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.

The Northland transmission tower: 1/10

If you made it up, they wouldn’t believe you.

The ferry: 3/10

A bit more believable given the track record leading up, but it's still no less depressing.

The Warriors: 1/10

Almost as bad as taking too many nuts and bolts out.

Pharmac: 7/10

Because on balance, a naive promise that was broken got rectified in a pretty impressive way and a lot of people get the help they need because of it.

Julian Assange: 6/10

On balance it's probably fair. He's a crook, he's served jail time and he endangered a lot of people. The debate over that, or whether he is a hero, will never settle, but the case has.

Jetstar: 6/10

Good week. I'm not sure about Cairns. But more domestic choice is good.

The fast track poll: 6/10

Proof that a bit of common sense is actually what a chunk of New Zealanders want. Maybe the media can reflect more of that instead of seeking out the moaners all day long

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A little something from the perspective file.

Although things are dire and dour and straight up and down bad, in some areas they are not as bad as headlines would lead you to believe.

The best line of high drama I have read this week was around jobs. "It's like the Hunger Games", it said.

Is it? Really?

A lot of press has been given to those who have lost jobs of late.

The reason for this is because we haven't gone through a job loss scenario for a while in this country.

But if you've been around a while it isn't like the hunger games, or anywhere close to it.

The unemployment rate is currently 4.3%. It might be a little bit higher given some of our data is slow, but at worst it's thought it may get to 5% or a little bit over.

In a historic context, 5% is a little more than normal. What we are living through is moderately normal.

The same can be said about interest rates when it's in the 6's, maybe early 7's. Yes, it's a lot higher than what they have been, but in context it's not remotely unusual at all.

In these examples is the value of institutional knowledge.

Much of the coverage of job losses and the ensuing Hunger Games has been based around the public service, which brings in another interesting aspect of jobs and choices

I read the plight of a person recently laid off who was off to Australia because the work they did no longer desisted here. They were going to Melbourne where the Government puts more funding into the social work they do. Which is great, if that’s your calling. But choosing a job that's no niche that it no longer exists surely was a risky choice in the first place.

That's like the person whose story I also read who got laid off from the Auckland light rail project. Surely when they applied they knew that wasn’t long for this world?

Having lost a couple of jobs myself there is no question it sucks, especially if it comes as no fault of your own.

The job ads may be down and the applications may be up, but at no point is what we are going through any more arduous, difficult or unusual than we have been through many a time before, and indeed will go through again.

What I suspect has changed is resilience.

There isn't as much of it about these days and that’s why "normal" seems like the Hunger Games.

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Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was.

They talked fitness regimes, tomorrow’s US Presidential debate, and Mike waxed poetic about fried bread.

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More than three billion dollars' worth of household food gets thrown in the bin every year.

The Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, Dame Juliet Gerrard, has issued the government 27 recommendations, including a reduction target.

Executive Director of NZ Food Waste Champions Kaitlin Dawson told Mike Hosking that we need to focus on other ways to lower the figures.

She says there's waste in retail, farming, and manufacturing but overall, it's a system issue.

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Sir John Kirwan has been given the ‘all clear’ for a $100 million surf park project in Auckland.

The artificial surfing pool will make between 600 and a thousand waves per hour, with more than 30 different settings for all skill sets.

If further approvals go ahead, construction can begin on the 43-hectare area in Dairy Flat later this year.

The All Black legend told Mike Hosking that there'll be a data centre and hotel, so it'll appeal to more than just the surfers.

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 27th of June, we explored the dropping dairy profits and the reforms the Government is introducing for sentencing.

Mike discovered fried bread this morning and couldn't be more interested in it.

Huge anticipation for the U.S debate between Trump and Biden so we got the expert analysis.

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

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Joe Biden and Donald Trump are gearing up for a rematch in the first 2024 US election debate.

It's the third faceoff between the President and former President after two heated encounters in 2020.

Marco Rubio's former chief of staff Matt Terrill says Biden will have to bring some energy while Trump will have to focus on the policies.

He told Mike Hosking that it's going to come down to inflation and immigration.

Terrill says those two issues are top of mind for the undecided voters, who both candidates will be trying to win over.

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The Government's edging towards becoming more prescriptive with its sentencing reforms.

It's introducing changes to lengthen sentences for some crimes including creating a new aggravating factor and limiting sentencing discounts.

Law Society Criminal Law Committee Convenor Chris Macklin says it's early days, but it looks like there's still some room for discretion.

He told Mike Hosking that he expects Judges will do their best to apply whatever comes out of the legislation as fairly as possible.

Macklin says it's just a small step towards becoming more prescriptive, signalling to the courts the expectation of Parliament rather than an outcome.

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