The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Against all odds, backs against the wall, against the World Champions at their home ground, lose Beauden Barrett to a yellow card in the last 15 minutes and the All Blacks come away with a 35-23 win over the Springboks. Former All Blacks coach John Hart joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The avocado industry could take a hit this season due to oversupply. New Zealand and Australia supply the majority of Australia’s avocado crop but they've increased production so much that there is an avalanche of avocados across the ditch. The oversupply meant our exports slumped last year and we are being warned to brace for lower prices and volatility. NZ Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular joi...

The Deputy Prime Minister says the Labour Party refutes the bullying allegations levelled against it by its Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma. Sharma also has allegations being levelled against him, by those who had worked in his office Grant Robertson says issues raised by Sharma have been investigated and found to be baseless. He says the allegations against MP Anna Lorck are being looked into. Rob...

Local councils will be allowed to take over and run public transport services themselves rather than contract them to private companies under new rules announced by the Government today. Transport Minister Michael Wood said he hoped the change to a less corporate model would help councils address the current bus driver shortage, saying the emphasis on cost-cutting had driven down driver pay and le...

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.   Sam Uffindell: 6/10 "Because he should have front footed what he knew would be made public. But never deserved the vitriolic pile on he got."   The National Party Handling of Sam Uffindell: 3/10 "At some point, do some of you want to wake up just long enough to work out that ho...

Is the biggest winner out of the Sam Uffindell drama the Government? Think of all the things they would have dreaded being talked about while we busied ourselves on the cock up that was essentially a two-fold mistake. Mistake one: the lack of up-front honesty in putting it out there from day one. Select him, I have no problem with it, what you did as a kid should not be a life sentence. But it was...

Concerns from National, that we're still not doing more to attract skilled migrants. New figures from Stats NZ show New Zealand had a net migration loss of more than 11-thousand people in the year to June. It's the 16th consecutive month the country has recorded a net migration loss. National Immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking says the one thing migrants want is certainty, a...

There are nervous times ahead for the mining sector. The Green Party have had their bill to ban mining on conservation land and water pulled from the biscuit tin ballot in Parliament. This is essentially giving them the green light to go hard on the Government. Patrick Phelps is the Minerals West Coast Manager and he joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

All Blacks coach Ian Foster has made what could be the final big call of his tenure, handing the No 10 jersey to Richie Mo'unga for the second test against South Africa at Ellis Park in Johannesburg this weekend. Foster is also gambling on two of his less-experienced props, Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax, to match the Springboks' monstrous men. The All Blacks props have 20 test caps between them....

The Greens say the problems dogging Te Huia shouldn't stop us from expanding the regional rail network. The Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee is taking public submissions, as part of an inquiry into the country's passenger rail network. Newstalk ZB has revealed Te Huia, the recently launched Hamilton to Auckland rail service, has been plagued with low passenger numbers and other issues...

A major change to social attitudes may be needed, to stem the current spate of youth crime. Two young people have been arrested, after at least 30 teenagers attacked a shop worker in Palmerston North. The owner of another store has told Newstalk ZB they've also been terrorised by the same group. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford told Mike Hosking says violent youth crime is becoming more comm...

Expect a political fall-out, from a Labour MP's allegations of rampant bullying in Parliament. Hamilton West Labour MP Gaurav Sharma claims bullying has become commonplace. He's accusing the Prime Minister's Office, the Parliamentary Service, the party leaders' offices, and the party whips' offices for allowing it to happen. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper told Mike Hosking Sharma has thr...

Changing university terms, to get more students into summer jobs, could be easier said than done. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has suggested moving the university year by six weeks so students are available to work during the main tourism season. Union of Students' Associations Andrew Lessells says many students would welcome the move. But he told Mike Hosking it won't be as simple as just changin...

It's fair to say Ross Taylor is one of New Zealand’s all time cricketing greats. He ended his career earlier this year as the all-time best run scorer across all formats - including Test, ODIs and T20s. That included the most centuries in international cricket, with 40, and the most appearances for the Black Caps. Now he's telling his story in his biography Black and White which is out today. It i...

The principals have got what they wanted. A couple of weeks ago, they wrote to the Government about easing the NCEA requirements. They claimed students were getting depressed and everyone was at breaking point. And the Government has come to the party. 46 merit or excellence credits instead of 50. For University Entrance, 12 credits from two approved subjects, instead of 14 from three. In simple t...

Marcus Lush is talking up his chances of becoming Invercargill's new mayor. The Newstalk ZB host and Invercargill City Councillor has confirmed he's running for the job Sir Tim Shadbolt has held since 1998. He told Mike Hosking he's not just there to make up the numbers or bring attention to local democracy; he's in it to win it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand will cut its planned schedule and operate 1.5 per cent fewer seats than originally planned during the next six months. The airline says it is taking proactive measures to protect customers' travel plans as sickness continues to cause disruption. And in a move that will anger former crew hoping to get their jobs back, the airline is exploring expensive "wet leasing" aircraft with cr...

A tourism leader says things are looking up for the sector, after years of travel restrictions. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has unveiled a new plan to strengthen the tourism and hospitality workforce for the upcoming tourism boom. It includes measures to improve training and working conditions. Real NZ CEO Stephen England-Hall told Mike Hosking the sector is now in a good position to restart. He...

The Government is defending its latest NCEA changes. This year's NCEA students will receive an extra credit for every five earned through assessment, to support those affected by the Covid pandemic. National says lowering the bar is doing students a disservice. But Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti told Mike Hosking the changes reflect that some students have missed weeks of school because...

Sam Uffindell's political future is looking increasingly uncertain. National has stood down the new Tauranga MP, following revelations about bullying at Auckland's Kings College and allegations of aggressive behaviour at Otago University. It's also emerged he was put on notice while he was at university, over the state of his flat. Former National cabinet minister Chris Finlayson told Mike Hosking...

Labour is insisting it would have handled the Sam Uffindell saga differently. The new National MP for Tauranga has been stood down while the party investigates new allegations about his behaviour at university, allegations which he denies. Uffindell had already been under fire, over revelations he was involved in an attack on a younger boy while he was at high school. Senior Labour Cabinet Ministe...

Despite Sam Uffindell's denials on this show yesterday that there was nothing else to disclose, turns out, at least in some people's minds, there is something else to disclose. But exactly what is the key and how out of control this gets is another major part of the equation.   The claim is that in a flat in 2003 he was a bully and he was verbally aggressive towards a female flatmate. Uffindell is...

Cancer symptoms are more likely to be missed by GP’s during video consultations, a study by Oxford University suggests. Its research says that remote consultations can hinder doctors from noticing subtle clues that could point to serious illness. Dr Samantha Murton, President of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs, joined Mike Hosking.\ LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

The FBI's unprecedented search of former President Donald Trump's Florida residence ricocheted around government, politics and a polarized country Tuesday along with questions as to why the Justice Department — notably cautious under Attorney General Merrick Garland — decided to take such a drastic step. Answers weren't quickly forthcoming. Agents on Monday searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, whic...

There are encouraging signs that students are heading back to school across the country. New figures show daily attendance reached as high as 84-percent in the first week of Term Three, following lower attendance rates last term. Secondary Principals' Association President Vaughan Couillault told Mike Hosking many schools had been struggling with student disengagement. He says there is some seriou...