The Mike Hosking Breakfast

225,000 people are currently without power across New Zealand and the widespread damage looks as if it could take a few days to repair. Energy companies are warning people to prepare for significant time without power. Transpower Chief Executive Alison Andrews told Mike Hosking their national network has held up reasonably well, but local networks are more difficult to fix. LISTEN ABOVE See omnyst...

Cyclone Gabrielle is moving offshore, but the danger isn't over in many parts of the North Island. About 25,000 people have now been forced from their homes and about 225,000 are without power and communications. Two people have been confirmed dead in Hawke's Bay and a volunteer firefighter is still missing and another remains in a critical condition in Auckland. More than 200 military personnel a...

Eagle-eared listeners might have picked up yesterday the non-answer from Chris Hipkins over truancy. Yes, an announcement is coming this week, maybe even today, and it’s the return of the truancy officer. Not that we want to call them that, they'll be called something woke. But what he wouldn’t answer was the very simple question - why now? He seems to have discovered since becoming our nation's l...

Lyttleton residents are complaining the amount of cruise ships coming in are overwhelming the area, with fears of a Starbucks or trinket shop opening in the future. Resident have taken their concerns to the Christchurch City Council’s Banks Peninsula Community Board. Banks Peninsula Community Board member Rueben Davidson joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

Auckland businesses are wondering when they're going to get a break. Aucklanders are being advised to evacuate if necessary and to expect widespread power cuts today, with the city still expecting to be battered by wind and rain. It comes as the Government announces a $11.5 million funding package aimed at helping those affected by the summer floods. Auckland Business Chamber Chief Executive Simon...

Well it's a combination of the not so perfect storm for avocado growers. Between the fruit getting blown off trees in the wind and the fact that avocado trees do not hold up well in rain, it's not looking good for next years avocado crops. Some growers are saying they expect less than 40 percent of produce to be able to be exported this year. Director of Avos to Go Steve Badger joined Mike Hosking...

According to Contact Energy, it is looking as if Rio Tinto are ready to make a deal with Tiwai Point. Rio Tinto had previously said the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter's energy costs made it too expensive to run. Contact Energy CEO Mike Fuge joined Mike Hosking to discuss what may have changed. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyclone Gabrielle's impact in the Thames Coromandel region's being described as carnage. District Council Chief Executive, Aileen Lawrie told Mike Hosking there are widespread power outages to about a third of the district. She says there are also mass road closures, with unconfirmed slips on those still open. There are also wide-spread power outages in the Bay of Plenty, with Civil Defence warnin...

Officials are considering declaring a national state of emergency -- as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to cause severe weather across the North Island and upper South. In Auckland, a volunteer firefighter is missing and another is in a critical condition in hospital, after an early morning emergency evacuation in Muriwai. In Northland, homes have been evacuated in low-lying parts of Dargaville, follo...

There are concerns that China could be trying to test America's military reflexes by sending surveillance balloons over North America. US fighter jets have taken down a cylindrical object that stopped over Canada. It follows the recent downing of two other objects off the coast of Alaska and the coast of South Carolina. Otago University international relations expert Robert Patman told Mike Hoskin...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is urging people not to be complacent when it comes to Cyclone Gabrielle. He says we have to take the red weather warnings seriously. The Government is also preparing to make an announcement about how it plans to tackle a rise in school truancy. Attendance rates have trended down since 2015, but the trend has been accelerating during the pandemic. About 40-percent of p...

The cyclone could have different effects on different regions. Auckland Emergency Management Duty Controller Rachel Kelleher told Mike Hosking that it's an evolving situation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All domestic flights and most international flights through Auckland Airport are cancelled. Air New Zealand Chief Executive Greg Foran says that the decision isn't an over-reaction, and was based off official advice and forecasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It hasn’t been a good week for the planet has it? We have found out we are making more single use plastic than ever before. We have found out oil companies are making more money than ever before. If you are a realist, as opposed to an idealist, none of this will have come as a surprise. What drives most of us is convenience. It's why you should never trust polls on matters where the question invol...

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.   NZ Rugby: 4/10 There is something that isn't quite right about the way that place operates. There's too many leaks, too much speculation and too much indecision.   Waitangi Poll: 8/10   A good reminder of the massive disconnect between the luvvies and the rest of us. 9 percent...

A technology innovation company are taking ram raid protection into their own hands by 3D printing concrete planter boxes, outdoor furniture and seating. The custom street furniture sits in front of retail stores presenting a hard and solid barrier to deter potential ram raiders. QOROX business development manager Nick Lane joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

It has been a huge turn around season for the Breakers. After being on the road for the last few years, the team have secured a home advantage for the semi-finals on Sunday at Spark Arena. One factor that this season’s success can be put down to is their new coach, who in his first season with the team has taken them from last place to second. Breakers coach Mody Maor joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN A...

Some Ed Sheeran fans are up in arms, claiming their seats for this weekend's concerts at Auckland's Eden Park have been changed without their permission. Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy told Mike Hosking ticket companies are protected by their terms and conditions. He says if they argue the new seats are actually better, they might not need to compensate people. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio...

Once again the farmers are saving us. In 2022, New Zealand exported $11.4 billion worth of red meat but the meat industry’s global markets started easing from the end of last year. The largest drop was in the Chinese market, with December exports down by 21 percent and UK exports dropped by 53 percent. Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva joined Mike Hosking to discuss what we...

Rotorua's Mayor is pushing back on suggestions she's sneaking policy through to give the council more powers. The Rotorua Lakes Council has voted to progress a policy to remove public submissions if they're deemed offensive, discriminatory or irrelevant. The Free Speech Union says it's a clear violation of speech rights, and a breach of the Bill of Rights Act. Mayor Tania Tapsell told Mike Hosking...

It's onwards and upwards for New Zealand's hotel sector. 2023 is off to a good start, with strong-forward bookings and high demand for the rest of the year. The Tourism Export Council forecasts international visitor levels rebounding to around 2.1 million by the end of May and could approach pre-Covid levels mid 2025. Colliers National Director Dean Humphries told Mike Hosking it's a welcome sign...

Make no mistake about it, the dumping of the TVNZ/RNZ merger is the dumping of a dumb idea. I told the then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that, as she sat in this very studio some years back. I said if you listen to nothing else I say, take it from a person who has been in this game for 40 years - it’s a dumb idea. It will achieve nothing, damage a lot more than it will address and is driven by a...

Personally, the best bit of ‘Backdown Wednesday’ was the dumping of the egregious social insurance. It wasn't just another tax from a government that said no new taxes, but a compulsory tax that didn’t serve everyone. Most people didn’t want it and it would have sent all the wrong signals to the job market. If you want insurance to protect income you can get it and you always have been able to. If...

Christchurch residents could soon face a fine of up to $20,000 for posting junk mail or littering in charity donation boxes. Under the new waste management and minimisation bylaw, the offence of depositing junk mail in any letterbox marked no circulars, could result in the fine. Measures under the bylaw also include the non-collection of kerbside bins if the contents don't comply. Councillor Aaron...

Iconic actress, Pamela Anderson, told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking ahead of the release of her memoir Love, Pamela and her documentary Pamela, a Love Story that was a “relief” to be able to tell her side of a story that has been told by many others over the years. Anderson catapulted onto our screens with Baywatch and Home Improvement and her career has featured more than 25 movies, dozens of TV sho...