The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The Winter Olympics are set to kick off in Milano Cortina, Italy this weekend with the opening ceremony taking place on Saturday February 7 at 7.30am NZT.  New Zealand team Chef de Mission Marty Toomey joined Andrew Dickens to chat about how the team is settling in, and the high hopes for this year.  "I think from a New Zealand team perspective, there's no doubt that this team is made up...

Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold joined Andrew Dickens to discuss the economic news in New Zealand and around the world.  They discussed European interest rates, the global dairy trade, and the US job market and dollar. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A number of politicians, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, were heckled during Waitangi speeches with conflicts surrounding treaty principles interpretations remaining the primary contention point.  Although, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says that, despite the evident tension, progress is being made. "We attended the National Iwi Cha...

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.    The economy: 7/10 Overall, a good news week, but a reminder that until we get the jobs right we ain’t properly right.    Foster and Hansen: 9/10  The wackiest story of the week by a mile. Could it be real? Could it be fantasy? Are the union completely...

It could have been a coordinated knife to the Government's heart.  On the day the unemployment rate went up, the Warehouse offered a real world example of the problem by announcing another 270 jobs would be added to the pile as they look to save and outsource and generally reorganise themselves.  The irony, well lost in the throng of those who look to use the headline for political gain,...

The latest Jeffrey Epstein files release is developing into a political scandal in the UK, with MPs voting to release papers relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador.  He's being investigated over allegations he shared internal government information with the convicted sex offender.   UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's confirmed he knew Mandelson had ties with Epstein,...

With Waitangi this weekend, the week is coming to a close a little earlier than usual. So Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the (short) Week that Was.  They discussed jobs and unemployment, and with Producer Sam is jetting off to a wedding right after the show, Mike was shocked at what has become the go-to gift for the newly married.  LISTEN ABOVE  See...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 5th of February, Finance Minister Nicola Willis tries to put a spin on a headline unemployment number that doesn't help the Government in an election year.  There’s a sewage disaster in Wellington, so Mayor Andrew Little joined to discuss the situation.   Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson discuss jobs, and Mike can't believe that mo...

A decent haul from Mike Hosking’s cherry tree.  Last year he was gifted a tree to ‘adopt’ by the team at Electric Cherries – who run everything without the use of fossil fuels.  The ‘Mike Hosking Tree’ has now been harvested and six kilos of cherries are ready to be eaten.   Founder Mike Casey told Mike Hosking that it’s been a pretty rough season down in Central Otago, with a lot o...

There’s cautious optimism New Zealand could achieve the country's largest medal haul at a Winter Olympics.  17 athletes, all in various snowboard and ski disciplines, will compete at the Milan-Cortina Games starting this weekend.  Chef de Mission Marty Toomey told Mike Hosking that recent form points towards a new frontier of success.  He says the Snow Sports NZ crew have come off a...

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little says critical damage to the city's wastewater treatment plant couldn't come at a worse time.  Heavy rain flooded the building's lower floors causing sewage to leak into Tarakena Bay, writing off equipment and forcing the plant to shut down.  Wellington Water says it could take months to fix and urges people to stay off beaches along the south coast, and avo...

There are hopes things will gradually turn a corner for Canterbury milk processing firm Synlait.  It's revealed it expects to report a $77 to $82 million half-year loss, due to the ongoing impact of previous "manufacturing challenges” at its Dunsandel plant.  Ashburton-based supplier Willy Leferink says suppliers are worried, but they have supply contracts to honour, and what really matt...

The Economic Growth Minister says things are picking up in some regions sooner than others.  Unemployment's hit a ten-year high nationally, reaching 5.7% in Bay of Plenty, 5.8% in Wellington, 5.9% in Waikato, and 6.4% in Auckland.  But it's fallen to 3.7% in Canterbury and just 2.3% in Otago.  Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking employment is rising in many sectors, but it's not even ar...

Is it a bombshell?  A moment too weird to properly comprehend and, because of that, is that why it isn't real? And if it's not real then it's not worth speculating on.  And yet here I am speculating.  The NZ Rugby Union has approached Steve Hansen and Ian Foster and asked them to apply for the coach's job.  Is that the most absurd, bizarre, nutty, unbelievable, possibly stupid...

Donald Trump has called for the Republican Party to nationalise elections.   He made the statement during his appearance on the podcast of former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino, saying the Party should seek to take over voting in at least 15 places.  Elections are primarily run by state law, with voting administrated by local officials across the United States.   US Correspondent R...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 4th of February, Transport Minister Chris Bishop delves into the overhaul of the drivers licensing system.  Mike runs through what words he can, can't, and shouldn't say after the BSA's latest swearing report.  And Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell discuss Peeni Henare’s resignation, the messy press conference with Labour and t...

Today on Politics Wednesday, Labour’s Ginny Andersen and National’s Mark Mitchell delve into the biggest political stories of the week so far.  They discussed the proceedings at Waitangi, the joint press conference between Labour and the Green Party, and the resignation of Labour MP Peeni Henare.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More good news on the tourism front.  Auckland Airport has reinstated its partnership with Thai Airways, bringing back non-stop flights between Auckland and Bangkok.   The route reconnects New Zealand with one of Asia’s major aviation hubs, and is expected to bring in around $250 million a year in visitor spending.  Auckland Airport Chief Customer Officer Scott Tasker told Mike Hosk...

A chance to open next year's Rugby World Cup with a blockbuster Wallabies-All Blacks clash has been passed by.  Organisers have opted to kick-off the tournament with Australia taking on Hong Kong on October 1, with the All Blacks facing Chile the following day.  The move is being labelled as a play to keep interest levels “alive”.   International Rugby Players’ Association CEO Omar...

The wine industry is trying to stay positive.   It's facing an oversupply of sorts after around 100 thousand tonnes of grapes —about a fifth of the crop— were left on the vine last year.  Some growers put it down to people changing their drinking habits globally, others blame the pandemic, tax increases, and US tariffs.   New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan told Mi...

Economists are divided on whether unemployment is finally starting to fall.  Stats NZ is releasing its latest employment update at 10.45.  Economic conditions are improving, but that's also prompting more people to re-join the labour market.  Most bank economists expect the unemployment rate to remain unchanged from three months ago at an historically high 5.3%, but ASB economists t...

The Government says it's modernising the drivers licensing system, with the key change being the end to full license practical tests.    After passing the restricted license test, drivers under the age of 25 will have to wait out a mandatory 12-month period as a restricted driver before they can apply for a full licence.   Those aged over 25 will have to wait six months.   Tran...

Building townhouses and apartments is becoming increasingly popular, with Auckland leading the charge.   More than 36-thousand building consents for new homes were issued nationwide in the year to December, up 9%, with multi-unit homes making up the majority of those.   Master Builders Chief Executive Ankit Sharma told Mike Hosking this is likely to continue in the long term due to infra...

A small tip on news coverage.  The media can go some small way to redeeming its reputation by asking more questions.  One of the current obsessions is the closure of hospitality outlets.  A café only needs to announce their closing, and the media can't swoop fast enough with a doom and gloom headline.  To be fair, The Hospitality Association doesn’t help. They roll out no short...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 3rd of February, Education Minister Erica Stanford unpacks the new reporting system for junior education.  Meta VP and Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis is in the country and discusses what they're doing to protect kids online and her thoughts on the social media bans gaining traction around the world.  9News Finance Editor C...