The Mike Hosking Breakfast

European leaders appear alarmed by the speed the US has taken on its Russia plans.  France is hosting an emergency summit with European and NATO leaders to discuss the situation.  US and Russian officials are en route to Saudi Arabia for their own talks - Russia says Europe will have no role in these discussions.  Former BBC Foreign Correspondent Paul Wood told Mike Hosking the meet...

Russia appears to be pleased with the position it's in.  US and Russian officials are en route to Saudi Arabia for talks, excluding Ukraine and Europe.  France is hosting an emergency summit with European and NATO leaders to discuss the situation.  BBC Senior Russia Reporter Olga Ivshina told Mike Hosking Russia is presenting itself like it has the upper hand in negotiations. ...

The Prime Minister's open to axing entire Government agencies, saying there's probably too many.  Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche says he's considering the idea of cutting whole departments and bringing others together.  Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking he wants more efficiency in the public sector and is open to departments being scrapped.  He says there are many sma...

European leaders are scrambling to work out a security plan - without US support.  France is hosting an emergency summit regarding the war in Ukraine while US and Russian officials are en route to Saudi Arabia for their own talks to try to end the conflict.  Ukraine's Prime Minister is also in the Middle East, but won't be part of the talks.   Europe correspondent Catherine Field to...

We're being told the potential for New Zealand's 'blue economy' to take off will depend on the Resource Management Act.  A new Westpac report says the marine economy could grow to $14 billion in 10 years by switching to more sustainable practices.   Aquaculture New Zealand Chief Executive Gary Hooper told Mike Hosking aquaculture was recognised for the part it could play, but has yet to...

Education Minister Erica Stanford has said David Seymour overstepped the mark in his role as associate with his crackdown on teacher-only days last year.  The Minister said Seymour did not run the announcement past her before making it. Seymour disputes the overstep.  "We've got a set of rules which are very clear, and we work very well together, but of course there's always people who t...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 17th of February, we've got a new tourism campaign to target Australia and was David Seymour told off by Erica Stanford over teacher only days? What would you pay for a pint? Is $16 too much, like a venue in Christchurch is charging. Andrew Saville and Mike talk some record breaking success for individual sports over the weekend and wh...

More polls are in for the upcoming Australian election.  A poll in The Australian says the swing to the coalition would be about 3% if an election was held next weekend.  If realised, Peter Dutton would have eight seats, where he needs 16.  Australian Correspondent Steve Price says all polls are indicating to a repeat of the Albanese government.  "I think, that Anthony Albanese...

The country's tourism industry is encouraging Aussies to cross the ditch in a new campaign called 'Everyone Must Go.' How is the government working with Tourism New Zealand to make the campaign a success?  Why haven't Australians been travelling here?  Tourism New Zealand boss René de Monchy answers these questions and more with Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE.  See omnystudio.com/...

What is the proper size of a pint?  It's always up for debate, and one Christchurch pub owner Nick Inkster is backing his charge of $16 per pint.  LISTEN ABOVE.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new study has shown teachers, nurses, social workers and midwifes are badly hit financially while on unpaid university placements.  The study says it can take eight years for a nurse to have higher cumulative earnings than someone who worked for minimum wage at the same time.  Senior lecturer in maths and statistics at the University of Canterbury Leighton Watson joins the show. ...

Europe is rattled after confirmation they will be left out of Russia-Ukraine peace talks.  French President Emmanuel Macron has called an emergency summit in response that will take place tomorrow.  And US Vice President JD Vance has made a blistering speech in Munich, telling European leaders their biggest threat was not China or Russia, but came "from within."  Poland's TVP world...

Hundreds of skilled workers are packing up and leaving the country due to delays in infrastructure projects. Engineering New Zealand boss Richard Templer said the numbers aren't an exaggeration.  "In addition to the engineers, there's also the construction workforce. These are the people who, you know, build the roads, the hospitals, the schools, everything like that," he said.  Wha...

Investors are flocking to Airbnb in droves, with stock up 14% - the biggest one day move on record.  Hermes is also celebrating. The luxury brand's fourth quarter sales are up 18%, exceeding estimates.  Meanwhile, Kiwi's remain plagued with the cost of living: Food prices were up 1.9% last month, the highest rise since July 2022.  Greg Smith of Devon Funds Management joins the show...

The US and Russia will meet in Saudi Arabia over the coming days to discuss peace talks around the war in Ukraine.  United States officials have said Europe will be excluded from discussions.  How will this end?  US Correspondent Richard Arnold talks to Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 New Zealand economy: 6/10   Real signs of life this week. Apples and pears crash through a billion dollars, red meat had big gains outside China, Westpac are forecasting more growth later this year, and real estate is showing signs of turning around. And JB...

Who knew helping charities was so hard?  Or to put it another way, who knew charities were doing so well?  We have had a clean up and clean out. We are shifting and shuffling and de-cluttering.  This happens a bit at our house – I married a person who loves stuff, until they don’t. It hasn’t applied to me yet, but it applies to a lot of other stuff.  Tables and chairs and cloth...

Donald Trump says talks to end Ukraine's war will start immediately, although the US is indicating it won't regain all its territory.  A prisoner exchange is also likely.  The US President's spoken with Russia's Vladimir Putin, calling the phone call "lengthy and productive".  Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says it's "unrealistic" to think Ukraine will get all its territory back.&nb...

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking once more to Wrap the Week that was.  They shared their plans for Valentine's Day, discussed the outrageous bids on items in the Barry Humphries auction, and the kids getting pies for lunch as the school lunch providers scramble to get on top of logistics.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 14th of February, former Australian PM Scott Morrison is in the country to promote economic growth, so we get some tips from a man whose country outstripped our own economic production.  School lunches have been in the media a lot this week, so we talk to the provider to see what's going wrong and if it can be fixed.  Kate Hawkes...

The Government is being urged to make healthy national food supply a priority.  Growers can currently only farm vegetables with consent from regional authorities and want changes as part of resource management reform.  Horticulture NZ says without urgent change to this, the country risks losing a significant portion of its homegrown food supply by 2030.  Vegetables NZ Chair John Mur...

Those who provide school lunches are taking a cheat-day today to get on top of food production, following widespread criticism of late deliveries.  An admission from the Government's new school lunch provider that giving pies and Pita Pit to students wasn't part of the plan.  Compass Group, which was awarded the contract for the new cheaper school lunch programme, has faced criticism for...

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is sharing his advice on how to deal with an imminent tariff announcement from Donald Trump.  The US President has teased another round of sweeping reciprocal tariffs following the announcement of steel and aluminium tariffs earlier this week.  Morrison told Mike Hosking governments just need to make their case, as Mexico, Canada, and Austr...

The Government's confident it can bring an end to New Zealand's grocery duopoly.  It's laying out plans to challenge the incumbents, Foodstuffs and Woolworths, and remove regulations discouraging competition.  It wants to pave the way for a new player to enter the supermarket sector.  Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking there has been competition in the past.&nb...

Like most things in life, there is nuance and subtlety that is lost along the way.  David Seymour is of a personality that undoubtedly gets up the noses of some. He might even bother the Prime Minister periodically.  But his Land Rover Escapade is not a sackable offence. Neither is his letter written, not as a minister, for Polkinghorne a sackable offence. Even if you want to combine the...