The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The most important part of last night's poll is the fact it backs up the other two most recent numbers, thus confirming a trend. The tide is going out on Labour. Their arrogance and incompetence have caught up with them. They have played us for fools too often and now they are paying the price. Short of National shooting themselves in the foot, the tide has not just turned, there is more where thi...

Labour says the change in the Government's Covid strategy is reflected in the latest Newshub Reid Research poll. National has jumped 9.2 points to 40.5 percent support, surpassing Labour's 38.2 percent, falling 6.1 points. Act and the Greens have both dropped, while the Māori Party has nudged half a point up. Senior Cabinet Minister Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking they have some work to do. “The t...

Is a New Zealand-produced movie bringing back 3D films? James Cameron’s Avatar 2: The Way of Water, which is out this December, will bring back the 3D experience, which dropped off a cliff back in 2013-2014. So is this a good thing? Have we wanted it back? And can it only be done with these big budget films anyway? Award-winning director and producer Aaron Falvey joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE...

A bold new cycling plan for Auckland. Transport planners want to nearly double the city's cycle network, make bike training compulsory in schools,  and scrap teachers' parking in the scheme. Auckland Council member Angela Dalton told Mike Hosking the $2 billion bill is being taken to the council tomorrow. She says when the Government's emission reduction plan comes through - there's an expectation...

Many economists are tipping that unemployment will fall, some to a new record low, around the 3% mark. Suggestions are being raised that what it means though is that New Zealand has tapped out our labour market - everyone who wants to or can work, is. We now have a reliance on overseas workers so what can we do when they can't come in in bulk? Founder and CEO of Tech Futures Lab Frances Valintine...

National says the cost of living crisis is highlighted in the latest Newshub Reid Research poll. National is up 9.2 points at 40.5 percent surpassing Labour's 38.2 percent, falling 6.1 points. Act and the Greens have both dropped while the Maori Party has nudged half a point up. National Leader Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking he believes the public sees National as better economic managers. “W...

Winston Peters' parliamentary ban is heading into murky waters. The Speaker of the House has trespassed Peters from Parliament for two years,  - along with former National MP Matt King -  after visiting the anti-mandate occupation in February. Otago University Law Professor Andrew Geddis says while it's lawful, Peters could still bring legal action against the decision. He says it could be argued...

Police are launching a specialised gang taskforce to tackle growing lawlessness across the country. Our newsroom understands Operation Cobalt will start in May,  and run for at least six months. It will involve dedicated staff from Auckland's three police districts, and smaller teams elsewhere. Sources say the aim is to target the unlawful behaviour of gangs, rather than targeting individuals for...

I haven't tried the scientists' new tool to work out whether my house is going to be under water sooner than I think. I am still a little surprised, though, that we seem to be making an awful lot of the fact that two well-known bits of data have never been joined together before to allegedly give us this startlingly new look at our lives and future. The land, in bits of the country, moves. And whe...

Very few would argue that Roy Billing isn't New Zealand acting royalty. Since the 1970s he has been a mainstay across television films - with credits including Underbelly, The Chronicles of Narnia and Packed to the Rafters. He was based in Australia - until he moved back home to Waiheke Island in 2020. And he's been busy since - portraying Robert Muldoon in TVNZ's The Panthers and returning to the...

Ronnie O'Sullivan finally got to No. 7. Widely regarded as the most talented snooker player ever, O'Sullivan surely secured his status as the game's greatest by beating Judd Trump 18-13 to win a record-tying seventh world championship. "That's probably the greatest result I've ever had," O'Sullivan said after sharing a long, tearful embrace with Trump at the end of the final at the Crucible Theatr...

A wealth researcher says there's enough big earners for a wealth tax to make a difference. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ruled out introducing such a policy this term or next term if she's re-elected. Senior Associate at Victoria University Max Rashbrooke told Mike Hosking we have very large inequalities in New Zealand. “What people are normally trying to do with this kind of tax is not tax or...

