On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 19th of November, BusinessNZ is calling for cross-party vision and a solid plan to strengthen New Zealand by 2050 in order to avoid a dire economic future.

It’s been revealed that the Ministry of Social Development has handed out $38 million in business start up grants for seemingly very little return. Welfare expert Phil O’Reilly discusses the situation.

Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen discuss the Hutt Bridge scandal, the Greens wanting to repeal the mining plans, and Hipkins' engagement on Politics Wednesday.

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Today on Politics Wednesday, Mike Hosking was joined by Labour’s Ginny Andersen and National’s Mark Mitchell to delve into the biggest political stories of the week thus far.

They discussed the Hutt Bridge situation, whether Labour backs the Green Party’s mining policy, and the anniversary of the Pike River tragedy.

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A big turnaround for fisheries company Sanford with the reveal of their latest profits.

They’ve reported an after-tax profit of $63.7 million – a 224% increase for the year to September.

Cash flow was also up 85%, helping cut debt by nearly half to $93.4 million.

Sanford Managing Director David Mair told Mike Hosking that by focusing on customers, they’re turning the business around.

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New game-changing headgear has been developed to protect junior rugby players.

After more than a decade of study into the causes and consequences of head collisions by rugby players, Canterbury University researchers have developed new soft shell protective headgear for juniors.

It could be on sale early next year.

Professor Nick Draper told Mike Hosking that all the money they generate from sales will be reinvested into research.

He says their focus is on how they can make the game safer for young people.

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Bold, bipartisan centred planning is key to ensuring New Zealand doesn't succumb to the effects of a dwindling population and economic growth.

A new BusinessNZ report's calling for a cross-party vision and long-term goals to strengthen the country by 2050.

It notes a labour shortage of at least a quarter of a million is expected before then, and there's also a one in four chance the population doesn't grow.

Advocacy Director Catherine Beard says businesses are sick of political u-turns and flip-flops.

She told Mike Hosking we’re currently stumbling towards the future in a blindfolded fashion, and the report is designed to get everyone to think outside of the box.

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A welfare expert says one of the Government's grants is a good idea in principle.

The Taxpayers’ Union has revealed the business start up grant has dished out $38 million with little to show for it.

Documents retrieved through the Official Information Act show hundreds of the recipients struggled and returned to a benefit within two years.

Former Welfare Expert Advisory Group member Phil O'Reilly told Mike Hosking the execution was woefully bad.

He says the problem is MSD spent far too much and there wasn't enough mentoring or measuring of outcomes.

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There are concerns overseas opioid abuse trends are taking hold here.

The Drug Detection Agency's data for the three months to September finds opioids showed up in 18% of positive tests.

It warns opioid detections are stabilising at this high level, while some regions like Gisborne recorded a sharp increase of 41%.

CEO Glenn Dobson told Mike Hosking the test results are a good oversight of what’s happening in our society in relation to the supply of drugs.

He says there's more of those drugs being sold illicitly globally, so it could be picking up here too.

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A weak construction industry's done nothing to help low completion rates among apprenticeships.

Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds says more than half of apprentices in training are dropping out.

She's seeking extra funding so new industry bodies can investigate the number of dropouts.

Building and Construction ITO Director Greg Durkin told Mike Hosking there's been a significant drop in building work since 2023.

He says this has had an impact on people completing their apprenticeships, when they can go down the road and maybe get a couple dollars more in a different role.

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