The Mike Hosking Breakfast

National has pledged to ensure local councils are better set up under its new Three Waters policy. Its  'Local Water Done Well' plan would see the controversial reform scrapped and assets retained by local councils. Investment, quality, and infrastructure will be overseen by new regulators. National Party Leader Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that the most important thing is having water qual...

The good thing for David Seymour last week is he got a full house in Lincoln, just outside of Christchurch. My sense of this election year is that a lot more will be involved and keen to participate. The most dangerous thing about a democracy is when people can't be bothered. I think the results in some local body contests is teaching us that. Christopher Luxon in Christchurch the other day got a...

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.   I an F oster : 7 /10 Good on him for speaking out.   New Zealand Rugby: 3 /10 They couldn’t have made a bigger disruptive mess if they set up a specialist disruptive mess committee.   M aureen P ugh : 6 /10 Because, although she is a bit out to lunch, she spoke her mind and gue...

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined the Mike Hosking Breakfast to wrap the week that was, with Kate hoping to get some family news out of the way early. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calling all pilot gamers. Microsoft Flight Simulator has added New Zealand to the list of digitally reimagined countries. With geographic in-game scenery players can take on the role of pilot to fly across scenes from the Southern Alps, Marlborough Sounds, and Auckland’s Sky Tower. Proponent and trumpeter of the update Richie McCaw had his pilot hat on as he joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See o...

Kiwi pizza company Hell is expanding their 77 New Zealand franchises across the ditch. The company will launch in Brisbane this week, before looking to open more shops across Australia. But how will they fare the heat of the Aussie market? Hell CEO Ben Cumming joined the Mike Hosking Breakfast. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You would be hard pressed to find a more talked about person in New Zealand sport than Scott Robertson. Having coached the Crusaders to six Super Rugby championships, he’s been touted by many as a replacement to incumbent Ian Foster as All Blacks coach, whose position has come under threat following a turbulent season for the men in black. Rumours have swirled since the poor performances of the la...

The Government is adopting a similar immigration pathway to one used after the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes, to kick-start post-cyclone recovery. Opening today, the new scheme processes visas within a week, with fees wiped for successful applicants. Insurance assessors and debris removal specialists are top of the priority list. Immigration Minister, Michael Wood told Mike Hosking agencie...

A security expert says the West has dropped the ball when it comes to supporting to Ukraine. The country is increasing security ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. So far the West has contributed over one hundred billion dollars worth of military and financial aid - including over $10 million from our government. However, Ukraine still wants long range missiles and fighter j...

Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran admits the airline isn't popular with all of its customers. The national carrier has been under fire in recent months, with controversies about fare prices, flight cancellations and lost luggage. “The way that we think about it, we’ve got five stakeholders; customers, staff, suppliers, community and then we’ve got to reward our shareholders at some point.” LISTEN AB...

Astronomers have found six galaxies from the early universe, that are up to 100 billion times the mass of the sun. Auckland University Physics Professor Richard Easther told Mike Hosking they're far more massive than anyone previously thought possible. “I think we are certainly seeing the galaxies pretty much as they formed, we are filling in a chapter of the story we had been previously unable to...

He's one of the pre-eminent thinkers of our time and now Richard Dawkins is in our neck of the woods. You'll likely know the world-renowned evolutionary biologist and author, made most famous for The Selfish Gene and T he God Delusion. A lot of his work is dedicated to removing religion from the science discussion and discussing the genetics behind evolution. He's here for the New Zealand leg of h...

Signs inflation is starting to ease, despite the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. The Reserve Bank has opted to raise the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points, to 4.75 percent, as it continues to try to stem the high inflation rate. Governor Adrian Orr says the cyclone may lead to some price rises in affected regions. But he told Mike Hosking there's no reason it should cause widespread national infl...

The Government's urgently passing a law to continue imposing parole-like conditions on 501 offenders after the High Court found the practice was unlawful. The Returning Offenders Amendment Bill will put criminals deported from Australia in roughly the same position they'd have been, if they'd offended in New Zealand. Massey University Adjunct Professor of Law, Chris Gallavin told Mike Hosking in h...

Support has come from the forestry industry ahead of an upcoming inquiry into slash damage. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is expected to announce the probe today during a visit to Hawke's Bay. It's expected to last two months and come up with short-term recommendations to tackle the issue, and longer-term ideas for reforms. Forest Owners Association President Grant Dodson told Mike Hosking it shoul...

There could be light at the end of the tunnel for those hoping for a reduction in interest rates. The Reserve Bank has raised the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points, to 4.75 percent, as it continues to try to rein in inflation. Similar moves are also being made by central banks around the world. Independent economist Tony Alexander told Mike Hosking short-term interest rates should be able to e...

The ongoing economic pressure Kiwis are facing is reflected in Xero's latest Small Business Index. Sales were flat last month compared to January 2022 across multiple industries with agriculture baring the worst of it with a 7.2 percent decline in sales. Xero country manager, Bridget Snelling, joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there a clue to attendance and schooling in the enjoyment you derive as a student? We got the letter from the school yesterday about them clamping down on turning up. You need notes and good reasons, which you have always officially needed, but it’s got lax over the years, as rules do. But they have clearly got the word from the Ministry so the emails get sent out. This year for one of ours it’...

Politicians continue to clash over claims of widespread looting in Cyclone Gabrielle-hit areas. Several Hawke's Bay communities have set up checkpoints, to prevent looters gaining access to valuable equipment. Dozens have been arrested for stealing and dishonesty offences since the storm hit, with 145 extra police deployed to Eastern areas. The Prime Minister has urged the public not to panic, con...

Top educators in New South Wales are set to receive pay rises of up to $40,000 in a bid to keep teachers in classrooms The election pledge of rewarding excellence to retain teachers is part of a larger long-term career structure reform. Is it time we start looking at ways of retaining teachers too? Auckland Grammar headmaster Tim O'Connor joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/list...

All Blacks coach Ian Foster has told Newstalk ZB he doubts he will be the All Blacks coach beyond this year. Foster has spoken out, pleading with New Zealand Rugby to delay the appointment process for 2024 until after the World Cup in France. NZR have told him they want to appoint a coaching group by April. He's expanded on his comments this morning on the Mike Hosking Breakfast and says he doesn'...

Applications for $25 million in grants to support farmers and growers affected by Cyclone Gabrielle open today. Growers will receive $2,000 per hectare, up to a maximum of $40,000. While $10,000 will go to pastoral and arable farmers to repair stock-water infrastructure. Any further support is also not off the cards as the extent of damage is further uncovered. Minister of Agriculture Damien O'Con...

Hopes for big changes to our laws to ensure New Zealanders aren't kept alive against their wishes. While assisted dying is legal, advance care plans for patients don't have to be followed, meaning people can't request to be euthanised should they later suffer an irreversible loss to their capacities. That's what happened to Barbie Duffy. She then took matters into her own hands, and died after nea...

Wellington City has overtaken Christchurch, as the country’s most affordable main centre to buy a house. But home ownership is still out of reach for many, with latest CoreLogic Report showing properties are now valued at 7.8 times the average household income. CoreLogic's Kelvin Davidson says price falls in Wellington City have been sharper than anywhere else, taking the crown from Christchurch a...

Opinion is divided over whether the Reserve Bank is likely to hike the Official Cash Rate this afternoon. ANZ's Sharon Zollner told Mike Hosking the market is pricing in a 50-basis point rise. “There’s been a lot of debate about what the right thing to do is, but at the end of the day there’s a pretty clear path of least-resistance.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...