The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Mushroom killer Erin Patterson is receiving weight loss drug Ozempic in prison – at the expense of the Australian taxpayer.   She's serving three life sentences for murdering her husband's parents and an elderly aunt with a poisonous mushroom laced beef wellington.   Corrections authorities say it's intended to reduce her risk of developing type two diabetes, which is associated with rap...

Today on Politics Wednesday, Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen dig into some of the biggest stories of the week thus far.  They discussed National's plan to widen access to 5% first home deposits, the Green Party's plan to break up the supermarket duopoly, carbon credit auctions, and the latest education results.  LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Average Kiwis aren't the only ones shopping locally, McDonald's is too.  The fast food giant spent more than $580 million on New Zealand produced ingredients last year, with around 90% of the ingredients it uses here being locally sourced.  This includes 17 million kilograms of Canterbury potatoes, 10.5 million eggs, and more than 6,400 tonnes of beef.   McDonald's NZ Head of Impact...

The Warriors have officially sold-out Mt Smart Stadium.  Saturday's qualifying final against the Dolphins sold out within minutes of general tickets going on sale – around 25,000 fans set to pack the stadium.  CEO Cameron George told Mike Hosking the Dolphins are a good side, but they've trained well and the boys are up for it.  He says there is no easy game and they've had tight ga...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 9th of September, our good PISA numbers have Education Minister Erica Stanford happy.   The Squash World Championships are coming to New Zealand in 2028, and our champ Paul Coll couldn't be more excited.   Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk carbon auctions, first home buyers' policy, and Labour Party election costings on Po...

Greymouth's Paul Coll wants all the home court advantage he can get for the 2028 Squash World Championships.  It's being held at Auckland's International Convention Centre in February, running concurrently with the inaugural World Club Championships.   The world number two is already adapting his schedule for the event, which will lead into the sport's Olympic debut in Los Angeles later...

The latest forecast from BusinessNZ shows New Zealand's economy's regained momentum. It's predicting solid economic growth out to 2028, citing the fact business confidence is holding up, the Performance of Manufacturing and Services Indexes are back in black, tourism's growing, and credit activity's increased.  Chief Economist John Pask says performance is improving across the board.   H...

There's a view National's alternative to a bed tax would remove some pressure on smaller councils.   The party's pledging to re-set the International Visitor Levy, putting aside $100 million a year for conservation and $50 million for tourism.   The rest would go to councils, divvied up based on how many international visitor nights they host.   Local Government New Zealand Presiden...

The Education Minister believes improving attendance is one reason for the narrowing achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.  PISA results find it's narrowed in the last four years, largely because disadvantaged students performed better.  It also shows New Zealand students remain above the OECD average across all three subjects, ranking ninth in reading, tenth in...

There's a battle of the ideologies on display as ACT looks to cut art spending on roading projects.  It's very ACT, i.e. fiscally disciplined. Every $1 million on roading needs to be $1 million on roading, not 99% on roads and 1% on art.  The art is an issue for several reasons, mainly for me because most of it is unimpressive.  I'm not actually against art per se. I like art. I pre...

Proving there's always mileage in a car show, it's time for a new era of the Grand Tour.  There'll be three new hosts behind the wheel, Francis Bourgeois, James Engelsman, and Thomas Holland taking over from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May.  Holland and Engelsman have hosted the YouTube channel Throttle House together for over a decade, while Bourgeois is a well-known soc...

A young Kiwi pool player is taking his game to the world stage.  22-year-old Sheridan Burmester's heading overseas for a major international campaign, competing in tournaments across Vietnam, Bali, and India.   He's also heavily invested in growing the game back home in New Zealand, similarly to things like darts, which has growing mainstream appeal.   Burmester told Mike Hosking th...

