The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Foodstuffs says all the election promises aimed at knocking the supermarket giants down a peg - won't change food prices.  National and New Zealand First want to break up the co-op - something almost 500 owner-operators have criticised in an open letter.  Labour's eyeing up a wholesale-retail split, while the Greens want to start a state-owned grocery chain.  Foodstuffs North Island...

Parents are being told by National's education spokesperson, they should understand screen time isn't best practice for young kids. If re-elected, the party would end screen and individual-device use in early childhood centres and tightly limit it for kids in Years 1 to 3. It would also introduce a School Start Check before children begin primary school.  Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking ther...

In the final episode of the 100 Years of ZB Podcast, Mike Hosking sits down for an extended interview with Newstalk ZB's Drive host, Heather du Plessis-Allan. The pair talk about their first impressions of the station and what makes it so strong in the current radio market. They also discuss what the future may hold and what will keep Newstalk ZB at the front of the pack.  100 Years of ZB - C...

It turns out fanciful and quite possibly nutty and dangerous thinking isn't limited to the Greens and Government-run supermarkets.  Dame Angela Eagle, who is Environment Secretary in the UK, has announced the need for people to take the burgeoning El Niño so seriously that we need to start stocking up on food.  This is a conflation of several things that affect a lot of us all over the w...

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.    Trump: 1/10  I reckon it's been his worst week yet. The polls have tanked, the House flip is on, SCOTUS rejected him on mail-ins, the Fed rejected him on interest rates, more Republicans than ever swapped sides to vote against the war, and his name is not on the...

How about our week of angst?  Take your pick, because there were hot takes galore.  Sydney Sweeney was the funniest. The ad agency that dreamed up that campaign must be lining up for a bonus.  Because the airtime it got in the end outweighed any actual cost by about 10:1. It went white hot viral as millions raged about boobs and sexuality and insulting female athletes.  All of...

Friday has arrived, which means it's time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to help Mike Hosking Wrap the Week that Was.  They discussed award-winning kitchens, how much they'd charge for a Swysh and ... three-ways?   LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 18th of September, we've got an education policy from Labour that promises more upheaval and years' worth of reports and studies... again.  Assistant Coach Stacey Jones puts last week's disappointment behind him and tells us how and why the Warriors will beat the Knights.  And as they Wrap the Week, Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson t...

Farming seems to be driving economic growth in our regions.  Canterbury has reclaimed the top spot on ASB's latest Regional Economic Scoreboard, followed by Taranaki and Southland.  Taranaki recorded one of the biggest turnarounds, after sitting second from the bottom last quarter.  ASB Senior Wealth Economist Chris Tennent-Brown told Mike Hosking the common thread for the top three...

The World of Wearable Art is going international.  The long running fashion show's expanding from its original format and launching a landmark exhibition in celebration of its 40th year.  Initially set for Wellington's Takina next year, it'll feature more than 50 rarely seen archived pieces in a large-scale, immersive experience.  WOW Chief Executive Meg Williams says from there, th...

It's a sudden death match for the Warriors.  They're going up against the Knights in a knockout clash this weekend at Eden Park in front of what's set to be the biggest Warriors crowd on New Zealand soil.  If they win, they face Penrith for a spot in the Grand Final.  Assistant Coach Stacey Jones told Mike Hosking it's disappointing they couldn't get the job done last week, but they...

An Auckland secondary school leader says political parties need to stop kicking education changes down the road.  If elected, Labour wants to freeze the Government's overhaul of the sector and put an independent group of experts in charge of determining next steps.  NCEA would be left unchanged until 2029.  Mount Albert Grammar Headmaster Patrick Drumm told Mike Hosking he questions...

The Internal Affairs Minister has called Fire and Emergency's alleged secret-keeping “despicable”.  Brooke van Velden has lost confidence in chief executive Kerry Gregory, accusing him of actively withholding information about a serious incident for a year.  The agency has also been referred to the Serious Fraud Office.  Van Velden told Mike Hosking she doesn't have the power to sac...

