The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Tauranga's new MP is wasting no time getting down to business. Sam Uffindell has retained the Tauranga seat for National, after beating Labour's Jan Tinetti by around six thousand votes in Saturday's by-election. He's taking the first flight to Wellington this morning, to meet with his colleagues at Parliament. Uffindell told Mike Hosking he's set himself clear goals, including introducing a membe...

Questions have been asked as to whether we should we paying attention to NSW's education reforms. Premier Dominic Perrottet is looking to introduce performance pay, reduce teachers admin so they can spend actually teaching, improve access to vocational subjects for students who don't want to go to university and revamp school hours by putting activities before and after lessons. President of the N...

A Toyota Hiace mini-van carrying nine family members and travelling to Picton was ripped apart after colliding head-on with a refrigerated truck, leaving seven people dead. The family was returning home to the North Island after attending a loved one's funeral in Dunedin. It is understood that they belong to a large extended family, with many last night yet to be informed of the tragedy. The crash...

Is it a case of looking too hard? How is it possible I see a recession and banks don't? The much-anticipated GDP number for the first quarter of the year is -0.2 percent. To have a recession you need two consecutive quarters of negative growth, we now have one. I have been trying to explain that we are headed for recession for months. You can't have a recession if you don't have negative growth, a...

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.   Job Ads: 9/10 "Say whatever you like about our economic prospects. At least we all have work."   Q1 GDP Number: 3/10 "Minus 0.2 pecent is a mess. It was avoidable, it is the result of an astonishing fiscal error from the Government and Reserve Bank, and don't let them tell you...

Farmers could be paying up to 25 percent more for fertiliser, as much as $365 per tonne. Fertiliser co-operative Ballance say due to global energy and export costs fertiliser prices would have to go up. Ballance's sales manager Jason Minkhorst joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not often the Crusaders go in as slight underdogs in a Super Rugby game - let alone a final. But that's the case this weekend as they take on the Blues in front of a packed out Eden Park. They still have the pedigree on their side, though, as they chase their 11th title compared to the Blues 5th. Crusaders coach Scott Robertson joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

It's Super Rugby final time tomorrow night. The culmination of a four month season, ending with the classic rivalry renewed between the table topping Blues and the Crusaders. For the Blues it's been a long journey back to the top after an decidedly lean period - but when the team's form turns around so does the crowd, with tickets sold out for Eden Park. Blues CEO Andrew Hore joined Mike Hosking....

There's confusion among law experts over a move by the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Law Society to seek a review of the country's  judges. It's voted to pursue a motion that would see an international jurist look into the conduct of judges and judicial independence. Former Auckland University law professor Bill Hodge told Mike Hosking it's an unusual decision. He says the independence of t...

The Finance Minister admits the drop in gross domestic product isn't good. GDP has dropped 0.2 percent for the March quarter, following a three percent rise in the previous quarter. Most sectors did worse than expected, including the primary industry which fell 1.2 percent for a third consecutive quarter. Grant Robertson told Mike Hosking it's a sign of a difficult 2022. He says we didn't have tou...

A gloomy outlook for our economic growth. GDP numbers will be released by Stats NZ this morning for the first quarter of the year. It's thought growth will probably be between zero and one percent. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Mike Hosking the second quarter of the year isn't looking too rosy either. He says sectors like agriculture and manufacturing will still quite weak. LISTEN ABOVE Se...

One of the world's biggest artists has some news for Kiwi fans. Ever since he broke out in 2011 he's been a mainstay at the top of the charts around the world. In fact in just 11 years, he's sold more than 150 million records and taken home more awards than we can list here. His latest album, ‘=’ (equals), continued that dream run. And he's heading back to our shores, with shows in Wellington and...

If you want to do one of the top ten bucket list activities in the world then look no further than your backdoor. Rotorua's Canopy Tours ziplining tour has been ranked sixth in TripAdvisor’s bucket list category as part of their "Best of the Best Things to do" awards. It was also named the second best experience overall in the South Pacific region. Rotorua Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button...