The Michelin effect's in full swing, with a Christchurch venue full every night through the depths of winter.  Fifteen Kiwi restaurants were awarded stars in June, with the Michelin Guide promising to attract 36 thousand extra overseas visitors annually.  A Tourism New Zealand business case, including overseas evidence, shows this could bring turnover growth of up to 50% for venues.&nbsp...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 8th of September, Resources Minister Shane Jones discusses the first projects funded by the Gas Security Fund, and we're already starting to see the Michelin effect on our hospo industry.  We've got another carbon auction happening today, and David Seymour believes we should bin them.  The new Grand Tour hosts have big shoes to...

Relief for the Port of Tauranga as a long-awaited project gets the green light.  The Government's approved the Stella Passage development under the fast-track to add to its container berths and wharves.  Payments will be made to the local marae as part of cultural mitigation.  Port CFO Simon Kebbell told Mike Hosking they're very grateful for the fast-track avenue.  He says thi...

The regions are getting a boost, with the aim of enticing international visitors to stray from the golden route.   The Government's putting $5 million into six campaigns to attract North American, Chinese, and Australian tourists to the regions at off-peak times.   Tourism Minister Louise Upston says showcasing regional food, wine, and experiences spreads the benefits of tourism growth i...

ACT's leader believes tonight's carbon auction will expose a policy that has lost touch with economic reality.  The Government currently sets a minimum auction price for carbon units, which right now sits around $71.  ACT's campaigning on scrapping the arbitrary net zero 2050 target and instead tying our emissions cap to a trade-weighted average.  David Seymour told Mike Hosking no...

Security is a key concern for Germany's government as a far-right party seeks to gain control of a state for the first time since World War II.  Preliminary election results in Saxony-Anhalt show the AfD party is three seats short of an outright majority.  The party is assessed by domestic intelligence as "far-right extremist", a classification the party rejects.  Europe Corresponde...

The Resources Minister says the Government loan book is necessary to entice business back to the gas industry.  It's investing $23.5 million in two Taranaki projects from its $200 million Gas Security Fund, including drilling a new well and accessing deeper gas at an existing field.  Both with be run by Todd Energy, and there are 17 other proposals sitting on the Government's desk. ...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 7th of September, we've got a new first home buyer policy from National that Labour says they'll likely match. The PM is in to talk Palau, carbon auctions, the Waitangi Tribunal and MAPAS reports and yet more angst over housing projects within fast-track. Jason Pine and Andrew Saville talk the All Black's loss and whether Baltimore mea...

The All Blacks faced a 29-24 loss against the Springboks in Soweto on Sunday, losing the ability to win the tour.  Former All Black Josh Kronfeld joined Mike Hosking to discuss where they went wrong.  "You know, just little mistakes when we didn't need little mistakes, you know, poor decisions when we didn't need a poor decision, and then just individuals just at the wrong moment who've...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Mike Hosking in studio for their weekly chat. They discussed the Green's supermarket plan, a trade deal with Canada, the Waitangi Tribunal report, and National's goal to expand the first-home loan scheme.  Luxon told Hosking there would be low risk to the Government from expanding the first-home loan scheme. "The real problem that people are finding is...

Wastewater testing found 2 million doses taken in a single week in April, up around 15% on last year. But Casey Costello, the minister in charge of tackling transnational and serious organised crime said weekly consumption fell in June to 27.7kg, 18% lower than the average over the previous four quarters. "Around the world, you know, huge changes in the drug supply are happening very quickly, and...

You do wonder if National have an agenda pre-election over race-based issues. The Waitangi Tribunal review is on Tama Potaka's desk and has been for a while. It hasn’t gone to Cabinet. Why not? The report into what they call MAPAS (the Maori and Pacific Admissions Scheme) for medical school at Auckland and Otago university was a coalition deal between Act and National to review it. They have done...

Reporting season has revealed better than expected results, with median growth across the economy at +21%, despite forecasters predicting it was going to be +16%.  "We've come out of a pretty long trough in the context of profitability that we've seen across the New Zealand listed companies," Forsyth Barr head of research Andy Bowley told Mike Hosking.  "But, it's unlikely to be uniform,...