The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Rising crime may be prompting more people to pack up and leave Auckland. Latest Trade Me rental stats suggest the exodus from Auckland is continuing, with rents in other regions rising at a much faster rate. Keeley Anderson from Queenstown's Tall Poppy Real Estate says she's dealing with people who want to move to small communities, where crime is less common and is dealt with faster. LISTEN ABOVE...

Sir Elton John wowed a sell-out crowd in Christchurch this week and tonight and tomorrow will be his last ever Auckland shows. Mt Smart Stadium is the venue for the two Farewell Yellow Brick Road shows. Auckland Transport is urging people drive to the concerts tonight and tomorrow, due to the shortage of public transport services. Wet and windy weather is also forecast for both nights. Sir Elton's...

Controversial plans to build a new airport in Central Otago is coming under further scrutiny. Eleven academics have penned an open latter against Christchurch Airport's plans to build an international airport on 750 hectares in Tarras. They've joined the growing opposition from local residents. Otago University tourism expert James Higham who brought the academics together told Tim Dower the airpo...

Divided opinion, over whether the Government should be increasing the minimum wage. The number of people seeking help for financial hardship has been surging, as inflation remains at historic highs. Business groups and opposition parties say increasing the minimum wage would add to inflationary pressure. First Union's Edward Millar told Tim Dower now is the time to raise the minimum wage up to the...

Divided opinion, over whether the Government should be increasing the minimum wage. The number of people seeking help for financial hardship has been surging, as inflation remains at historic highs. First Union's Edward Millar told Tim Dower now is the time to raise the minimum wage up to the level of the living wage. However, National says increasing the minimum wage would add to inflationary pre...

High praise for our new Prime Minister from the head of largest our bank. Chris Hipkins has been meeting with business leaders in Auckland, on his first full day on the job. The leaders have outlined their concerns about economic uncertainty, worker shortages, and controversial Government projects. ANZ Chief Executive Antonia Watson told Tim Dower Hipkins listened. Hipkins meets with ministers tod...

A week after Jacinda Ardern shocked the nation with her announcement she would be resigning her post as Prime Minister, her former deputy Grant Robertson has said he is pleased he did not have to put his name forward. Robertson was initially tipped by many as an obvious replacement for Ardern, having contested the leadership twice previously and serving as her deputy and Finance Minister. "I have...

You know the voice and you likely know the lyrics too. Beloved children's entertainer Suzy Cato has been up and down the country all summer singing to children, and adults, alike. She's often the special guest at events. This weekend is no exception, Suzy will be attending and headlining the four day Auckland Folk Festival, which is back for its 50th anniversary. Suzy Cato joined Tim Dower. LISTEN...

Now, here's an idea to encourage a bit of entrepreneurial spark among young New Zealanders. Ōtaki Market is looking to encourage children to set up their own stalls. Second hand toys, personalized t-shirts, bookmarks and whatever else they can come up with. Market organiser Claire Roper joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corrections has a serious staffing problem, with officers now sticking it out for just two years on average compared to 15 in the past. You may have seen the recruiting ads on TV. They're now being criticised by existing staff, saying they don't paint an accurate picture of the job. National Treasurer of the Corrections Association Cliff Hughes joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/l...

New Zealand's red meat industry has released a policy change wish-list with the goal to tackle labour shortages and grow export revenues. They have gone to every Member of Parliament, and various others. Beef and Lamb NZ Chair Andrew Morrison joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson believes inflation is now past its peak. Stats NZ figures show consumer prices have risen 7.2 percent in the year to December, the same increase recorded in the year to September. The price of housing, household utilities and food are driving the historically high inflation rate. But Robertson told Tim Dower with prices increasing 1.4 percent in the December quarte...

It's going to get a little bit cheaper to put fruit and vegetables on the table. The price of fruit and vegetables rose 23 percent last year, one of the main contributors to the 7.2 percent rise in overall consumer prices. Growers expect seasonal produce prices to start dropping, as supplies pick up in the coming weeks. Foodstuffs North Island’s Brigit Corson told Tim Dower how much you save at th...

New Prime Minister Chris Hipkins heads to Auckland today to woo business leaders after spending his first full day in the top job responding to the cost of living crisis. Hipkins is due to attend a roundtable event hosted by the Auckland Business Chamber. “I’ll be there to ask questions of them and to listen to them, in order to accelerate the important relationship that’s needed between business...

Much has been made of the personal criticism—no, that doesn't go far enough, the vicious personal attacks outgoing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern endured, and how much they may have played into her decision to give it away. We could debate whether she invited some of that —albeit unwittingly— by allowing her leadership to become so much about herself, personally. Was Jacindamania Ardern's fault? An...

Primary healthcare is back in the news this morning, with a report putting us fifth from bottom in the OECD for healthcare waiting times. Fifth from last, out of 38 OECD nations. Could there be any more of a fence at the top of the cliff scenario. Look at it this way: if your car starts making funny noises you lift the hood, look for something obvious, and if that doesn't fix it you take it to som...

New data shows almost half of patients are waiting more than a month for specialist treatment and New Zealand now has one of the longest wait times in the OECD. General Practice Owners Association Chair Tim Malloy says the wait for medical care is affecting people's wellbeing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Universities are having to book out plane seats to ensure international students can get here before the start of the academic year. Many students haven't been able to make it to New Zealand due to airline capacity constraints. Universities New Zealand has stepped in, booking 400 seats on an Air New Zealand flight from China. Executive Director Chris Whelan says that international students are an...

The devil could be in the details when it comes to the latest inflation figures. Annual Consumer Price Index data —due out later this morning— will show how much prices increased for the average household in the past 12 months. New Zealand's inflation rate for the year to October was 7.2 percent. ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Tim Dower that she's expecting the same inflation rate this ti...

It's the first day on the job for our new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. Hipkins will be officially sworn in this morning, before holding his first Cabinet meeting this afternoon. But Senior Political Correspondent, Barry Soper says that Hipkins won't be making any major decisions today. He says Hipkins has shown he's prepared to listen — a point of difference to Jacinda Ardern. LISTEN ABOVE See om...

Tim Dower was joined by British comedian Jimmy Carr to have a chat about his New Zealand tour, and the addition of a few more dates. Please note that in the interview Jimmy mentioned an additional Wellington date by mistake, instead meaning an additional show in Auckland. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Minister is defending the ballooning cost of three Auckland train stations. When funding for two new train stations between Papakura and Pukekohe was announced in 2020, it was expected to cost 247 million dollars. But another station has since been added to the project, and it's now expected to cost about 495 million dollars. Michael Wood says the third station was added after a 2021...

You know, what we've seen over the past couple of days reinforces what we've all known for a long time about politicians. They will say anything, anything , to get into power. And once they're there, it gets even more desperate: they'll say and do anything, anything , to stay there. We're about to see in raw detail just how desperate Labour is to cling on for a third term. Heads, which should have...

Love this idea of a 50-year plan for the roads. It's come out of Road Carriers Association. The incoming Prime Minister has said he wants to focus on the big issues confronting business, and the trucking industry says this is one of them. And they're right. We always seem to be playing catch-up on our roading projects, and right now we need some catch-up on repairs too. Ask anyone who comes here t...

A new artificial intelligence programme that produces essays on demand is sparking concerns at Otago University. Chatbot software ChatGPT can churn out writing requests —including university assessments— using information available on the internet, including academic texts. Any type of plagiarism, including the use of chatbots, is forbidden under university policy. Otago Business School Dean Robin...