The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Universal Music Group — the music company representing superstars including Sting, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande — has a new Goliath to contend with: artificial intelligence. The music group sent urgent letters in April to streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, asking them to block artificial intelligence platforms from training on the melodies and lyrics of their copy...

When I first heard what the Transport Minister is doing in the driving licence area yesterday my heart soared. At last, something I can hand on heart say is a good thing - sensible policy - an incentive for everyone to get fully licensed. Surely, that has to be good, when you think we've got at least 40,000 unlicensed and untested drivers out there every day of the week. If they get caught they ca...

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

A Hamilton technology company has created a 'world first' by developing an automation system that can measure and cut plasterboard en masse. The development will cut down building times, decrease waste and enable more accurate cuts. Christopher Staal is the founder of EC8 and joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has announced a raft of changes to road licensing fees. A learner licence will increase from $93.90 to $96.19 and the restricted rises $30 to almost $170. But the cost of re-sitting a test comes down substantially, so on average, because so many people need more than one go, people will pay less to get licensed. Wendy Robertson is with the Driving Change Network joined Tim Dower. LI...

Concerns have been raised as to the cost of childcare for women wanting to go back to work. New Zealand mum Anna Cately recently had twins, giving her three kids under the age of three. Looking at returning to work, she calculated that after childcare costs she'd be working a full week for just $170 dollars. Other young mums say she's an example of the struggle they face. Member of the National Ad...

There's a new initiative aimed at producing more of a homegrown health workforce. The Healthcare Academy is launching a new nursing college. It'll train up nurses to work across the sector, including aged care, mental health and addiction services. CEO of the academy Ana Maria Rivera joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for more specialist nurses at Auckland's Starship Hospital, with its new paediatric ICU running at just half capacity. The $40-million expansion opened in November and new beds were added last month to lift the capacity from 22 to 30 beds. Starship says the upgrade was to future proof demands over the next decade, contrasting with previous statements of critical bed shortages. Nurses' Organi...

National leader Christopher Luxon has released the party’s policy for the farming sector, taking aim at red tape and proposing to restart live exports of cattle with strict animal welfare rules around it. Its proposals would also scrap the current median wage requirements to bring in migrant workers – but give those workers a path to residency. Luxon released the full policy in Whitford this morni...

You might know the name Nick Davies already, he's a budding author with a book just out but also a Wellington-based actor. He's starred internationally in TV and film but felt the lure of the pen, so booked a flight to Colombia to research his debut novel. The result is El Flamingo and it's out now, and Nick Davies joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

A museum honouring New Zealand soldiers is due to open in France this year. The New Zealand Liberation Museum will open in mid-October. Weta Workshop has built part of the exhibit, which honours the Kiwi soldiers who freed the French town of Le Quesnoy in 1918. New Zealand Memorial Museum Trust chair Sir Don McKinnon told Tim Dower it's highly significant. “The special thing is, this will finally...

A new tax report has found middle income renters, without children, are paying some of the highest tax rates. The report has been conducted by OliverShaw tax advisors and is investigating how fair the system is. Principal of OliverShaw Tax Advisors, Robin Oliver told Tim Dower wealthy people are paying higher effective tax rates than people on lower incomes. He says overall the system works but th...

The Prime Minister has confirmed the Government may have to intervene in the decisions of proposed new Three Waters entities. Under the Government's latest plan, 10 entities will be created to manage water services. Each entity will be managed by a board, with a representative body of council and iwi reps overseeing the selection of board members, and providing advice on how water catchments shoul...

All eyes are on the rate of burn out in the health sector. Massey University data analysis shows the risk for medical doctors is 22.7 percent, compared to 12.2 percent for other workforces. Researchers warn medical doctors need more psychological support in the workplace to avoid an exodus of doctors leaving the profession. Management expert Professor Jarrod Haar says told Tim Dower it's a complex...

The looming recession could cut deeper than previously thought. ASB is now forecasting the economy will shrink by about two-percent by early next year, double the contraction it was forecasting three months ago. Former Reserve Bank economist Michael Reddell says its a plausible prediction. He told Tim Dower every time the Reserve Bank tries to significantly reduce inflation, it's a recipe for rece...

The Principal of New Zealand's largest primary school says the Government's announcement on class sizes is ludicrous. Years 4 to 8 students will have one less classmate, with the teacher student ratio dropping to one teacher to 28 students by 2025. Shirley Maihi of Manurewa's Finlayson Park School told Tim Dower it's not going to effect any change at all. She says it needed to be a bigger step, as...

The number of people looking for emergency housing declined at the end of 2022 for the first time since 2015. In 2023, demand is rising once more. The number of households with more than two years in emergency housing has doubled since this time last year. Wellington City Mission's Murray Edridge says that despite there being rentals available, they are not necessarily affordable or appropriate. H...

As soon as two years from now zero emission flights may become a reality. So far only a few fully electric planes have crossed the Cook Straight, the next step being electric 19-seater planes, then domestic, before reaching zero emission international flights. Paihau-Robinson Research Professor Rod Badcock says that zero emission flights will have both an environmental impact, but also a major eco...

Can you tempt Air New Zealand's taste buds? That's the question the airline is asking, as it launches a nationwide search for the best Kiwi snack for its new in-flight menu. Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says that they should surprise and delight customers across different dietary needs and time-of-day appetites. She says there are extra brownie points if the snacks are sustaina...

National is raising red flags about a cabinet minister's comments about democracy. Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty has told Q&A he accepts the Government's latest Three Waters plan doesn't reflect a "one person, one vote" model. He said there are provisions in New Zealand that wouldn't stand up to a purely academic democratic framework. National's Paul Goldsmith told Tim Dower that h...

Reducing class sizes allows teachers to spend more one-on-one time with the students who need it. The Government is expected to make an announcement on that today, and in particular reducing class sizes for Years Four to Eight. Those year groups have the highest student to teacher ratio. Rotorua Intermediate Principal Garry de Thierry says that not all students are the same, and that teachers need...

Despite some frontline police being told to consider the necessity of arrests as Rimutaka Prison is nearly full, Corrections says there isn't a capacity problem. A leaked email reveals our largest prison is nearing maximum occupancy. It warns repeat breach of bail and warrant offenders may be remanded in custody for longer than usual, which officers should consider. Department of Corrections Commi...

Tropical Cyclone Ilsa has made landfall in Western Australia with warnings it is the strongest storm seen in the state for almost 15 years. It powered up to a category 5 storm, the strongest possible category, as it neared land. Ilsa crossed land just after midnight (WA time) on Friday morning with winds speeds approaching 300kmh. It hit the Pilbara region near the Pardoo Roadhouse and De Grey, 15...

Tim Wilson and Kerre Woodham joined Tim Dower to wrap the week that was. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If Chris Hipkins thinks rebranding Three Waters by calling it "Affordable Water Reforms" is going to win us all over, then he obviously thinks we're stupid. At the end of the day, the only serious change I can see here is switching from four monstrous and unwieldy administrations to 10 monstrous and unwieldy administrations. We're told this means every council gets a seat at the table. But despite...