‘Not good enough’ is the summation of the Bankers’ Association when it comes to the Government's tweaks on the CCCFA. The Government put a band aid on the lending rules when they announced the changes in March and put it up for consultation. Now the NZ Bankers' Association has officially put in their submission to the Ministry calling for a more fulsome review. Chief executive Roger Beaumont joine...

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation wants urgent action on inequities in asthma care. The Foundation's latest report shows Māori are almost three times more likely to be hospitalised because of asthma than other New Zealanders. Pacific people are 3.2 times more likely. Asthma mortality rates are three times higher for Māori, 2.7 times higher for Pacific people and 2.3 times higher for those livi...

Complications in performing resuscitation while wearing Covid PPE,  is being blamed for fewer people surviving cardiac arrests. A two-percent decrease was seen from mid-2020 to mid-2021, with just 25 percent of those treated for Cardiac Arrest in the community surviving. St John Clinical Director Dr Tony Smith told Mike Hosking it's a timely reminder that what people do at the scene - can save a l...

The gaping hole in New Zealand's infrastructure may never be filled. A new report from the Infrastructure Commission has found we'd need about $31 billion annually to build our way out of our current infrastructure challenges. Commission Chief Executive Ross Copland accepts that kind of spending simply isn't viable. He told Mike Hosking we need to look at other solutions, including trying to reduc...

I assume you didn’t miss the latest Three Waters announcement that was made on a Friday. It's an old trick, but this lot appear to love it. Trouble with the new deal is it sort of changes things but then actually changes nothing. The Government's argument is that they have listened to the committee that made various recommendations, they have accepted them, therefore that’s that. Trouble is, it is...

Andrew Saville and Guy Heveldt joined Mike Hosking to talk Dame Lisa Carrington vs Aimee Fisher, Australia’s Super Rugby fight back, the Warrior’s second golden point this season, Silver Lake, Shane van Gisbergen shaking off his Perth bogey, and Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Judd Trump in the World Snooker Championship. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the weekend, British MP Neil Parish was forced to resign after he was caught watching porn in the House of Commons. He explained that he was looking at tractors over the weekend and ended up on a website with a similar name, describing it as a moment of madness. But just how big of an issue is watching porn in the workplace? Employment lawyer Catherine Stewart joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOV...

Trade training is booming. But the question is what happens next given the Government's $390 million Apprenticeship Boost scheme expires in August. Employers and industry leaders desperate for staff want to know if the Government will consider extending it. Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation director Jason Hungerford joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listen...

The Liberal Party is bracing for the Reserve Bank’s decision on interest rates this Tuesday as two new opinion polls suggest time is running out for Scott Morrison to secure another miracle election victory. According to the latest Newspoll, Labor has maintained a two-party-preferred vote lead of 53-47. If replicated on election day this would see Labor swept to government with a majority and Scot...

A youth aid agency says funding to address poor school attendance rates will go a long way. The Government has announced a $40 million package ahead of the Budget to tackle truancy issues. It includes roughly $15 million to scale up support for at-risk young people to reengage in school. Te Ora Hou Otautahi General Manager Jono Campbell says told Mike Hosking they have been vastly under-resourced...

Important information for people living on our coastlines. New data from a programme comprising dozens of scientists called NZ SeaRise shows the sea level is rising twice as fast as previously thought in some parts of New Zealand. It combines data about where land is sinking, with the latest international sea-level rise projections. Victoria University climate expert Dr Judy Lawrence told Mike Hos...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made an unannounced trip to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Saturday, becoming the most senior US official to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the war broke out more than two months ago. Pelosi's office said Sunday that the speaker had led an official congressional delegation to Ukraine -- the first since Russian invasion of the country began on February 24...

A big question over how the war in Ukraine will finally end. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pledging to help Ukraine "stand up to bullies", after paying a surprise visit to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Western countries are now talking up the chances of a Ukrainian "victory" in the conflict. But Keir Giles, a senior expert at London's Chatham House, told Mike Hosking it's unc...