The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Health New Zealand is adamant frontline roles are safe from cuts.   The health agency has been tasked with reining in the sector's budget and a commissioner replaced the board last month after concerns of serious overspending.   Staff have been told to dismiss a presentation suggesting job cuts could come from hundreds of doctors and more than a thousand nurses.   Commissioner Lester Levy told Mik...

The Immigration Minister says she's making needed changes to the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme.   The cap on seasonal workers will increase by 1,250 to 20,750, and the pause on accommodation cost increases will be lifted.   Employers will be able to average out workers' minimum 30 hours a week over four weeks and need to pay experienced staff only 10% above the minimum wage.   Immigration Mi...

Former  Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison testified yesterday via video link in a defamation case Senator Linda Reynolds brought against her former staffer, Brittany Higgins. Senator Reynolds is suing Ms Higgins over social media posts made last year, which she claims greatly injured her character and reputation and caused her distress and embarrassment. Mr Morrison stood by his previous c...

My least favourite data dump yesterday.    Firstly tourism – which yet again reminds me how, when I was asking well in excess of a year ago where the hell all the people were, no one seemed to care or hear me   Fast forward 18 months, with the numbers stuck at about 80% of what they were 5 years ago, the industry I read now is “worried". Why weren't they worried when I was worried? Why does it tak...

Pete Miskimmin is one of New Zealand’s leading sports administrators – and he’s set to show us off to the world.   The former Black Sticks Captain and Sports NZ CEO has taken on a new role as Sports Diplomacy Manager and tasked with using sport to achieve Government objectives in political, economic, and social sectors.   He told Mike Hosking that it allows them to build key relationships and attr...

National’s Mark Mitchell and Labour’s Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to dig into some of the biggest stories of the week on Politics Wednesday.   Parliament is taking another break – off three weeks for the school holidays, back for two weeks, and off for another. What’s prompted this one?   The country is facing a power crisis, what are their thoughts on the matter, and what can be done to so...

The seafood industry isn't making the most of free trade deals.   FTAs with the UK, European Union, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership eliminated tariffs on some seafood.   However, at the recent Seafood Conference, it was revealed a large part of the industry is still paying.   Seafood New Zealand Chief Executive Lisa Futschek told Mike Hosking they're w...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 14th of August, it's OCR day so what will Adrian Orr and the Reserve Bank do? Steven Joyce imparts his knowledge, plus we look at our latest tourism numbers.   If Mike told you 93% of garages in NZ are carpeted, would you believe him? We've got plenty of bizarre numbers to break down!   Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk our energy i...

The Māori Development Minister says iwi will welcome clarity about the responsibilities of major Māori agencies.   The Government is shifting some functions of Te Arawhiti —the Office for Māori-Crown Relations— to the Ministry for Māori Development.   Te Arawhiti will now focus solely on negotiating Treaty of Waitangi settlements and Takutai Moana applications and the Ministry for Māori Developmen...

It's believed New Zealand's current energy dilemmas highlight the double-edged sword of renewable power.   Low lake levels, acute gas shortages, and periods of low wind have contributed to a looming energy supply crisis and skyrocketing prices.   Our biggest gas user, global methanol manufacturer Methanex, will shut down its Kiwi operations until October and redirect its gas to Contact Energy and...

Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr is facing a tough decision on whether to cut the Official Cash Rate today.   Financial markets are pricing in a cut, but economists remain divided on whether that should happen.   Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce says Orr doesn't want to act too quickly and risk having to backtrack if non-tradable inflation continues to remain high.   But, he told Mike Hosking,...

There's a belief New Zealand needs to put its money where its mouth is to attract international tourists.   Overseas visitor arrivals reached 3.2 million in the year to June but is still 17% down on pre-pandemic peaks.   Tourism Holdings Chief Executive, Grant Webster told Mike Hosking we simply have to be more competitive, as other countries spend big.   He says Australia's three major states com...

