The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Since the news of Fonterra recording a 50 percent increase in record profits, it has now cut its season forecast milk payment to farmers. The forecasted payments have lowered to a range of $8.00 to $8.60 per kg of milk solids, reducing the midpoint of the range by 20 cents from $8.50 to $8.30 per kg. They are putting the blame on global demand from China weakening. Dairy NZ chief executive Tim Mac...

There's more waiting after a Christchurch murder trial resulted in a hung jury. They failed to reach a verdict yesterday on whether or not David Benbow murdered his childhood friend Michael McGrath in 2017. His body has never been found. The jury deliberated for 23 hours over four days. Massey University law expert Chris Gallavin told Mike Hosking it's always interesting when there's a hung jury....

Stuart Nash could be a ticking time bomb. The former Cabinet Minister has announced he's quitting politics at the election, and will remain as Napier's MP until then. Nash was dumped from Cabinet last week after it was revealed he leaked private information to donors and criticised legal decisions. Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Mike Hosking Chris Hipkins is taking a r...

Between February and October 2022 there were a total of 4906 retail burglaries, and 49% of those arrested were under the age of 18. Of those offenders, 51% of them did not face court action. Youth Development Worker Aaron Hendry says sometimes dealing with youth offenders out of court is positive, as it means their needs are being met. He says that the re-offenders are those who don’t have support...

Despite the current tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Russia has assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council. The role rotates between each of the fifteen members, each holding the position for a month at a time. The last time Russia held the position was in February of 2022, and they proceeded to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. International Relations Professor at Otago Universi...

Come on doubters, what part of this aren't you loving? Just which side in the NRL looks better, brighter, and more improved than the increasingly wonderful Warriors? Coach Andrew Webster said last week that this weekend would sort some clubs out, you would be getting a good read as to exactly where you were in the pecking order. The Cronulla Sharks are a solid side and they showed it in the first...

Research claims that an increase to the living wage won't push up the cost of living. From September first, it will jump to $26 an hour, $3.30 above minimum wage. It's an almost 10-percent rise since last year. Living Wage Movement's Gina Lockyer told Mike Hosking their research shows that businesses make cost savings elsewhere, so they don't pass on the costs to consumers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnyst...

National's concerned about the number of people being bailed despite police opposition. Last year it sat at slightly over 5000, much higher than the just over 2000 recorded in 2018. The party's Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell claims the Government promising to reduce prison numbers and repealing three strikes has given judges the signal to grant bail more. He told Mike Hosking that the bail incr...

Donald Trump is preparing for his arrest this week due to his indictment over a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. The former US president will fly to New York tomorrow where he'll be finger printed and have a mug shot taken. US correspondent Richard Arnold says Trump's set to fly back to his Mar-a-Lago home for a campaign speech the very next day. He says that the arrest's done nothing to dampe...

Hawke's Bay businesses are concerned that the Government's 50-million-dollar cyclone recovery fund's starting to run dry. The local Chamber of Commerce has received 1600 applications, but only 500 have been approved so far. Esk Valley's D'vine Restaurant is still closed. Owner Greg Miller told Mike Hosking that he hasn't heard back after applying for support through the fund. He says it's totally...

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.   Posie Parker: 6/10 She was actually the most dignified of the lot, out of a Saturday of utter chaos.   Marama Davidson: 1/10 As a regular citizen you'd dismiss her as a nutter. As a Minister of the Crown it's beyond shameful.   Stuart Nash: 3/10 He walks with a touch of sympath...

The NZ Initiative are urging for the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation bill to be amended with an immediate post-implementation review of the legislation. In the consultation process the Government and administration committee left less than 24 hours for submitters to respond to the bill, therefore providing no opportunity for deliberation. NZ Initiative executive director Oliver Hartw...

I reached peak despair this week with the profile of the person who tossed the soup, or paint, or juice or whatever it was at Posie Parker. The Posie Parker debate was bad enough. We have big stuff going on right now that deserves a great deal more attention. But it’s a human trait to become preoccupied with high drama so we had the high-drama scrap about Posie and who ended up making a bigger dic...

