The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Questions have been asked as to whether we are seeing the running down of buy now pay later lenders and some are saying they have they done it to themselves. The pay later scheme operators are struggling in this country as a growing number of us using the schemes are falling behind on payments and being stung by late fees. It’s a snowball effect with more people jumping on these schemes but also t...

The Deputy Prime Minister is promising transparency around Covid-19 protocol. The decision about whether to do away with our traffic light system will be announced at 4pm after a cabinet meeting.  Grant Robertson told Mike Hosking we will have complete clarity around the rules by the end of the day. He says while the virus can be unpredictable, New Zealanders need to know what's expected of them....

Cost increases from grocery suppliers to supermarkets continue to accelerate. The Infometrics-Foodstuffs Grocery Supplier Cost Index shows an 8.7 percent rise last month. Almost three times the number of products increased in cost than for the same month in 2019. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says farm expenses like fertiliser are rising at decade highs. He says that means people who...

Cabinet will today decide if New Zealand will hold a public holiday to commemorate Queen Elizabeth. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday announced his country would have a one-off public holiday on September 22 - Thursday - the day a memorial service will be held in Canberra. And September 19, the day of Her Majesty's state funeral, will be a Bank Holiday in the UK. Monarchy New Ze...

The Queen is getting a fitting farewell, on her final journey. Her coffin has travelled six hours from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh's Holyrood House Palace. Thousands lined the route. Royal correspondent Robert Hardman was among the crowds, watching the coffin come down Royal Mile. “The grand old Scottish capital today looked magnificent as the Queen of Scots arrived to spend her last night at her...

Lady Anne Glenconner, former Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, joined Mike Hosking as the world mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper was one of a few that were fortunate enough to meet Queen Elizabeth II and he joined Mike Hosking to share his memories of the experience. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter joined Mike Hosking to provide a picture of the mood of the people in the United Kingdom. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK correspondent Enda Brady told Mike Hosking the Queen has been the fabric of British life for so long. He says Prime Ministers and leaders come and go but she has remained constant. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US correspondent Richard Arnold joined Mike Hosking and said Queen Elizabeth's death is the saddest moment for Britain in the last 70 years, and probably the most significant. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Sir Lockwood Smith joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Foreign Minister Sir Don McKinnon joined Mike Hosking to add his voice to the outpouring of grief an remembrance since the news of Queen Elizabeth's death reached New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I asked a simple question of Megan Woods yesterday on the programme. Does this Government apologise for anything? She went on to not apologise. She referenced Carmel Sepuloni, who also hadn't apologised. And by days end, no one seems to have apologised for the Northland cock up. Not the Prime Minister, who referred questions to Chris Hipkins in yet another sign that she has basically checked out a...

The Government will be pushing ahead with new NCEA literacy and numeracy tests despite a trial which saw one school have a zero percent pass rate.  The tests, which are set to go into effect in 2024, were trialled on year 10s. Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti told Mike Hosking their new testing strategy will reveal gaps in students’ knowledge. “So what will happen over time is that when th...

There's no doubt Robbie Williams is one of the biggest music stars on the planet. Of course, he first made his name with Take That between 1990 and 1995. He then went on to a massive solo career which got underway in 1997 and he's gone on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide. Now - he's got a new album coming called xxv - which is a celebration of his 25 year long solo career. And in the...

A tourism boss says we should reconsider Sir John Key's 2009 idea of making trans-Tasman travel domestic. In 2009, the then Prime Minister floated the idea of passport-free travel between Australia and New Zealand. But the idea was shut down with Australia's changing of prime ministers and a tightening of their border. Haka Tourism Group general manager Eve Lawrence told Mike Hosking it will not j...

The green light could be given to get rid of the traffic light framework. Our newsroom understands Cabinet will be deciding on a recommendation to scrap the framework altogether, rather than tweaking the settings or moving to green. If it goes ahead, it will come into effect as soon as next Wednesday. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford told Mike Hosking he supports axing it, including getting...

National is promising a Covid-19 inquiry if it's elected. The Northland region was plunged into level three last year after women who travelled there returned positive Covid-19 results. Now officials have admitted they issued travel permits in error. National Party Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop says his party would have an inquiry started within the first 100 days of taking over. He told Mike...

We have the headline "A beauty buffs guide to Sydney. Where to stay, shop and spoil yourself." There are a lot of those headlines about these days. That's despite the fact Auckland Airport refuses to look like it's open and despite the fact international travel is only at 50 percent of pre pandemic levels. The travel industry is working hard to get us on a plane and off somewhere. But I can only i...

National is calling on the Government to apologise over the 11-day Covid lockdown last October. The Government blamed the lockdown on the two women using false travel documents to cross the Northland border and there had been suggestions the women were doing sex work for the gang scene. But documents obtained by our newsroom reveal the women weren't sex workers, had no gang links, and had correct...

Gilbert Mata woke up excited Tuesday for the first day of school since a gunman's bullet tore through his leg three months ago in a fourth grade classroom in Uvalde. The 10-year-old has healed from his physical wounds, but burning smells still remind him of gunfire and the sight of many police officers recalls the day in May that an assailant killed 19 of his classmates and two teachers. On a morn...

The White Lady is a food truck in Auckland that has been operating for 74 years. Back in June/July they were battling with Auckland Council who told them to get their license renewed they must make changes so that there was less litter, less drunk people around the truck and that their cooking fumes didn't drift to other businesses. They believed they complied with all that and now the complaint h...

A claim Rotorua's emergency motel system is sapping the Government's credibility. A TVNZ report has revealed poor conditions for tenants and allegations of intimidation and abuse of power from charity Visions of a Helping Hand. Victoria University political analyst Bryce Edwards says it's an issue the Government hasn't addressed and the Mayor hasn't been vocal enough about. He told Mike Hosking th...

The first of New Zealand Rugby’s Silver Lake money is about to be dished out. Yesterday applications opened for clubs all around the country to get a slice of $7.5 million. It will see more than 450 clubs get between $10-40,000, with an expected focus on upgrading club facilities to make them community hubs again. North Harbour Rugby chairman Gerard van Ttilborg joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE S...

Questions have been asked as to whether the Government's package will make a difference when it comes to youth crime. They announced their $53 million Better Pathways package, with a focus on children under 14. $23 million of it will go towards a programme that gives "wraparound support" to youths at risk of, or already involved in, organised crime. There's also $23 million for supporting teenager...