The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The Brothers of Italy party, which won the most votes in Italy's national election, has its roots in the post-World War II neo-fascist Italian Social Movement. Keeping the movement's most potent symbol, the tricolour flame, Giorgia Meloni has taken Brothers of Italy from a fringe far-right group to Italy's biggest party. A century after Benito Mussolini's 1922 March on Rome, which brought the fasc...

Richard E Grant is one of the world’s favourite actors. He came to fame in the cult classic Withnail and I back in the 1980s and has gone on to appear on more than 80 films and TV series. His credits include The Age of Innocence , Spice World , LA Story, Game of Thrones, Star wars and Loki. And he got the critics attention with his performance in 2018's Can You Ever Forgive Me? That got him Oscar,...

The Mood of the Boardroom, which is out in the Herald today, is in some respects, the Government's day of reckoning. You might recall a few years back when the Prime Minister was all shiny and new, too many people had fallen for the superficial charm that she said she was going to work with business, and she was going to listen to business. When that turned out not to be true, she set up a busines...

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 Monarchy: 9/10 "It was a culmination of over a week of pomp, ceremony, history, and reverence for a woman adored by virtually everyone. And it's a sight we will most likely not see again."   Opposition to Three Waters: 7/10 "The mayoral poll confirmed what most of us suspec...

A number of changes for the All Blacks heading into this weekend's must-win Rugby Championship match against Australia. Captain Cane is out, which sees Sam Whitelock take the honours. Jordie Barrett moves into 12, with Beauden Barrett to fullback. Ardie savea is back from parental leave and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck finally gets a crack off the bench. Ian Foster is the All Blacks head coach and joined t...

Schools now know how much funding they will get under a new scheme replacing school deciles. Nearly 90 per cent are getting more funding under the new system, which will replace the old decile system next year. Northland schools are set to get the biggest boost of $223 per student, but about 200 schools around the country will see less funding from 2024. Principals' Federation President Cherie Tay...

Hopefully some good news is on the way for our viticulture industry. A member’s bill was pulled out of the biscuit tin yesterday that would help streamline the process required for wineries to sell samples. As it currently stands, small wineries have to secure a separate 'on-licence' to that of their 'off-licence' in order to sell wine samples, which requires added costs such as providing a food s...

There are some new changes coming in the streaming world, with Sky revealing they're set to launch their new box before Christmas at the cost of $200. The new box will allow customers to stream in 4k, record five channels at once, hold 1 terabyte of storage and will incorporate all the major streaming apps such as Netflix and Amazon. Sophie Maloney is Sky Television's CEO and joined Mike Hosking....

Pressure is mounting on the Government, to come up with a better plan for the tough economic times. In the latest annual Herald Mood of the Boardroom Survey, chief executives rate Jacinda Ardern just 1.61 for building confidence with the business community. Optimism in the global economy is at 1.83 out of five, down from 3.15 out of five last year. Employers and Manufacturers Association Chief Exe...

Here in New Zealand, the Government is mulling over whether to expel Russia's ambassador. Strategic analyst Paul Buchanan told Mike Hosking a better option would be to kick out the two Russian military attaché. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have a look at the photo that Justin Trudeau posted of his trip with our PM via his private jet from London to New York. If you haven't seen it, it's a side on of the two great leaders across the sort of table you get in a private jet. Perhaps, unusually, both are wearing masks. Given the pandemic is over according to Joe Biden who said you don’t see masks anywhere these days, so he clearly hasn’t...

Joseph Parker is back in the ring this weekend, fighting for the championship that he last won in 2016. Parker is fighting the undefeated Joe Joyce for the WBO interim heavyweight championship. They're both ranked two and one respectively. The winner will become the mandatory challenger for the winner of the rematch between Usyk and Anthony Joshua. Joseph Parker joined Mike Hosking out of London....

Thousands of much-needed Pacific labourers can now return to New Zealand, to work. Immigration Minister Michael Wood has announced the re-opening of visa registrations from the Pacific. Registrations for the Samoan quota will reopen on October 3, and for the Pacific Access Category from October 5. Immigration consultant Kay Armstrong told Mike Hosking it's a big deal. She says it will be a welcome...

Maria Doyle Kennedy is easily one of Ireland’s most successful entertainment exports. She's been in the business more than 30 years and has had starring roles in the Tudors, Downton Abbey, Orphan Black and Outlander. Kennedy is also a prolific singer - and with her own record label - has released ten solo studio albums. Now she's back with a new show, Recipes for Love and Murder which is on stream...

We finally got some netball between the Silver Ferns and Jamaica last night. In between visa and passport issues for the visitors, as well as needing to call in their long retired coach as a reserve player, Jamaica had only seven available players who all played the 60mins. It ended with a 70-45 win for the Silver Ferns. Coach Noeline Taurua joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/lis...

Centre for European Policy Analysis Senior Fellow Edward Lucas says calling up the reservists is a dramatic gambit by Putin. He told Mike Hosking it shows desperation on his part, because the other things he's tried to do haven't worked. “This threat of nuclear weapons being used, which I think is not nearly as scary as people think. I think this is actually a sign that he is running out of option...

It's hoped an investigation will provide clarity into how ministries award contracts, and declare conflicts of interest. The Public Service Commissioner has launched a probe into contracts awarded to family members of Nanaia Mahuta. It was requested by Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins and Mahuta herself, after persistent media reports. National MP Simeon Brown has been calling for an investig...

Alzheimers NZ says global research has highlighted the way New Zealanders with dementia are being failed. The latest World Alzheimer Report says the lack of post-diagnostic support for people with dementia is a global problem. As many as 85 per cent of the 55 million sufferers are missing out on care. Alzheimers NZ chief Catherine Hall says it paints a grim picture of the situation here. She says...

In the leadup to the 2023 election, it's been observed that Labour's honeymoon period may be drawing to a close. Our Australian correspondent Murray Olds has observed that Labour's position in the polls has gone down. There is still interest in Labour, but it's become apparent that their appeal may have peaked. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mission Estate concert speculation is over. Their big act reveal is none other than Robbie Williams - who we had on the show two weeks ago and he possibly let it slip. Joining me now is the Mission Estate concert promoter and partner at SEL James Erskine. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon is going with the ''trust me'' approach when it comes to the Uffindell report. He had already said he wasn't going to release it to the public but he also won't release it to National Party MP's because he says "they trust me to represent the findings". National Party leader Christopher Luxon joins me now. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the final day of voting for a big decision for playcentres. They are voting on whether to centralise their resources into one big pot to be controlled and distributed by the National Body a la Three Waters for playcentres. It will only happen if 80% of centres vote yes to the changes. Playcentre Aotearoa Chief Executive David Moger joins me now. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Are our MP's being put in more danger this election campaign at public events? Grant Robertson said yesterday that the election campaign will be undertaken in an atmosphere different to others and that there has been an escalation in intense threats and abuse of MP's. They are even considering axing their public walkabout's next year. ACT party leader David Seymour joins me now. LISTEN ABOVE   See...

Puerto Rico faced substantial damage from Hurricane Fiona earlier this week. The hurricane caused flash flooding and storm damage, as well as knocking out the nation's power. US correspondent Richard Arnold also notes that the timing of this hurricane unfortunately happened around the same time as Hurricane Maria, which happened five years prior.  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

In Australia their treasurer Jim Charles says they need to have a national discussion about how to pay for Government spending. Yes, their budget deficit was $50 billion dollars lower than forecast but Chalmers says that won't be the case going forward and they'll be constrained to "bread and butter" spending. So if they are going to have the talk, do we need to as well? Former Reserve Bank econom...