The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Today on Politics Wednesday, Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to delve into some of the biggest stories of the week thus far. They discussed the UN and their mandate of a rules-based order in relation to Donald Trump and the US' actions in the Middle East, Kahurangi Carter's Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill, and the BSA.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listene...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 8th of April, the world waits for Donald Trump's deadline for Iran to pass to see if "a whole civilisation will die tonight".  Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters joins directly after speaking to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.    Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk the global ‘rules-based order’, the BSA, and th...

New Zealand's new 'Temu tax' is officially in play.  All low-value goods worth less than $1000 dollars coming into the country as commercial freight are being charged a low-value levy or tax of $2.21.  It patches-up a Customs loophole allowing e-commerce businesses like Temu and Shein to pay next-to-nothing for approval on thousands of packages.  First Retail's Chris Wilkinson told...

The Reserve Bank is expected to take a long-term view on inflation when it sets interest rates today.  Economists expect the central bank to play it safe and keep the Official Cash Rate at 2.25% until later in the year.  It's the first Monetary Policy Statement since the Iran war began.   Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold told Mike Hosking the bank will be focused on where infla...

Winston Peters is optimistic Iran will change for the better more quickly than people think.   The Foreign Minister's concluded talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.   Peters says they discussed security needs and aid programmes in the Pacific, as well as the war in Iran.   He told Mike Hosking New Zealand wants the war over as soon as possible and is hopeful s...

Diesel is soaring past four dollars a litre.  Z has issued a national price advisory for commercial customers showing the price of diesel jumping 55 cents a litre, putting the price at the pump at $4.16.  It says prices are based on what it'll cost to buy the next shipment from overseas, not what's already sitting in tanks.   Waitomo CEO Simon Parham told Mike Hosking it looks like...

Iranians are forming human chains around the country's power plants as Donald Trump warns a whole civilisation will die tonight.  The US President's given Tehran until midday to lift the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says 14 million people have declared they'll sacrifice their lives defending Iran.  Former US Army General Randy Manner told Mi...

A weaker dollar's helping commodity prices.   ANZ’s Commodity Price Index hit a record high in March, rising 6.4% as the dollar weakened 2.8%.  Global prices rose 4.1% – the second-highest monthly rise on record.  BusinessNZ CEO Katherine Rich told Mike Hosking on the surface, higher prices look positive for exporters, but they're also facing much higher costs.   She says the w...

So what is the alternative to what Trump has done in Iran?  The answer was discussed at a meeting over the weekend.  The British appeared to host it. 40 countries took part, including ours, and they were talking about what you might remember is the “global rules-based approach”.  That broadly was the way things were done pre-Trump.  We would have a meeting, agree roughly on a c...

The European Union’s longest serving leader is at risk of losing his seat.  Viktor Orbán has been Hungary’s Prime Minister for 16 years, but opinion polls suggest his opponent, Péter Magyar, will defeat him at the April 12 election.  While he’s clashed with the rest of the EU, Orbán is considered Vladimir Putin’s strongest ally in the union, and he was endorsed by US President Donald Tru...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 7th of April, Iran has rejected a proposed ceasefire with the US and Iran , while Trump says a 45-day ceasefire was a ‘significant step’ but ‘not good enough’ for him to sign.  The Prime Minister discusses the fuel situation, the United Nations vote, or lack of, and whether we should be following Australia with their extra 50 tankers...

Returning after Easter, Andrew Saville and Jason Pine joined Mike Hosking to wrap this weekend's sporting news.  On today's agenda:  The long weekend's light Super Rugby Pacific schedule - did the organisation miss a trick by only scheduling three matches? The Warriors winning momentum was cut short last month by the Tigers and they were unable to pick it back up in their clash against t...

Super Rugby Pacific's decision to stage three rather than five competition matches over Easter has been justified by the powers-that-be.  Chair Kevin Malloy has defended the move, despite the AFL, NRL and A-League hosting a full slate of fixtures.  Malloy told Mike Hosking the fact that clubs have struggled to get crowds, which is a big part of their revenue, is a big element, and with 1...

