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.

Super Rugby: 7/10

Good start, good rugby, no one knows who is going to win and the crowds were okay.

Jannik Sinner and tennis: 3/10

For a sport that I assumed didn’t want to look shonky, it's got a very WWE vibe about it these days.

Farmers: 9/10

At over $10 in dairy and regulation driven by reality, not fairy tales, it's no wonder they are feeling good.

Bootcamps: 6/10

The report spoke well of the pilot. Pity the media didn’t cover more of the report, as opposed to the Labour Party pile on.

Debbie from the Māori Party: 1/10

When you are that detached from the world in which you are allegedly serving, and on holiday while you're displaying your ignorance, you've got to wonder. Mind you, as Rawiri Waititi so eloquently, and yet incorrectly, put it, it could be a hatch job.

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In a week, 230 New Zealanders were given confirmation Kinleith Mill was over.

The Australians facing the same scenario at a place called Whyalla in South Australia did something completely different.

The steel mill is owned by a British billionaire and it's in a world of financial trouble. It may well go to the wall.

It employs 1000 people in a town of 22,000. So the state Government, backed by the Federal Government, has bought it.

Even for a Labour Government in Australia it is an extraordinary move.

But the assessment is, in a small town, you can't afford to lose that many jobs.

They will look for a buyer, they will look for finance and they will look to rejig the place to solve the problem. But in the meantime, the place is open and the jobs are saved.

The first question you ask, of course, is would this decision be made if it was not about a month or so out from an election, which is an election the Government who just bought the steel mill is in serious danger of losing?

The precedent is also shocking. If you save one, surely you save them all? And if you don’t, because you can't, the locals will, quite righty, ask why not?

Also, the Government owning things in the long term has never really been a recipe for efficiency or success. As much heat as Labour got in the 1980's for selling the railways here, Helen Clark buying them back has hardly been one of life's great business decisions.

In a small town though, at the pub or the dairy or the sports field, who cares? They've got jobs, the bills get paid, and the kids stay in the local school. They'll take it. Where the money came from doesn’t really matter.

As much as Shane Jones espouses the value of the regions, the region here still lost its mill.

We still have the problem that is the price of power. It still hasn’t been addressed as an issue, and we go into another winter with a mess of a system.

In Australia the place is open, the jobs are saved and no one's leaving town.

So, which approach is better?

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Councils are planning for the long term, so should the Government be doing the same?

The Auditor-General's Office has compiled a report into 58 councils’ long-term plans, and found they made a “significant achievement” meeting their requirements on time in uncertain circumstances.

However, they found the Government lacks comparable planning requirements.

Deputy Auditor-General Andrew McConnell told Mike Hosking they’re raising the question of how much the central government understands about its future infrastructure costs.

He says most government agencies have a form of infrastructure they’re relying on, so they think that question needs some serious consideration.

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 21st of February, the Daman Kumar case is over and he’s been granted residency – does this set a precedent?

According to our listeners, Air NZ CEO Greg Foran has plenty to defend after the airline released its disappointing half year results.

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson play a new game that may have to become a regular segment: Is Mike a Snob?

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Friday has come once again, and Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was.

They discussed rising crime, Air New Zealand, and which overstayers should get amnesty.

Plus, they played a new game: Is Mike a Snob?

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Air New Zealand expects to be short of planes for at least another two or three years.

Our national carrier's recording an 18% drop in half-year profit.

That follows a 65% in full-year profit last year.

Chief Executive Greg Foran told Mike Hosking they're going into a period when up to 11 aircrafts will be out of action.

He says it's a bit like playing a rugby match without the front row.

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It's thought the Government is unlikely to grant a wide scale amnesty for overstayers.

Daman Kumar, who was facing deportation to India even though he'd never visited, has now been offered residency.

The Greens want his parents to be granted an exemption, as they have been overstayers for 24 years.

Into NZ Immigration principal consultant Katy Armstrong says the Government won't want to grant amnesty because it could be seen as unfair to legal migrants.

She told Mike Hosking there needs to be support for those who have done the right thing.

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A lack of competition in the banking sector is being blamed on poor regulation.

Financial experts believe a fundamental change to the Reserve Bank and the Council of Financial Regulations is required.

Andrew Body, one of the experts, told Mike Hosking the regulators have created a “moat” around the large banks in New Zealand.

He says the capital requirements, the Reserve Bank’s outsourcing requirements and branch policy, as well as the conduct and disclosure regulation and costs of operating all favour the big banks.

Body told Hosking that RBNZ Governor Adrian Orr has completely “overcooked” the regulation.

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