The Mike Hosking Breakfast

So, to the Nicola Willis v Ruth Richardson debate.  Here’s a challenge to Nicola Willis: do it this year. Do it next week.  I’m hearing that having challenged Ruth Richardson to the debate, Willis’ office would prefer to do it next year.  I can understand why. By next year the momentum will be gone and we’ll all have moved on to other things and it, probably, won't get as big of an...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Thursday 11th of December, as Australia bans social media for under 16s, what does our interim report say we should do?   David Seymour responds to the findings of the investigation into the mouldy lunches at a Christchurch school.   US billionaire Mark Cuban talks the All Blacks, being an NBA owner, the st...

Mark Cuban has his hands in all sorts of pies.  The US billionaire businessman is involved with tech, media, health insurance, the NBA, and more recently, politics.  He got his first major start with the media company Broadcast.com, which he sold to Yahoo in 1999 for US$5.7 billion worth of stock.   The next year he got into the NBA, buying the Dallas Mavericks for US$280 million, s...

A brand new kiwifruit is about to hit the market.  Zespri has approved the commercialisation of a new red variety, Red80, following the success of Red19.  The fruit has been naturally bred through Zespri’s Kiwifruit Breeding Centre in partnership with Plant & Food Research.  CEO Jason Te Brake told Heather du Plessis-Allan Red80 has a later harvest than Red19, which extends the...

Tourists continue to flock across the ditch to New Zealand.  Stats NZ figures show more than 260 thousand overseas travellers visited in October, 22 thousand up on the year before.  More than 120 thousand came from Australia – a record October high.  Tourism Holdings CEO Grant Webster told Heather du Plessis-Allan that New Zealand is currently a cheap destination for Australian tour...

Just because something's hard to do, doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.  Parliament's education committee is recommending New Zealand consider following Australia in banning under 16s from social media.  It's found the platforms are exposing young people to a wide range of harm.  Acting Committee Chair Carl Bates told Heather du Plessis-Allan teens will get around a social media age...

“A week of drama” could have been avoided had the principal of a school with mouldy lunches waited for the investigation rather than going public, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says.  New Zealand Food Safety said yesterday the mouldy lunches served at the Haeata Community Campus were most likely caused by an error at the school.  Seymour told Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis...

There are concerns our health system isn't keeping pace with our accelerating cancer rates.  The Cancer Control Agency's latest State of Cancer Report has found more New Zealanders are being diagnosed with cancer, but they're surviving cancer for longer.  It's projecting diagnoses will increase by 50% over the next two decades.  Otago University Medical Oncologist Dr Chris Jackson t...

A major New Zealand apple grower is pulling the pin on exporting to the US due to Donald Trump's tariffs.   Export tariffs for New Zealand increased to 15% in August.  New Zealand's $70 million of apple exports were excluded from exemptions last month.  Yummy Fruit Company General Manager Paul Paynter told Heather du Plessis-Allan turning away from the US has been an easy decision.&...

Cast your mind back a couple of weeks to what the boss of Auckland Port Roger Gray said.  He told us New Zealand is a country that says 'no' so often, Miami cruise bosses he spoke to had taken to calling us 'No Zealand'.  Yesterday the Government unveiled its plan for how we stop that, which is a rewrite of the RMA because the RMA is part of the problem.  It has turned 'no' into an...

Donald Trump has waded into the battle to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.   Paramount Skydance has launched a hostile bid for company in a last ditch effort to outbid Netflix.  The offer would be worth about NZ$188 billion compared to the $125 billion Netflix has been offering.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this level of presidential involvement is...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 10th of December, the Contact Energy CEO responds to Chris Bishop's RMA reform and Chris Bishop responds to the industry .  Is there a New Zealander who hasn't skipped a stone? If you think you're pretty good at it, we've got the first ever NZ Stone Skimming Champs coming next year .   Mark Mitche...

Today on Politics Wednesday, Labour’s Ginny Andersen and National’s Mark Mitchell joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the week thus far.  They discussed the newly-announced RMA reforms – how does Labour feel about the new acts?   There's been another development in the McSkimming saga, with Andrew Coster claiming he briefed both Chris Hipkins and Mark Mitchell on the situation pre...