Elon Musk's live interview with Donald Trump's caught people's attention, but not for the reason he'd hoped.   The conversation had a bumpy start after a 40-minute delay due to technical difficulties on X.   It's being labelled a high-profile embarrassment for the billionaire, whose platform's faced multiple outages since he took over.   Last year, former candidate Ron DeSantis faced a similar ser...

A man has been arrested after a stabbing in London's Leicester Square that's left an 11-year-old girl needing hospital treatment, and a 34-year-old woman with minor injuries.   Police aren't treating the incident as terror-related.   UK police forces remain on high alert after days of riots earlier this month, which were triggered by online posts wrongly identifying a suspected killer of three gir...

So, what to make of the so-called power crisis?   About this time yesterday Mike Fuge from Contact Energy gave an eloquent defence of the power industry.   He said it works fine, we are in a period of transition, the investment is being made and it will all work out well in the end.   Tell that to the mills who have so far closed, or stopped, and the workers who are waiting to hear whether they ha...

Boybands were all the rage in the 90’s and 2000’s, and it seems they’re making a comeback.   The Backstreet Boys have toured in recent years, Blue recently visited New Zealand, and even NSYNC have been considering a comeback, prompted by ‘Bye Bye Bye’ making its way back into the charts thanks to the Deadpool and Wolverine movie.   But that’s not the end of it, with Boyzlife, a supergroup comprise...

Some upsides —and downsides— in the Government's new sanction system for beneficiaries.   The Government's increasing how often beneficiaries need to re-apply, and introducing new essential payment cards for those who fail to meet their obligations.   Former Welfare Expert Advisory Group member Phil O'Reilly says the new sanctions avoid causing harm to beneficiaries' children.   But, he told Mike...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 13th of August, we've got new welfare rules designed to get people off Jobseeker. So, will it work?   The Prime Minister is in studio to explain why Parliament is having yet another break, and how the electricity sector, welfare, and retail crime will be sorted.   Brian McFadden of Westlife and Keith Duffy of Boyzone join the show to talk...

The Paris Olympics is going down as a success among Parisians.   Newstalk ZB Correspondent Catherine Field is on the ground in the French capital, where she says hosting the Games was seen as a throw of the dice for the City of Love.   She told Mike Hosking that with most of the stadiums outdoors, security was always going to be an issue, but it proved to be a success.   New Zealand's team is now...

Road maintenance is becoming both more expensive, and more urgent.   A Government briefing document —released to our newsroom under the Official Information Act— shows road repair costs have gone up 50% in six years.   Drainage renewal costs have gone up 350%.   Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking costs have been rising at the same time roads have been degrading.   He says...

The new chair of the Canterbury A&P Association Board is determined to get the show back on the road.   Former Speaker of Parliament Sir David Carter has taken the reins in the lead-up to November's scaled-back event.   Carter says he wants to see the event continue for generations to come.   He told Mike Hosking personality issues made the relationship between previous board members and the g...

The Prime Minister says all options are on the table for tackling the energy crisis.   Wholesale electricity prices have surged in recent weeks as hydro lake storage nears record lows.   Christopher Luxon says he's pulled the industry together for discussions about rationing and transferring gas where it needs to go.   He told Mike Hosking they're looking at a series of short term measures to ensu...

The Infrastructure Commission says at the end of the day, congestion charging is all about efficiency.   Legislation is coming to clear the way for councils to propose making motorists pay for using busy routes at rush hour.   The aim is to encourage public transport, car-pooling, and off-peak travel.   Infrastructure Commission General Manager Geoff Cooper told Mike Hosking it allows councils to...

Andrew Saville and Guy Heveldt joined Mike Hosking to discuss their highlights of the Paris Olympics — including Hamish Kerr, Lydia Ko, Dame Lisa Carrington and Ellesse Andrews all getting the gold — and the All Blacks’ 38-30 loss to Argentina in Wellington. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian political leaders have leapt to the defence of Rachael Gunn as the Olympic team closes ranks behind the under fire breakdancer. The 36-year-old, known as Raygun, failed to score a point when breaking made its debut as an Olympic sport in Paris on Friday. Vision of the Macquarie University lecturer’s performance sent social media into a spin and raised questions about the sport’s validit...