The Mike Hosking Breakfast

It is with real enthusiasm that I see the Public Service Commissioner potentially doing what the main Government should have done two years ago.  What the Government did two years ago was say they were going to rectify the absurd size of the public service.  It had blown out to gargantuan proportions under the Labour Government, who knew no bounds in terms of fiscal largesse based on deb...

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.    New Zealand: 7/10  We're the 3rd safest country in the world and about to outgrow Australia. How's that for openers?    Horticulture NZ: 7/10  Their plan is to double export returns within 10 years. That’s the sort of attitude that turns tides. Mo...

I got a sense about something this week and it's not because it's about to be spring, although that will undoubtedly help.  I got a sense this week that the tide on the New Zealand story is turning.  The ongoing stats, like the size of the infrastructure pipeline, more money this year, more money and projects for years to come, the new visas, and the visas that are working better than we...

Minneapolis' Police Chief says they'll be working to make sure schools are protected following a shooting which killed two children.  Eighteen people were also injured when a gunman shot through church windows at Annunciation Catholic School, before turning a gun on himself.  The FBI's investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crimes targeting Catholics.  U...

Tim Wilson is back from his holiday and ready to Wrap the Week alongside Kate Hawkesby and Mike Hosking.  They try to get Mike to have a more positive outlook as Tim recaps his travels and tries to fill the boots left behind by Sir John Key.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 29th of August, we're changing the alcohol laws, making it easier to hold both on and off licenses. Common sense or no real change?  Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran is in to talk their results and why we're seeing what we are when Qantas’ numbers are through the roof.  Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson try to make Mike more positive a...

Kiwis have racked up more than a billion dollars in green loans for energy efficient items like EVs, solar panels, and heat pumps.  BNZ, ASB, and ANZ all lend up to $80 thousand on a 1% interest rate over three years.  Massey University Banking Expert Claire Matthews says these are small loans, meaning the banks are pumping them out, while not actually lending a huge amount.  She to...

Alcohol reforms are seen as a step in the right direction by a hospo industry voice.  The Government's proposing to allow businesses a right of reply around licensing objections and is allowing wineries and breweries the ability to have both an off and on licence.  Hospitality NZ’s Head of Advocacy Sam MacKinnon told Mike Hosking there’s a range of measures in these reforms, and they all...

Air Zealand's boss is predicting another challenging year ahead.  Our national carrier has seen profits plunge.  It's partly due to weak domestic demand and ongoing engine maintenance issues.  Chief Executive Greg Foran told Mike Hosking it's also facing unavoidable price hikes for things like landing charges, wages, and engineering materials.  He says they can't go down to Bun...

Several factors are behind a flat-lining in investment from China. New research by the New Zealand China Council and NZIER has found Chinese investment grew steadily between 2014 and 2019, but has stalled since then. China now ranks as our 12th largest source of foreign investment. Council Chair John McKinnon told Mike Hosking there's a number of reasons why the investment has stalled. He says Cov...

The initial construction of Transmission Gully is being described as a 'dog’s breakfast' as the chipseal and drainage systems prove unable to cope with demand.  Newstalk ZB revealed yesterday that NZTA is planning to re-surface and rebuild several kilometres of the road north of Porirua, likely meaning lane closures during the day and full closures at night.  Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick L...

Nicola Willis was back yesterday for another "guns at dawn" with the supermarkets.  She had the results of the RFI, the Request for Information. The main takeaway was we are too tied up in red tape and we need to make it easier to do business.  Now we know this of course, because before the RFI she told us this, and she told us she was going to do something about it. She told us she was...

New Zealand Fashion Week is headed down south.  A bespoke version of the event is headed to Christchurch this Spring, a three-year partnership bringing Fashion Week to the South Island.  It’ll be held in November and feature designers from all across the country, but with a focus on Christchurch-based creatives.  NZFW Owner Feroz Ali told Mike Hosking it shouldn’t bleed any support...

One of the country’s talented singer-songwriters is leaving our shores as she looks to crack the big leagues.  Georgia Lines has been on the scene since 2019, and a couple of EPs and a debut album later, she’s making the move to Nashville.  But not before a few final shows and one more EP - she's celebrating the release of The Guest House with a performance in Tauranga on August 29th, fo...

Central Otago hospitality precinct Ayrburn is forecast to be the most popular attraction in the region.  Winton Land owns the property near Arrowtown, which already has 10 restaurants and bars, while a screen hub, retirement village, and other amenities are in the works.  Owner Chris Meehan told Mike Hosking it was a risk to turn what was an empty paddock a few years ago into this ventur...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 28th of August, Nicola Willis has her solution to the supermarket problem. Mike isn't convinced.  Mike’s offered the chance to fly to London and research a banking scam, however he’s not sure there is one.    Kiwi singer Georgia Lines is in for a song and a chat ahead of the release of her new EP and career move to Nashvil...

Nicola Willis says she's not bluffing with the idea of potentially breaking up the supermarket duopoly.   The Economic Growth Minister has introduced a fast track consenting process for supermarkets encouraging more players into the market.  She told Mike Hosking it’s a welcome mat for international players that makes it very clear in law and regulation that opening stores in New Zealand...

Lower mortgage rates and income growth have helped improve housing affordability.  Cotality NZ’s new report finds the national value-to-income ratio reached its lowest point since mid-2019 in the June quarter, at 7.5%.   National property values also remain almost 17% below their post-covid peak.  Cotality Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Mike Hosking mortgage serviceab...

There’s optimism over the future of professional development training for teachers.  A new report from the Education Review Office has found half of teachers don't know how to use what they've learned in their classroom.  It highlights training as one of the biggest drivers of success.  Deputy chief executive Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking new development for English in primary scho...

Calls for certainty from the supermarket sector as Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis weighs more action.   She's introduced fast track consenting to encourage new players into the market.  Willis says she's looking carefully at the idea of breaking up the duopoly.   Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive Chris Quin told Mike Hosking the future of their business needs clarity o...

I would have thought the timing could not be more awkward.  If you broadly accept the current narrative that this Government is working awfully hard to get us out of the massive economic hole left to it by the previous Government, and if you accept that the previous Government was one of the worst in living memory, then just imagine where we would be if that hopeless lot of 2020-2023 had actu...

Donald Trump is escalating his threat to deploy the National Guard in Democrat-run cities.  He’s doing it under the guise of cracking down on crime, beginning with Washington DC. New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Chicago were among the cities singled out.  The US President called Chicago a “mess”, and derided its mayor, Brandon Johnson, as “grossly incompetent”.  The Illino...

Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen are back with Mike Hosking to discuss the biggest political stories of the week so far.  Should New Zealand swap to four year parliamentary terms? Would Kiwis support the move?  They also discuss the Tamaki Makaurau by-election and gangs in the wake of Peeni Henare saying he’d repeal the gang patch ban.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 27th of August, we have good economic news: a new Westpac report says our growth is set to outpace Australia over the next few years. Does that stop the brain drain?  Erica Stanford has another new visa up for grabs to get entrepreneurs in and spending.  Mark Mitchell joins from Queenstown and Ginny Andersen joins from Fiji to...

A new pitch has been made for a two-hour ferry link between the North and South Islands.  The ‘North South Express’ would see a new port built at Clifford Bay, near Blenheim, through a public-private partnership.  The plan proposes a multi-use terminal, with no speed restrictions, and boosted logistics productivity.  CB Port Limited Spokesperson Dr Stephen Grice told Mike Hosking th...