The Mike Hosking Breakfast

For the final time this year, Heather du Plessis-Allan was joined by Kerre Woodham and Tim Wilson to Wrap the Week that Was. They discussed the Vanity Fair photoshoot of the Trump Administration, festive clothing, and their plans for the Christmas holidays.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hamilton to Auckland passenger rail service could come off the tracks if it becomes too expensive for rate payers.   Waikato Regional Council is writing to the NZTA board to ask for a one-year extension of the service, through to 2027. They want to test full integration with Auckland’s City Rail Link, which opens next year.  Waikato Regional Council Chair Warren Maher told Heather du...

The resignation of Netball New Zealand CEO Jennie Wyllie had to happen.  That's the view of former New Zealand men's netball skipper and commentator Kruze Tangira.   Tangira told Heather du Plessis-Allan he believes the drama around the standing down then reinstatement of head coach Dame Noeline Taurua has plagued the year.  He says it started all the way back in January at the Sydn...

A push for the Government to use its powers to begin dismantling Gloriavale.  The Secretary for Education has cancelled the Christian sect school’s licence, forcing it closed from January.   The call comes just a week after former leader Howard Temple was sentenced to more than two years in prison for sex offending.  Leavers' Trust Founder Liz Gregory told Heather du Plessis-Allan s...

A view school violence is changing, with fewer mass fights, but far more frequent outbursts.  New data shows 12,300 students were disciplined for physical assault this year – up 49% on 2019.  Most incidents involved students attacking other students.  Darfield High School Principal Andy England told Heather du Plessis-Allan increasing neurodiversity in classrooms is likely one facto...

A prediction that 2026 will be a very good year for the economy.   GDP grew 1.1% in the September quarter.   Former Associate Finance Minister Richard Prebble even suspects we could see a turnaround in unemployment, which has ticked up since 2022.   He says Stats NZ data is always backwards looking.   Prebble told Heather du Plessis-Allan job ads are on the up and Seek numbers...

Donald Trump has unveiled a new Presidential Walk of Fame in The White House.  It includes portraits of all the previous presidents and corresponding descriptions, written in the style of social media posts.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Heather du Plessis-Allan Trump has helped write some of them.  The one for Joe Biden refers to him as Sleepy Joe, the worst President in th...

The $8 billion Waihi North mine has been given the approval to go for gold, and there could be many millions of ounces out of it.  It's been given the green light through the Government's fast track programme.  The permit secures 350 existing jobs and creates more than 100 new roles.   Oceana Gold Chief Executive Gerard Bond told Heather du Plessis Allan they're investing one billio...

Surely that judge throwing out the election result in Auckland has started the clock ticking on postal voting.  This case may not seem a big deal given that it involves just 79 votes, in just one subdivision, in just one relatively small local board election in Auckland.  But the 79 may just be the tip of the iceberg. It may be that hundreds of ballot papers in that subdivision were stol...

It’s not a Kiwi summer without Six60, and the county’s highest selling live band is rolling on.   They’ve dropped their latest single, ‘We Made It’, coming in the wake of their bestselling Australian performance at the Sydney Opera House.  They’ll also have the honour of being the first live act to perform at the new One NZ Stadium in Christchurch and are curating a new country and roots...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Thursday 18th of December, we speak to the new Deputy Police Commissioner and preview the Q3 GDP number .  The Government is saying the road cone hotline's performed as desired, so they’re shutting it down – six months early.   Six60 lead singer Matiu Walters stops by for a chat and performs their new singl...

A Kiwi classic with added convenience.  Rotorua has its first hot pie vending machine, stocked with the famous Maketū Pies.  All ten varieties are on offer in the machine, which sits just outside the I-site and besides the Redwoods Treewalk.  General Manager Craig Williams told Heather du Plessis-Allan the site was selected for visibility, with around 700,000 tourists passing throug...

