Full Show Podcast: 17 July 2026
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Tough on power, sharp on insight. The Mike Hosking Breakfast. With Bailey's Real Estate. Your local experts with national and global reach. News Talk ZB. Morning and welcome. Today, new GDP forecast for you for New Zealand, confirming we are back, baby. Power prices, stand by for that as well. They're coming down. Neil Barnes and the ABs for Ireland.
What big economic and inflation updates are introduced at the start of the show?
Gin Wigmore releases a new album today, so we thought we'd call her up and go, yay. Tim and Katie after eight. Richard Arnold, Steve Price, they do the Friday business as well. The debate has restarted, if you're not aware, like so many debates in this country, this one around the superannuation. Some economists have taken to their calculators and looked at who earns what in retirement. These are interesting. 9% of over 65s are earning more than $100,000 a year. 3.6% are earning more than $150,000 and a bit over 2% are earning more than $180,000 now. That's almost 15% earning at least six figures a year, which I was pleasantly surprised about given the general super debate, of course, is predicated on the idea everyone in retirement can't make ends meet.
They're cold because they haven't got a heater and generally they're not eating properly because lamb chops are beyond the budget. Anyway, upon crunching these numbers, said economists ask, why don't we means test super? they are of the camp that super is not affordable. That is still actually in some doubt, and while it's in some doubt, we haven't been able to get past the first hurdle, and the first hurdle is, why don't we raise the retirement age? Now, close followers of this increasingly laborious debate will have noted we can't even get any sort of agreement on age, so why would you then raise a means test? Why would you do that? That's beyond me. Age, at least, doesn't change the fundamental underpinnings of super, i.e., it's an entitlement, and age is the sole trigger.
means testing it puts it into a whole new category, and the category would be called a benefit, wouldn't it?
How does Mike frame the renewed superannuation and retirement-age debate?
Age becomes secondary to your means. Welcome to your golden years. Oh, you're rich, are you? Well, nothing for you. Oh, but what about my contribution to the tax base and the state of the nation? Oh, yes, they were old rules. They only count if you're broke. So if you ever opened that Pandora's box, you may as well do away with super altogether, because once you turn it into a benefit... You may as well call it job seeker. You're simply 68 and unemployed, when in the modern age, given the reason for upping the age of entitlement, is partially based on the idea that people live and work longer. Are you actually no longer working? If 65 is too young to retire, when is a good age? That's another debate that will go nowhere.
So we actually need a new rule. And the rule is don't start new debates until old ones are settled. And given we're still at 65, after literally decades of going nowhere, then means testing super is wasting our time. News of the world in 90 seconds. Ukraine centre of attention for a couple of reasons. One is because Starmer, on his walk of oblivion, stopped by.
The Order of Freedom is awarded to the Right Honourable Sir Keir Starmer MP, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
I mean, it's no legion of honour, but what can you do? It is really significant that now, in the fifth year of this conflict, the Ukrainian flag still flies above Downing Street. It still flies across churches and town halls across the country. As for Zelensky, he stands by for Andy of Manchester.
The priority is the relations between nations, between just people. And I'm sure that these relations will not change.
But also, too, Zelensky has sacked his defence minister and the people have hit the streets more shortly. Stateside, J.D. 's turned up on Rogan for a bombshell. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to...
like actually shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:20
2
What big economic and inflation updates are introduced at the start of the show?
0:20–1:48
3
How does Mike frame the renewed superannuation and retirement-age debate?
1:48–9:55
4
What global headlines and 'News of the World' items are covered in 90 seconds?
9:55–22:39
5
What does the market briefing say about inflation, earnings season and tech stocks?
22:39–57:05
6
Why does Infometrics forecast NZ GDP growth and what does Gareth Kennan say about it?
57:05–1:30:30
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from The Mike Hosking Breakfast
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