The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking she did not ask to remove the excise tax on tobacco. However, she conceded there was a line in a document from last year about removing it for three years.   Costello declined an invitation to go on TVNZ’s Breakfast this morning but has fronted up over her denial she specifically sought advice on  freezing the tobacco exc...

Those with even a passing interest in architecture and design will know the name Kevin McCloud.   The award-winning presenter and broadcaster of Grand Designs UK, the show running for 25 years.   Kevin McCloud has ridden its wave of success as he takes viewers on a tour of astonishing homes and wondrous architecture.   The presenter has a love of architecture, telling Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking th...

"To whom much is given, much will be required."   It's a great quote and is one of the reasons why my sympathy for Golriz Ghahraman is somewhat limited.   I think Winston Peters said that it's sad, and if it was him, he is right.   It's also made worse by the fact the whole tawdry mess is being played out so publicly. But then, "to whom much is given". She chose her life and with that came the scr...

Yesterday saw a major win for some of New Zealand’s top athletes.   The Employment Relations Authority has ruled in favour of the Athletes’ Cooperative, forcing High Performance Sport NZ to engage in collective bargaining with the co-op.   HPS had previously rejected attempts to hash out a collective agreement on the basis that they did not formally employ athletes.   Former Olympic Rower Mahe Dry...

Concerns hold fast as the pressures of the cost of living continue to spread.   The latest Centrix Credit Indicator shows non-discretionary arrears are going up, with telco arrears above 10% for the first time in four years.   Managing Director Keith McLaughlin says the number of households behind on utility accounts are up to 4.9%, well up on the last couple of years.   He says we're starting to...

New Zealand's education reputation remains strong with overseas audiences as new research shows the benefits international students bring to the country.   It reveals 84% of international students rate their experience positively, and three quarters of kiwis believe international students are an asset to our education system.   Education New Zealand's Geoff Bilbrough told Mike Hosking that the sys...

From today, recycling rules will be the same for most New Zealanders.   Standardised recycling has been introduced in a bid to make the process more efficient.   Items like plastic lids, coffee cups, and aerosol cans are no longer able to be recycled.   Waste Management NZ's David Howie told Mike Hosking that much of the country already has standardised recycling.   He says many councils have adop...

The banking sector is celebrating as the Government plans to slash red tape on lending.   The financial services sector will see regulations cut on licensing and loan requirements, a u-turn on laws introduced in 2021.   Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Andrew Bayly told Mike Hosking that while he agreed with the intention of previous regulations, the last government didn't adequately cons...

The Defence Minister says there's still a lot of groundwork to lay before any decision on AUKUS is made.   Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will meet with their Australian counterparts in Melbourne today.   She says that while other topics will be on the agenda, the defence and interests of New Zealand in the Pacific will come first.   Collins told Mike Hosking that New Zealand d...

High inflation in certain parts of the economy is dashing hopes of a cut in the OCR.   Reserve Bank Chief Economist Paul Conway says that despite overall inflation being at 4.7%, non-tradable inflation is still high at 5.9%.   Westpac Senior Economist Darren Gibbs told Mike Hosking that they expected an OCR cut to occur in February of next year, and that didn’t change after the announcement.   He...

The US is considering its response to the first deadly strike on its forces in the Middle East since the Gaza war began.   Three US servicemen were killed and at least 34 wounded in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, an escalation in the violence that has erupted beyond Gaza.   President Joe Biden has ordered retaliatory attacks on Iranian-backed...

Police Minister Mark Mitchell is 'fessing up to a mistake he made around the timeline for extra police.   Yesterday he told Parliament the original two year target to add 500 officers had been pushed out to three.   But the Prime Minister says he didn't express himself well, and the original target is still in place.   Mitchell told Mike Hosking that he should have been clearer.   But Labour Polic...

Doctors are warning of the risks of implanted chips after Elon Musk's company Neuralink claims to have successfully implanted a device in someone's brain.   The tech billionaire says the patient is recovering well and wants to continue work on the project to connect human brains to computers and tackle neurological conditions.   But AUT Neuroscientist Valery Feigin told Mike Hosking that it's risk...

