The Mike Hosking Breakfast

National is standing by its promise to re-introduce the $5 prescription fee that's being scrapped in the Budget. Leader Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking the money being spent on the policy,  $618 million over four years, would be better spent elsewhere. "We'd be able to use some of that money for other things, we've got some big priorities there and I think there are other priorities I would ha...

Is it possible that our education standards are now so low, that when the reading report that got produced yesterday shows our score is the lowest ever, the reason you didn’t see that story anywhere apart from this show is because no one cares? And that’s why education is the way it is. To be fair, RNZ covered it. But there was no mention of the fact it was our lowest score. Over 400,000 kids in 5...

New Zealand-based comedian Tim Batt is back with his new show. He's performed live all around the world and has just recently come back from Australia. In amongst it all he's had time to carry on with New Zealand's most successful comedy podcast and launch his own podcast network. His new show is called 'Is Climate Change Funny Yet?' and Tim Batt joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio....

Being more than 300km offshore, on what was supposed to be a boat trip across to Fiji, things completely turned around when boatie Phil Dent's crewmate fell sick. Dent had to perform emergency surgery without any prior experience and only the help of a surgeon on the phone to guide him through it. Phil Dent joined Mike Hosking to explain the situation. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Concerns over early childhood education centre closures aren't going away. In just two years, 285 early learning centres across New Zealand have shut down. And between July 2022 until today, 91 centres have shut down, that is less than 10 months. Chief executive of Early Childhood NZ Kathy Wolfe joined Mike Hosking to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As much as shoppers enjoy shopping online, having a physical retail presence is becoming an advantage for many retailers - as omnichannel shopping makes a boom. Online stores play a key role in the decision making process which then leads to shoppers making a physical in store purchase. Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford joined Mike Hosking to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener...

Building supply prices will now be monitored by the Government - along with land covenants across the country being reviewed. This all comes in response to the findings from the Commerce Commission's study into building supplies, which was undertaken in December. Chairperson of the Combined Building Supplies Co-operative Carl Taylor joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Hopes the biggest needs won't be forgotten, in today's "bread and butter budget". Bailey Gair from Civil Contractors New Zealand says the budget needs to address the country's $210 billion infrastructure deficit. "We've also got flood and cyclone rebuild as well as a historical underinvestment in maintenance." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Poverty and the cost of living in New Zealand have been much discussed in recent times and there are hopes the Government will address these issues in today's Budget. Brooke Pao Stanley from Auckland Action Against Poverty says the budget meets the essential needs of every New Zealander. "Liveable incomes for people on benefits, student allowances and wages, fit for purpose state housing." LISTEN...

Hopes the biggest needs won't be forgotten, in today's "bread and butter budget". Dr Kate Allen from the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine told Mike Hosking the Government needs to be doing more to get people in and out of hospital sooner. "We want to see significant investment that leads to more staff, especially mental health and considerably more residential aged care beds across the c...

Chris Hipkins' travel plans are up in the air, after Joe Biden cancelled what was to be a history-making trip to the Pacific. Plans have been in the works for the US-Pacific summit, set down for Monday, in Papua New Guinea - with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins set to jet off to Port Moresby this weekend. But the US President has pulled out of the meeting, with debt ceiling negotiations continuing in...

People may be finally sick of taking meetings on Zoom as in-person meetings appear to be the leading reason for corporate travel. Travel demand in both business and leisure across the globe is expected to be at 85.5 per cent of 2019 levels and in the first quarter of this year and there was a 27 per cent rise in online adoption of domestic booking trends. Corporate traveller and FCM General Manage...

Flee Police, and lose your ride. This from the Government as it introduces new legislation to crack down on fleeing drivers. Under the Bill, police could impound a vehicle for up to six months if it fails to stop, while judges could order it to be forfeited, if convicted. Repeat offenders' licences could be disqualified for up to two years, which is double the current limit. And drivers who don't...

