The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New research has shown up shortcomings in the way cancer survivors are handled once they've got through their treatment. An Otago University study published in BMC Health Services Research interviewed 47 healthcare providers involved in care after treatment. Lead author Dr Jerram Bateman says there's no central port-of-call for people. He says there's a lack of coordination in care - leading to a...

Who doesn't love a bit of good wine news on a Friday - the bottle can already be heard opening. Invivo's Sarah Jessica Parker sauvignon blanc has just won tenders for US airlines – to be served on international premier and business class across the US. The Disney cruise line will also be arriving in New Zealand soon and Invivo have secured the wine onboard. Invivo co-founder Tim Lightbourne joined...

Questions over whether real change is being made on surgery wait times. Health Minister Ayesha Verrall claims new data shows the Government's targeted approach to wait lists is making a real difference. She says the Anaesthetic Technician Tactical group, set up to reduce theatre cancellations through workforce shortages, has seen improvements. Professor of Surgery at Otago University Christchurch,...

It was only a matter of time until someone spotted missing Marokopa man Tom Phillips. He's been seen this week in Te Awamutu, Te Rapa and Kawhia in Waikato - 18 months after he disappeared with his three children Jayda, Maverick and Ember. Police are searching for a stolen bronze Toyota Hilux flat-deck ute Phillips was driving. Waikato Mayor Jacqui Church told Mike Hosking she isn't surprised Phil...

It doesn’t really matter whether it's a $20 billion hole or not. It might be $19.6 billion. The fact is, the Government has a hole, a massive fiscal hole that will, before the election, be fully exposed in what they call the PREFU. The scandal here is several-fold. The Government can, to a degree, hide behind Treasury. We asked at the time and the likes of Grant Robertson said they had no choice b...

The colourful players of professional darts are back in the country this weekend. It's the New Zealand leg of the World Series of Darts in Hamilton this weekend, part of a $29 million professional league across a number of tournament events. It has become massive in recent years, with TV ratings in Europe that are second only to football. All the big names are here, including current world champio...

According to our Health Minister - no one is waiting more than a year for Auckland hospital surgery. Although it is hard to tell if that is actually true without any up to date health data from Te Whatu Ora. Heading into the election the most recent data we have will be six-months-old the week of the election at the time the next quarterly instalment is due to drop. National Party Health Spokesper...

A former Labour MP who tried to increase paid parental leave says she'd have supported National's Bill - in theory. A member's Bill proposed by National's Nicola Willis would have allowed parents to take leave at the same time, one after the other, or in overlapping instalments. Currently, primary carers can't take parental leave together. Labour was the only party to vote against - using its majo...

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says his bold makeover plan for the waterfront will be made in one form or another. He wants a development with an open-air seawater pool, aquaculture, an exhibition centre and an amphitheatre on the water. There's no budget or suggestion for exactly how much it will cost. Brown told Mike Hosking he wants to get more money out of the port, a process he says was started u...

A dispute has risen between the Government and Opposition over the state of Crown finances. Finance Minister Grant Robertson has told Newstalk ZB he called in public service chiefs for a meeting about financial restraint, but he rejects claims of a large shortfall in tax revenue. Act Leader David Seymour told Mike Hosking Robertson called the meeting to quickly improve the books before the pre-ele...

There's confidence secondary teachers will accept a new pay deal. The Government has agreed to offer a 14.5 percent increase, recommended by an Arbitration Panel. It now goes to a vote. Principal of Auckland's Sacred Heart College, Patrick Walsh told Mike Hosking he expects they'll approve it. He says it's a great result for secondary teachers - and the rest of the profession - as the deal will be...

A senior cabinet minister is playing down the recent rise in retail crime. Latest Police figures show retail crime is on track to break records this year - with 45,000 retail crimes were reported in the first four months of this year. Only about 1,000 arrests were made. National Party police spokesperson Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking he believes the numbers. But Labour's Megan Woods says the num...

