The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New research from the University of Auckland has found there has been an increase of opioid use in older people and patients after surgery.   Health records for more than 800,000 people over 65 show from 2007 to 2018, there has been an increase in prescriptions. Records show a rate of persistent use of people still using opioids 90 days after surgery at 9.1%.   Lead Researcher Hoda Fahmy tells Mik...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters describes New Zealand’s relationship with China as very important ahead of a visit from China’ Foreign Minister Wang Yi.   Peters tells Mike Hosking the relationship is complex as China is the country’s number one trading partner.   LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand Post plans to lay off 700 postal staff in the next five years, in favour of using contractors in vans.   Postal Workers Union Co-National President John Maynard tells Mike Hosking contractors don’t have the same employment rights and employers will use contractors to avoid paying benefits such as annual holidays. The union believes a suitable alternative to the cuts is to maintain post...

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.     Tax treatment for landlords: 6/10   A return to the status quo, despite all the gnashing of teeth from the luvvies who still haven't got their heads around the election result.     Labour's claim over landlords and millionaires: 2/10   The fact they couldn’t get basic facts r...

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking once more to wrap this weeks news and take a little look back at Newstalk ZB's history ahead of the stations birthday tomorrow. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Road Safety Advocate Greg Murphy is strongly advising against self-driven cars.   Self-driving cars are increasing in popularity even though they continue to fail safety tests.   The four-time Bathurst 1000 winner turned road safety advocate understands the attempt to market something new and combat driver issues like fatigue but says they can do more harm than good.   He says these systems were p...

Renewable energy is on the rise.   Recent stats from MBIE show that the renewable share of electricity generation was 90.3% for the October to December 2023 quarter.   Ernst & Young’s Director Angela Ogier told Mike Hosking that 95% renewable energy is definitely doable in this country, it’s where we’re trending naturally with current technologies.   She said that bureaucracy is slowing down s...

This is why we hate councils.   On December 15th last year we received a letter from our local outfit claiming that the bore we have is not official, it has not been signed off and we have 28 days to rectify it.   This coming so close to Christmas is not good news and requires a level of attention that makes a mad part of the year even madder.   We purchased our house, complete with bore, a year a...

Air New Zealand domestic airfares are at an all-time high.   Stats NZ data shows the airline's domestic flight prices have gone up by 7% last month compared to January.   The Airport Association is pushing for a policy to monitor the domestic monopoly as they dictate price, routes, and flight schedules.   Matthew Bolland, Air NZ’s Corporate Affairs Officer, told Mike Hosking that the increase is c...

Nicola Willis is expected to reveal more details about the Government's fiscal situation today, as she continues preparations for May's budget.   The Finance Minister will be speaking to business lunch event in Auckland.   Willis told Mike Hosking that since economic growth forecasts have been getting worse, the two options are to get down in the dumps about it, or they can say ‘what can we do abo...

The US House of Representatives has overwhelming supported a bill to ban TikTok in a rare bipartisan move.   It could see a ban enacted, if Chinese parent company Byte Dance doesn't sell its stake in the app within six months.   Lawmakers argue there's a national security threat as the Chinese government could force the company to hand over US users' data.   US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mi...

Green Party MP Darleen Tana has been suspended amid allegations she is linked to migrant exploitation at her husband’s company.   Tana becomes the third Green MP in less than a year to run into trouble, following in the footsteps of Elizabeth Kerekere, who quit the party last year amidst bullying allegations, and Golriz Ghahraman, who resigned after allegations emerged of her shoplifting.   The pa...

I stumbled upon an article yesterday about Lyn Slater.   The headline was ' I’m 70 years old — why shouldn’t my clothes convey my sexuality, and sense of style?’   Lyn Slater is a former model, influencer, writer, and professor, she is indeed a very stylish woman, and the question she asks about clothes is a fair one.   Age, for reasons I can’t fathom, still seems to be an issue in this Western so...