The Prime Minister seems to be differing from his Police Minister on the timeline of when the Government will add 500 cops to the beat.   In Parliament yesterday, Mark Mitchell pushed out the original timeline from two to three years, citing difficulties with recruitment.   But Christopher Luxon says the two year commitment is still in place, despite the difficulties.   He told Mike Hosking that a...

Outgoing Green Party co-leader James Shaw says his next career steps remain uncertain.   He announced his resignation yesterday after almost nine years at the helm alongside Marama Davidson.   Shaw says he will stick around until a decision is made around his member's bill, which was pulled from the ballot last year.   He told Mike Hosking that he's not necessarily on board with speculation he'll...

The Silver Ferns took third at the Nations Cup and the conversation quickly turned to Dame Noeline Taurua’s future as coach.   Her original contract expired last October, and she signed a mini-extension to remain with the team until the end of their campaign in England.   While she still hasn’t committed to her future plans, Taurua insists an announcement is imminent.   Former Ferns player and coa...

Looks like a good year is ahead for the horticulture industry.   The Horticulture Department is estimating a 12% increase for this year’s apple and pear crop in comparison to the 2022 total.   Cherries are also slated to have a great year, with some growers saying that they got what they hoped for, and in some cases slightly exceeded their hopes.   Horticulture NZ CEO Nadine Tunley told Mike Hoski...

A prediction that the US southern border will be a big issue for both political parties.   Joe Biden has been struggling to get a border deal over the line, facing impasses from Republicans over aid to Israel and Ukraine.   But Donald Trump also has a challenge stemming from inaction on it when he was in office, as well as trying to insert himself into negotiations.   Former Republican Communicati...

Pressure is mounting on politicians to act urgently to fix Wellington's water crisis.   The city is currently under level 2 restrictions but faces tighter restrictions if shortages worsen.   Water experts say that for decades, governments have neglected our water infrastructure.   Water NZ Chief Executive Gillian Blythe told Mike Hosking that she's hopeful central and local governments will work t...

It’s being predicted that interest rates won't be going down for some time.   Despite inflation in line with expectations of 4.7%, non-tradable inflation is still high at 5.9%.   The Reserve Bank is also contending with slow employment growth, weaker business investment, and weaker global growth.   Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce told Mike Hosking that ongoing struggles with non-tradable infl...

It's thought the Government's 'Māori Issue' will be its biggest hurdle this year.   Parliament sits for the first time this year today and the coalition parties will resume their 100 Day Action Plan.   Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Mike Hosking that Chris Luxon probably made David Seymour the Associate Justice Minister to try to distance the Nats from ACT's proposed Treaty Princi...

It's thought the Government's 'Māori Issue' will be its biggest hurdle this year.   Parliament sits for the first time this year today and the coalition parties will resume their 100 Day Action Plan.   Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Mike Hosking that Chris Luxon probably made David Seymour the Associate Justice Minister to try to distance the Nats from ACT's proposed Treaty Princi...

Oranga Tamariki says there's been an increase in emotional abuse of children returning to their parents, and physical harm between children in its residences.   The agency's Safety in Care report for the year ending June 2023 shows 9% of children in its care were harmed.   That's up from 5.6% in 2019.   Oranga Tamariki's Nicolette Dickson told Mike Hosking that in the past, harm children have expe...

The West Coast is punching above its weight with visitor spending numbers. Last year's figures rose more than 30-percent from 2022. It's way ahead of the national average of 11.6 percent. Development West Coast Chief Executive, Heath Milne says it's an outstanding result, for the first full-year of having international visitors back. He says it's encouraging to see international spending nearly at...

An education researcher says the government's new education requirements will mean no change for some schools -- and a lot for others. The new government's making an hour each of reading, writing and maths compulsory at years zero to eight. Next term schools will be required to have cellphone policies in place -- but it's expected most schools will implement them this term. Education Hub founder N...