The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Seasonal sickness is seeing a drop in numbers at Tauranga's AIMS games. The week-long sporting event for 11 to 13-year-olds has been canned for the past three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but is going ahead this week. AIMS Games Tournament Director Kelly Schischka told Mike Hosking at their peak they had around 11,500 attendees. “We’re at sort of 10,840-odd this year. Schools have been real...

Scientists have used artificial intelligence to map out how our predator-free dream can be realised – finding that smarter use of current tools could bring us much closer to the 2050 goal. But they've also confirmed what conservationists have long warned: these won't be enough to completely rid the country of possums, rats and stoats estimated to kill some 26 million native birds every year. The j...

Fears the thousands leaving ED each month are just the tip of the iceberg. New figures show more than 4000 people left hospital without being seen during the month of May due to wait times.  Northcare Medical Director Peter Boot told Mike Hosking the real number's probably much higher. He says people are going to ED with primary care needs because their GPs are full. “All of these people with gene...

The Government will today announce steps to make it easier for police to stop gangs and criminal groups hiding their assets to avoid seizure laws – and to stop criminals using KiwiSaver to shelter cash obtained through crime. The NZ Herald understands the changes to the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act outlined today will allow police to target those with links to gang and organised crime figures...

Recognition of the changing nature of families post-pandemic. Fletcher Building's introducing a Gender-Neutral Parental Leave Policy, giving parents the option to choose whether Mum or Dad receives the 26 weeks full pay maternity leave. Diversity Works Chief Executive Maretha Smit told Mike Hosking it was going to happen anyway, but Covid may have sped it up. She says Covid showed it was necessary...

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.   Marama Davidson: 3/10 "No bills, three cabinet papers, eight press releases and all that chocolate. What a bench mark..."   The Cost of Living payment cock up: 3/10 "If you're going to roll out a haphazard idea, don’t do it in three parts. It's three times the pain."   The Audi...

I feel bad that Sir Ray Avery is leaving New Zealand. He is far from the only one; the stats tell you the embarrassing story which is that we currently have more people leaving than arriving. You wonder when that will actually stop, when do more people arrive and who are those people? Most of the people leaving right now are the younger ones and we can only hope that some of those will be back. Ra...

So it's an unchanged starting 15 for the All Blacks this Saturday, as they look to bounce back from yet another historic loss to the pumas in Christchurch last week. Lock Sam Whitelock joined the Mike Hosking Breakfast. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions are being raised about what the consequences will be for those who break a university ban on student staff relationships. The capital's Victoria University is the first in the country to outline a standalone policy, which sets out behaviour standards between students and the staff responsible for them. Employment law specialist Jennifer Mills told Mike Hosking the rule is legal, but stil...

Very proud, but some serious imposter syndrome at play for Miranda Harcourt. She's been named Supreme Winner at last night's Kea Awards in Auckland. They recognise those who have demonstrated unique power of Kiwi connection and used it to benefit Aotearoa. The actor, director and performance coach told Mike Hosking she was in awe of the other winners. Harcourt told Mike Hosking as the evening prog...

A kiwi in the coal mine. That's what the Financial Times is calling New Zealand's housing market in a video that warns other countries to take heed of our market's fast rises and quick falls. Infometrics Principal Economist, Brad Olsen, says our income to housing affordability ratio is far worse than other countries. He told Mike Hosking while our housing market might provide an indication as to h...

Organisations representing the construction sector are standing together to address the industry's health and safety crisis. They want a renewed focus, as WorkSafe reveals at least two workers have died in construction every month since the start of last year. A further one person is seriously injured every day. Construction Health and Safety Council Chief Executive Chris Alderson says told Mike H...

Fears confusion with our Covid restrictions could be turning off international tourists. The Tourism Export Council says around 20 percent of US travellers planning to visit are now looking elsewhere for their summer stay. As a result, the local tourism sector could lose millions, with Australia picking up the cancellations. Council Chief Executive Lynda Keene told Mike Hosking many cite the traff...

