The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Someone will be paying the price for last week's power outage in Northland.   A pylon toppled over on Thursday after too many nuts were removed from the legs, letting it tip over.   Transpower says it's an inconceivable and unprecedented situation, and consumers can apply for compensation through their retailer.   Whangarei District Mayor Vince Cocurullo told Mike Hosking that they will need to wa...

An excellent outcome from a terrible process.   That's Medical Oncologist Chris Jackson's summation of Pharmac's latest funding boost.   The Government's committing $604 million to cover funding for 54 new medicines, including 26 cancer treatments.   Jackson says we have to be careful about implementation because dumping 26 cancer medicines into the system at once could create a capacity demand is...

The river Seine isn't as clean as officials would've hoped ahead of the Paris Olympics.   Many have expressed concerns over the state of the waterway which will also play a major role in the opening ceremony, where teams will float downstream in barges.   Europe correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that there's twice the maximum volume of e-coli in the water.   She says nearly $2.4 bill...

Australia’s opposition leader Peter Dutton has vowed to override the nuclear power ban.   Dutton made the comments during a federal Liberal party council meeting in Sydney, where he called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “fraud” and a “child in a man’s body”.   Australia Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking “I expect there’ll be some more fireworks today.”   Price said “If we don’t have a...

Jetstar's hoping to bring down fares by expanding its New Zealand operations.   It will fly directly against rival Air New Zealand with new flights between Auckland and the Sunshine Coast's Maroochydore, Christchurch and Cairns.   An eighth aircraft in New Zealand will help add 240,000 new seats each year.   Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully told Mike Hosking “This is the biggest expansion for Jetstar i...

New Community Beat Teams have been announced - 63 additional police staff will be deployed across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.   It's alongside Operation Safer Streets, which will see an extra 21 officers redeployed in Auckland's CBD from July - to target anti-social behaviour.   Police Commissioner Andrew Coster told Mike Hosking “We’ve had visibility as a key priority for a long time.”...

Saturday’s match is one the Warriors will want to forget.   The side was annihilated in NRL's round 16 by the bottom-of-the-table Titans 66-6 in the Gold Coast.   They conceded 11 tries to Te Maire Martin's one.   Former Kiwi and league commentator Richie Barnett told Mike Hosking “Around 70% of the crowd were Kiwis – basically a home game, but it was awkward to watch.”   Barnett said “I don’t und...

The Children's Minister is hoping the military-style academies will incentivise Judges to sentence youth offenders.   The Government's introducing a label for teens aged 14-17 with multiple offences: ‘Young Serious Offender’.   It's also looking at establishing a new military style academy - currently in the pilot stage.   Minister for Children Karen Chhour told Mike Hosking “It’s still at the dis...

Maritime NZ and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission are investigating the Aratere incident – putting the future of the Cook Strait connection under spotlight.   The Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground on Friday night - after more than 24 hours it was successfully re-floated on Saturday night.   Associate Finance Minister David Seymour told Mike Hosking “It feels like we’re a nation...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 24th of June, Associate Finance Minister David Seymour talks our ferries and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announces more cops on the beat.   Our infrastructure is a mess. Ferries, trains, planes, transmission towers. Boy this Government have a lot to try and solve and the tens of billions they don't have that are needed to solve i...

The US election is edging closer – with the first debate between President Joe Biden and rival, Donald Trump, is only one week away.   Both will formally become their parties' 2024 candidates – and this will be the first of at least two debates before the 5 November election.   US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking it's the first time the two have been in the same room since October 20...

The Government's being warned it must invest in New Zealand's ageing infrastructure.   It comes after a week of infrastructure woes, with the Defence Force plane breaking down, a toppled power pylon wiping out power to Northland, and the Aratere Interislander ferry running aground on Friday.   Infrastructure NZ Policy Director, Michelle McCormick, told Mike Hosking “I think it’s terrible for New Z...

