Full Show Podcast: 12 May 2026
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What does Mariameno Kapa-Kingi's new political party mean for the left bloc?
No fluff, just facts and fierce debate. The Mike Hosking Breakfast with Defender. Embrace the impossible. News Talks at B. Morning and welcome. Today, the fuel plan will never use. The Maori MP who will vanish in front of your eyes. New insight into how big that bank of mum and dad is in the housing market. Shane Phelan, Westlife, in for a word for the 25th anniversary after eight. Catherine Field in France. Rod is in the UK. And all my dreams will take me. Welcome to the day, seven past six. The Environment Select Committee has been looking at folding the Environment Ministry into a much larger super ministry, right?
How significant is the Bank of Mum and Dad for first-home buyers?
So the committee has listened to a small bunch of submissions, most of whom didn't like the idea, obviously. They've concluded it should be merged and that the decision is due back into Parliament today. Now, this is a very good sign because one of the things that Singapore does well is not run the place with large swathes of government departments. Our cabinet is too large. There are too many ministries. There are too many government workers. You know, I do wonder... If in their quiet moments the government doesn't regret that big promise they made during the last election, they were going to reshape the public sector. Remember all of that? Because what they promised and what they did, of course, were two very, very different things.
Public service had exploded under Labour into the high 60s. By that I mean 60,000. Actually, it's heading towards 70,000. They managed to cut two, as in thousand, and if you read the job ads these days, a lot of them to this day remain in what appears to be a public sector on a growth path. If any of that was leading us anywhere, maybe we could get on board, but clearly it isn't.
What insights does Ed McKnight provide about the housing market?
The Labour and Green members of that select committee, by the way, they're of course ropeable, but sadly they're ropeable for the wrong reasons. because they mistake a minister and pencil pushers as somehow connected to the fresh air and walking tracks of the environment. See, I think most of us like the environment, but we don't need an army in Wellington overseeing it via emails and meetings. Singapore has a handful of super ministry, and here's the thing about Singapore. You can't argue with it. Small island nation, 5 million people, they're booming. They're doing it right. Their model works. They are the envy of most small island nations, including ours. 43 government departments and ministries in this country.
43. In Singapore, 16. 81 portfolios in New Zealand. In Singapore, 16. Who do you reckon has it right? Our theme this morning is things that aren't going anywhere. Example one, Kia Starmer. The election results last week. We're tough. Very tough.
We lost some brilliant Labour representatives.
What are the implications of the Labour Party's current situation?
That hurts. And it should hurt. I get it.
And I take responsibility. He wasn't finished. The question whether if a government constantly changes its leadership, the question whether that damages the country is not an academic question. We tested it to destruction under the last government. A Labour government will never be forgiven if we repeat that. I think the results last Thursday were awful. People in London and across the country voted in July 24 for change, and we're not seeing the change in sufficient scale that people voted for. I'm not somebody calling for a change in leadership, but I'm calling for a change in the pace of delivery. Also not going anywhere this morning is the Iran war peace deal, which pleases old Ben of Israel.
I think it accomplished a great deal, but it's not over because there's still nuclear material, enriched uranium that has to be taken out of Iran. There is still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. Now, we've degraded a lot of it, but all that is still there. Trump's full of bluster.
I say to them, I say, you people are crazy. I deal with them. They talk differently. I say, you're crazy. You're crazy people.
How is Shane Filan reflecting on Westlife's 25-year journey?
You're nuts. You're not having a nuclear weapon. They think they can talk me into it, and they don't do very well with it.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What does Mariameno Kapa-Kingi's new political party mean for the left bloc?
0:00–0:36
2
How significant is the Bank of Mum and Dad for first-home buyers?
0:36–1:27
3
What insights does Ed McKnight provide about the housing market?
1:27–2:32
4
What are the implications of the Labour Party's current situation?
2:32–3:58
5
How is Shane Filan reflecting on Westlife's 25-year journey?
3:58–4:44
6
What challenges does the Labour Party face in the upcoming election?
4:44–6:54
7
What factors are contributing to the rise of Chinese cars in New Zealand?
6:54–8:36
8
What role does the Bank of Mum and Dad play in home ownership?
8:36–1:29:51
Speakers
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