The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Labour wants to halve the number of vape stores around the country, restrict where they can be, and massively increase the penalties for selling or supplying them to under-18s. The party released its vaping policy a day after announcing the commencement date - from September 21 - for a  series of new restrictions  including weaker nicotine concentration in vaping products, a 300m proximity ban on...

It's being suggested National's cancer drug funding promise has put Pharmac in a difficult position. If elected, the party will allocate $280 million over four years, to fund 13 treatments including for lung, bowel, melanoma and kidney cancers. It would be funded by restricting fee-free prescriptions to superannuitants and those on low incomes. Medical oncologist Chris Jackson told Mike Hosking th...

Here's another of our theory vs reality lessons. This one is on gender diversity. Read Thomas Coughlan's piece in the NZ Herald yesterday. It is a textbook example of how you can get wound up in a never-ending spiral, or maybe even boondoggle, of do-gooding. Gender balance, allegedly, has been an issue for the National Party. "We need more women." The list came out Saturday and there are now more...

Spain may have won the FIFA Women's World Cup, but it looks like New Zealand has also done well out of it. The Spanish have had a fast rise to the top of women's football, beating England 1-nil in last night's final in Sydney. The tournament was shared by Australia and New Zealand. More than 340,000 fans packed through the gates of Eden Park to catch the Auckland games, and more than 85,000 went t...

Encouraging news for dairy farmers with the head of Fonterra saying there's light at the end of the tunnel. Global dairy prices dropped 7.4% last week, with whole milk powder plunging 10.9%. Fonterra's twice recently cut its forecast Farmgate Milk Price. It's put the midpoint at $6.75 per-kilo of milk solids, down from $7. Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell told Mike Hosking that there'll be a bit of pain...

The waiting list for young people needing dental surgeries has been stuck around four thousand for the past year. Te Whatu Ora data released to Newstalk ZB shows hardly any movement between April last year and the end of March this year on the waiting list for children aged 14 and under. Dental Association Chief Executive Mo Amso says there are three main issues at play: lack of prevention efforts...

A note of caution for political parties wanting to use pop culture references in their ads. The Green Party has wiped social media posts with screenshots of the Barbie movie after revelations they didn't seek permission from Warner Brothers to use them. Back in 2014 National was put in legal hot water for using the Eminem song Lose Yourself. Former Intellectual Property Society President, Clive El...

All eyes in southern parts of the US are on the sky as Tropical Storm Hilary rolls in. It’s no longer a hurricane, but it's still set to bring significant rain and flooding risks to desert parts of the south-western United States and western Mexico. Forecasters are describing the potential flooding as catastrophic and life-threatening. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that residen...

It's all but certain financial literacy will be compulsory in schools after the election, no matter who wins. Labour's promising to bring it in from 2025 and National's planning to match it. Moneytime provides this kind of programme for schools already. CEO Neil Edmond told Mike Hosking that it indicates the Ministry of Education will make it clearer where it sits in the curriculum. He says it sou...

ACT says it would demand greater accountability from public service departments. If elected, the party would put public service chief executives on performance based pay. It also wants agencies to have outcome targets and public Key Performance Indicators. ACT leader David Seymour told Mike Hosking that it's important to have clear objectives. He says until those basic business practices are back...

Tim Wilson and Kate Hawkesby joined Mike Hosking to talk the big topics of the week, plus they play a game of Whose Laugh is the Funniest. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talk show great Sir Michael Parkinson has died at 88 after a short illness. He presented 'Parkinson' from 1971 to 2007 quizzing celebrities over more than 800 episodes. In a statement released to the BBC, his family said: “After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family. 'Parky' joined the Mike Hosking Breakfast in September 2009,...

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 economy: 2/10 What a week. Between the manufacturing sector, the services sector, the Reserve Bank and the dairy auction, reality came knocking on the ol' Kiwi front door.   The Warriors: 8/10 The wins just keep piling up. Tomorrow it's the Sea Eagles, then two to go. Hello...