Support for the country's youngest mayor from another mayor in the Deep South. Gore District Councillors shelved a vote of no confidence in 24-year-old mayor Ben Bell, during an extraordinary council meeting yesterday afternoon. They've instead opted for an independent review and mediation to address the broken relationship between Bell and council chief executive Stephen Parry. Southland District...

ACT has slammed the Government's gun laws, labelling them as a "major let down." Newstalk ZB can reveal only two Firearms Prohibition Orders have been issued since they were introduced last November. The FPOs were billed as a way to target violent criminals, banning those with a history of offending from being anywhere near a gun. Act Firearms Reforms Spokesperson Nicole McKee told Mike Hosking ev...

Work continues to locate the 11 people still unaccounted for in the Loafers Lodge fire. At least six people are known have perished in the Wellington hostel blaze which started in the early hours of yesterday morning. Police say the cause is unexplained, while Fire and Emergency say it's being treated as suspicious. Officers expect to enter the building some time between mid-morning and midday. Th...

By  RNZ The Timaru District Council today confirmed it bought a property long used as a gang pad, and immediately demolished the building. Yesterday police carried out a raid on the gang pad in Meadows Road, Washdyke , and four men were charged with unlawful possession of firearms. Police said there had been activity in recent weeks which suggested tensions between two gangs in  Timaru . The counc...

I think National has made a mistake on tax receipts. Tax receipts are the sort of quirky idea people pick up on and run with. They're the sort of left-of-centre idea the media can have a bit of fun with. The trouble with that, is that we actually have some important stuff to deal with and for every minute you talk about what sort of receipt it would be, how it would be done, and what it would cost...

You'll likely know the name of our next guest - and you'll almost definitely know the voice. Richard Flood got his mainstream start with roles in Crossing Lines and Shameless - but it was his three years starring Dr Cormac Hayes on Grey's Anatomy that catapulted his international fame. He's starring in a new Kiwi/Irish murder mystery as part of a first of its kind co-production between TVNZ and RT...

More hints have come about what we'll see in Thursday's Budget. Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking since he became Prime Minister he's been working to reset the Government's work programme. His policy bonfire saw the axing or delaying of the TVNZ/RNZ media merger, the social insurance scheme, the biofuels mandate and hate speech legislation. But he says until now, people haven't seen the full picture...

Renters are still having to dig further into their pockets, except if they live in Southland. Rent in the region is now at an average of $430, a massive $100 less than the next most affordable region. But for everywhere else it is now the third month in a row for the record high $600 median rent. TradeMe Property sales director Gavin Lloyd joined Mike Hosking to discuss the figures. LISTEN ABOVE  ...

To kick of the pre-budget talk, National have come up with a new 'taxpayers receipt' idea. Taxpayers would get an annual report from Inland Revenue on the money they paid and received and how their taxes were being spent - along with requiring Treasury to report annually on major spending programmes. Deloitte Tax Partner Robyn Walker joined Mike Hosking to explain the concept. LISTEN ABOVE See omn...

International students are returning to New Zealand at a faster rate than pre-pandemic, but polytechs and schools are still missing out. And despite previous long term plans to diversify the market, we seem to be more dependent on China for students . Out of 25 countries enrolling foreign students, New Zealand is in the bottom three for the diversity of its foreign student population. Universities...

An incomplete picture remains of the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on regional economies. Infometrics' latest Quarterly Economic Monitor shows a 2.7 percent per annum rise in provisional economic activity in the first quarter of the year. Principal Economist Brad Olsen says at the same time the likes of Hawke's Bay, Tairawhiti and Northland have seen their economic activity down between 0.7 and 0.8...

The iconic Wanaka Tree could soon feature on a Monopoly board, with the resort town set to get its own version of the popular board game. The Wanaka Business Chamber says the Wanaka version will feature well-known landmarks and beloved community destinations. Board Chair Jo Learmonth says local businesses can also apply to feature on the board, which should be ready by Christmas. LISTEN ABOVE See...