The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Wellington's leaders are backing a parade to mark the Black Ferns' Rugby World Cup win - saying the capital is the perfect location. Tory Whanau, Mayor of Wellington City, says she's liaising with Parliament to see what can be done in the coming weeks. Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy supports such an event as the win was extremely significant. And Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry agrees, saying an eve...

High praise for New Zealand's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Our Government is sending more Defence Force personnel to train Ukrainian troops, as well as extending the deployment of others in intelligence and liaison roles. It's also providing more funding for equipment and supplies and to help global food security. Commander of Joint Forces Rear Admiral James Gilmour told Mike Hosking...

Supply chain issues should start to ease as we head into 2023. Freedom Furniture and Farmers have told customers they may have to wait up to five months for their purchases to be delivered due to production backlogs, staff shortages and shipping challenges. Cargo Owners Council executive member Simon Beale says some companies are bringing more containers into New Zealand,  ready for the peak expor...

Waka Kotahi's defending its proposal for sweeping speed limit decreases on state highways across the country. It says key areas include those where there are unprecedented road deaths and injuries, as well as a focus around schools and marae. Road to Zero Portfolio Manager, Tara Macmillan told Mike Hosking setting safe and appropriate speeds is recognised globally as essential for all users. She s...

There's no easy way down for New Zealand's economy, as high inflation poses a persistent problem. Westpac's latest economic overview predicts the Official Cash Rate will rise further and peak at five percent next year. Its acting chief economist says despite hikes this year, monetary policy takes time to have a full effect on the economy. Michael Gordon says many borrowers will be rolling on to hi...

The resource management and consenting system is in for a shake-up. The Government will today unveil what it says will be simplified, modernised legislation to replace the Resource Management Act. Acting Prime Minister Grant Robertson says the changes will deliver a faster, cheaper, better framework. But Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Allan Pollard told Mike Hosking the cost reducti...

According to the Sporting Shooters Association, Police spend a million dollars a week regulating licenses and ownership. President of the Sporting Shooters Association Neville Dodd says that it’s “total overkill.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fact Saturday was the highlight of Wayne Smith's coaching career tells you something. It's not like Smith hasn't been around a while and done a bunch of cool stuff. I do worry for the side given Smith and Sir Graham Henry are off to retirement and that’s a lot of brilliance leaving the building. And you cannot deny that what they did transformed the team. The performance in the northern hemisp...

New Zealand Rugby is celebrating for multiple reasons. The Black Ferns have drummed up huge support during their World Cup campaign, which ended in victory at a sold out Eden Park on Saturday night. New Zealand Rugby Chief Executive Mark Robinson says they haven't seen a game with this much public support and interest, since the pandemic. He says it's time they made the most of increased support a...

The Democrats in the US could be creeping towards a victory in the House of Representatives. They've retained control of the Senate after the crucial race in Nevada was announced in their favour. The results amount to the best midterm performance for a sitting party in 20 years. US correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the House is still up for grabs, and things are not going the way...

The latest idea to help solve the nursing crisis is paying students for their placements while they're training. The Health Minister says it was put on the table earlier this year, with officials actively considering significant reforms. Students currently have to complete 11-hundred hours of unpaid placements in ‘real’ clinical settings, but not all of that is in hospitals specifically. Health Mi...

It's time to get on with Auckland's next Waitemata Harbour crossing. The Government plans to decide by mid next year what kind of bridge or tunnel will be built, and break ground on the project by 2030. Waka Kotahi's holding community engagement events to hear the public's thoughts, with consultation closing at the end of January. Auckland Business Chamber Chief Executive Simon Bridges says a tunn...

The US midterms have thrown the market into some uncertainty. The Republicans appear to be heading towards taking control of the House of Representatives. But things are less certain in the Senate. The state of Georgia is going to a runoff vote, which is only adding to the uncertainty. But CNN's Richard Quest told Mike Hosking that the gridlock is actually a good thing. He says markets like the id...

Sarah and Rob, you might have seen their story. They are a couple of specialists, as in doctors. They came here during Covid under a critical work visa,  now they are thinking of heading back to the  UK because of, you guessed it, immigration delays. They don't get to be on the green list. Ah, the magic green list. The list that gets you residency. It's called fast track residency. But fast track...

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.   Labour's Poll Result: 2/10 "These numbers are getting uglier and uglier. At some point, they either have to pivot in terms of some policy or prepare their CVs after November next year."   National and ACT's Polls Result: 7/10 "Not home yet, and probably wise to keep saying it'l...

Retailers are less than keen on the idea of extending gift card expiry dates. The minimum expiry date could be extended to three years under Melissa Lee's Fair Trading Amendment Bill. The National MP says the legislation gives the recipient a more reasonable period to redeem the card’s full value. But Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford says it could have negative impacts on business owners. He...

A rise in the number of couples opting for friends to officiate their wedding, is leaving professional independent celebrants out in the cold. Numbers have spiked, with more than 4,500 independent marriage and civil union celebrants in New Zealand. Prior to 2013, there were only around 2,000, but there's been a steady influx since the registration process was relaxed in 2013. The Celebrant School...

Sir Graham Henry is hailing the dramatic rise of the Black Ferns who have captivated sports fans up and down the country ahead of a sold out World Cup final against England at Eden Park. The 2011 World Cup winning All Blacks coach has been acting as a mentor for Wayne Smith's side during the tournament and he joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Praise for better connectivity between our emergency services. The Government's announced $1.4 billion will be pumped into a single secure radio network and improved mobile broadband over 10 years. St John Business Change Manager Chris Laufale says while there was some connection before, it will be a significant improvement. He told Mike Hosking it's the result of two years of research. Laufale sa...

The Reserve Bank's self-review pokes a few holes in its response to Covid-19. But it also says the Covid response was consistent with data available at the time - and worst case economic scenarios were avoided. The regular five year review found tightening monetary policy earlier could have lessened inflation at the margins. Infometrics principal economist, Brad Olsen, told Mike Hosking it means t...

The Government is confident an innovation programme will go a long way towards helping the tourism industry. People can now apply for the $54 million programme, which aims to support low-carbon projects, or those that have a positive environmental impact. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash told Mike Hosking it's important they help the sector. He says they're protectors of our national brand and turn to...

The US midterms may be tight, but they're being labelled a failure for former US President Donald Trump. CNN is reporting the Republicans have 49 senate seats while the Democrats have 48 seats. Arizona, Nevada and Georgia are yet to be called. The House of Representatives is looking as though it will be controlled by the Republicans. US correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking Trump has not...

Yes, the upset yesterday at the revelation of the Three Waters office space is understandable. Millions spent on leases and hundreds of workers. For what? The thing doesn’t even exist. It's like the central health authority's first action being a report with 101 ideas as to what to do about fixing the place. Not a single one of them was original and none of them enacted because they had barely unp...

L.A.B once again reign supreme at the NZ Music Awards. This year the NZ Music Awards are doing things a bit differently, announcing the winners this morning to allow them to go to the awards tonight at a private event, knowing what they've won. And L.A.B have won the same four awards they won last year - Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Group and Best Roots Artist. Frontman Joel Shadbol...

A possibility that Donald Trump might not be as popular as first thought. The final vote counts are coming in for the US midterm elections, and the red wave that was being predicted by the Republicans, never happened. While Trump-backed Ron DeSantis retained his Florida Governor role, Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr Oz, lost his Pennsylvania Senate race. Former Newstalk ZB US correspondent Nick Brya...