The trouble for Netball NZ is they claim to have a plan.  The reality, of course, is we may or may not ever know what happened to the previous plan – the Williams-Mowbray plan.  That plan looked set to go. Most of us didn't have a clue what was in it, nor do we care. But we know the names Mowbray and Williams. We know they have lots of money. We probably knew they were in it for the right reasons. We also knew Netball NZ is a mess, and the sport is in dire straits.  So at that point, we most likely concluded there was a bit of hope.  Until there wasn't, which was Friday's news.  What didn't help on Friday was the seeming surprise from Williams, who apparently didn't see anything coming.  Then on Friday night I watched netballers crying, as well they might.  Personally, I would have cried before that, and for all I know some have. Because as an elite player I would have buggered off months back, probably when they shafted Noeline, who by anyone's measure is the G.O.A.T. The way she was treated defied belief.  Anyway, after the players cried, they got an apology from Netball NZ, which said it regretted news of the Williams-Mowbray deal being tanked, leaking out.  Places that leak, in my experience, generally aren't run well.  So by yesterday, the new CEO of Netball NZ, Ms Wootten, having said her sorrys, then announced they had a plan.  Here is the truth: I hope she does and I hope it's good because we live in a day and age in which stuff, rightly or wrongly, is dispensable. Yes, we will gnash our teeth and bemoan our plight, but once something is gone, we all move on.  Netball at the top level is on the verge of collapse.  There is no money. There is no TV. There is a limited audience, and kids have a world of choice when it comes to balls and running around.  To put it bluntly, no one really cares. Make it work or don't.  Williams and Mowbray seemed to be there for the right reasons. The deal may have been jettisoned for the right reasons.  But the ball is back in the same old court.  And that court has failed to produce anything other than more trouble. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Douglas has had an incredibly storied and illustrious Hollywood career.  The son of the legendary Kirk Douglas, Michael more than established his own credentials over the course of six decades.  He's got two Academy Awards under his belt, as well as Golden Globes and over half a dozen other awards and honours for both acting and producing.   Douglas has plenty of stories to tell, and he's decided to do just that, releasing an autobiography called 'One Helluva Ride'.  He told Mike Hosking that by all means, things have worked out.  "Obviously one of the reasons why I wrote the book was I looked at my father and I, and between the two of us, we have quite a legacy ... I think 125 movies and 80 years in the business."  "And then for me, you know, to have a kind of dual career as a successful producer, as well as an actor, yeah, it's been great."  Although in the grand scheme of things, Douglas' life has worked out well, he told Hosking he does write in the book to be careful what you wish for.  "Sometimes in my life, I was just too overwhelmed by acting and my responsibilities as a producer, and I think it hurt my marriage, to a degree, and, and my relationship with my first son, and certainly alcohol and drugs came into play in terms of self-medicating."  "There's ups and downs," he told Hosking.  "Yes, I was rewarded well, but certainly other things suffered."  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Protests continue to spread across Europe.  Saturday saw unrest and police clashes in France, Germany, Portugal, and Albania, with protest camps also being cleared in Portugal.  Shops have been looted, tear gas fired, and firebombs thrown as thousands of young people take to the streets.  Newstalk ZB's Catherine Field live in Paris told Mike Hosking more protests are planned across France and Germany this week.  She says it's Generation Z complaining about the high cost of living, cuts to public spending, and the lowering of education standards.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A spotlight on the rising costs of raising a young child.  The latest report by Crayon —a support group working to reduce financial stress for parents— states the first five years of a child's life alone can cost parents almost $180,000.   It's often nearly a third of parents' take home pay, and childcare alone often costs around $20,000 a year, per child.   Founder Stephanie Pow told Mike Hosking with the current policy settings, there are very real costs and trade offs that parents have to deal with, but it doesn't have to be that way.  She says our parental leave system is in the bottom quartile for primary carers, we have no paid partners leave, and some of the least affordable childcare in the world.  But, Pow says, other countries have successfully tackled this issue and seen the benefits of it.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 3rd of November, it's good-news-Tuesday with good numbers around retail, EVs, international students, and payment arrears.  Netball NZ CEO Jennah Wootten attempts to explain what's next after turning down the Williams-Mowbray deal to privatise the league.  Legendary actor and producer Michael Douglas joins the show to talk his memoir 'One Helluva Ride'.