The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New Zealand is launching a trade dispute against Canada in a growing dairy backlash. The Government's arguing we don't have as much access to the Canadian export market as promised. The dispute is the first lodged under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Dairy Companies Association Chairman Malcolm Bailey told Mike Hosking this is a good move. He says Canada...

National says the Government needs to rein in spending to avoid adding to the inflationary pressures facing the economy. Finance Minister Grant Robertson is due to release his budget next Thursday. New Stats NZ figures show the cost of living is continuing to rise - with food prices increasing more than six percent over the past 12 months. National finance spokesperson Nicola Willis told Mike Hosk...

Jon Toogood and Shihad reunited last year with their new album Old Gods. There was supposed to be a tour with it - Covid has seen those dates pushed out, but they have been across the ditch for a couple of shows. And now to celebrate New Zealand Music Month – Toogood is heading on the road with his acoustic guitar with a series of solo shows around the country. Jon Toogood joined Mike Hosking in s...

Funny how the old corporate world works. Countdown freezes prices. Or do they? No one believes them, thus indicating whether they are or not, they are probably wasting their time. Not to be outdone, Foodstuffs enters and tells us they are reducing the price of more than 100 items by 10 percent. Are they? I think the same number of people who believe the Countdown claim believe the Foodstuffs claim...

There is a new company that has gone gangbusters when it comes to helping sort out the biggest waste issue with the wine industry. Repost is a Marlborough company that repurposes toxic treated vineyard posts, saving hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste going into landfill and turning it into useable posts for fencing farms. So far, since the company began during 2020, Repost has diverted 720 tonnes o...

The Government has announced our border will fully reopen on the 31st of july - students can come back, cruise ships can come back and pre-departure tests will eventually go. The announcement came with big immigration changes. There will be a green list of hard to fill skill roles that we will prioritise visas for, a reworked accredited employer work visa with new rules around having to pay worker...

It's hoped the supermarket industry’s pledges to reduce prices will help all of us at the checkout. Foodstuffs is taking an average 10 percent off more than 100 items in their stores from Monday, in a bid to ease rising costs for shoppers.  It comes after Countdown's recent announcement of a price freeze on many of their items.  Vegetables New Zealand Director John Murphy told Mike Hosking the dis...

Universities face work to get fully back into the international student market. The borders fully re-open from August - two months ahead of schedule. International students can also start the process to enter the country. Universities New Zealand chief executive Chris Whelan says it's too late for students to come in for semester two - but puts New Zealand back in the market for next year. He says...

A thumbs down for the Government's new immigration settings. The new range of measures includes one visa for accredited employers and a green list of professions which will receive fast tracked processes. Immigration Lawyer Aaron Martin told Mike Hosking it won't be fair for those who aren't on that green list. He says there's still no path to residency for those who aren't on that green list, and...

A controversial new proposed mine on the West Coast has been given the green light. Westland Mineral Sands has been given consent to mine 500,000 tonnes of heavy mineral concentrate over seven years, from a site at Cape Foulwind. Minerals West Coast Manager Patrick Phelps told Mike Hosking this is good news for mining workers on the coast. He says it's expected to open up at least 40 jobs to start...

As I have said a number of times, my biggest frustration with this country at the moment is it is not what it could be. And it's not what it has been. We lack an aspiration and determination to be great. We are muddlers, we are dabblers and we are led from the top by a bunch of out of touch theorists who have provided an unprecedented amount of damage to our culture and economy. We have largely wo...

When you're working from home anyway, how sick do you have to be to actually call in sick? The US and UK  have seen record low sickness absences as people worked from home, meaning we're trying to power through instead of resting like we normally would. Jason Ennor, CEO of My HR joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia has just stripped 20 percent of its school curriculum content in a big revamp of maths and literacy in particular. Changes to literacy include a greater use of phonics, and getting rid of predictable texts and the three cueing system that encourages children to guess words when learning to read. By the time they're eight, Australian kids will be expected to be able to read fluently. Alic...

Auckland Airport is spending $300 million on a transport hub and setting aside land for light rail near its international terminal. The company is also installing a $100m new smart baggage hall and system designed to transform luggage handling as part of a planned combined domestic and international terminal. Built to double height, the ground floor of the four-storey building will accommodate bus...

International rugby could hit a new proposal on the burst in Dublin. The sport's bosses are holding discussions at the governing body headquarters about introducing a new north-south competition every two years. Representatives from the Six Nations and Sanzaar are present, including New Zealand's chief executive Mark Robinson. The players association is also understood to be agreeable to the conce...

There are high hopes for the tourism sector ahead of looser border settings. Our newsroom understands the Prime Minister will announce today an acceleration in opening the country up to all-comers. It had been set for October, but that could now happen in July. RealNZ Chief Executive Stephen England-Hall told Mike Hosking he's optimistic but there will be challenges. He says the growth will largel...

The Government is expected to open the door to more highly skilled workers, but not to unskilled hospitality workers. Hospitality New Zealand Chief Executive Julie White told Mike Hosking that means many hospitality businesses will never recover from two years of Covid restrictions. “I’m hearing from our members more people are leaving than arriving, this is really going to put a handbrake on our...

A couple of good clues as to why we have such wastage of government spending and how the psychology behind it suggests it won't change under the current government. We have had the revelations so far this week over the millions for consultants on Three Waters, it’s $20 million and counting. The Zoom job fair that attracted next to no one yet cost a bit under a million to run with even the Minister...

Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the opening of Parliament on Tuesday for the first time in nearly 60 years, as she struggles with difficulties in getting around. Buckingham Palace said in a statement Monday that the decision was made in consultation with her doctors and that the 96-year-old had "reluctantly'' decided not to attend. Prince Charles will read her speech, while for the first time h...

It has been a few years since we caught up with Julia Deans. She, of course, is the lead singer of Fur Patrol - and we all know the success they had. She's gone on to have a successful solo career - and has linked up with the likes of Jon Toogood and Neil Finn. But now - Fur Patrol is reuniting - they released a 20th anniversary edition of their debut album P.E.T last year. They were planning to r...

A third of the 120 family harm call outs a week in Rotorua are to emergency housing motels. Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni once again has acknowledged emergency housing is not ideal, but it's better than people sleeping in cars. Mihi James, a Rotorua family lawyer and Waiariki Women's Refuge chair joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's expected to announce next week that congestion charging in Auckland could be introduced in 2025. A report by the Helen Clark Foundation's looked at the equity impacts of congestion charging, and is recommending the charges be brought in fairly. There was talk in 2020 that Aucklanders could pay $3.50 to go in and out of the CBD during peak times. Report author and WSP Fellow Tom Ja...

The Government’s Covid-19 policies are being blamed for creating an international visa backlog.  Over the past two years there’s been a surge in overseas investors wanting to live here.  However, Immigration New Zealand is struggling to keep up with the demand – seeing people withdraw from the wait-list.  Malcolm Pacific Immigration Chief Executive David Cooper told Mike Hosking visa policies duri...

A lot of first home buyers are waiting for the right price. A CoreLogic’s report for the quarter reveals the number of people buying their first home, fell by three and a half percent on the second half of last year. CoreLogic NZ Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson says March saw a sharp fall, and the overall numbers are below what we normally see. He says some people have pulled back, and ho...

The Government could make its apprenticeship boost scheme permanent. $230 million will be put towards the scheme, which will now run until the end of next year. The funding goes towards trades training programmes, and will support an additional 24,000 apprentices. Education Minister Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking locking the scheme in long term is a possibility. “I think it’s absolutely justifiab...