The Mike Hosking Breakfast

MPs Megan Woods and Mark Mitchell joined the Mike Hosking Breakfast to wrap the week's political news. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is confident in Treasury's prediction that New Zealand will avoid a long-term recession.   Treasury's pre-election update forecasts that Government debt will peak at $185-billion in 2025, and the Government won't return to surplus until 2027.   That's predicted in a forecast that the economy will grow by an average of 2.6% over the next four years.   Grant Robertson told Mike...

A former finance minister is warning that whoever wins the next election will need to tighten the belt.   Treasury's pre-election update is forecasting the Government won't return to surplus until 2027, a year later than previously forecast in the May Budget.   Government debt is now forecast to reach $185-billion by 2025, well above the $83-billion forecast from three years ago.   Former National...

The ICC Cricket World Cup is set to take place in India from the 5 th of October through to the 19 th of November.   The team features a number of experienced players, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee joining the ranks of players who have been selected for four or more ODI World Cups.   Black Caps Coach Gary Stead told Mike Hosking that they tried to select a squad that gives them balance.   He sai...

The tide could be beginning to turn on our real estate market.   QV data shows the average national home value increased by 0.5% in the last three months and its now sitting at just over $893-thousand.   It's the first quarter of positive growth since the housing downturn began in late 2021.   Operations Manager, James Wilson, says it's driven primarily by first-home buyers outside of our main urb...

Elton John is one of the most iconic artists of the fifty years, but his lyricist Bernie Taupin is  nearly as  well known.      The partnership between the two is known as one of the most successful in history, as the pair have been working together since the 1960s.   It began with a talent advertisement from Liberty Record s  and while neither of them passed the initial audition, a connection was...

Chris Hipkins is accepting responsibility for the party's falling poll numbers.   There's now a 14-point gap in support between the incumbent party and National according to the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll.   Labour is down to 26.8% while the Nats hit 40.9%, and both party leaders are on 22.5% for preferred Prime Minister.   The Labour leader told Mike Hosking that the polls are not where th...

The economic slowdown is likely to be having a major impact on the Government's books.   Treasury is releasing its Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update at 1pm, the final fiscal update before Advanced Voting begins in two weeks.   It's expected to show revenue is lower and debt is higher than forecast in May's Budget.   Economist Michael Reddell told Mike Hosking that New Zealand now has a very...

The psychological impacts are becoming clear for our two main parties 32 days out from the election.   The latest Newshub-Reid Research poll has Labour down 5.5% to 26.8%, while National has jumped 4.3% to 40.9%.   ACT has fallen two points to 10%, but can comfortably govern with National.   Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls told Mike Hosking that it’s hard for Labour to get supporters out...

eal in hand to draw yet another one of China’s neighbors closer to the United States.   In just the last five months, Biden has hosted the Philippines’ president at the White House for the first time in over a decade; he has fêted the Indian prime minister with a lavish state dinner; and he has hosted his Japanese and South Korean counterparts for a summit ripe with symbolism at the storied Camp D...

The only thing National did wrong on Friday was release its literacy policy.   Friday is not a good day for news cut-through.   To a degree, they were at a disadvantage, as was every other party considering Labour released some heating ideas for houses.   If you release it Friday many will miss it. But if you don't release anything you can be accused of a missed opportunity.   But the literacy pol...

Kiwi Erin Routliffe has been crowned US Open doubles champion after winning the final in straight sets with partner Gabriela Dabrowski, of Canada, today. In only their fourth tournament together, they beat 2020 champions Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (9), 6-3. It was the first grand slam women’s doubles title for both Dabrowski, a Canadian, and Routliffe. The No 16 seeds in Flushing Meado...

There's plenty of water to go under the bridge before a call's made on the future of Christchurch's cardboard cathedral.   The Anglican Diocese has made the decision to pull together a working group to discuss options for its future use.   They say the cathedral will be safe from being sold for at least four years.   Anglican Bishop of Christchurch Peter Carrell told Mike Hosking they won't be sol...

Not the way the All Blacks wanted to kick off the Rugby World Cup. But the pool games aren't the problem - it's the knockout round where there are more sides as good as France waiting. Former All Blacks coach Alex Wyllie joined Mike Hosking.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An opinion New Zealand needs to lift its game in addressing its critical housing shortage.   Act wants builders to be able to use insurance companies as an alternative authority for consenting - cutting local council out of the process.   Leader David Seymour says he tried to help a man get a new type of Gib plasterboard approved by Auckland Council at the height of the Gib crisis.   He told Mike...

Questions around the National Party's plan for Road User Charges.   It's looking to extend road user charges to all vehicles if elected, including electric vehicles.    Motor Industry Association chief executive Aimee Wiley says it's not clear exactly how it will be rolled out.   She told Mike Hosking there are clear benefits to a fuel tax which aren't present with this new model.   “It’s a compli...

National's Health spokesperson Shane Reti says he's hopeful of fixing the health portfolio.   The party's pledging to bring back targets if elected – focusing on shorter ED stays, faster cancer treatment and child immunisation rates.   It also wants shorter wait times for first specialist assessments and surgery.   Reti told Mike Hosking he's committed to getting the system to a point where it's o...

An end may just be in sight for Rotorua's emergency housing.   If elected, the National Party are promising to scrap Rotorua's emergency hotels within 2 years.   They also want to reform Kainga Ora, giving the organisation more power to evict unruly tenants.   Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell joined Mike Hosking.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.       The All Blacks: 8/10  Here we go. Is it possible we can win? Is Foster a redemption story? Pretty much nothing, sports wise beats the Rugby World Cup and the All Blacks.   Or does it?       The Warriors: 8/10  Putting last week behind us as quickly as possible, what chance...

So week one of the campaign, well I call it week one because the two major parties had their launches. Of course, they've been campaigning for months, unless you are Chris Hipkins who upon receiving a poll a week or so back claimed he hadn't campaigned at all, until Megan Woods on this show busted him. He showed ironically that same trait this week when he started defending Willie Jackson, who bla...

Bad news for Warriors fans as Shaun Johnson has been ruled out of the playoff against Penrith.   It was announced on Instagram that the halfback has a calf injury and is unable to play as a result.    Former League player Richie Barnett told Mike Hosking that calve injuries are the most difficult injury to have when it comes to getting back onto the field.   He said they’ll be doing anything possi...

National says we should be the safest country in the world,  but we're not.   If elected, Labour's announced a plan which would boost Police numbers by 300 over four years and tackle gangs.   It would allow Police to go after convoys and confiscate cars, motorbikes, and tractors.   National’s Justice Spokesperson Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking that they have their own announcement to make soon.  ...

Canterbury scientists say they're getting closer to growing fruit without a tree, vine, or bush.   The Food by Design research team is 18-months into a five year programme, aiming to produce fruit from cells.   Co-leader Samantha Baldwin told Mike Hosking that at the moment they're working on growing cell clusters and then fruit tissue.   She said the goal is to produce a product which provides th...

The leaders of one of the Government's flagship projects are under fire for spending millions of dollars on a building weeks out from an election that could see it scrapped.   Auckland Light Rail has signed off on a $33-million contract to buy the Kiwi Bacon Building on New North Road in Kingsland.   That's despite National vowing to scrap the $14.6-billion project if it's elected next month.   Ma...

France is rolling out unprecedented security measures across the country ahead of tomorrow's opening game of the Rugby World Cup.   The All Blacks take on France at 7.15 tomorrow morning, New Zealand time.   The French government is mobilising a record number of police at every game, keen to avoid a repeat of the dangerous and chaotic scenes at the Champions League football final at the Stade de F...