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retailers are feeling more optimistic about the year ahead, with confidence reaching a two-year high.  Retail NZ's latest Retail Radar report finds 73% are confident their business will survive the next 12 months.  A similar number expect to meet or exceed their sale targets in the final three months of the year.  Chief executive Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking the year has been a bit up and down, largely impacted by the pesky fuel prices.  She says if we could get those under control, there's the sense the economy might move in the right direction for both consumers and businesses.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netball New Zealand believe the long-term interests of the sport have been protected by pulling the plug on the domestic league advocated by Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams.  The proponents of a new privatised competition were blindsided by the NNZ Board's decision to end negotiations.  But Chief Executive Jennah Wootten told Mike Hosking there was extensive dialogue and meetings about the range of issues that made negotiations challenging, and both parties were clear about what those challenges were.  She says by the end, they'd flexed in a number of areas they felt were appropriate, but there were some fundamental differences in their views that they didn't feel were in the long term interests of the sport.  Going forward, Wootten says they're working very closely with netball zones and teams, and they're all united in what they need to be doing for 2027 and beyond.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High marks for New Zealand from international students.  Education NZ's latest Experience Survey finds 90% rate their overall experience positively, up from 87% last year, and the highest since the survey began in 2019.  At least 93% rate their teachers and tutors as supportive and respectful.  Chief Executive David Downs told Mike Hosking our international education is probably the best of any country in the world in terms of what we can offer students.  He says they like the education definitely but they also like living in New Zealand, and really importantly, they feel a sense of safety and welcome here.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soaring fuel prices aren't the only thing driving demand for electric vehicles.  Motor Trade Association data reveals Plug-in Hybrids and Battery Electric Vehicles together reached 3,317 registrations last month, up 174% on a year ago.  EVs also made up 22.7% of new light vehicles, against 8.9% the previous October.  EV City owner Dave Boot told Mike Hosking the surge in interest goes beyond rising petrol costs.  He says availability is also a major factor, with more than 30 new Chinese EV models entering the market in the past year.  Boot also says the figures don't yet reflect the full scale of demand, as sales surged in March, but many of those vehicles hadn't even been built then, taking up to six months to arrive and be registered.  He says that means the latest registration figures are still catching up with demand.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Key not only appeared on our show Friday, having put out a video reminding us all what is at stake this Saturday, he also appeared on a podcast suggesting Luxon has been the victim of a hit job by the left and the media.  I think he is right. I would also suggest the media is the left, and the left is the media.  But, and it's a big "but", it makes no difference. It is what it is, and to his credit, Luxon has not complained about his treatment, often using the line "it's like a farmer complaining about the weather".  I do worry about John Key and his role. He left office ten years ago and he clearly is still the National Party's greatest asset.  What's that say about the National Party?    I thought about this last week when I watched Obama get rolled out as part of the midterms. He is as electric as he ever was.  But you can equally ask the question, given Trump got to the White House also a decade ago, why hasn’t he been replaced by someone new and just as charismatic?  Is it the times? Does the world not produce leaders anymore of any real consequence?  A similar thing happens in Australia. They still roll John Howard out and he still carries more weight than you might want to admit in a party that has badly fallen by the wayside.  Is it nostalgic? Is it not so much the character of the individual but the times themselves? They just happened to be at the top during those times so when we hear them, we are transported back to a better place.  It's memory lane and we like it better than what we have now.  And is what we have now the result of leaders who aren't up to much, or is it the march of the modern world? Whether it be social media and AI and humanoids, could any leader could make it any different?  Howard is too far removed to be an issue for the current leader of the coalition and for Obama, he is still current because the Democrats don’t have a leader. Would Obama fade if Gavin Newsom officially ran?  But does Key haunt Luxon just a little bit much?  Has Luxon not shone because he never lived up to the Key reputation?  Or is Key right, and no one could have survived the beating of the left and the media?     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.