The Mike Hosking Breakfast

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.   Water. 2/10. "Because the cost of it is going up, like everything else. And because the government's $2 billion three waters slush fund opened this week which has nothing to do with water, but a lot to do with bribing people."   The IPCC Report. 6/10. "Because they don’t give u...

Not remotely surprised trust in media is falling. It's falling, according to the authors of this week's latest report into the industry, at "an alarming rate." This is the AUT Trust in News in New Zealand report. They mark various organisations out of 10. Over the past three years overall it's gone from 62%, as in 62% of us trust the media, down to 52%. That's barely over half. In a year's time, a...

Delight that Defence Force personnel can attend Anzac services this year. Recent changes to vaccine mandates were taken into account in this week's review of the original instructions not to allow them to attend. Changes to vaccine mandates prompted a review this week of the original instructions not to allow them to attend. They will have to wear masks at all times and won't be allowed to attend...

It's being suggested the Police Minister is hiding behind the "it's an operational matter" line. That was Poto Williams response to new figures suggesting it's taking longer for police to respond to serious crime in most parts of the country. In Auckland City, the average response time has ballooned from less than half an hour to almost two hours in the past five years. Former detective and Nation...

In a way, you can't blame Ashley Bloomfield, and yet you can.  He's quit. Why wouldn’t he? What a thankless task. But why do you quit when the job isn't over? The pandemic, as he has told us many a time, is far from finished. He's walking out with an unfinished job, Anthony Fauci hasn't quit.  Has he done a good job? I'm not sure how much of what he did was him versus what the government made him...

Nato are meeting in an emergency session in Brussels to discuss possibility of sending further weapons to Ukraine.  The EU has stepped up sanctions against Russia.  Auction house Sotheby's is selling Maradona's "hand of god" shirt.  France correspondent Catherine Field joined Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boris Johnson wades into the transgender debate.  More sanctions against Russia.  Jimmy Savile’s documentary paints his relationship with the royal family.  Rod Liddle joined Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might remember a couple of weeks back we had Nadia Lim on the programme – and I mentioned we should get her back on to talk her farm.   She and her husband recently acquired a 1200-acre farm down in Arrowtown – and is on a mission to prove that farming ethically can be profitable.   And this year she and her husband have opened a farm gate store full of organic greens, honey, eggs, some fruit...

Dan Carter is well known for his record 1598 test points he scored in international rugby.   He might wish it was a little bit less in 24 hours' time.   Starting at 7pm tonight carter will be doing a 24-hour kickathon, kicking 1598 goals for UNICEF's water, sanitation and health programme.   It equals out to about 66 or 67 successful kicks per hour, a little over a kick a minute.  Dan Carter joine...

Police say response time figures aren't always as they seem.   Data, obtained by the National Party, show response times for serious crimes have increased in many regions since 2017.   They've more than tripled in Auckland and Waikato since 2017, and doubled in Northland.    But, police deputy commissioner Glenn Dunbier told Mike Hosking those are the average times.  “When you go back and look at...

The Trade Minister says the Government's latest tariffs on Russian goods are aimed at putting a stop to Russia imports.  New Zealand has introduced a 35-percent tariff on Russian goods.  Infometrics analysis – released exclusively to Newstalk ZB – shows it would add almost 700-thousand dollars to the cost of Russia imports each month.  Trade Minister Damien O'Connor told Mike Hosking introducing t...

The National Party is calling for an end to the daily reporting of Covid case numbers and deaths.  It's backing calls from Australia's Chief Medical Officer – who says focus should instead be on 'excess deaths'.  That refers to the number of deaths from all causes during a crisis, above and beyond what would have been expected to see under ‘normal’ conditions.  National's Covid spokesman Chris Bis...

Ashley Bloomfield's being compared to Winston Churchill.  The Director-General of Health will leave the post at the end of July, after steering the country through the Covid crisis.  He says now is the right time to go in terms of Covid.  Former DHB chief executive Craig Climo worked with Bloomfield and told Mike Hosking turning him into a rock star is appropriate but isn't something he would've e...

ASB are picking the OCR will only go up 25 basis points at the next rate review in just under a week's time.   However, they concede that the likelihood of it needing to go up by 50 basis points is edging up, but it's really just a coin-flip at this stage.   They say it's a tough call, and an imperfect environment either way.   ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley joined Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE Se...

What's in a report? Well, depends who you ask.  The IPCC, the climate change wonks, have put their latest report out. Headline one, yes there is still time to limit climate warming to 1.5 degrees. Headline two, goal of holding global warming to 1.5 degrees is no longer plausible.  So, which is it? Doable or not? And how many people who wrote those headlines had skin in the game, a view that needed...

Australian correspondent, Murray Olds joined Mike Hosking on RBA holding interest rates, Scott Morrison wins the pre-selection court battle and Australia is set to start making hypersonic Missiles.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US correspondent Richard Arnold joined Mike Hosking on the UN’s meeting over Ukraine and Elon Musk’s Twitter share purchase.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MPs Megan Woods and Mark Mitchell joined Mike Hosking to discuss the week's political news. Emergency housing in Rotorua, should we be sending weapons to aid Ukraine and are gang tensions rising? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Tiger is a go.  He has decided to t it up at Augusta, and with that will come the ratings and the crowds.  Josh Kendall is a golf reporter for the Athletic and is at Augusta.  Josh joined Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Studies show Kiwis are participating in less physical activity and exercise than prior to the pandemic.  Physical activity participation rates have dropped by nearly six percent – while the number of exercises completed weekly sunk by 20 percent.  Sport New Zealand Chief Executive Raelene Castle told Mike Hosking the cancellation of team sports, and closure of gyms likely killed some people's habi...

Hopes Hawke's Bay will be able to kick-start a successful almond industry in New Zealand.   The region has been picked out for a feasibility study to see if almonds can be grown sustainably.   It's being backed by central and local Government, as well as Picot Productions – the company behind Pic's Nut Spreads.   Picot Productions Chief Executive Stuart Macintosh told Mike Hosking Hawke's Bay is a...

Working from home, from the other side of the world, could help fill skills shortages.  A new report has found offshore New Zealanders are sorely needed to fill our growing skills shortages.  However, the Kea report, which was commissioned by MBIE, shows many are reluctant to come home, especially those in IT.  Kea chief executive, Toni Truslove, told Mike Hosking New Zealand businesses, especiall...

If you can believe it our favourite train turns 1 today.  Te Huia has been off the track almost as much as on them – as of February 28 it has carried 17,340 passengers.  Waikato Regional Council chairman Russ Rimmington joined Mike Hosking.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister won't do it – but we have the strongest denouncing of Putin from a politician – and it's come from National.   Christopher Luxon has labelled Putin a war criminal, following in the footsteps of the US, UK and Australia.  It will undoubtedly put pressure on Ardern, who has so far refused to call Putin a war criminal.  National Party leader Christopher Luxon joined Mike Hosking. ...

What on earth were you thinking? Shame on you. Orange? A sense of normality? What's the matter with you? Oh, how ironic when I raised on the programme yesterday the idea that masks would be with us for the rest of the year, many of you thought I was mad. But look at who you are dealing with, you are dealing with a government that has duped us and a government that can't move forward if their lives...