The Mike Hosking Breakfast Newstalk ZB

So, bye bye James Shaw; Valedictory Day today. 

He is in the interesting position of having left behind something potentially quite substantive. 

The Net Zero laws, we will be neutral by 2050. But then that’s the problem isn't it? My bet is we wont. 

So, what's your legacy when the big bit you left behind turns into dust? 

Could be wrong of course, but as 2050 gets ever closer, the goal doesn’t. In fact, we are moving in completely the wrong direction. 

It's an idea and a series of polices that have been driven by good intentions but overtaken in ensuing years by cold hard reality. 

He will mention it, I am sure, in his Valedictory today in the Parliament. 

He will speak proudly of it, as well he might because the bit he leaves behind is the reputation that he was actually a Green MP in the true sense of the word as opposed to being like too many of the others; loud mouth protestors and reactionaries to the buzz cause of the day. 

He also has the advantage of being a nice guy. You don’t have to agree with him to get on with him. 

But in totality you can't help but conclude he got hijacked by causes beyond his control. 

The way they handled his co-leadership was shocking for a bloke who provided so much ballast to the party. They rewarded him with yet another of their wackjob hatchet attempts which culminated, if you remember, in him standing for the job unopposed because the idiots who drove it lacked any sort of planning or spine. 

He also spent a lot of time explaining, or apologising, or defending the various versions of madness that passed for Green Party behaviour. 

Turei to Golriz to Tana, a report we are still standing by for by the way, how many times was it suggested he was in the wrong party? But then as easy as that is to say, what would his party have been? 

He is a good old fashioned environmentalist who came from the corporate world to try and make a bit of decent change and rarely lost his good sense and fine humour in doing so. 

The Parliament has too much rabble these days, so his departure sadly tips the balance even further. 
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The Australian Prime Minister is copping some flack after speaking at a domestic violence rally on Sunday. 

He was caught on camera asking the organiser whether she wanted him to speak or not, saying “I am the Prime Minister” before taking the microphone. 

He then proceeded to tell the crowd that he’d initially been asked not to speak, which the organiser said was a “flat-out lie”. 

Australia Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking that he’d suggest the Prime Minister was under immense pressure. 

He said that his behaviour on the weekend was out of character and ridiculous. 

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Unemployment is expected to be up today, and it's thought to be just the beginning.  

Stats NZ will release the numbers for the first three months of the year around 10:45 this morning.  

The rate for the final quarter of last year was 4%. 

ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith told Mike Hosking that the labour market tends to lag behind. 

He said that what we’re seeing now is the last bit of a residual strength, but there are signs it will be weakening from here. 

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New data reveals where Kiwis can pay off their mortgage the fastest.  

The latest OneRoof-Valocity House Value Index found 46 areas across the country where a mortgage could be paid off in less than a decade. 

That's assuming a buyer was intending to pay a thousand dollars a week on their mortgage, on a two-year fixed interest rate of 6.75%. 

OneRoof Editor Owen Vaughan told Mike Hosking that it’s good for first home buyers as it shows where they can buy and where they can be mortgage free. 

He said that people can live a little more freely and be less worried about debt if they think outside the box a bit. 

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Another kiwi startup has broken into the US market. 

Alcohol-free brand AF is launching its products in US retail stores Target and Walmart from today. 

Founder Lisa King told Mike Hosking that they’ve been in the US market for 12 months and have gone from being in 400 stores nationwide to over 2100 stores. 

She said their success comes from being alcohol-free, as they were one of the first brands to launch in that category in the US. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 1st of May the Remuneration Authority’s Geoff Summers joined, the group behind whether MPs get a pay rise and how much it should be. 

Should judges be getting paid by the taxpayer for limo rides, free airfares and their spouses to travel with them around the country? A barrister thinks it makes sense. 

Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell joined Politics Wednesday to discuss MPs pay, the National Party reshuffle, and James Shaw on his final day. 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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