The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New Zealand's Winter Olympics team is halfway towards a goal of returning the country's biggest medal haul at a Games.  Luca Harrington has leaped from 11th to claim bronze with his final run in the freeski slopestyle at the Milan-Cortina.  The 21-year-old joins Zoi Sadowski-Synnott who bagged silver in the snowboard big air and has her preferred slopestyle event to come.  Alpine sk...

Housing instability remains a major barrier for many in the Salvation Army's State of the Nation report.  The key findings show child poverty and material hardship are rising, cost of living remains high, and unemployment's increased.  It's found unaffordable rents and rising homelessness are disrupting education, employment, and wellbeing.  Salvation Army Analyst Paul Barber told M...

The Retail Crime Group chair is brushing off criticism from former members. The Government's scrapping its retail crime Ministerial Advisory Group early after three members resigned, leaving just two members out of five. Retail NZ boss and former member Carolyn Young said her relationship with chair Sunny Kaushal made the role untenable and as a politician, he's focused on making headlines. But Ka...

Trade Minister Todd McClay's recognised he could have been clearer about aspects of his India trade deal.   He's in battles with Foreign Minister Winston Peters about the agreement's text, which hasn't been released.   Peters has criticised student visas being uncapped but McClay says over-arching immigration settings can still change.   He told Mike Hosking the deal's being legally...

KiwiSaver is a newsmaker.  It's making news of late because of the so-called "hardship withdrawals".  Bad news is an easy headline.  What is covered less is the bulk of the KiwiSaver story i.e. lots of people are in it, the returns are growing and, for most people, it is a half decent way to save on a long-term basis.  But also in the latest quarterly statements (this is for th...

France has launched its biggest military drill since the Cold War.  12,500 troops, 25 ships, and 140 aircrafts have been mobilised in the three-month Orion 26 exercise, which is intended to prepare for the growing threat from Russia.  The drill will ramp up in April, as it will be placed under NATO command and include NATO forces.   France Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hos...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued a rallying cry to staff and is insisting he won't step down.    Downing Street communications chief Tim Allan has quit saying he wanted to make way for a new team.   It was after Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney's quit, taking responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.   Starmer addressed s...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 10th of February, Energy Minister Simon Watts provides some more details regarding a new LNG import facility.   Are we worried enough about the peach “dumping” from China? And does it extend beyond peaches?  Forensic science specialist Tom Coyle discusses his 37 years in the job and working some of New Zealand’s top cases. ...

From true crime to Sherlock Holmes to CSI, people all around the world have a fascination with crime, mystery, and forensics.   And Thomas Coyle has been up close with the field for decades.   He started his career as a fingerprint examiner at Scotland Yard when he was a teenager, before moving to New Zealand decades later, setting himself up as one of our most prominent forensic experts...

There’s confidence a new gas importing facility will deliver benefits that outweigh the costs.  The Government’s confirmed it will build a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, with a contract expected by mid-year.  It says the project will save the country about $265 million annually – roughly $50 per household.  Energy Minister Simon Watts told Mike Hosking that Huntl...

People are being urged to buy local tinned fruit as imports from overseas flood the market.   New Zealand’s peach industry took a significant hit last year, when Heinz Wattie’s told multiple peach growers it would no longer need their fruit.  It's because many consumers are choosing imported fruit instead after China dumped hundreds of thousands of canned peaches into the market at a muc...

A proposed multi-million dollar liquefied natural gas import facility is winning support from electricity companies.   The terminal will be housed in Taranaki, with the Government aiming to have a "build" contract locked down mid-year.  It expects it will save each household about $50 a year once up and running – from late next year at the earliest.   Contact Energy's Mike Fuge told...

Questions marks surround whether benefits from Crown Regional Holdings investments have been assessed properly.   More than half of their $433 million loan book is now considered at risk of —or currently in— default.  Most of the portfolio covers the Provincial Growth Fund and the current Regional Infrastructure Fund.   Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Mike Hoskin...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 9th of February, David Seymour on a huge amount of unqualified ECE sector teachers and if we're worried about it. The Prime Minister is on to talk unemployment, fast tracking and when we will announce a State of Origin game in New Zealand. Andrew Saville and Jason Pine talk the Superbowl, the Winter Olympics and the Davis Cup and it's...

As promised on this morning's show, here's Andrew Saville in his signature new look! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: The T20 World Cup, does everybody have a team these days? Are they worth the Black Caps' time? The guys discuss what Winter Olympic sport they'd take a crack at, and the Super Bowl - a sporting occasion or a marketing occasion?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

The Prime Minister remains hopeful for a fall in unemployment this year. Unemployment's reached a 10 year high of 5.4% - with Auckland's unemployment rate rising again to 6.4%. Job numbers have increased, but that's been offset by more people joining or re-joining the labour market. Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking that the economy's rebounding, and that should flow through to the job market soon. He...

David Seymour wants to reassure parents things have improved - despite new data showing growing workforce challenges in early childhood education. Nearly 34,000 teaching staff were employed last year, but just over two-thirds were qualified. Almost 10,000 staff had no formal qualifications - nearly double the number in 2011. Associate Education Minister David Seymour told Mike Hosking that parents...

A defence lawyer says our jury system's fundamental - despite there being scope for improvement.  Open Justice can reveal potential jurors were paid more than seven million dollars in fees and expenses in 2024 - up from 5.69 million two years prior.  The Ministry of Justice can't say how many of these people were selected for a jury. Barrister John Munro told Mike Hosking that there's al...

Fears a decision around mining could affect New Zealand's reputation on the world stage.  Trans-Tasman Resources' proposal to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed a year for 30 years in South Taranaki has been declined in a draft fast-track decision.  The panel found there would be credible risks of harm to Maui dolphins, little penguins and fairy prion birds.  Minerals Council Chief Ex...

US correspondent Richard Arnold caught up with Andrew Dickens to chat about the biggest news in America.  Microsoft founder Bill Gates is facing backlash following a number of mentions in the most recent Epstein file release. Among the release was an email allegedly written by Epstein about Gates which claimed he hid a sexually transmitted disease from his wife after contact with “Russian gir...

Following this weeks wastewater spill in Wellington Gillian Blythe, Water NZ CEO, has emphasised the need for a reform of water infrastructure and oversight.  "I think what's really critical is that we need to have regulatory oversight and we need to be able to highlight what it is that the the type of non-compliance is," she told Andrew Dickens.  "Sometimes those non-compliances can be...

Opposition leader Chris Hipkins joined Andrew Dickens to chat about Waitangi Day hecklers, co-governance, and equal opportunity.  He also spoke about moving back towards using te reo for official titles, something the National coalition has moved away from. "There's nothing to be scared of by embracing te reo Māori and having, Māori names for government departments," Hipkins said. LISTEN ABOV...

Brenton Harrison Tarrant was jailed for life in August 2020, with no possibility of parole, after he plead guilty to the murder of 51 people and wounding 40 in the Christchurch terror attack. Tarrant is now, five years later, attempting to overturn his conviction with claims he was not in a rational state when he plead guilty.  Criminal defence lawyer Steve Cullen spoke to Andrew Dickens abou...

The New START treaty, signed by the United States and Russia in 2010, was a nuclear arms reduction treaty which has now expired. US President Donald Trump has now called for a brand new nuclear treaty, prompting fears of a new global arms race. International Law Professor Al Gillespie told Andrew Dickens, "Mr. Trump is the one who let it void, he was saying, well, it's not fair that only America h...