The Mike Hosking Breakfast

More volatility for some of our best-known magazines.    The Listener, Woman's Day, and New Zealand Woman's Weekly are among a range of New Zealand and Aussie titles going up for sale.   Publisher Are Media —which purchased them five years ago, in the chaos of Covid-19— is now on the market.    Former New Zealand Women's Weekly Editor Alice O'Connell told Heather du Plessi...

Hasn’t the AI and Wimbledon drama taught us exactly the same lesson we keep learning with technology and sport: it’s great - if it doesn’t disrupt the game.  And if that is the lesson, why don’t we learn it already?  Wimbledon has not used AI properly.  First problem was it missed a ball out. By a foot. The match got stopped and everyone waited four minutes. Yes, it was confirmed th...

Antonia Prebble is a mainstay of New Zealand’s evening TV viewing.  She had just hit her 20’s when she was cast in 'Outrageous Fortune', becoming a household name.  They’re now celebrating the 20th anniversary of the iconic comedy-drama show, plus the 10th anniversary of the prequel series 'Westside'.  Prebble has expanded since then, and while she still partakes in international pr...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 10th of July, Finance Minister Nicola Willis talks the Reserve Bank decision to hold the OCR steady and what that says about our economy.  Shane Jones has had enough of lizards , DOC, and progress being stalled on a mine that would provide 700 jobs for the Otago region.  Kiwi actress Antonia Prebble joins to talk the 20th anniv...

Red Bull have waved the chequered flag to team principal Christian Horner.   The 51-year-old had been in the role since 2005, overseeing eight drivers' world championships and six constructors' titles.  The syndicate sits fourth on the teams' ladder this season, and four-time defending world champion Max Verstappen has won two of 12 races with reports suggesting he is considering a shift...

The video game industry's going gangbusters, with the number of people employed up by more than 20%.  This is due to a four-year, $160 million sector rebate, offering 20 cents back for every dollar eligible studios spend.   Forty studios will receive a share of $22.4 million this year, including RocketWerks Games.  Its CEO, Stephen Knightly, told Heather du Plessis-Allan $40 million...

The Government's reluctant to give work opportunities to beneficiaries outside of emergencies.  It's activated a beneficiary task force in Tasman and Marlborough, with beneficiaries able to get paid for helping clean up debris and slush.  Social Development Minister Louise Upston says the initiative is just for Civil Defence emergencies at this stage.  But Upston told Heather du Ple...

There are expectations the Government continuing to step in to cover natural hazard costs for homeowners could create a moral hazard.   An independent climate adaptation report reveals annual losses from weather-related events over the next 25 years could increase by a quarter.   It warns the later we respond, the more disruptive the adjustment will be.   Chair Matt Whineray told He...

The Resources Minister says a setback for expansion of the country's largest gold mine could result in the loss of up to a thousand jobs.  Central Otago's Macraes gold mine applied for a permit under the Wildlife Act to clear vegetation on its site in a bid to expand its operation.   Last month the Department of Conservation declined it, stating the company hadn't made clear how it would...

The Finance Minister says businesses should be more confident about the economic recovery.  The Reserve Bank's been weighing up lower-than-expected growth and higher inflation in its decision to keep the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 3.25%.  Nicola Willis says businesses have been battening down the hatches.  But she told Heather du Plessis-Allan they’re maybe more wary than they...

Let me tell you what Chris Hopkins is busy doing to the Covid Inquiry.  Let me tell you, when he says that the Covid Inquiry is providing a platform for those who have conspiracy theorist views, he is trying to undermine it, and he's doing that. So it doesn't matter what the outcome of the inquiry is, people have already written it off as a nut job investigation.   I suspect Chippy alrea...

Details have emerged about the career-ending night former Minister Kiri Allan was arrested in Wellington for drink driving.   Allan resigned immediately after crashing into a parked car and testing over the legal limit in mid-2023.   Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Heather du Plessis-Allan her behaviour was unacceptable, but he believes in redemption and everyone makes mistakes. &nbsp...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 9th of July, will the Reserve Bank act in line with consensus and hit pause on OCR cuts?   Why have Auckland Arena’s billionaire backers pulled out of the Western Springs stadium deal? Why is a free stadium now off the table for ratepayers?  Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell debate mandatory sentences, whether Jacinda Ardern sh...

