The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Mortgage rates are continuing to fall, but it isn't getting any easier for many people to access bank loans.  Latest figures from interest.co.nz show one-year mortgage rates have fallen to around 6.33%, down from about 7.35% in January.  But banks have told our newsroom they're still testing applicants at between 8.5 and 8.7%.  Loan Market Mortgage Advisor Bruce Patten told Mike Hos...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 8th of October, we finally hear from the Navy about the HMNZS Manawanui sinking , and David Seymour previews his Treaty of Waitangi debate taking place tonight.  The Prime Minister is in studio to talk about some of the under-fire ministers, where the $3b figure came from for Dunedin Hospital, and if we have money for a new naval shi...

TVNZ's potentially looking at a challenge as it looks to further compete against streaming sites.  The state broadcaster's consulting with staff on shutting its 1News website in February and investing in streaming service TVNZ+.  TVNZ has a savings target of $30 million and has already axed its midday and late night news bulletins, as well as said goodbye to its 'Fair Go' show.  Med...

Moves have been made by the Chief of Navy to shut down speculation about the loss of the Manawanui.  The $100 million naval vessel was surveying the area off Samoa's coast on Saturday, when it hit a reef and sank the following day.   Most of the 75 rescued crew members have returned to New Zealand, with the final few flying back today.   Divers are heading out to the site today to a...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says his Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms) Nicole McKee is not a liar and is doing a good job as minister.  “She still holds the position that high-capacity magazines need restrictions on them,” Luxon told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking Breakfast.  “The Arms Act is 40 years old, so it does need some reviewing," he said.  “It’s entirely appropriate...

David Seymour is looking forward to discussing his Treaty Principles Bill with a Ngati Toa leader tonight.  Helmut Modlik will debate Seymour two months after Modlik called him out.  A draft of Seymour's Bill will be ready for public release and discussion next month, but National says it will support the bill only to its first reading.  The ACT leader told Mike Hosking the debate i...

Andrew Saville and Guy Heveldt joined Mike Hosking to discuss Ryan Fox in Mississippi, the Penrith Panthers beating the Melbourne Storm 14-6 to win their fourth-straight NRL premiership, Team New Zealand's America's Cup opponents confirmed and Jimmy Spithill's retirement, ongoing issues at NZR and the All Blacks' end of year tour, and Mike's new 77-inch TV. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener...

Possibly my favourite stat from the Census was that home ownership is up. Who would have thought? Well, those of us that follow facts would. But the commentary around housing, sadly, is dictated to us by pressure groups whose best interest is served by telling us how broke we all are, and abetted by a media who sadly don’t ask a lot of questions any more and more often than not simply parrot whate...

Trans-fats are somewhat of a silent killer. 645,000 people died globally because of high TFA diets in 2019. New University of Auckland analysis says many foods here have them, but don’t disclose them. It might not be long until they’re banned altogether. University of Auckland population health senior research fellow Dr Kathryn Bradbury joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener...

Suppliers to supermarkets appear to be charging more, more often. Which comes with a warning it could be the new norm. Foodstuffs has commissioned a report by Infometrics tracking the prices of 60,000 products — which has found they appear to keep gradually rising by 2.3 percent a year. Infometrics CEO and principal economist Brad Olsen joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener...

The Government's signalling the first list of projects to be fast-tracked won't be the last. 149 projects are being lined up to receive the fast-track treatment. It would see the building of up to 55,000 new homes, 180 kilometres of roads, and 11 mining projects. Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking the advisory group recommended 342 projects to go through to the next stage - but...

A former media boss says Google's threat to blow up New Zealand news agreements should be taken seriously. The search engine says it will remove any ability to find New Zealand news on its platform — if the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill passes later this year. The legislation would force global tech giants to negotiate with media companies and pay for news content. Former head of Warner B...