Have some of our gangs come to their senses and agreed to stop shooting each other. Police and gang sources say there is an agreed upon ceasefire between the Tribesmen and Killer Beez, the two groups who have been terrorising the public with shootings over the last three weeks. Questions have been asked whether this truce is this legitimate and if so, how long it lasts. Sociologist and gang expert...

Pressure on non-profit organisations is a mixture of being exposed over a lack of funding, and legislation making it too hard for the sector. It comes as a new report from Grant Thornton shows there are major gaps that would prevent NPOs meeting their purposes. The report also shows concerns over attaining and maintaining staff. Grant Thornton partner Barry Baker told Mike Hosking there's a lot mo...

I miss the occasion of the national disgrace. The time when, normally, a report or a revelation exposed some hopelessly inept behaviour or some governmental dishonesty. It was a day that focused almost solely on the singular story and it was concluded at the end of the day that whoever the recipient was, government, council, MP, the Prime Minister, or public figure, they had had a hell of a day th...

Nanaia Mahuta will meet with Australian counterpart Penny Wong for the first time today. The meeting will be the latest for Wong, as she shores up Australia's relationships with Pacific under growing pressure from China. It comes after Jacinda Ardern met with new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Sydney last week. Otago University international relations expert Robert Patman told Mike...

As of next Tuesday, people travelling to New Zealand will no longer need a negative pre-departure test. A Government source has confirmed the requirement will be dropped as of 11.59pm on Monday. An announcement by new Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall is scheduled for later today. The current rule means people coming to New Zealand by air must get a negative PCR, RAT or Lamp test 72 hours...

US President Joe Biden confirmed Tuesday that he will visit Saudi Arabia next month for talks with its leaders, a dramatic change in his stance on the kingdom that he pledged to make a "pariah" as a Democratic candidate for the White House. With the visit at the tail end of a July 13-16 Middle East trip that includes stops in Israel and the West Bank, Biden is edging off his adversarial stance on...

There is the ideological debate around cycleways. Whether or not they actually achieve anything. Whether they cut traffic. Whether it's real to expect large numbers of people in large cities to cycle everywhere. Whether the damage you do to the roading network and the resulting congestion is worth it all. Whether all the court cases that are fought over planning and execution make the battle worth...

Chris Hipkins wants to take a "big picture" approach to reducing gang activity. The new Police Minister has gone head-to-head with National's Police spokesman Mark Mitchell for the first time this morning, with an appearance on the Mike Hosking Breakfast. It's come just before his first meeting with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster this morning. Hipkins told Mike Hosking he wants to work as both...

If the food prices are any indicator, inflation hasn't hit its peak yet. Yesterday, we got the news that food prices were up almost 7 percent on last year, including a 10 percent increase in fruit and vegetables. It puts into doubt the idea that inflation will peak this quarter at 7 percent. ASB senior economist Mark Smith joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

One of the most successful female motorsport drivers is in the country. Michele Mouton chairs the delegation responsible for safety in WRC rallies, so she is here to check our rally route, safety, planning and special stages ahead of the WRC return to Auckland at the end of September. Mouton was the first woman to win the German Rally Championship in 1986 with Peugeot, the first female to win a ma...

Concern children will be impacted the most by a new bill that would get rid of the Children's Commissioner's role. Government is pushing ahead despite overwhelming majority against the Bill. It aims to strengthen oversight of Oranga Tamariki and create a Young People's Commission. Children's Commissioner Frances Eivers told Mike Hosking it won't be as effective, as it means decisions will need to...

Marlborough are trying to do their best to hopefully train the next generation of construction workers and engineers to fill our labour shortages. The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce has pitched a construction and engineering academy for two high schools in the area to help students train and get jobs directly out of high school in high need areas. It's similar to an academy in Hastings for Hastin...