Stuart Nash is ditching Parliament with his head held high, once again hitting out at the legal system. The disgraced former Police Minister found himself in hot water, after revelations he'd phoned the Police Commissioner, urging him to advocate for a harsher sentence. In his valedictory speech last night, Nash defended the decision that got him ousted from Caucus. Nash told Mike Hosking he belie...

This year's Swimming World Cup in Berlin will debut World Aquatics' new open category for transgender athletes. The open category will include 50 and 100 meter races across all strokes. Save Women's Sport spokesperson Ro Edge joined Mike Hosking to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mixed feedback for the Government's three-year transport budget. It's proposing a 12 cent fuel tax rise, to fund more than $20 billion of infrastructure, road maintenance, upgrades and public transport. National Road Carriers spokesperson, James Smith told Mike Hosking it's great to acknowledge infrastructure needs, but disappointing taxes are being used as the sole funding solution. He believes g...

It's full steam ahead for Auckland's Mayor in his attempt to take back control of the city's transport system. The Council's governing body has voted to accept Wayne Brown's recommendation for the council to support a change of governance. The proposed bill would establish two new transport committees for a more integrated approach with the Crown. Brown told Mike Hosking the council has to play a...

Fresh polls show Donald Trump's latest indictment may have impacted his bid for presidency. Polling data from the Associated Press shows nearly two thirds of Americans say they don't support the former President At the same time, 74 percent of Republicans say they would back Trump Trump was indicted on 13 counts by a grand jury in Georgia earlier this week for allegedly conspiring to overturn the...

There's a view from a retail boss that Countdown trialling cameras in the self checkout area is to catch thieves rather than people who make mistakes. The chain is trialling the method in five stores which records the customer and transaction, seeing what items are scanned as the wrong thing. Retail NZ Chief Executive, Carolyn Young, told Mike Hosking crime and theft is a massive issue, and retail...

The transport industry is warning everyone will feel the pain if fuel tax increases. The Government is proposing a 12 cent rise over the next three years, to fund infrastructure, road maintenance, upgrades and public transport. More than a dozen routes will be prioritised - from State Highway 1 linking Warkworth to Whangarei, right down to a second bridge for Ashburton. Transporting NZ Interim CEO...

Is a divisive issue still an issue if people don’t talk about it the way they once did? The Three Waters legislation was passed yesterday under urgency - at one point this was the biggest game in town. Many were aghast at what the Government was trying to do. They saw this as a massive overreach in terms of the Māori-fication of the New Zealand landscape. The Government got dreadfully bogged down...

It's been a while, but it's time we caught up with one of New Zealand's finest actors - Tem Morrison. In New Zealand we know him best for Once Were Warriors , but lately he's in all the big Hollywood hits, Aquaman , Moana and of course Star Wars where he plays Boba Fett. But it's in a more local setting where you can see his latest - he's on our screens telling the, mostly, true story of a husband...

Shane van Gisbergen has made the move to leave Supercars for Nascar. Red Bull Ampol Racing are finally agreeing to release van Gisbergen from his contract at the end of the season. Motorsport correspondent Brian Kelly joined Mike Hosking to discuss whether it is a good move for the Kiwi. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Governor of the Reserve Bank is confident the country is on track to squeezing out inflation. Adrian Orr is keeping the Official Cash Rate at 5.5 percent, with the possibility of another hike later this year. Inflation is still running high on 6 percent. Orr told Mike Hosking we're sitting in a pretty strong position. He says the economy's outlook is one of subdued domestic spending, continued...

Concern the country's economic outlook isn't taking China seriously. The Official Cash Rate remains unchanged at 5.5 percent. There's a chance the OCR might need to go up soon, due to inflation woes. Meanwhile, the Chinese economy is struggling, with reports the publication of the youth employment rate is now banned. Jarden Investment Strategist John Carran told Mike Hosking interest rates and the...