The Mike Hosking Breakfast

I'm sorry, but if you listened to this programme for any period of time the headline you saw in the NZ Herald would make you scratch your head. The headline read "shock as GDP falls 0.3%". What shock? Just yesterday we had Westpac who saw a fall of 0.1%, we have said consistently this country is in recession, and by that I mean the Q3 number confirmed yesterday and the state we are currently in, i...

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.     Christchurch: 8/10   Really the New Zealand city of the year. SailGP back for more, having watched Auckland drop the ball, and the beneficiary of 11,000 new arrivals who chose it over everywhere else.     Immigration: 6/10   On balance, new people are good people and more peo...

As 2023 comes to a close, Mike Hosking decided to take a trip down memory lane and look back at all of the biggest names who have graced the show this year. Highlights of the highlights include Pamela Anderson, Sir Rod Stewart, Michael Bublé, and of course, Dolly Parton. LISTEN ABOVE FOR THIS YEAR'S HIGHLIGHTS  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talks of impeachment against President Biden are being written off as a politically motivated attack.   The Republican majority House of Representatives voted this week to formally authorise its ongoing impeachment inquiry.   So far, House Republicans have produced no evidence of Biden's wrongdoing.   US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that they might have ulterior motives.   He sug...

Organisers of the FIFA Women's World Cup are thrilled with the legacy left by the event.   Auckland played a major role in the tournament by hosting nine matches.   Over $87 million in GDP was injected into the region's economy, surpassing the initial projection by just under 50%.   MBIE NZ Major Events Manager Kylie Hawker-Green told Mike Hosking that the event exceeded expectations.   She says t...

The Finance Minister says they've inherited a toxic trifecta of high inflation, high interest rates, and recession.   GDP fell 0.3% in the three months to September, a much worse result than economists had predicted.   The June quarter's figures showed 0.5% growth, revised from 0.9%.   Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking that it's bad, but claims her government can clean it up.   LISTEN ABOVE   See om...

The Motor Industry Association's concerned for the future of electric vehicles in New Zealand.   Parliament's repealed the Clean Car Discount —dubbed a 'ute tax' by its opponents— under urgency, following a third reading.   The policy subsidised the purchases of electric vehicles by charging a tax on purchases of polluting vehicles.   CEO Aimee Wiley told Mike Hosking that while it's great to have...

An economist says we're in an economy that's significantly smaller than estimated.   GDP fell 0.3% in the three months to September.   The June quarter's figures showed 0.5% growth, revised from 0.9%.   NZ Initiative director Oliver Hartwich told Mike Hosking that it means we're in a technical recession, but the revision's more shocking.   He says all together, the effect was the economy is now 1....

New Zealanders drinking behaviour may be improving, according to new data.   This year's Health Survey shows a record low 16% of the adult population reporting hazardous drinking, an almost 3% drop on the year before.   NZ Alcohol Beverages Council Executive Director Virginia Nicholls told Mike Hosking that positive community support and education have definitely played a role.   She says she thin...

Is it just me or are the growing number of reports about the ineptitude of the last Government an ever-larger indictment on what might be the most useless collection of buffoons in the modern political age?   I mean we all knew they were trouble, hence the election result, and as I mentioned at the start of the show no one held them to more account than this programme.   But then there's this new...

The Government's sunk plans for the Cook Strait ferry upgrade, pulling the plug on contracts already underway.   KiwiRail's plans to fix the infrastructure got too expensive according to Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who announced they won't be going ahead with the plans.   KiwiRail Chief Executive, Peter Reidy, told Mike Hosking that they now need to come together to find a way forward.   He sa...

Commuting to and from New Zealand's busiest airport is changing with a new Transport Hub opening up next year.   Over the past 12 months, the old carpark outside Auckland Airport's international terminal has been replaced, and a $300 million transport centre has taken form.   Chief Executive Carrie Hurihanganui told Mike Hosking that they've tried to create a seamless commuting process for people....