According to a study in Japan of more than 66,000 children up to the age of 3, 22 percent of kids exposed to dogs were significantly less likely to have egg, milk and nut allergies. While kids with cats were less likely to have egg, wheat and soybean allergies. But for kids with hamsters they had significantly greater incidence of nut allergies. Allergy NZ CEO Mark Dixon joined Mike Hosking to dis...

More scrutiny of disgraced former Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash. The damning email between Nash and one of his donors, which led to the Cabinet Minister's sacking, wasn't released under the Official Information Act as requested. Officials declined to release the email, on the basis Nash wrote it as a local Napier MP and not as a Cabinet Minister. National Deputy Leader Nicola Willis told Mike Hoski...

The cost of living crisis has hit many New Zealanders hard, but some help is on the way. From the beginning of April, increases to the pension, benefit, student allowance and childcare subsidies will benefit 1.4 million Kiwis. At the same time, the minimum wage will also increase by $1.50 to $22.70 per hour. Hospitality NZ CEO Julie White joined the Mike Hosking Breakfast to discuss how the increa...

Researchers are shining a light on the lack of exercise young New Zealanders are getting. A Victoria University study has found less than 40 percent of Kiwis aged between 18 and 24 are meeting the World Health Organisation's recommendations for physical activity. Exercise New Zealand Chief Executive, Richard Beddie told Mike Hosking New Zealand has a problem with encouraging people to do physical...

A construction boss says the second Auckland Harbour crossing must be cost effective and a long-term solution. The Government has brought forward construction of a second Waitemata Harbour crossing to 2029. Its offered five options of bridges or tunnels all include cycling, roads, walking and light rail. Naylor Love Chief Executive Rick Herd told Mike Hosking he's delighted to see some action, but...

Here's a question for you - having brought himself down, could Stuart Nash bring the whole Government down? The revelations that his work via email with donors disclosing cabinet decisions was known by the previous Prime Minister's office is, without question, a scandal. Chris Hipkins, who must be by now regretting ever agreeing to step into the job in place of the hapless Jacinda Ardern in that g...

The Formula 1 season is already underway but we have another series with a Kiwi driver in it beginning next week. The Japanese Super Formula Championships gets underway and will feature Red Bull's reserve driver Liam Lawson. He was in F2 last year before Red Bull put him in Super Formula with Mugen Motorsports, with Austrian motorsport legend Helmut Marko saying it's the closest to F1 you can get....

Police officers confronting armed offenders and other dangerous situations will hopefully be better resourced and trained to de-escalate and prevent loss of life following the nationwide launch of a new police tactics model worth about $200 million. The model, prompted by the  shooting of Constable Matthew Hunt  during a vehicle stop in Auckland in 2020, enhances the tactical capability of officer...

The Government is about to unveil five new options for a second Waitemata Harbour crossing. The Government has announced it's bringing forward construction of the crossing, likely a tunnel, to the 2020s. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will also talk about how the ways they would link up with Auckland Light Rail. Auckland Business Chamber Chief Executive Simon Bridges told Mike Hosking they want to s...

A law expert says there's no indication Stuart Nash's mistakes amount to political corruption. Communications from Nash are going under the microscope, with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins ordering a formal review. It follows the discovery that he discussed a confidential Cabinet decision with two former political donors in 2020. Nash has been stripped off all Ministerial portfolios, but intends to s...

Plans are in the works to cut back on the use of paper in the justice system. NZ Herald's Open Justice reports the Te Au Reka project will be progressively introduced this year, to create a fully digital document and case management system. It includes prisoners having devices in their cells to contact their lawyers and people being able to use online portals to interact with the justice system. C...

The pandemic may have played a part in what seems to be soaring labour productivity in New Zealand. Stats NZ data shows in the year ended March 2022, productivity rose 2.2 percent, the fastest rate in over a decade. This comes in a tight labour market with unemployment sitting at 3.4 percent. Iron Duke Partners Managing Director Phil O'Reilly told Mike Hosking the rise may be a flow-on effect of C...