau: 4/10

We don’t mark personal troubles. But the Green's lame defence of the indefensible is all you need to know about the Greens.

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What's the bet that once people stop moaning about McDonalds in Wanaka, it goes off?

There is a wonderful disconnect between theory and reality in this country, especially around things like food.

The reason we are one of the fattest countries on Earth is because too many people each too much crap. The fast food industry has a lot to answer for in that area. But then so do we.

The reason McDonalds is big is because we like it and eat a lot of it.

Wanaka is a lovely place. But this idea with the petition that it is somehow so different to the rest of the country and can't possibly be tainted is condescending nonsense.

Now, I'm not in the Macca's camp, I don’t eat McDonalds and can't remember the last time I did.

But here is what I know.

McDonalds, as they are structured in this country, are owned by individuals. They are owned by families, mainly local families in local areas. My bet is the Wanaka McDonalds will most likely be owned by a local. They may well already own a McDonalds and be looking to expand.

One of the things McDonalds does is employ people, and a lot of them. Like many hospitality outlets, getting good people has been, and is, hard work.

So by the time the place is built and the ovens are turned on and the locals are employed my guess is that, given it’s a drive-through apart from anything else, it will be well frequented and be a successful local business contributing to the local economy.

I think if you look around Wanaka you will also find other fast food outlets.

But McDonalds, for whatever reason, seems to be the poster child for negative fast food protest.

There is a lot of burger and deep fry action going on, but Macca's is the bad guy? Your local fish and chip shop is fantastic because Bob runs it and Bob is a cool guy and his kids go to the local school and Bob is one of us.

Somehow the chips at the fish and chip shops are OK but the McDonalds one's aren't?

It makes no sense, of course.

So, let's see how quickly this goes from being a story driven by superficiality and snobbery into one of another local business melding in to be part of the community.

Aucklanders could be losing their weekly kerbside rubbish collection. 

The council is proposing to change the weekly service to a fortnightly one from 2026. 

It says the aim is to reduce kerbside rubbish. 

But Councillor Daniel Newman says hundreds of thousands of residents will be caught out, and it will be up to Aucklanders to object. 

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Henry Kissinger is being remembered as one of the most distinctive voices in foreign affairs. 

The former US Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and senior diplomat died yesterday at the age of 100. 

He served in the administrations of presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.  

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Kissinger was a controversial figure, who was both hated and revered. 

He says Kissinger lived a remarkable life after his family fled Nazi Germany in the early 1930s. 

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A popular Waiheke Island hotspot is being put up for sale. 

The Tantalus Estate Vineyard was established in 2016 as a wine and beer tasting spot, a restaurant, and an event venue. 

The past few years have been difficult for many business owners on Waiheke, with Covid restrictions, accommodation costs, and limited worker availability.  

However, the vineyard's majority owner, Bruce Aitken, told Mike Hosking that the prospects for the business appear to be strong. 

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