A classic pastime is getting its own national championship.  The Stone Skimming Nationals will be held next May at Lake Hāwea, with the winners heading on to the World Championship in Scotland.  Around 150 people are expected to compete, with more than 100 spectating the event.   Lake Hāwea Station’s Tourism Manager Richie Lang told Heather du Plessis-Allan originally there wasn’t a...

There’s an assurance RMA changes won't clog the courts.   The Government's confirmed it's replacing current Resource Management Act laws with two new pieces of legislation, one for the environment and one for planning.   It's expected to save about $13 billion in consenting costs.  RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop told Heather du Plessis-Allan there's too much Environmental Court li...

A mortgage broker is saying not to panic about rising mortgage rates.   Westpac has announced a 30 basis point increase to its 2-5 year fixed rates.  They claim the move reflects rising wholesale rates and higher costs for long-term funding.   Sue Tierney told Heather du Plessis-Allan that people do have the opportunity to negotiate rates.  She says the bank has an advertised r...

A Covid-type outbreak of common sense.  That's how Contact Energy's describing the Government's Resource Management Act reforms, which will see current rules replaced with two new pieces of legislation.   One will be for planning, and the other for the environment.  Contact Energy Chief Executive Mike Fuge told Heather du Plessis-Allan he likes what he sees.   He says it will l...

A monumental change for people caring for severely disabled family members. A landmark Supreme Court ruling yesterday means those providing full-time care for severely disabled family members are entitled to pay. It was brought by two parents, Christine Fleming and Peter Humphreys, who care for severely disabled adult children. Disability Advocate Jane Carrigan told Heather du Plessis-Allan gettin...

So tomorrow's the big day, isn't it? And it is, I think, not an overstatement to say that the eyes of the world, well, at least politicians around the world, are going to be on Australia and whether the social media ban will actually work. And that is still a live question, isn't it? We're less than 24 hours from the thing taking effect and none of us can totally say for sure that we know it's goi...

The Working Class Man is back.  Celebrating the 40th anniversary of his landmark album, For The Working Class Man, Jimmy Barnes is bringing his most famous songs to our shores early next year.  The most successful artist in Australian chart history has long loved New Zealand because we showed his band, Cold Chisel, love right from the very beginning.  Cold Chisel headlined a Summer...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 9th of December, what will the RMA reform , set to be announced this afternoon, look like? And why are Chinese warships shadowing our Naval vessels?   Investor Malcolm Gillies has bought Wellington Rugby's 50% stake in the Hurricanes as he looks to turn the franchise around and stop them leaking money.&n...

The debate over out long summer break is heating up.  An op-ed from businessman Toss Grimley claims New Zealand’s extended shutdown hurts productivity, a stance backed up by Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges.  Bridges says there’s a real perception the country “shuts down until March”, and that we’re seen more as “lifestylers” than serious businesspeople.   Massey Universi...

A significant milestone for the country's wool sector, with an export deal signed.  Wool Source has had its first commercial export order confirmed.  The Wool Research Organisation company's signed a deal with a Japanese company, for eight tonnes of Kiwi products.  Chair Andrew Morrison told Heather du Plessis-Allan they’ve spent about seven years deconstructing strong wool down to...

The new Hurricanes board chair is determined to turn around the books of the struggling Super Rugby franchise.  Developer Malcolm Gillies has acquired the 50% stake in the club, offloaded by the Wellington Rugby Union to balance its own books.  The franchise has collectively lost $4 million in the past three seasons.  Gillies told Heather du Plessis Allan it's a good investment.&nbs...

Auditors are calling out schools for questionable spending on overseas trips and travel.  The Auditor-General’s latest report flagged concerns with more than 170 school boards last year, many involving how principals used coaching and wellbeing funds.  Around a third were tied to travel.  Sector Manager for Schools, Jane Rogers told Heather du Plessis-Allan some boards allowed perso...