The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Former Prime Minister Sir John Key is repeating a call not to engage in strategic voting, saying it's "not a smart idea" to split the vote.  He told Mike Hosking the centre-right political party, the biggest party in the parliament, needs to have a strong core.   "If you eat away at that and you say, 'okay, well, I'll give my party vote somewhere else', then then you put Labour right in...

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 campaign: 4/10  When Chlöe and Winston agree it's bad, you've got to listen.      Polls: 4/10  There has to be some sort of reckoning around this stuff. The RNZ Reid Research poll was rogue, clearly, the spread is absurd and the met...

So, the winner in week... what is it, five or six?  The winner in week five of the election campaign was the polls. Not the pollsters. The polls.  They were far from winners. The spread, the margin of error in some, is now so absurd they're writing articles about it.  Ironically, I listened to an interview on Radio NZ as they tried to explain it. Small clue: they couldn't. They coul...

The short week has come to a close, which means it's time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to help Mike Hosking Wrap the Week that Was.  They unpack how the election campaign has gone with just one more week until the big day and discuss the new programme the Ministry of Education is rolling out for gifted kids before Mike starts telling slanderous lies about his producer.  LISTEN ABOVE&...

Supercross is back in New Zealand for the first time since 2019.  Auckland's North Harbour Stadium is hosting the second round of the AUSX Australian Championship this weekend, with 5,500 tonnes of dirt used to build the track.  After winning both the American Supercross and Motocross 250 titles this year, Kiwi motocross star Cole Davies is competing in this weekend's event.  He tol...

There are hopes a new approach to gifted education will help students reach their full potential.  The Ministry of Education's rolling out a new national programme from January, aiming to better support their curriculum and social-emotional needs.  A review of past support found approaches were inconsistent across the country.  Gifted Education Researcher at Massey University, Profe...

Listen to the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 30 October. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some solid earnings growth for Freightways, despite pressure from high fuel prices.  The transport and logistics company's first-quarter revenue for the 2027 financial year rose 17.6% to $408.3 million, with net profit up 12% to $26 million.   E-commerce volumes jumped 24%, while retail volumes fell 1% and health volumes dropped 3%.  CEO Mark Troughear told Mike Hosking it reflects...

New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Lancaster's preparing for difficult conversations with provincial unions and Super teams in the five major centres.  Operations in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin will be consolidated as part of a drive to reduce costs and increase efficiency by 2028.  Lancaster has acknowledged the decisions will rankle.  He told Mike Hosking c...

An economist warns fixing the supermarket sector is much more complicated than breaking up the big players.  The Institute of Economic Research says the move could increase competition but will also be expensive and inefficient for purchasing and distribution.   It wants barriers addressed like limited wholesale access, purchasing advantages for current players, and trouble securing reta...

Gold medal for Kelly Eckhold at Westpac.  He called it, or at least suggested the hold we saw from the Reserve Bank wasn't as "home run" as many might have predicted.  This, in a dry, old world of monetary policy, is little short of a blockbuster.  I guess you could argue the 4-3 vote is a good indication of the wider view.  The economy is far from firing. It's far from needing...

Andy Burnham's Government has released its first budget.   UK Chancellor John Healey set out their latest tax and spending measures, saying it's a budget built on fiscal discipline, for the working people of Britain.  Economic growth is forecast at 1.2% this year, and remains under 2% right up to 2031.  UK Correspondent Enda Brady agreed growth is anaemic, but told Mike Hosking the...

Promising signs for small businesses, even in a shaky economy.  A Xero Small Business Insights report shows sales rose 5.6% year-on-year in the September quarter.  New Zealand out-performed all four other countries Xero tracks, with sales growth ahead of Australia, the UK, the US, and Canada.  Xero Country Manager Bridget Snelling told Mike Hosking they'd like to see this momentum c...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 29th of October, Reserve Bank Governor Dr Anna Breman explains why they decided to hold the Official Cash Rate.  We go to Israel as their "pivotal" election hangs in the balance , with the question now being who will blink first and join up with the Arab parties to get the majority.  It's the so-called "minor party" leaders sho...

Winston Peters says the 2026 election campaign is one of the worst he's ever seen.  The New Zealand First Leader told Mike Hosking on the Leaders Breakfast people are sick and tired of it – the pettiness, the diversion, the misleading representation.  He says if you ask people in the audience, as he did at public meeting in the Hutt Valley last night, if they're sick and tired of it, the...

Israel's future governance is still up in the air, with parties on all sides falling short of the required 61 seats.   With most votes counted, Benjamin Netanyahu's holding a narrow lead over rival Gadi Eisenkot, with 53 seats to 48.  The Arab parties have surged to a record 19.   ABC News Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran told Mike Hosking we could see parties from either blo...

ACT Leader David Seymour is cautiously confident the coalition could have speedier post-election negotiations this year, compared to 2023.   National, ACT, and New Zealand First took 40-days to strike a deal after the last election.   Both the Leaders of National and Labour have promised to try to finish negotiations by Christmas, but no firm promises have been made.   Seymour told...

The Reserve Bank is keeping a close eye on several factors as it weighs up whether to hike the Official Cash Rate before Christmas.  The Monetary Policy Committee voted, four votes to three, to hold the cash rate yesterday.  The shock decision has had an immediate impact on exchange rates, with the already weak Kiwi dollar seeing its biggest drop against the Aussie in almost a decade.&nb...

Greens Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick believes any dip in the polls as a result of the party’s association with gangs would have already been seen, but argues voters are more interested on other issues.  Two polls this week show the Green Party holding its 14-16% vote share of recent months. The polling period of both polls captured in its final days the saga concerning last week’s resignation of...

The figures keep defying the reality.  68,000 votes were cast on Monday.  That day was a problem according to the conspiracy theorists who suggested that not only had enrolling closed early, but the opening day of voting was a public holiday and for some reason voting on a day off may prove to be some sort of issue.  At 68,000, that is more than in 2023. So what does that mean? Noth...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 28th of October, we look at what the Reserve Bank is likely to do with the OCR today and how it might affect an election campaign.  The Prime Minister pops in after the long weekend to talk early voting numbers, alleged voter suppression, and what the polls are saying.  And on Politics Wednesday, Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitche...

It's Politics Wednesday, which means Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen are back with Mike Hosking to dig into the biggest stories of the week thus far.  With the election just under two weeks away, they discussed how things are faring in their electorates and the ongoing drama around voter registrations.  They also touched on the situation around Rakesh Naidoo and the resignation of Fire...

The Reserve Bank could have its hands full over the next few months, with inflation still stuck at elevated levels.   Economists are predicting the Monetary Policy Committee will lift the official cash rate by 25 basis points at 2pm today.   This would take it to 3%.   ASB's Kim Mundy told Mike Hosking we could see further hikes in December and February.  She says the Reserve B...

Amidst an already bad time for airlines, an analyst says Air New Zealand faces a unique set of challenges.  Forsyth Barr expects the airline to lose $338 million before tax this financial year.  Its passenger revenue is up 12% year-on-year, but fuel is costing it about $6.8 million a day.  Forsyth Barr Head of Research Andy Bowley told Mike Hosking engine issues is one challenge, wi...

Some say it's too hot, others too cold – a challenge for the operator of Christchurch's new covered stadium.  Some areas of One NZ Stadium reached 32 degrees during Sunday's Rugby League matches and Monday's NPC final.  Daytime fixtures could be scrapped in future to help players and fans cope with the heat.  Venues Otautahi Chief Executive Caroline Harvie-Teare told Mike Hosking th...