The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Newstalk ZB's Bruce Russell spent a lifetime being a companion to his treasured listeners.  Whether it was reading the news or creating the character Freddy on Timaru's Radio Caroline in the 1980s, he was loved for his devilish sense of humour, gargantuan general knowledge and storytelling.  The broadcaster, in his early 70s, died suddenly on Sunday night, working right up until his death – as an...

Along with the number, came the commentary, and the commentary was the thing that clearly stung the most. Our inflation number is a disaster. 6.9 percent is something we all see, feel, and fear. There was no escaping it, given it's a statistic. It's a number, and numbers don't lie. But Adrian Orr's commentary to the International Monetary Fund is the bit that clearly got under the governments, and...

Women from across British politics called Monday for action to tackle misogyny after a newspaper ran a story accusing the deputy opposition leader of trying to "distract" the prime minister during debates by crossing and uncrossing her legs. The Mail on Sunday quoted an anonymous Conservative lawmaker as saying Labour Party Deputy Leader Angela Rayner tried to throw Conservative Prime Minister Bor...

Warriors star Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was out cold before he even hit the ground in a sickening moment that saw the Anzac Day night clash in Melbourne stopped for several minutes. The Warriors eventually gave a positive update that the Kiwi international was conscious, but it was a scary sight to see him taken from the field on the back of a medi-cab. The former Panthers and Bulldogs star was knoc...

Are you smarter than a 12-year-old? Probably not these 12-year-olds. Hobsonville students Alex Hipperson and Ezra Meyer are whiz kids when it comes to robotics - specifically Aquabots. They've designed a robot to compete in obstacle courses and challenges underwater and have won the national and regional competitions to qualify for what is technically the world competition in Aquabots in Baltimore...

The pressure's on to enforce regulations at ports. It comes after a person died while unloading coal from a ship at Lyttelton Port yesterday - merely six days after a death at the Ports of Auckland. Maritime Union National Secretary Craig Harrison told Mike Hosking they're calling for an urgent inquiry into port safety, from which national standards should be developed. He says it's concerning tha...

The rhetoric around the Solomons and China deal has ramped up with Australians being told they need to be prepared for war. The comment comes from Defence Minister Peter Dutton just hours after Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the Solomons would be a red line for his government. Questions are being raised as to whether this is  just posturing from Dutton or a symptom of global insecu...

The tourism industry wants restrictions at the border lifted. Tourism Export Council chief executive, Lynda Keene, says many countries have opened up, including Australia, the UK, Canada and Singapore, with no Covid-19 testing requirements. She told Mike Hosking New Zealand is slower with our decision-making, which is frustrating for offshore travel partners. Keene says Australia's rolling out the...

The safety of rural roads is being called into question after the death of a woman and her two babies. Coroner Marcus Elliott has determined the give-way sign wasn't visible in time to prevent the accident near Ashburton in 2019. He's also found there were 79 intersections in the same district, that are similar to the one where the crash occurred. Federated Farmers Transport spokesperson Karen Wil...

A huge delay in court ordered psychiatric reports is leading to criminal charges being dismissed, added stress on victims and offenders being locked up for longer than the law allows. Between January 2017 and March this year there have been 8734 cases where a psych report has been ordered. Under the Mentally Impaired Persons Act mental health must get that report back to the courts within 14-30 da...

Kerre Woodham and Tim Wilson joined Tim Dower to wrap the week's news. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wellington Phoenix are playing the Western Sydney Wanderers at Eden Park on Sunday afternoon. 18,000 turned up in Wellington to watch the Phoenix last week - and big crowds are expected again in Auckland. Oli Sail, Phoenix captain and goalkeeper joined Tim Dower in studio. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Americans think wool is rough, itchy and hard to care for. New Zealand is the world's third largest exporter of wool, so a group called Campaign for Wool New Zealand is on a mission to change America’s perspective of it. Chair, Tom O'Sullivan joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grant Robertson says the Government is doing what it can to help beneficiaries. The Acting Prime Minister and Finance Minister told Tim Dower that's why it's targeted low and middle income people with its April 1 package. He says people are still getting the benefit of that, with increased income support payments. Robertson says the Government also continues to provide Covid support in the area of...

Unions are demanding for robust and enforceable health and safety national standards for our port workers. It comes after 26 year old port worker Atiroa Tauiti died on Tuesday while working on a docked container ship. Three maritime unions have written a joint letter to Workplace Relations Minister Michael Wood to try and get action on this. Iain MacLeod, Merchant Service Guild National Vice Presi...

Grant Robertson is being urged to help people as inflation bites. Inflation's risen to a 30-year high of 6.9 percent, there are predictions it will continue to go up. Beneficiary advocate Kay Brereton says beneficiaries are cutting back on food, and says it will be a shock when fuel and public transport prices and go back to normal. She told Tim Dower she wants the Finance Minister to extend those...

There is some hope on the horizon for our wine growers. This year’s grape harvest looks to be in far better shape than what 2021 gave them. Last year’s harvest was 20 percent smaller than usual, due to poor weather and having to navigate through Covid.  Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Myrtle rust has been found on the Chatham Islands. This disease impacts plants including iconic New Zealand species like pohutukawa. In March, a member of the public brought a diseased plant  from the north end of the main island to the Department of Conservation - which has been confirmed as myrtle rust. Beyond Myrtle Rust programme researcher Peter de Lange believes the discovery has a silver li...

The Foreign Affairs Minister isn't hiding her extreme disappointment with the Solomon Islands, over its new security pact with China. China says it's given the deal a final sign-off. Nanaia Mahuta says New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific community respect the sovereignty of the Solomon Islands, and their right to make their own foreign policy decisions. But she told Tim Dower we have a long-ter...

Christchurch Airport says it's achieved its goal of becoming beyond carbon neutral - and now it's entered into being climate positive. The airport is considered a global leader in getting airports and aviation to a lower carbon future. Nick Flack, General Manager of Planning and Sustainability at Christchurch Airport joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

The chain that owns PaknSave, Four Square and New World says it's doing everything to help customers in the face of high inflation. Many economists are predicting the Consumer Price Index will be more than seven percent, when it's released this morning. Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin told Tim Dower the company is trying to help customers find value. He says pricing's being simp...

This morning's inflation rate will be historically high -- but economists are divided on how high inflation will be, and how long it will last. Stats NZ will release its latest Consumer Price Index data just before 11am. ANZ Economist Finn Robinson told Tim Dower the annual inflation rate will be well above seven percent - by far the highest in a generation. “Covid is causing international inflati...

Jacinda Ardern has arrived in Japan for the second leg of her Asian trade tour. She's meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida this afternoon. Chief Political Reporter Jason Walls told Tim Dower today's events are likely to be more exciting than those in Singapore. He says as well as meeting with Kishida, Ardern will attend a range of business and promotional events in Tokyo, including th...

Grant Robertson says we need to look at the full context to understand the Government's decision about ending MIQ, not just one piece of advice. A memo shows Ashley Bloomfield and Caroline McElnay agreed in November last year MIQ was no longer justified for most returnees. The Acting Prime Minister says that was peer reviewed and a careful transition was advised. He told Tim Dower just over a week...

Our billion dollar collision repair industry could lose 15 percent of its revenue this year. Demand for parts and repairs are down 31 percent on pre-Covid levels, due to less people using their cars while working from home and the rising cost of petrol. Neil Pritchard, from the Collision Repair Association joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.