The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There are concerns exporters could be run out of business in this country. The 2022 Export NZ DHL Barometer shows exporters are worried about a number of barriers in the sector. There are the obvious ones like the cost and availability of transport but the high cost of doing business in NZ is also seen as a hurdle. There is some good news, with two thirds of exporters expecting international order...

The chair of Whānau Ora says a court decision to keep a young Māori girl in the care of the Pakeha couple who adopted her,  is a tricky one. Oranga Tamariki placed her with the couple, but later decided it wanted to place her with a Māori woman, to provide for her cultural needs. Stuff reports an appeal made by the girl's mother, supported by Oranga Tamariki, has been dismissed by the High Court....

Concern education is becoming less of a priority, as New Zealand's school attendance falls behind other parts of the world. A report by the Education Review Office's evaluation centre has found only 58 per cent of students go to school regularly. It's further found four in 10 parents are comfortable with their child missing more than a week of school a term. ERO’s Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking it...

MPs Chris Hipkins and Mark Mitchell joined the Mike Hosking Breakfast to discuss the week's political news. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The trouble the Government have got themselves into with the petrol subsidy is that although we love it, we hate it. Are we grateful? No, we aren't. Is petrol too high? Yes it is. Is the grocery bill too high? Yes it is. Is the cost of living too high? Yes it is. So we'll take it, but we won't thank you for it. But if you take it away, just wait for the moaning. To be fair to the Government, an on...

A big match for the Black Caps tonight in the T20 World Cup. They face Pakistan in the semifinals, an opponent that has tripped us up many a time on the big stage. The winner gets the chance to face either India or England in the final on Sunday. Black Caps bowler Trent Boult joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is taking aim at bank's massive profits by allegedly looking into open banking, with an announcement potentially coming this week. Open banking is when you can move all your bank details, your debits, your mortgages etc between banks very quickly, creating high amounts of competition, as seen overseas. The evidence shows that it brings banks profits down about 10 percent. Associate...

The winner of the US midterms is being tipped to have a great chance for the presidency in 2024. Voters across the country are casting their picks for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and 35 seats in the Senate. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is expected to make a big announcement next week - likely to be another stab at the White House. But Washington Post columnist Henry...

A former Reserve Bank economist has laid into Adrian Orr's reappointment as Reserve Bank Governor. He'll spend another five years in the role, after the unanimous recommendation from the central bank's board. Michael Reddell told Mike Hosking he wouldn't have given him the job. He suggests he's fundamentally unfit for the job, from his personality and style, to the way his focus has been distracte...

There is a desire to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to supply chain disruptions. The Productivity Commission will look into our economy's resilience to such shocks and look to identify possible policy response and interventions. Council of Cargo Owners chair Ant Boyles told Mike Hosking over the past couple of years we've seen some reactive actions to disruptions. He says to put s...

Just confirming the Prime Minister has lost her so called communications touch. Yesterday's response to the Newshub poll shows us a dose of the old panic might have set in. The Grant Robertson burst over the weekend gave us the first clue. When you're the Government, when you are in charge, you don't waste your time on the small players or the other guys, they waste their time on you. The fact he...

Don McLean is one of the great examples of a single song changing a life. Back in 1972, American Pie launched him into stardom - and became a defining song of the 20th century. That launched a multi decade career which included hits like Vincent, Castles in the Air and I Love You So .                             And of course, we have the recent collaboration with Tyson Fury. Now - he's coming our...

It's the beginning of the silly month when it comes to retail special days - but will we get out there and spend this time around? Today marks the beginning of 'Click Frenzy' while Friday is another big shopping day we've adopted from China called ‘Singles Day’. Then at the back end of the month you have Black Friday and Cyber Monday. First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson joined Mik...

Has the Government got an issue with their 'shovel ready' project programme. Back in July 2020 they announced their $2.6 billion plan to pump money into construction projects to kickstart them into life. It faced plenty of criticism at the time with the shovel ready projects not in fact 'shovel ready' - but new data has been released around it. The latest report shows 229 projects were approved fo...

There's a post-pandemic boom of people studying to work in the tourism industry. Exclusive data revealed to Newstalk ZB shows enrolments at the New Zealand School of Tourism are up 25 percent for 2023. The school claims more students feel supported to go back into the tourism sector,  as parents recognise better employment opportunities. School CEO Ana Maria Rivera says there's a range of people e...

Dairy companies want market access Canada committed to, upheld. Trade Minister Damien O'Connor has asked for an international panel to hear a dispute between the countries - which has seen Kiwi products locked out of the Canadian market. He says Canada isn't living up to commitments under the CPTPP agreement, by implementing broader dairy import taxes. Dairy Companies' Association Executive Direct...

New Zealanders are preparing to tighten their purse strings. Economist Tony Alexander has surveyed more than 1000 people on their spending expectations. He's found people expect to increase what they're spending on groceries, gardening equipment and domestic travel, as prices continue to rise across the board. But he told Mike Hosking a net 28 percent of respondents actually plan to decrease what...

New Zealand's red meat industry is booming, yet there are fears export growth may slow following a busy month. Export values have risen, with beef up 25 percent from the previous year, and sheepmeat up 15 percent. However, external factors are slowing growth as inflationary challenges present themselves - a drop in value of the Japanese Yen has meant beef exports are down 23 percent. Meat Industry...

It does, on the surface, seem odd that Jacinda "nuclear moment” Ardern is not front and centre in Egypt saving the world at COP27. And yet if you think about it, it isn't. What Ardern is, and more and more have realised it, is all talk. As we discovered last week, with the court victim programmes that were announced by her with great fanfare, but when they turned out to be duds, she was taking no...

An internationally renowned circus company is pulling out all the stops, bringing its first acrobatic production on ice to New Zealand shores. Cirque du Soleil's show Crystal will combine all the heart-stopping circus disciplines they're known for, with traditional and extreme figure skating. They've now announced shows in Christchurch and Auckland next June. Cirque du Soleil Artistic Director Rob...

The Climate Change Minister is tempering expectations about this year's UN Climate Change Conference. James Shaw will head to Egypt alongside delegates from 200 other countries. He says it will mostly be about following through on previous promises rather than creating new ones. Shaw says while we may not be feeling climate change other countries aren't so lucky. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/li...

The Social Development and Employment Minister says their extension to childcare funding will be appreciated by many families. The Government's announced the income threshold to access the childcare subsidy scheme will be raised from April. More than half of New Zealand families will be eligible. The Working for Families tax credit will also increase by nine dollars a week for the oldest child, an...

A school principal says they're doing what they can to support students after three disrupted years. Tens of thousands of secondary school students will begin NCEA exams today. Some exams are offered digitally while most are sat in-person, on paper. Avonside Girls' High School Principal Catherine Law told Mike Hosking that it's been the strangest year of the pandemic for students. LISTEN ABOVE See...

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.   The Government's Week: 1/10 "It really does have a death rattle about it. Covid money for Three Waters, tourism money announced but not delivered, the sound of screaming and desperation from everyone wanting someone to do a job for them, and their own candidate for Hamilton Wes...

One of life's lessons is that the more things swing one way, the greater the eventual correction. McLeod Transport in the Bay of Plenty are looking at becoming landlords because they can't get workers. The broadest of questions once again has to be asked of the Government. Just how badly do they want to cripple business and constrain the economy with their mad immigration policy? How many examples...