Questions over whether employers would be willing to hire 13 to 15 year olds. The Australian Retailers Association is floating an idea to address ongoing staff shortages in hospitality and retail by bringing in teenagers. However, there is no minimum wage for under 16s and leaving under 14s alone being illegal. AUT human resources expert Jarrod Haar says convincing employers is possible, but it wo...

It looks as though the Ukraine war is going to drag on and on. The fighting has intensified in the east of the country and the fears are growing over attacks on nuclear power plants. The Mike Hosking Breakfast has previously spoken to former Australian Major General Mick Ryan for his thoughts on the war. Ryan is back to share his analysis. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

There have been some big movements amongst New Zealand Cricket. First Trent Boult and now Colin de Grandhomme has called time on his international career. De Grandhomme will instead move to the more lucrative Big Bash league in Australia after somewhat surprisingly being picked in their draft. Many are suggesting this may be the future of the sport, with players choosing money over their country....

As far as U-turns go, this is a spectacular one. On Tuesday, the Government announce GST on KiwiSaver fees, Wednesday afternoon they're gone, so less than 24 hours. They were gone before they even arrived. What it tells us, apart from the fact it's good news and we can take that money and actually save it, as opposed to giving it to the Government, is that the Labour Party has literally no idea wh...

Chris Luxon says KiwiSaver is about making sure people are set up for their retirement and we shouldn't be messing around with it. The Government has u-turned on plans to impose GST on KiwiSaver fees, less than 24 hours after the proposal emerged. He told Mike Hosking he's seen the power of having a good KiwiSaver-type operation in other countries, giving them a good backbone for investing in the...

A suggestion has come that having 13 to 15 year olds help address staff shortages is actually a good idea. The Australian Retailers Association is floating the idea to address staff shortages in retail and hospitality. New Zealand's in a similar situation, with no employment age limit here. AUT human resources expert Jarrod Haar told Mike Hosking there are lots of good things that teens can learn...

A rise in the number of people not clearing their debts. The latest data from Centrix shows consumer arrears increasing 13 percent year-on-year in July, while vehicle arrears rose for the fourth consecutive month. Centrix Managing Director Keith McLaughlin told Mike Hosking it's a trend they were expecting. He says they expected the discretionary arrears to rise first, and then go into secured len...

Warriors boss Cameron George has fired a shot at the NRL's top table for not forcing more matches to be played on New Zealand soil next season. The Warriors will host nine home games at Mount Smart in 2023, with two games going to the regions. Some Australian clubs had expressed a willingness to take a match across the Tasman after the Warriors spent three years away from home, but none have yet f...

No sympathy for big corporates opposing a Government bill limiting the number of tobacco retailers. Foodstuffs and Z Energy are lobbying against the proposal, which could see a 95 per cent reduction of around 8,000 retailers. But Cancer Society New Zealand says maintaining thousands of tobacco retailers will hinder the country's Smokefree 2025 aim. Chief Executive Lucy Elwood told Mike Hosking wid...

Associate Finance Minister Megan Woods says the current situation in law when it comes to GST on KiwiSaver fees, is a mess. The Government is planning to impose it across the board, which will give it an extra $225 million a year. Woods told Mike Hosking some of the smaller funds are paying GST, while some of the larger funds are currently exempt. She says this is about fixing an anomaly that has...

After years of focusing on infant nutrition and our kids development, Fonterra are expanding into brain performance for adults and cognitive health. The dairy giants have created drink and capsule products that apparently support caffeine free alertness, stress and combat blue light from extra screentime. Fonterra's Biokodelab founder Carl MacInnes told Mike Hosking “The blue light coming off our...

Businesses say Government efforts to prevent ramraids fall short. It comes after one of the country's top cops revealed there's been more than a thousand ramraids since 2017. Police are attempting to make a difference by supplying businesses with fog cannons, shatterproof glass and bollards while training officers to better protect them. But Dairy and Business Owners' Group chairman Sunny Kaushal...