Hopes a Reserve Bank move will translate to better prices for borrowers might be overly optimistic.  It is changing the mix of capital banks are required to hold, aiming to reduce funding costs and freeing up around $5 billion in equity across the sector.   It’s also targeting closing the gap between bigger and smaller banks, making the market more competitive.  Financial Markets an...

The Government maintains its road cone hotline has been worthwhile.  The pilot, which encouraged the public to report excessive cone use, ends tomorrow, six months ahead of schedule.  Site visits found 86% of work sites were already compliant.  Workplace Relations Minister Brooke Van Velden told Heather du Plessis-Allan the hotline has found there are issues with the traffic managem...

Newly minted Deputy Police Commissioner Mike Pannett says he's up for the challenge as he starts the job.   His predecessor Jevon McSkimming was given nine months home detention yesterday, for possessing objectionable material.  Pannett told Heather du Plessis-Allan the reputational damage from McSkimming is something police need to take into account.   He says policing is even more...

Schools and kura could have an important role to play in preventing youth suicide.   Coroner Tania Tetitaha's inquiry into the self-inflicted deaths of six young people finds they were effectively lost in a fragmented system.   Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad says we need to make sure getting help is as easy as possible at the earliest stages of distress.   She told Heather du...

Several of the major banks expect a significant bounce back in GDP for Q3 when Stats NZ releases its economic figures later this morning.  Westpac and ANZ both predict a gain of about one percent, putting that down to a jump in activity across the board.  ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Heather du Plessis Allan while she's nervous some of that could turn up in the revised numbers...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 17th of December, Nicola Willis responds to the surplus being pushed out another year , the third blowout in her two years as the Finance Minister.  Indycar champ Scott Dixon is on to talk his career and the launch of a new world class karting facility in Auckland.  And Mark Mitchell and Ginny And...

It's no surprise that Nicola Willis has pushed out surplus by another year.  That now makes it three years in two years, as in she has delayed surplus by three years in just the space of the two years she’s been at the Finance Minister’s desk.  Had she kept her pledge, the one she made about tidying up this country’s books when asking for our votes in 2023, we would be seeing a surplus n...

The son of Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner is being held on suspicion of the murder of his parents.    Police say 32-year-old Nick Reiner's been booked for murder after Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead in their Los Angeles home.   They say he's a suspect in the case and is being held on a US$4 million bail.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Heather du...

Today Heather du Plessis-Allan was joined by Labour’s Ginny Andersen and National’s Mark Mitchell to recap the highs and lows of 2025 on the final Politics Wednesday for the year.  They also discussed the retail crime numbers, the state of the Government’s books, the need for a social media ban, and the situation with Nicola Willis and Ruth Richardson.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio....

A momentous day for New Zealand motorsport.  The Sir Colin Giltrap Raceway, a world-class karting facility in Auckland, is officially opening.  The track builds on the country’s heritage and pathway to the world stage.  It will be opened by Indycar champion Scott Dixon, who told Heather du Plessis-Allan it’s going to be huge, especially for the young talent in this country.  He...

A possible win for the General Practice Owners Association, as they take on the so-called healthcare duopoly and cost pressures.  Their proposal for a breakaway Primary Health Organisation is gaining traction, with 116 GP practices, covering 833,000 enrolled patients, showing interest.  If approved by Health New Zealand, it would become the country’s largest PHO, representing around 16%...

Questions over whether the postal voting system is working after a South Auckland local body election was overturned.  Judge Richard McIlraith ruled irregularities altered the outcome of the Papatoetoe vote for the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board.  The case involved stolen voting papers and fraudulent use, and a new election must be held by April 9.  Former Deputy Chair Vi Hausia told...

The Government insists it has a plan to turn the economy around.  Treasury's Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows the country is first forecast to be in the black by 2029-2030.  The Finance Minister has admitted the country is borrowing money to pay the interest bill on the debt.  Nicola Willis told Heather du Plessis Allan that bill is about $9 billion a year.  She says...