What would it take for a party to give back a political donation?   The British Conservative Party’s biggest donor told colleagues that looking at MP Diane Abbott makes you “want to hate all black women,” and said that she “should be shot”.   Frank Hester has donated £10 million to the Tories in the past year, which PM Rishi Sunak is disinclined to return despite disavowing the comments and callin...

The Pope is still in hot water for his comments on Ukraine.   In an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, Pope Francis said that Ukraine should have the courage of “the white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia.   The Vatican was forced to backtrack yesterday, urging Moscow to halt what the Secretary of State called “an unjust invasion”.   Italy Correspondent Jo M...

Tariffs across the ditch are getting scrapped to lower living costs and some are asking if New Zealand should follow suit.   Australia will remove import taxes on a wide range of goods from July to bring cost-of-living relief.   It will streamline $9 nine billion worth of annual trade and save businesses over $30 million yearly.   Business NZ's Catherine Beard told Mike Hosking that we got rid of...

Food price inflation may have hit its lowest point since May 2021, but that doesn't mean eating out will get any cheaper. Stats NZ data for February shows the price of restaurant and ready-to-eat-meals has increased by 6.7% year-on-year.  Overall food price inflations is at 2.1%, driven by fruit and vege prices falling 9.3%.   Restaurant Association CEO Marisa Bidois told Mike Hosking that the ind...

The Government remains adamant there will be no further bailouts for Mount Ruapehu's struggling ski field beyond this year.   Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million for Ruapehu Alpine Lifts to operate this season.   The company, which has been in receivership since October last year, has been operating on funds from a previous bailout.   Regional Development Minister Shane Jones told Mike Hoskin...

Back in New Zealand for the Summer, Kaylee Bell is starting her year off with a bang.   The country-pop artist has been busy with festivals and family, performing with Synthony at Rhythm and Alps just before the count down on New Years Eve.   “I don’t know how I top that now for a New Year,” she told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking.   “That was a pretty cool way to spend that.”    She briefly jumped ac...

Shane Reti has set a timeframe of 2030 to reach his five health targets but there's concern this will be too little too late.   The Health Minister's targets aim to address areas such as cancer treatment, child immunisation, and ED wait times.   He's faced criticism across the House and from health authorities about not setting any targets related to primary care.   Northcote A&E Medical Direc...

It's a different caucus retreat for the Labour Party compared to last year.   MPs will gather in Wairarapa for the belated annual meeting, which is usually held in January.   Political editor Jason Walls told Mike Hosking that issues are starting to build up in the party camp.   He says it's not going to be a celebration today, but more a period of reflection and rebuilding.   LISTEN ABOVE   See o...

The carbon market is worth following, if for no other reason than it’s a very good example of voodoo economics - and it's highly entertaining.   We talked yesterday to Steven Joyce about James Shaw's desire to have our liability on carbon emissions put into the books so we can all see what sort of effect it would have on our finances.   The key lines in Joyce's explanation were that we can't do th...

It’s yet another reminder of New Zealand's wine prowess.   Wine Maker Michael Brajkovich of Kumeu River Wines has been announced as the 2024 Winemakers’ Winemaker.   Brajkovich is recognized by many as the pioneer of the chardonnay movement in New Zealand and for spearheading the use of screw cap closures.   He told Mike Hosking that it was a huge accolade for him, their company, and their family....

Monday’s dramatic LATAM flight is the latest in a long list of troubles for Boeing.   Ten passengers and three crew were hospitalised after the plane dropped 150 metres mid-flight, more than 50 people injured total.   US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the Federal Aviation Administration’s audit into the Boeing 737 Max —the model used for the Alaska Airlines flight in January— ...

The Labour party is firing pot-shots at Police Minister Mark Mitchell, calling his recent Police pay offer "disgraceful".   The Police Association has slammed the Government's latest pay offer, calling on the minister to come to the table with a better deal.   Labour's Kieran McAnulty told Mike Hosking that the Government is increasing Police workload, so they should pay up.   He says if the Gover...