A raft of questions in the wake of the sinking of our first naval ship in peacetime. The HMNZS Manawanui went down off the coast of Samoa yesterday, after hitting a reef off the island of Upolu the night before. The $100 million vessel had been surveying the area. All 75 people onboard were rescued before the vessel went down.  Defence Minister Judith Collins told Mike Hosking large quan...

Federal Prosecutor Jack Smith laid out his most extensive case to date against former President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election in a legal brief that was unsealed Wednesday. A new report, which lands weeks before the US presidential-election, brings new information about Trump’s attempt to lean on state officials and paint a narrative of widespread fraud that prosecutors say Tr...

You know what's more boring than talking about a capital gains tax? It’s talking about superannuation, and yet here we are again.   We're talking about it again, and how we need to take the Super off the 65 year olds because of what happened yesterday.   Now what happened yesterday was that for a brief minute, the two major political parties almost found consensus on the Super, but it on...

Police in New South Wales have settled for a pro-Palestinian vigil set to take place this week, after earlier attempts with the state’s top court to ban two pro-Palestinian rallies fell through. Next Monday marks the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s attacks on Israel and the start of the conflict in Gaza - and police hoped to stop any rally taking place on that date. Australian correspondent Murray...

Auckland’s final round robin NPC clash will look a little bit different this week.  They’re saying goodbye to Eden Park and hello to the field at Auckland Grammar, taking the game back to the grassroots.  Auckland Rugby CEO Jarrod Bear told Heather du Plessis-Allan that it’s an opportunity to get out to different corners of Auckland, they’ve had great feedback.  He said that Aucklan...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 4th of October, Health NZ are facing a near $1 billion deficit, and Margie Apa isn't confident we will have a surplus next year either.    In a study of over 200 countries, New Zealand was the only country in the world where acne rates were dropping. So, what are we doing right?  Kerre Woodham and Tim Wilson wrap the week an...

With Mike Hosking away from the studio this week, Heather du Plessis-Allan was joined by Kerre Woodham and Tim Wilson to Wrap the Week that was.   They discussed the spending habits of MPs, the drama surrounding the Prime Minister’s capital gains, and debated what the coolest place in the country is.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Association says it's pleasantly surprised at the surge in new recruits.  Recruitment numbers have soared in the past year, with five and a half thousand applications in the first eight months of the year.  President Chris Cahill says one reason behind it is the state of the economy, and policing is seen as a place of stable employment.  He told Heather du Plessis-Allan s...

An education leader says there needs to be a long-term plan for school property.   The Government's expected to respond to the Ministerial Inquiry into School Property today.   The inquiry was launched in February to address the issue of planned works being unrealistic and unaffordable.   Principals Federation president Leanne Otene told Heather du Plessis-Allan there are issues wit...

There's scepticism over our decreasing acne rates.  New research in the British Journal of Dermatology has singled out New Zealand as the only country with decreasing rates, but only by a small amount.  Germany had the highest rates of reported acne, while the rate in the UK had increased to almost 15% from 1990.  Dermatologist Louise Reiche told Heather du Plessis-Allan the researc...

The Health New Zealand leader says their cost growth has plateaued.   Its report for the June quarter shows the preliminary result for the financial year is a $934 million deficit.   Earlier, in quarter three, a $299 million surplus was forecast.   Chief Executive Margie Apa told Heather du Plessis-Allan they've stopped their cost growth and have stabilised in the past quarter. &nbs...

Labour’s going to have to sort itself out over this Middle East situation.  This is about Damien O'Connor's tweet. I was really surprised yesterday when I was listening to Carmel Sepuloni being interviewed on this, as the deputy leader of the Labour Party.  She was asked if he should apologise for his tweet and instead of saying yes, which is the only answer to give, she made excuses for...

While he’s well-known for fronting Kiwi rock band Shihad, Jon Toogood is striking out with his biggest solo project yet.  His first ever solo album, Last of the Lonely Gods , drops next week, and to celebrate Toogood is embarking on a 19 date tour around New Zealand.  The album is a ten-track acoustic collection, showcasing themes of loss, resilience, and healing, and showcasing his arti...