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.

New Zealand: 8/10

It really has been quite the week. From the dairy to the spending, the turnaround, without question, is real. The confidence is up and the roll could be close to being on.

Kiwifruit: 9/10

The forecast and plan released this week is a good example of how you think big when you are bullish.

Mitch Barnett: 4/10

We wish him well, obviously, but the geography of the Warriors cannot be escaped. And we get a swap. And more importantly, this is our year.

Air New Zealand: 3/10

In an industry awash with profit, they still can't find one.

Cash: 7/10

The banks are, rightly or wrongly, out of step with this one. We like cash. We may not use it all that often, but enough do. Reserve bank - 1. Retail banks - 0.

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There is no doubt that Air New Zealand has issues.

In a week of company reports, the vast majority contained good news. Air New Zealand was a glaring exception.

A national airline losing money in an industry that is booming doesn’t make sense.

They have engine issues – that is real and it's not over.

They have eight grounded planes and planes that don’t fly don’t make money.

They have issues getting planes, but that has been applicable to everyone.

So it's a perfect storm of sorts. But if you read the report the engine compensation was $55 million, but the bottom line would have been $90 million if the engines were on the plane.

But add $90 million to the loss and you still aren't making a lot of profit.

They blame domestic demand, or lack of it.

They blame increased charges and they are real. The cost-plus-accounting of landing charges and so on is not only material, but criminal, and the Government as a main shareholder needs to do more.

Then enter David Seymour in election year who says we should sell the thing. "Go woke, go broke" and "they are too politically motivated," says Seymour.

Seymour is wrong. We need a national airline. Just imagine the sale to a private operator and the thing tanks. A country needs an air network and Jetstar isn't it. The Government has saved Air New Zealand before, they could do it again as a country with no airline is not a country.

But that doesn’t mean Seymour is completely wrong; Air New Zealand is woke and it does have reputational issues.

It has focused on uniforms and departure videos to a degree that is laughable. The great airlines like Emirates, Singapore, and Qatar have ordinary uniforms and ordinary videos, but world class product and a shedload of profit. That is where Air New Zealand is badly missing.

Too often they charge first-world prices for budget services and domestically the services are not reliable enough.

There is a line between their genuine issues and their brand issues. They do have problems, but they also don’t look like all they could be and haven't for years.

Some of it is a small country with a small population. Some of it is too much purple and too much PR around Cassava crisps and $800 flights to small towns.

The CEO has a hell of a job. The turnaround, they say, is coming.

If you read this week's report, I don’t see it yet.

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Progress towards a nuclear deal between the US and Iran remains murky with all-out war still a potential outcome.

A third round of indirect talks has just concluded in Geneva, with further discussions to take place in Vienna next week.

The pressure's on Iran, with the US deploying its biggest military build-up to the Middle East in decades.

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking the debate about whether an attack is viable is spilling out into the public now.

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 27th of February, there’s a material drop in the number of victims of violent crime – Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith discusses.

Air NZ CEO Nikhil Ravishankar discusses their half-year financial loss in a world of airlines making huge profits.

And Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk speeding tickets by the kids and Sam's final bill for the dinner at Cibo as they Wrap the Week.

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It’s Friday, which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back on the air with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was.

They discussed children and speeding tickets, and the final bill from Producer Sam’s dinner at Cibo.

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Christchurch turns up the volume today as Electric Avenue gets underway.

45 thousand punters are expected to attend each day of the Hagley Park event, with a further two thousand working on site.

Last year's festival produced $10.5 million in visitor spending.

Managing Director Callam Mitchell told Mike Hosking about 45% of their attendees travel from outside of Christchurch, so the $10 million includes things like accommodation, bar spend, and retail in the city.

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More New Zealanders are putting their faith back into the housing market.

ASB's latest survey shows confidence has lifted sharply this quarter, with respondents who expect house prices to rise over the next year jumping from 17% to 30%.

Chief Economist Nick Tuffley says it's a buyer's market and advises caution when it comes to banking on strengthening house prices.

But he told Mike Hosking the affordability factor is quite good currently, with plenty of supply, reasonably stable prices, and debt servicing rates from banks remaining very low.

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Air New Zealand is fighting with one hand tied behind its back facing local costs its international competitors avoid.

The national airline's announced a $40 million half-year loss.

The new Chief Executive says airlines are a cyclical business, and New Zealand is disproportionately exposed to local inflation.

Nikhil Ravishankar told Mike Hosking some of the other airlines making more money are the ones that have recently gone through a downturn.

He says it's partly nature of the business, but there are also things we're exposed to locally that some of our competitors aren't.

They’ve also been struggling with aircraft being grounded due to global engine issues, a slower than expected recovery, and rising costs.

Ravishankar told Hosking he took on a business grappling with a post-Covid rebuild.

He says up until now, they've been playing not to lose, but now they're building a business that can play to win.

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