The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Cost increases from the war in Iran haven’t hit supermarket shelves yet, Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin says. The latest food price index, published on Tuesday, showed food costs up 4.5% in the year to February, largely driven by red meat, but those increases came prior to the first attack on Iran on February 28th. Quin told Mike Hosking Foodstuffs was trying to anticipate what...

The economic impact of property investors is being quantified for the first time.  A report commissioned by the Property Investors Federation estimates the sector added $24.8 billion to GDP last year.  It also links investors to about 126 thousand jobs nationwide – about 5% of the workforce.  Advocacy Manager Matt Ball told Mike Hosking the lack of data has been damaging to the sect...

How long can you pedal an invention?  On Friday March 6th the poll is out. It's bad for National and the media has concocted the idea that as a result of these numbers and the previous Monday's press conference about the war, that things have got so bad for the Prime Minister he is “considering his position over the weekend”.  They have also concluded numbers are being crunched, pressure...

The UK says it won't be drawn into a wider war in the Middle East as Donald Trump urges allies to keep shipping lanes open.  The US President wants nations to help police the strait after Iran used drones, missiles, and mines to shut the key channel, used by tankers carrying a fifth of the world’s oil and gas.  Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain will work toward a fast resolution t...

One of our favourite tool shops is now a century old.  2026 marks 100 years for the tool company Stihl, which has been in New Zealand for over 40 years.  It’s been family-run since its inception – founded by Andreas Stihl in 1926 and passed on to his son, Hans Peter Stihl, before his grandson Dr Nikolas Stihl took the reins.   He’s the Chair of the Advisory Board and Supervisory Boa...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 17th of March, Finance Minister Nicola Willis breaks down the fuel situation and its impact on our economy.   Another big win has brought Wētā FX’s Oscar count to eight – Matt Aitken joined Hosking to chat about the win.   The man in charge of the century-old Stihl company, Dr Nikolas Stihl, is in the country, and joined to disc...

A big Hollywood celebration for the Wētā FX team last night after another Oscar win.   Wellington's Wētā FX won Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards in LA yesterday for their work on James Cameron's blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash.   It brings their total Oscar count to eight.   Head of Visual Effects Matt Aitken told Mike Hosking it's an acknowledgement of the team's ded...

The Health Minister's unveiled an overhaul of the health system.  It will see workforce, budget, service delivery, and recruitment decisions made at the local level from July.  Simeon Brown says it's a significant change but isn't a return to the old district health board system.   He told Mike Hosking the Government's also committing $25 million towards a new winter health plan.&nb...

New alcohol legislation could go further.   The Bill put to Parliament yesterday includes a raft of changes to bar licences, aiming to cut red tape and bureaucracy.   But Alcohol Beverages Council Executive Director Virginia Nicholls told Mike Hosking changes should also limit the number of district licensing committees.   With 67 committees currently around the country, she says it...

Fonterra's preparing to recruit a new boss after the resignation of current CEO Miles Hurrell.  Hurrell's given six months' notice to allow for a smooth transition.  The board and management regularly discuss succession plans and they'll be running a robust process to appoint a new CEO.  Co-Operative Council Chair John Stevenson told Mike Hosking it's unclear if Hurrell's replacemen...

An electric vehicle provider saw an uptake in electric and hybrid car sales over the weekend as fuel prices continue to soar.  BYD General Manager Warren Wilmot told Mike Hosking the number of fully electric and hybrid BYD cars bought on Saturday quadrupled their usual sale.  “We sold 80 on Saturday as opposed to the usual 20 to 25 we sell on a Saturday.  “Our Australian friends did...

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has emphasised there’s a range of scenarios for inflation amidst the global oil crisis – not just the worst-case scenario of 3.7% outlined yesterday.  “We don't know what's going to happen with factors that are outside of our control,” she told Mike Hosking.  “We don't know how long the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed. We don't know whether Asian refineri...

Australia Correspondent Steve Price joined Mike Hosking to talk about the latest news out of Australia.  One Nation have reached 24% in the latest poll, just five points away from Labour.  Price said, "if you'd told me a year ago that they were gonna be sitting right now with a primary vote of 24%, I would've said you're crazy." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

US Correspondent Richard Arnold joined Mike Hosking to chat the latest in US news including the US attack of Kharg Island and the increased security measures at today's Oscars. "They have police dogs and SWAT teams, anti-drone technology, even sharpshooters on patrol," he said. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 16th of March, we enter week three of the war and get the analysis from on oil and fuel prices. The Prime Minister calls in from Samoa to confirm he didn't ask for a title and tells us what we're getting out of the trip. Andrew Saville and Jason Pine talk Liam Lawson's brilliant weekend, the Warriors brilliant weekend and the Crusaders...

The Oscars arrive at noon (NZT) today with One Battle After Another as the front runner for Best Picture, with a chance of 76.3%, but Sinners is being eyed for a possible underdog win.  Jessie Buckley is the favourite for Best Actress after already taking home the Critics Choice, SAG, and Golden Globe for her role in Hamnet. Variety's Chief Film Critic Peter Debruge joined Mike Hosking to cha...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Mike Hosking for their weekly catch up to chat fuel security, his visit to the Pacific, and Trump's calls for aid in the Strait of Hormuz.  Luxon told Hosking he is 'confident' in New Zealand's fuel imports as most of our supply comes from South Korea and Singapore.  "We've got very good cover and stocks," he said.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio...

Yet another “advice ignored” story. The trouble with advice is it's not automatically right and more often than not the media seems to think it counts for something, hence their obsession with coverage. The latest example is Paul Goldsmith ignored advice around move-on orders. The media plays these advice stories up because it suits their increasingly obvious bias against the Government. But when...

We have good news on housing.  1) It's still a buyers' market.  2) A good chunk of the buyers are first timers.  It’s the debate we should at least acknowledge has been, for now, partially solved.  Not long back we were where Australia currently is; young people couldn't afford a house and, with plenty of emotion, it was suggested they never would.  That wasn’t actually fa...

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.    The Warriors: 8/10   Come on! Let's start with the good news – we're one from one. A thrashing against a good side and another home game tonight.    Mariameno Kapa-Kingi: 6/10  She's back. Whether she likes being back is another thing, but good on...

My observations on week two of the war.  I'm as convinced as ever I was that this thing is over in the four week-ish window they said it would be.  If true, it means we should not have spent the week guessing when it will be over because we have already been told.  If I worry about anything it's miscalculation. The trouble with the miscalculation is we don’t really know if it is or...

Members of the International Energy Agency have unanimously agree to release 400 million barrels of oil reserves to help combat steep oil prices arising from the conflict in the Middle East.  It equates to about four-days' worth and is the largest ever release of reserves in the agency's history.  The US is releasing 172 million barrels from their Strategic Petroleum Reserve, beginning n...

It's Friday, which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was. With the ongoing uncertainty surrounding oil prices, the Government is considering heading back to the Muldoon-era and instituting car-less days if all else fails, so Tim, Kate, and Mike took a look back at what those days were like. And should you watch something just to see how bad it is?...

An energy industry lobby group is warning the decline in domestic gas supply is a sign of a shrinking economy.  PwC research —commissioned by Gas Industry Co— suggests the gas market must contract sharply as domestic supply falls, potentially leading to business closures, job losses, and higher energy costs.  The research assumes the Maui field will stop producing in 2027.  Energy R...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 13th of March, is the Government really considering car-less days because of the fuel instability? What are the other options? Nicola Willis discussed the details .  Richie Barnett unpacked the Warriors' performance against the Roosters and looked ahead to tonight’s clash against the Raiders.  And Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson tal...