Queenstown's proposed cable car network could open as early as 2029 if fast track approval's granted.   The network would link the town centre with the airport, Frankton, and the Ladies Mile – moving up to three-thousand passengers each way per hour.   Ten-million cars drive on Frankton Road, making it the country's second busiest single-carriageway road.  Southern Infrastructure CE...

Donald Trump's still threatening to completely destroy Iran as his revised deadline for a deal inches closer.   The President's demanding Tehran lift its blockade on traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz by tomorrow afternoon.   Otherwise, he says, US forces will blow up all of the country's bridges and power infrastructure within four hours.   Former Marine Gil Barndollar to...

The Prime Minister's urging Kiwis to "keep calm and carry on" amid rising anxiety about fuel prices and the conflict in the Middle East.  Latest official figures show overall fuel supplies remain stable.  New Zealand has almost 62 days of petrol, more than 51 of diesel, and more than 50 days' worth of jet fuel, either in the country or on the way.  Christopher Luxon told Mike Hoskin...

The army is ramping up combat training amid growing Indo-Pacific security risks.  Senior commanders say the pressure on our defence forces is greater than at any point in recent memory, citing a dangerous strategic backdrop of Chinese expansion in the Pacific and an increasingly unstable world order.  Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp told Mike Hosking we actually had a much bigger depl...

I can help Steve Abel.  Steve is the Green's agriculture bloke and he wants an urgent inquiry into the Wattie’s and Heinz mess in Hawkes Bay.  He is wasting his time. Not because he shouldn’t be concerned, because he should. We should all be concerned.  But the answers he seeks are already readily available.  He asks about four main things: the regulatory environment, energy co...

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.    Pakistan: 6/10  Mystery of the week. Did they host talks? Were there any talks? What's the talks v BS ratio?    Oil: 7/10  Specifically, the Government's handling. Tickets, swaps, deals, and unsolicited offers –  this looks and feels like it'...

It’s a bit early given it's a short week, but at four and a half-ish weeks into Operation Epic Fury, there's a reason to be depressed and a reason to be hopeful.  To the bad news first.  This hasn’t been a great week for the Americans. They have been left with talks that may or may not be happening and a lot of rhetoric that sounds like last week's rhetoric – "we've won", "there is nothi...

Easter is cutting this week short, so Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking today to Wrap the Week that Was.   They discussed 75 Hard, the collapse of Allbirds, and what Kate’s been drinking recently.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 2nd of April, former US Navy Senior Chief Malcolm Nance delves into Operation Epic Fury so far.   Damien O'Connor outlines Labour's specific issues with the India Free Trade Agreement and gives his thoughts on if they'll get over the line.  Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk 75 Hard, Kate drinking Baileys, and the collapse of Al...

Questions around Indian students and family of visa holders are still roadblocks to Labour supporting a trade deal with India.   New Zealand First's left its coalition partners in the lurch, rendering them dependent on Labour to ratify the agreement.  But leader Chris Hipkins says there's a mismatch between how the deal's been presented and what the text actually contains.  Damien O...

An end of an era for the Crusaders as they say farewell tonight in their final Super Rugby game at Apollo Projects Stadium.  The venue was constructed as a temporary solution after Lancaster Park was destroyed in the 2011 earthquakes, housing the Cantabrian side and their fans for 14 seasons.  Coach Rob Penney hopes they can give it the send off it deserves before they make the move acro...

Bars and pubs are waving goodbye to tricky holiday alcohol restrictions, with a bill to loosen them passing its final reading last night.  Labour MP Kieran McAnulty's bill will let hospitality venues sell alcohol across Easter, Anzac Day morning, and Christmas Day without having to serve a meal.  It's set to get Royal Assent today, in time for the long weekend.  Hospitality New Zeal...