The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Nine years after the offer was made, New Zealand will receive 150 refugees per year who are currently detained off shore in Australia.   That deal will be in place for the next three years, and the refugees will come from the detention centre on Nauru.  Managing director at Queen City law Marcus Beveridge joined Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Rotorua pub owner says what's happening to the city is awful.  Housing Minister Megan Woods has visited to launch a housing hub, a one-stop shop to provide support for people in Government-contracted motels.  She concedes there's frustration in Rotorua as the Government tries to address homelessness.  Pub owner Reg Hennessy told Mike Hosking if Woods' plan goes ahead, he can only see Rotorua bec...

A call for caution in pay transparency legislation.   The Government is looking at a policy which would make it mandatory for companies to report their gender pay disparity.   Genesis Energy has been doing just that for, voluntarily, for two years.   CEO Marc England says the right measurement needs to be made, and simply comparing all salaries as one gives an inaccurate picture.   He told Mike Ho...

The MP for Auckland Central has won the backing of the Auckland Council in her bid to have alcohol advertisements pulled from elite sport.  The council has unanimously passed a motion calling on all MPs to support a Member's Bill put forward by Chlöe Swarbrick.  It seeks to end alcohol sponsorship of broadcast sport and remove the appeals process from Local Alcohol Policies.  Alcohol Healthwatch E...

A show of force from NATO, in the face of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.  At an emergency summit in Brussels, NATO leaders have agreed to send 40,000 more troops to Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.  It comes as Ukrainians continue their fight, pushing back Russian forces from the capital Kyiv and destroying a large Russian landing support ship in the Black Sea.  Former NATO Assistan...

As the door creaks ever so slightly open to normality and the world, the one thing the Prime Minister didn’t drop yesterday was fear.  That is now up to us. The pain suffered by far too many in this country is being driven by our fear.  It's not that you can't go out for dinner, it's that you have needed Ashley Bloomfield to tell you it's okay. The limits and numbers haven't actually been the issu...

Those who follow Australian politics will know the name Kevin Rudd.   He was, of course, the Australian prime minister from 2007 until 2010 and then had another short stint in 2013.    Since leaving office, he's become an expert on China and Chinese relations with the West.   His new book ‘The Avoidable War’ discusses that very subject.   Kevin Rudd joined Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudi...

The UK seem to be on the health buzz, with a new poll out showing that Brits no longer want the full  breakfast fry up with extra bacon.  They'd rather the vege sausage, the smashed avocado and the free range eggs on top.   It raises the question whether or not we are changing our habits enough back home? Or are we still a sucker for a fry up?   Celebrity chef Simon Gault joined Mike Hosking.  LIS...

Big news for long-suffering rugby league fans.  The Warriors’ homecoming in July is set to be at full capacity with fans allowed back for the first time in two and half years.   The team last played in front of a home crowd at Mt Smart against South Sydney on August 30th 2019.   Cameron George is the Warriors CEO and joined Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

The news no one expected, world number one tennis star Ash Barty has retired at just age 25.  Calling time on a glistening career which included winning this year's Australian Open Ater a 44-year local title drought.  Barty has signalled chasing 'other dreams' as her reason for hanging up the racket.   Someone who hass watched her career along the way is tennis correspondent Craig Gabriel who join...

The pressure's on New Zealand households.  Finance Minister Grant Robertson is signalling another 2.5 percent rise in inflation if Russia's invasion of Ukraine lasts a year.  Inflation's already at a three-decade high and ASB says households are forking out an extra $150 a week.  Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says that figure rings true.  He told Mike Hosking households are watching c...

A university researcher believes the country is not divided as restrictions begin to ease.  Vaccine passes will be scrapped from April 5, with vaccine mandates being removed for a number of workforces.  Gathering limit changes will also come into effect at midnight tomorrow.  Victoria University Institute for Governance and Policy Studies senior associate Max Rashbrooke told Mike Hosking he doubts...

Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins has defended the country remaining in red under the Covid traffic-light system - as New Zealand is set to welcome new freedoms with the axing of vaccine passes, QR scans and many mandates.  Hipkins says the country remains under red - with no indication when that might change - because of the relative strain on hospitals, even as the Omicron peak passes in Auckland....

My gut says the idea that the Three Waters programme is on its inevitable path to nowhere.  We have predicted since the start of this that the consultation would be rejected.  We have seen the delays, legislation was going in last year, then April this year, and now it's delayed until who knows when.  A committee was set up to rummage around the remnants of what is left, to try and come up with so...

Mark Mitchell and Megan Woods joined Mike Hosking to discuss the week's political news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore Airlines is hiring new staff and looking to increase its services to New Zealand.  It operates ten weekly return flights to this country and is hoping to expand.  Public Affairs regional manager Karl Schubert says the airline has been committed to New Zealand for 46 years, including during the pandemic.  He told Mike Hosking there was never any doubt the airline would ramp up its operati...

The Mental Health Commission has poured cold water on the Government's $1.9 billion budget promise back in 2019.  With Health Minister Andrew Little admitted yesterday they've struggled to achieve results.   Wait times for young people are up, one in five people aren't followed up after leaving mental health units and Māori are still disproportionately effected.  Mental health advocate John Kirwan...

The failure of Auckland Council and the Government to see eye to eye is being blamed for some of the city's problems.  An Auckland University report suggests an overhaul of the city's governance and funding.  It's the work of the university's think tank, Ko Tu, and says Auckland is being impeded from reaching its potential by fragmented decision-making, funding processes and lack of joined up visi...

There is new research out this morning from Amazon Web Services on our digital skills in this country signaling there is work to be done.  Around one million workers, which accounts for 35% of the workforce, require digital upskilling and training for their jobs within the next year.  The report also states productivity, competitiveness and innovation are taking a massive hit as a result of poor t...

Treasury is warning the country's current infrastructure gap is set to widen if nothing changes.  It's also stating the Government frequently doesn't get value for money with investments and has one of the worst records at delivering infrastructure.   Infrastructure Commission Chief Executive Ross Copland told Mike Hosking the gap is large and New Zealand has underinvested compared to its OECD pee...

The Government is starting a mental health nursing recruitment drive, funding registered nurses to specialise in mental health.   It's also announced two more apps that kiwis can download for free to help with mental health support.   These announcements came on the same day as a damning report by the mental health and wellbeing commission calling for transformation in the sector.   Dr. Angela Lim...

Former Prime Minister John Key has criticised the Government's "dog and pony show", in the way it is drawing out critical announcements on the future of New Zealand's Covid response.  "Why do we have this dog and pony show where the Government basically wanders along and says I'm going to make an announcement to the announcement to the announcement," Key told Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB today.  He...

The story of Larry Miller is simply remarkable.   He's well known now as one of the most successful black businessmen in America - he led Nike's Michael Jordan sneaker brand and made it a $4 billion company.   Miller is now chairman of the brand.   But it wasn't a simple journey - he grew up in the ganglands of Philadelphia  - got into plenty of trouble and ended up in prison more than once.   Now...

Read Steve Chadwick's letter to Carmel Sepuloni. She is the mayor of Rotorua and she is seeing her city wrecked by the behaviour in the motels.  The emergency housing scheme in motels cost this country $1 million a day. And they cost $1 million a day because the social housing queue is 25,000 deep and growing. And it's 25,000 deep and growing because the Government thinks that solving it by buildi...

There are hopes a new vaccine in development will be able to tackle staph infections.  As the superbug is rapidly gaining anti-biotic resistance - Auckland researchers are hoping a vaccine will help stem high rates of infection.  Dr Ries Langley told Mike Hosking research from Covid vaccines is being used to help create it.  He says the rapid development of the Covid mRNA vaccine has opened up doo...