One of the many mistakes made during the Covid days that I could never understand, is how it was that the wage subsidy was handed out with such astonishing abandon, with no real recourse should it not be needed. The Ministry of Social Development has released a list of the top ten companies that have voluntarily paid back the money they got. It totals about 25 percent of all the money handed out,...

An Australian former childcare worker has been charged with abusing 91 children over 15 years in what police described as one of the country’s “most horrific” child sex abuse cases. Australian correspondent Steve Price joined Mike Hosking to discuss the case. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Australia’s 49-run loss to England in the Ashes final test, the tradition of post-series drinks didn't quite go ahead. Usually players of both sides gather for a post-series beer but the Aussies are claiming to have been snubbed by the English. 9News Australia correspondent Charles Croucher joined Mike Hosking to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we will get the last unemployment figure before the election. Unemployment is currently sitting at 3.4 percent and most are only expecting a very slight shift to 3.5 percent. Chief Economist at ASB Nick Tuffley joined Mike Hosking to give his prediction. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister is vowing to work hard in tackling issues Māori face in school. New data shows last year 75 percent of school leavers attained NCEA Level 2 or above– down from 81 percent in 2017. Māori school leavers fared worse with just 59 percent getting NCEA level two or above. Jan Tinetti told Mike Hosking helping Māori is a focus for them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

You may remember in 2021 National were initially against establishing a fiscal costing unit. But as soon as Nicola Willis stepped into her role of National's Finance spokesperson she contacted the Finance Minister to give National's support of the Independent Costing Authority. And despite claims of a fiscal hole in National's election policies, Grant Robertson has not acted on creating the unit....

The Police Association is concerned about Police introducing a hiring freeze. An email seen by NZME reveals Police are preparing for cuts to contractors and consultants, as well as delays in recruiting non-constabulary roles. The move has been suggested so Police can focus on "efficiency and productivity." It comes amid concerns about rising crime. Police Association president Chris Cahill told Mi...

As retail crime continues to surge, most offenders appear to be getting away scot-free. Latest Police figures released to the Dairy and Business Owners Group show a record 125,000 retail crime offences were reported last year - a number likely to be surpassed this year. Only about 2.3 percent of those reports are resulting in arrests. Dairy and Business Owners Group Chair Sunny Kaushal told Mike H...

In some respects, National's roading plan and its $24 billion price tag is not an election game changer because the state of the country is such that we have issues like crime and the cost of living that will determine votes. But what is uplifting about it is that at last we can see the end of the crazed ideology that has crippled our economy over the past six years. Yes, the weather has played in...

Kiwi shotputter Tom Walsh has found his form at the perfect time. Only a couple of weeks out from the World Championships he put together his best throw since 2019. It put him in second behind Ryan Crouser, who's a freak at the moment, but bodes well for Budapest. Tom Walsh joined Mike Hosking out of London. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are seeing a climb in business credit defaults across the board. Latest data from Centrix shows company liquidations are up 36 percent year-on-year, while consumer arrears have fallen slightly with the number of people behind on repayments now 414,000. Delinquencies in mortgage arrears also fell slightly in June with the proportion of loans in arrears at 1.29 percent, down from 1.32 percent in...

Chris Hipkins admits he's juggling two very different hats as Labour Party Leader and Prime Minister. The Government is currently committed to the Let's Get Wellington Moving programme - a joint venture with councils in Greater Wellington. But National wants to scrap the programme, and Labour won't commit to keeping it after the election. Wearing his party leader hat, Hipkins told Newstalk ZB's Mi...

Confidence New Zealanders will continue to get behind the Fifa Women's World Cup, despite the Football Ferns being out of the tournament. World Cup Chief Operating Officer Jane Patterson says they've seen evidence of international and domestic fans supporting teams no matter who is on the pitch. She told Mike Hosking the best example of that was Sunday night, when 42,000 packed into Eden Park to s...