The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There’s hope the horticulture sector will see a massive boost over the next decade.  A roadmap has been unveiled to double farmgate returns by 2035.   Actions aimed at increasing value include building consumer understanding, mapping domestic supply chain vulnerabilities, and establishing an online horticulture library.   HortNZ Chief Executive Kate Scott says they're in a strong po...

New Zealand's on track for stronger economic growth but it could take a while to flow through to house prices.  Westpac is forecasting New Zealand will outpace Australia's growth over the next few years.  But New Zealand will still face a higher unemployment rate and lower wage growth, and the recovery's likely to be felt in some regions much sooner than others.  Former Finance Mini...

The number of people coming in on the Government's new Business Investor Visa could be limited.    It'll fast track residency for any foreign investors who put $2 million or more into a Kiwi business.  If a business is worth $2 million, the applicant will have to buy it, and they'll have to invest at least a quarter of its total value if it's worth more than that.  Immigration...

A view that new migrant tax rules will put us on par with other countries.  The Government's proposing a bill to stop migrants being taxed on estimated overseas income and instead, only what they actually earn.  Independent tax expert Geof Nightingale told Mike Hosking the current settings are a problem for high-value migrants, particularly now we have the Active Investor Plus scheme. &n...

Britain is facing a financial crisis, with the country potentially heading towards a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  Economists are warning that they’re headed towards a 1970s-style debt crisis, with one saying the UK’s borrowing costs are higher than in Greece – which has the highest debt in the euro zone.  UK Correspondent Enda Brady told Mike Hosking that financia...

Has the penny dropped?  There was no shortage of headlines and news coverage yesterday out of our interview with the Prime Minister on the Reserve Bank.  In a nutshell, Luxon suggested Christian Hawkesby blew it and should have/could have moved faster on the cash rate.  This is news, but not because the Prime Minister is right. We all know he is right.  But there is a conventio...

A new use for “ugly” fruit, with two Kiwi dads turning a hobby into a business.  Fruit Cru makes use of seconds, the ugly fruit from local orchards that doesn’t make it to export, turning it into organic wine.   Since starting in 2021, they now produce about 10,000 bottles each year, and have signed a deal with Foodstuffs to stock their beverages in five supermarkets in the Wellington re...

Motorsport fans are getting a look inside the career of one of the more recognisable names in Supercars.  After 21 years, last year saw Mark Winterbottom retire from full time driving.   His career included a championship win in 2015 in his infamous Ford at the height of the Ford v Holden rivalry, a Bathurst win, and 39 wins overall.  Although he may have retired from full time driv...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 26th of August, the Reserve Bank is opening consultation on banks’ capital requirements – Chair Neil Quigley discusses the situation.   TVNZ will be introducing a paid event pass for the first time ever after securing the broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  Mark 'Frosty' Winterbottom has a new memoir out about his...

TVNZ will be charging its viewers for content for the first time after securing the rights to broadcast next year's Fifa World Cup.  Viewers will be able to stream 104 football games over the tournament's 39 days, including replays and highlights, if an event pass is purchased.  All of New Zealand's games will be free-to-air, alongside a handful of others.  TVNZ CEO Jodi O'Donnell t...

The Reserve Bank says it wasn't dragged kicking and screaming to a review of capital rules.  It's put out two proposals aimed at loosening capital requirements.   Board Chair Neil Quigley says they were reviews that the bank has been looking at for a while.   He told Mike Hosking if they were loosened, it wouldn't cause too much of a shakeup, and it probably won't have a big effect...

The tertiary sector's not losing sleep over grade inflation at universities.  A New Zealand Initiative report's found the proportion of A-grades has increased from 22% to 35% since 2006, but academic improvement can't explain it.  Universities NZ CEO Chris Whelan told Mike Hosking it's not clear what's causing the change, but the report only considers four factors.  He says none inc...

Self-employed Kiwis are prioritising their businesses rather than thinking about retirement.  A report by the Retirement Commission and accounting firm Hnry shows just 44% of self-employed people actively contribute to KiwiSaver.  This is compared to 78% of employees.  The report also reveals 41% of self-employed workers don't get any government KiwiSaver contribution.   Retire...

Port inefficiencies could undermine New Zealand's goals to double export earnings.   The Cargo Owners Council says there's been a 30% drop in productivity since 2019.   Chair Brent Falvey says there needs to be a comprehensive reset of our ports and a strategy for the whole supply chain.   He told Mike Hosking we just aren't keeping up with rest of the world.   Falvey says New...

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: The All Blacks suffered a defeat at the hands of Los Pumas in Argentina, is the criticism they're receiving justified?  TVNZ is set to broadcast the NPC through the year, hopefully bringing attention to the local games. And the Warriors defeated the Titans in Queensland to secure...

Listen to the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday 25 August. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister could follow Australia's lead in an attempt to boost overseas stays through major events. A new report shows strong demand for hotels in the likes of Queenstown, but occupancy's down for Auckland and Wellington. Big names in the tourism sector, like Sudima Hotels believe more events equals more hotel rooms booked.  Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that he's been looking...

"MP's struggle to identify silver bullet solutions". That was the headline Friday as Jenee Tibshraeny detailed a years worth of work by the Finance and Expenditure Committee that has come up with zip. Oh they have made recommendations, don’t get me wrong. Imagine what it would look like if they had been toiling away for a year and came up with a blank piece of paper. But without telling you I told...

Los Pumas completed a historic victory over the All-Blacks on Sunday, defeating them 29-23 to secure their first victory over the All-Blacks on home soil since 1976.   It is also the fifth defeat under the leadership of Scott Robertson.  Former All-Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry told Mike Hosking that although the loss in Argentina is tough, it’ll give the team more motivation as they pre...

Sentences could only get tougher for drivers who kill under the influence, as a 20-year-old's been sent to prison.  Alexander Lucas Kerr has been sentenced to 27 months in prison, after a crash killed one of his friends and left the other in a wheelchair.  He was found with cannabis in his system when he crashed his car in a semi-rural part of Havelock North in January.  Criminal de...

Police are acknowledging they're not perfect, as it's revealed junior officers are 'barely equipped' with the basics.  A survey of training officers has found two thirds are concerned about probationary constables’ understanding of police responsibilities when holding suspects in custody.  Assistant Police Commissioner Tusha Penny says transparent graduate tracking is important to the or...

Australian-owned Drifter Hotel-Hostels is planning to open new branches in Auckland and Wellington, expanding on their current foothold in Christchurch.  $22million has been invested into the project so far.  Hotel Council Strategic Director James Doolan told Mike Hosking that we need to work on getting even more international travellers back.  He says more capacity's needed if we w...

As the teachers head back to school, like all the other strikes, nothing got achieved.  It never does.  For a strike to work you need to scare people, you need to bring a place to a standstill.  Cook Strait ferries and the bus and train services were unavailable for weeks on end at a time. That’s what works. But those days are gone, thank the good Lord.  These days it’s a day h...

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.    Alaska: 6/10   As an event it didn’t look like a lot. But Europe came to Washington and, apparently, a meeting is on. The lights aren't out yet.    Trevor Mallard: 8/10  Move of the week from Winston Peters. It took a while, but I still haven't fo...

One of the "never the twain shall meet" moments that came out of Covid was working from home.  Here we are, five years on, and the battle has not only not died, it's intensified.  The big gab fest this week in Canberra had the unions asking for a four-day week.  Victoria, run by communists, has already stated they will put it into law, even though they can't.  Now the obligator...