The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There's hope a new pay deal for police will see less disruption in the daily lives of officers. Constables through to senior sergeants who have a roster change within 14 days, will now get $100. An extra $50 will be paid out for subsequent changes during the same two week period. Police Association President Chris Cahill told Mike Hosking it will penalise short notice changes staff had been experi...

Renegade MP Gaurav Sharma faces serious consequences for allegations he's made about bullying. A special Labour caucus meeting will be held this week to determine his future, with MPs having the ability to expel or suspend him. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper suggests if he's suspended, he may be told to keep quiet to be allowed back in. Soper told Mike Hosking at the same time, expelling...

Act has announced it wants to introduce new immediate "practical" penalties for young people caught shoplifting. Leader David Seymour told Mike Hosking it's part of a broader law and order policy being announced this morning, aimed at making the country safer. “People feel like their communities are being taken over by people with the wrong values. I was talking to someone last night, she said she...

You can't sack Ian Foster on that performance. And I am hoping some of those that launched their campaigns to get rid of him, in yet another example of the superficial way we deal with performance in this country, might like to look at themselves. So many who drive the worst of the vitriol have never actually amounted to anything much themselves. It's one of the great weaknesses of the human condi...

All Blacks coach Ian Foster expects to lead the team to their next test against Argentina in Christchurch in under two weeks and is confident he has the full backing of his players to do that. New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson fronted media on Sunday but his refusal to back Foster's future only further fuelled speculation and uncertainty. Once the All Blacks arrive home from South Africa, Robin...

A man drove his car into a barricade near the US Capitol early Sunday and then began firing gunshots in the air before fatally shooting himself, according to police, who said he did not seem to be targeting any member of Congress. The incident happened just before 4am at a vehicle barricade set at East Capitol Street NE and 2nd Street SE in Washington. It comes at a time when law enforcement autho...

The Warriors’ newest cult hero superfan might be watching the last home game of the season from his couch, rather than under the coaches’ box. Calley Gibbons has been watching games under the coaches box since 2006 and during this season's homecoming, whenever the camera pans onto Stacey Gones he has been getting up and doing what they call a "shoey". This is when you pour a beer into your shoe an...

Against all odds, backs against the wall, against the World Champions at their home ground, lose Beauden Barrett to a yellow card in the last 15 minutes and the All Blacks come away with a 35-23 win over the Springboks. Former All Blacks coach John Hart joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The avocado industry could take a hit this season due to oversupply. New Zealand and Australia supply the majority of Australia’s avocado crop but they've increased production so much that there is an avalanche of avocados across the ditch. The oversupply meant our exports slumped last year and we are being warned to brace for lower prices and volatility. NZ Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular joi...

The Deputy Prime Minister says the Labour Party refutes the bullying allegations levelled against it by its Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma. Sharma also has allegations being levelled against him, by those who had worked in his office Grant Robertson says issues raised by Sharma have been investigated and found to be baseless. He says the allegations against MP Anna Lorck are being looked into. Rob...

Local councils will be allowed to take over and run public transport services themselves rather than contract them to private companies under new rules announced by the Government today. Transport Minister Michael Wood said he hoped the change to a less corporate model would help councils address the current bus driver shortage, saying the emphasis on cost-cutting had driven down driver pay and le...

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.   Sam Uffindell: 6/10 "Because he should have front footed what he knew would be made public. But never deserved the vitriolic pile on he got."   The National Party Handling of Sam Uffindell: 3/10 "At some point, do some of you want to wake up just long enough to work out that ho...

Is the biggest winner out of the Sam Uffindell drama the Government? Think of all the things they would have dreaded being talked about while we busied ourselves on the cock up that was essentially a two-fold mistake. Mistake one: the lack of up-front honesty in putting it out there from day one. Select him, I have no problem with it, what you did as a kid should not be a life sentence. But it was...

Concerns from National, that we're still not doing more to attract skilled migrants. New figures from Stats NZ show New Zealand had a net migration loss of more than 11-thousand people in the year to June. It's the 16th consecutive month the country has recorded a net migration loss. National Immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking says the one thing migrants want is certainty, a...

There are nervous times ahead for the mining sector. The Green Party have had their bill to ban mining on conservation land and water pulled from the biscuit tin ballot in Parliament. This is essentially giving them the green light to go hard on the Government. Patrick Phelps is the Minerals West Coast Manager and he joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

All Blacks coach Ian Foster has made what could be the final big call of his tenure, handing the No 10 jersey to Richie Mo'unga for the second test against South Africa at Ellis Park in Johannesburg this weekend. Foster is also gambling on two of his less-experienced props, Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax, to match the Springboks' monstrous men. The All Blacks props have 20 test caps between them....

The Greens say the problems dogging Te Huia shouldn't stop us from expanding the regional rail network. The Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee is taking public submissions, as part of an inquiry into the country's passenger rail network. Newstalk ZB has revealed Te Huia, the recently launched Hamilton to Auckland rail service, has been plagued with low passenger numbers and other issues...

A major change to social attitudes may be needed, to stem the current spate of youth crime. Two young people have been arrested, after at least 30 teenagers attacked a shop worker in Palmerston North. The owner of another store has told Newstalk ZB they've also been terrorised by the same group. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford told Mike Hosking says violent youth crime is becoming more comm...

Expect a political fall-out, from a Labour MP's allegations of rampant bullying in Parliament. Hamilton West Labour MP Gaurav Sharma claims bullying has become commonplace. He's accusing the Prime Minister's Office, the Parliamentary Service, the party leaders' offices, and the party whips' offices for allowing it to happen. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper told Mike Hosking Sharma has thr...

Changing university terms, to get more students into summer jobs, could be easier said than done. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has suggested moving the university year by six weeks so students are available to work during the main tourism season. Union of Students' Associations Andrew Lessells says many students would welcome the move. But he told Mike Hosking it won't be as simple as just changin...

It's fair to say Ross Taylor is one of New Zealand’s all time cricketing greats. He ended his career earlier this year as the all-time best run scorer across all formats - including Test, ODIs and T20s. That included the most centuries in international cricket, with 40, and the most appearances for the Black Caps. Now he's telling his story in his biography Black and White which is out today. It i...

The principals have got what they wanted. A couple of weeks ago, they wrote to the Government about easing the NCEA requirements. They claimed students were getting depressed and everyone was at breaking point. And the Government has come to the party. 46 merit or excellence credits instead of 50. For University Entrance, 12 credits from two approved subjects, instead of 14 from three. In simple t...

Marcus Lush is talking up his chances of becoming Invercargill's new mayor. The Newstalk ZB host and Invercargill City Councillor has confirmed he's running for the job Sir Tim Shadbolt has held since 1998. He told Mike Hosking he's not just there to make up the numbers or bring attention to local democracy; he's in it to win it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand will cut its planned schedule and operate 1.5 per cent fewer seats than originally planned during the next six months. The airline says it is taking proactive measures to protect customers' travel plans as sickness continues to cause disruption. And in a move that will anger former crew hoping to get their jobs back, the airline is exploring expensive "wet leasing" aircraft with cr...

A tourism leader says things are looking up for the sector, after years of travel restrictions. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has unveiled a new plan to strengthen the tourism and hospitality workforce for the upcoming tourism boom. It includes measures to improve training and working conditions. Real NZ CEO Stephen England-Hall told Mike Hosking the sector is now in a good position to restart. He...