There's a belief a plan to resurrect the extinct Moa will have ample roll-on effects.  US company Colossal Bioscience has partnered with Ngāi Tahu in a $50 million project to revive the flightless bird through gene editing.  Canterbury Museum's Senior Curator of Natural History Paul Scofield says it's a great eco-tourism opportunity.  He told Heather du Plessis-Allan people could co...

The death toll from flash floods that struck central Texas has now climbed to at least 108 people.  Search and rescue efforts have reached their fifth day, with the dead including 28 children due to flooding west of San Antonio.  Dozens of people are still missing.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Heather du Plessis-Allan hundreds of volunteers have joined in.   He says se...

The Ministerial Advisory Group believes the community is a vital part of the solution in stomping out organised crime and drug use.  The group has released its third report which highlights being tough on organised crime means also focusing on drug users.  Advisory Group for Organised Crime Chair Steve Symon says it requires early intervention and community-based treatment.  He told...

Confusion over the billionaire-backed Auckland Arena proposal being withdrawn from options for Western Springs.  Businesswoman Anna Mowbray, her husband and former All Black Ali Williams, and Auckland FC owner Bill Foley withdrew their 12,500 seat proposal, which wouldn't have cost ratepayers a cent.  It follows news Aucklanders don't have a clear preference on an option for the site.&nb...

The Government's making moves to ensure we'll no longer lag behind when it comes to Artificial Intelligence.  Science Minister Shane Reti's announced the Government's first strategy for using AI - claiming it'll reduce barriers to adoption and promote responsible use.   He says it could lift our GDP by $76 billion by 2038.   Reti told Heather du Plessis-Allan the strategy's a signal...

Economists say pausing the OCR could be prudent as we wait to find out more about the state of global trade.   The Reserve Bank will make a call today on whether to cut the Official Cash Rate for a seventh consecutive time or hold it steady at 3.25%.   There's much to consider, including uncertainty about the US tariffs.   ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Heather du Plessis-All...

A view that current family trust laws have too much red tape.  The Government's making it easier to sell property held in a family trust in its latest revamp of anti-money laundering policies.    It means realtors won't need to collect extensive information about a trust's history to make a sale.   Family Trust Services' managing director, Janet Xuccoa told Heather du Plessis-A...

If you listen to parenting experts, you'll hear the same thing time and time again about raising kids properly.  They need love, but just as importantly, they need boundaries.  They need to be told no, they need to be disciplined, and they need to learn what they can and can't do.  And if you don't do that, you basically ruin their chances at success.  Now, bear that in mind wh...

On the Government considering minimum sentences, I would have no problem with this. I realise the judiciary aren't going to love it because it's tying their hands. But frankly, that is the point. Because some of the sentencing discounts that have been handed down by judges are frankly outrageous. The worst case that I've come across is the case of a rapist who attacked a woman in Albert Park in Au...

New Zealand can’t get enough of Bill Bailey.  The UK comedian last came to our shores in 2023, tickets to his ‘Thoughtifier’ tour selling out.   He’ll be back towards the end of the year, bringing a celebration of comedy, songs, and skills by the name of ‘Vaudevillean’ to Kiwi audiences.  Bailey joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to delve into comedy, technology and AI, the resurgence...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 8th of July, we look at the changes to the FamilyBoost scheme and if it makes the policy a boom, or if it's still a bust.  Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson was finally found guilty, after days of deliberation from the jury.  World renowned comedian Bill Bailey is winging his way back here for another nationwide tour, so we n...

Wellington waits with open arms as anticipation builds for the arrival of Welsh football club Wrexham.  Owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, Wrexham AFC is due to visit the capital for a friendly against the Phoenix on July 19.  New data from Booking.com shows Wellington is the most searched NZ location on the site, with interest in accommodation up 600%.  WellingtonN...