Purchasing Christmas lunch will be more expensive than last year despite falling food prices.   For a third month in a row, food prices have continued to fall, but they're still 6% higher than a year ago.   Grocery food's 7% increase was one of the largest contributors to the annual change.   Foodstuffs managing director Chris Quin told Mike Hosking that he expects most shoppers will have to stick...

There's less optimism for today's GDP figure than there was for the last.   Stats NZ will release the September quarter figure later this morning.   In June, Gross Domestic Product rose 0.9%.   Westpac Senior Economist, Darren Gibbs, told Mike Hosking that they're predicting a 0.1% decrease to our economy.   He says the manufacturing sector's seen weak growth, which is a strong economic indicator....

Two of the former Government's massive infrastructure programmes were rushed against the advice of officials, leading to costly blowouts.   Auditor-General John Ryan's released a report on the $15 billion NZ Upgrade Programme and Shovel-Ready Projects.   He found ministers received ample warning from officials that some projects would struggle to be delivered on time and on budget.   Bookkeeping w...

Requests for restructuring and redundancy support is up nearly 50% as the slowing economy starts to bite.   The Employers and Manufacturers Association says requests have been steadily increasing over the past year, but there's been a surge in the past four months.    Businesses across the board, but particularly in the manufacturing, retail, and hospitality industries, are suffering the most.   H...

I am wondering if the Tauranga-based group that have filed for an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing are the same, or an associated group who have busied themselves causing grief to the Tauranga port, who want to expand their operations because they need to grow and employ more people and return more dividends to the local economy.   There must be something waring about being so negative, or destruc...

Calls for a mature conversation on our immigration settings.   Latest Stats NZ data shows a gain of 128,900 migrants in the year to October.   Prime Minister Chris Luxon has said our record net migration gain is unsustainable when it comes to housing and infrastructure.   Labour's Megan Woods told Mike Hosking that it's time to stop using it as a political football.   She says we've got to ensure...

Questions are being raised over how to tweak immigration policies to get the right net migration levels.   Stats NZ data is showing a record high net migration gain of 128,900 migrants in the year to October.   Infometrics Chief Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking that it's difficult to get it right, especially with a near two-year lag between policies and arrivals.   He says often ministers go...

The Climate Change Commission's provided the government with advice on meeting climate goals.   Its 27 recommendations include supporting swapping from fossil fuels to renewable energy, encouraging switching to electric vehicles, and retrofitting buildings to be healthier and lower emissions.   Commission Chair Rod Carr told Mike Hosking that the Government's committed to New Zealand's climate tar...

Air New Zealand is working to roll out sky-high Wi-Fi onto its domestic network.   The airline is teaming with Starlink to install the network and after trials next year, plan to roll it out across the wider fleet in 2025.   Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar told Mike Hosking that it'll be a gamechanger for productivity.   He says walking up and down the aisle on domestic flights, people ar...

The 2022 School Audits Report's found some Covid related wellbeing payments for new principals were used for personal holidays and exercise equipment.   Secondary Principals Association President Vaughan Couillault told Mike Hosking that wellbeing could be different for each person.   The audit report also found seven schools are in serious financial difficulty.   There are recommendations around...

SailGP is set to be bigger than last year when it returns to Christchurch in March.   The city's Lyttelton Harbour will have additional grandstands for the two-day event and is expected to host 22,000 people across the weekend.   ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction, Loren Heaphy, told Mike Hosking that she is confident the city has the ability to host more people than this...

Blanket speed limit reductions are being left in the rear-view mirror.   The Transport Minister's removed requirements for Road Controlling Authorities to implement speed management plans.   Work will begin to account for economic impacts —like travel times— and community views, alongside safety when setting speed limits.   Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking that the changes allow them to re-write the...

Donald Trump's trial has been fast-tracked ahead of next year's election.   The former President of United States is scheduled to stand trial on federal charges relating to an alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election results.   Trump's case will be decided by the Supreme Court in March.   However, international correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Trump appointed three of the Just...