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) has been very low in New Zealand – but it’s finding life in the United States services sector.   JMI Wealth Director Andrew Kelleher told Mike Hosking “We’ve had some pretty poor data recently.”   Kelleher said “It’s another set of statistics reminiscent of the GFC – that's the space we’re in.”   LISTEN ABOVE.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Here is the real problem with a ferry running aground.   It comes in the same week the plane didn’t work and the same week a transmission tower fell over.   It's pathetic. This country is on its knees and it's embarrassing.   As we said last week, the upside is it might just be so embarrassing we actually now get around to doing something about it.   KiwiRail need an investigation into how they ha...

United States and Israel relations are further unravelling after the latest move by Benjamin Netanyahu.   The Israeli Prime Minister's released a video where he's attempting to remove the block on a US bomb shipment that was introduced last month.   He says during World War II, Churchill told the US "give us the tools and we'll do the job".   He's now telling the US give us the tools and we'll fin...

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.     C-listers: 7/10   Burn of the week. I love people who call it like it is.     Granny flats: 7/10   A common sense policy and we need more of it.     GDP: 8/10   Come on! We beat Australia! Can't you feeeell the growth? Surely this makes us a rockstar economy again? Surely? Ri...

Think hard before you jump.   That was a quote from the Reserve Bank economist Paul Conway in a speech this week, as he tried to explain monetary policy, inflation and our general mess of an economy.   The comment was, in part, an answer to a question about whether the approach the bank had taken to the economy was the reason why so many New Zealanders were leaving.   "Think hard before you jump."...

Threats of war are firing between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, sparking fears of a wider Middle East conflict.   Israel's military says operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon have been approved.   Meanwhile, Hezbollah says it would invade northern Israel should a war break out.   Otago University Professor of Peace Studies Richard Jackson told Mike Hosking that it's unlikely Israel c...

Wellington is gearing up for a weekend of indulgence with a huge chocolate festival in town.   Chockstock is coming to the Harbourside Function Centre with chocolate tasting sessions starting this evening and wrapping up Sunday afternoon.   More than 25 chocolate makers will feature in the exhibition.   Co-Founder Luke Owen-Smith told Mike Hosking that the craft chocolate industry's growing.   He...

Kingsland is set to be buzzing as the Super Rugby Final kicks off in a sold out Eden Park.   The Blues are playing the Chiefs tomorrow from 7pm, taking the home field advantage.   Blues Coach Vern Cotter told Mike Hosking that the recovery of Patrick Tuipulotu was a good boost for the team.   He said that he’s instrumental in putting everything in place, and gives the boys around him confidence.  ...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 21st of June, Finance Minister Nicola Willis reacts to the surprise GDP increase and the Blues and Chiefs coaches talk their prep ahead of the final.   The Transpower CEO tries, and fails, to explain what happened in Northland and when the power will be restored.   Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson play the ‘family friendly’ game of what NZ cit...

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking once more to Wrap the Week that was.   They discussed new music, the Northland power outage, and played a family friendly game of ‘which New Zealand city is happiest?’   LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It all comes down to Saturday, as the Chiefs face the Blues in the Super Rugby Final.   They’re playing before a sold-out Eden Park, kick-off at 7:05pm.   Chiefs Coach Clayton McMillan told Mike Hosking that while they lost their way a bit in the middle of the season, it was a reflection of them acknowledging some shifts they needed to make in their game, and then they got it going right at the en...

Nearly 100,000 people spent the day without electricity in Northland after a transmission tower linking the region to the rest of the country collapsed.     Power was restored to most of the region yesterday evening, but consumers were asked to conserve electricity and warned their hot water cylinders would remain off while the amount of energy getting into the area was limited.     The tower was...

Sign-off for a huge Government funding boost for Pharmac - which would allow for greater access to potential life-changing drugs for cancer patients - could come as soon as Monday.    Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed she would announce a policy “very shortly”, but wouldn't confirm the exact timing.   Willis was speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning, following reporting by...