So the battle of the supermarket beat-down unfolded for us lucky voters.  Labour and National have gone head-to-head over how much head kicking they can do to, mainly, supermarkets. But seemingly in Labour's case it could be the financial sector i.e. banks, or air travel i.e. Air NZ, as well.  Both party's ideas, let the record state, are fanciful.  National are probably the worst o...

An experienced captain is steering the NZ Breakers' ship for the next two years.  Gordon Herbert coached the German national basketball team to their first ever FIBA World Cup title in 2023, and his teams have won championships across a wide range of leagues.  Now he's taking over as Breakers coach, replacing Petteri Koponen in the role, although he has remained in charge of, and will co...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 17th of September, National has announced a surprising plan to drive supermarket competition by splitting up Foodstuffs. We got an explanation from Nicola Willis and the reaction from the corporation itself.   It seems we can't get enough of the sporting merchandise in this country. Dynasty Sport's Tyler Rakich discusses the jump in...

Kiwis are jumping on the bandwagons and buying more merchandise.  Rebel Sport's seen a $3.6 million jump in its half year results, with sales driven by the Warriors, Auckland FC, and the All Blacks.  Briscoes Group believes having high-profile sporting events across various codes contribute to the boost.  Co-founder of Dynasty Sport Tyler Rakich, who create the Warriors merch, told...

National's finance spokesperson is holding firm that breaking up Foodstuffs is the best solution.  If approved by the Commerce Commission, the party would carve off Pak'nSave from New World and Four Square to compete with each other and Woolworths.  Foodstuffs is promising to fight the plan, saying it could increase food prices by making business less efficient.   But Nicola Willis...

A warning from Foodstuffs that splitting it in two could increase prices.   If re-elected, and if the Commerce Commission agrees, National would separate Pak'nSave from New World and Four Square to drive competition.   The party says independent analysis shows prices could fall 3.5% a year after restructuring and 5% after six years.   But Foodstuffs North Island Chair Dean Waddell t...

Encouraging figures coming out of the job market.  A new Seek report shows ads are up 0.6% – 9.7% higher than a year ago.  Auckland is leading the charge with a notable 1% jump in ad numbers, its biggest rise in almost four years.   Employers and Manufacturers Association Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald told Mike Hosking he didn't see that coming.   He says it's really good to s...

Our economy might be more resilient than we thought.   Stats NZ is releasing June's GDP data later this morning, with most economists predicting growth will come in between 0.1% and 0.3% for the quarter.  Farming, manufacturing, and exporting activity have been improving.  ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith told Mike Hosking the economy might be "uneven", but there are green shoots. &n...

I'm pretty sure AI isn't going to wipe us out.  AI is another of those technologies or gains we make that has the capability to do a lot if left unchecked.  But the key to all of this, as it has been with so many things before from the musket to the nuclear weapon, is self-interest.  Ultimately, we don’t actually have any desire to wipe ourselves out, given if we did, we would have...

The Police Minister says we can't lose sight of the good work police did during the Tom Phillips case, even if there could have been improvement.   An inquiry has suggested the Phillips children could've been found earlier, and there were communication failures between Police and Oranga Tamariki.  Mark Mitchell says the police were dealt a tough hand in having to search in such a difficu...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 16th of September, the Police and the Government respond to the Tom Phillips report that revealed some glaring failures.  Supercars champ Chaz Mostert is in the country and the studio after it was announced the Race of Champions is coming to Wellington next year.  Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen talk the Phillips report, angs...

Wellington's central city stadium will be converted into a motorsport track this summer to play host to some world-leading drivers.  The international Race of Champions event debuts in New Zealand on January 9th and 10th.  Formula 1's Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas, Supercars' Chaz Mostert, and rally driver Hayden Paddon are confirmed on the starting grid.  Mostert told Mike H...