The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New Zealand isn't expected to follow Australia, when it comes to interest rates. Economists expect the Reserve Bank to lift the OCR by another 50 basis points today, bringing it to 3.5 percent. Yesterday, Australia's central bank surprised experts by opting for a more modest 25 basis point rise. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Tim Dower our Reserve Bank must not follow that lead. “...

The property market is continuing to cool after steep growth. Property prices across the country fell an average of 4.1 percent in the last quarter. CoreLogic Head of Research Nick Goodall says it's the fastest drop since the financial crisis of 2008 He says some regions are seeing bigger falls than others. Goodall says Wellington's houses have seen a 8.5 percent fall, while Dunedin's have fallen...

I remember the beginnings of the reality TV genre and wondering at the time whether it was entirely desirable. Back then, it was mainly cameras chasing ambulances and police cars. And I upset one TV producer when I asked if it was really in good taste to film people lying in the road after they'd just been hit by a bus. But anyway, people watched it, and compared to your period drama or even your...

Time to catch up with one of this country's most prolific documentary makers. Bryan Bruce has been involved with television and documentaries since the 1980s. His work has caused plenty of headlines; from a special on poverty just out from the 2011 election or examining the Bain murders. He has a new show A Question of Justice which examines four different homicides and how they show the legal sys...

Not a bad 100th birthday present. ASB has given Auckland's Mount Albert Grammar School, the $150 million farm it's leased from the bank for almost 90 years. Mount Albert Grammar School Headmaster Patrick Dunn told Tim Dower the 8 hectare farm is used to teach students agriculture and horticulture. He says there's no better way for young urban people to learn a role in a primary industry than havin...

A former reality TV participant who was paired with a man charged with domestic violence is urging people not to go on reality shows. TVNZ is still launching controversial new show FBoy Island despite having to edit out one of the contestants. He'd taken advantage of a teenager's drunkenness to get her into bed then covered her mouth and nose to keep her quiet when she called for help. He was foun...

A Government housing programme is making a difference for struggling communities. The Healthy Homes initiative provides bedding, curtains, housing relocation and heating to low-income families around the country. A three-year outcomes report has found those who have been helped are 20 percent less likely to go to hospital. Associate Minister of Health Aupito William Sio told Tim Dower the health s...

People are prioritising some debt, over other debt, as the cost of living crisis continues to bite. New figures from credit company Centrix shows a rise in arrears. Managing Director Keith McLaughlin says households that are struggling with rising costs tend to put off small debts they can afford to defer. He told Tim Dower they focus on paying off larger debts, to keep their larger assets secure....

The aged care sector is having to turn away new residents amid a 1200 nursing shortage. It means some older people are staying in hospitals or at home. Aged Care Commissioner Carolyn Cooper says immigration settings and a lack of funding for education and training are contributing to the shortage. Arvida Chief Executive Jeremy Nicoll told Tim Dower they look offshore but the process can take betwe...

Kiwisaver investors are still feeling brave when contributing to their managed funds. The Financial Markets Authority says Kiwisaver funds have seen a 10 percent growth in the year to March. Financial author Mary Holm told Tim Dower more people are moving into the higher risk funds and out of the lower risk funds. She says the people who are braver and go into the riskier funds are going to retire...

The last stretch of a Fiordland biking trail is in absolute limbo. The lake-to-lake trail between Te Anau and Lake Manapouri is disjointed - because the last two kilometres fall on Fiordland National park-land. The Park's Management Plan prohibits biking on any of its walking tracks and a review planned in 2017, still hasn't happened. Fiordland Trail trust Chair John Greaney says without the revie...

Fewer children and teens were treated by specialist mental health services last year. Briefings to the Prime Minister show the Health Ministry flagged concerns about the ability to keep up with rising demand last September. A senior official says pressures from Covid and workforce issues has likely seen services balance taking on new referrals with their ability to operate. Otago University Senior...

The Government's copping flak over the long wait time for visitor visas at the border. Figures released to Newshub indicate that of the more than 61-thousand visitors who have applied for visas since August 1, just over 26-thousand have been approved and 515 declined. It means nearly 35-thousand tourists are waiting weeks in the queue. Tourism Export Council Chief Executive Lynda Keene says it's f...

The Opportunities Party has revealed a tax plan it hopes will boost its chances of getting into Parliament at the next election. Party leader Raf Manji, is hoping a $6.35billion tax switch-up package, and his own campaign in the Christchurch seat of Ilam, will get TOP over the line. He hopes that this, and a new strategy to run in the Christchurch electorate of Ilam, will give TOP a chance to ente...

Nurses employed by Te Whatu Ora Health NZ won't be picking up extra shifts this week. The Nurses Organisation made the suggestion last week, as the winter bonus payment of a hundred dollars ended. Whangarei Hospital emergency medicine specialist, Dr Gary Payinda says doctors support what nurses are going through and how hard they work. He hopes they'll get to a resolution that's productive because...

The death toll from Hurricane Ian has risen to 54 people, including three in Cuba. The storm caused widespread destruction in parts of Florida, North and South Carolina. US Correspondent Katherine Firkin told Tim Dower the toll is likely to keep rising in the coming days, with some places still cut off from emergency services. She says they believe there are still at least a dozen people trapped u...

A tax specialist says the likely GST on contributions to the Government's proposed unemployment scheme, is just a matter of consistency. The scheme will pay New Zealanders who lose their job, 80 per cent of their former income for up to seven months. Official Information Act papers show officials recommend against allowing employees to claim a deduction on the GST paid on levies. National says it'...

Tim Wilson and Kate Hawkesby joined the Mike Hosking Breakfast to recap the week. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 World: 4/10 "Not a great week. The war, the voting in Ukraine, the Hurricane in Florida, the gas explosions in the North Sea, the pound and the markets. It's got shambles written all over it."   New Zealand: 7/10 "Could we be immune from all of this? No. But some of the dat...

We are underway at our house with NCEA. The nerves are high, and the memories have come flooding back. History is one subject being undertaken and sadly it doesn’t appear to have changed a lot since I took it for the first time in, what was then, sixth form. I had failed School Certificate Music in fifth form and needed a new subject. I liked and like history, but what the subject did that put me...

Sport NZ is doing its part to promote women’s sport. They're launching their new campaign called "It's Time" - all about trying to get more engagement in the women's game - more bums on seats and more eyeballs on TV's for women's sport. Sport NZ CEO Raelene Castle joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are suggestions we may have been incorrectly measuring methane emissions and the effect they have on overall warming. Well known climate scientists Adrian Macey and Dave Frame have been looking at our climate change policy in relation to the rest of the world. What they've found is that by using a more accurate metric to replicate what methane does to warming, we see that effects have been o...

We officially have a national wine centre. It was opened yesterday in Blenheim by the Government after funding for the Marlborough Research Centre was announced back in 2020. Questions have been asked as to what will this centre do and how it help our incredibly successful industry go to the next level. The boss Gerald Hope joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Big questions over just how many people will be having their say in next week's local council elections. Turn-out is down in Wellington and Christchurch, and Auckland Council has received less than two thirds of the votes it had received at the same point in the last election. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta hasn't received her voting papers, and fears others are in the same situation. Loc...

More than 600,000 passengers are expected to go through Auckland Airport these schools holidays; it's busiest in three years. Two airline powerhouses, United Airlines and American Airlines, are also making their grand return, along with Air New Zealand's Chicago non-stop connection. More than 40,000 people are expected in-and-out of the airport daily, a 70 percent recovery from 2019. Auckland Airp...