The Mike Hosking Breakfast

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.     Basketball: 7/10  The most popular school sport in the country. Who doesn’t love a pick-up game and a lay-up?    The gang laws: 7/10  Because they represent a turning of the tide, a restoration of some common sense and some realisation of just how shabby this place had become.    World War III: 3/10  Let's keep our powder dry, shall we? A missile does not an escalation make. You might remember we are still waiting for Iran to respond in the other war and that was an age ago.    Dairy: 9/10  If we hit $10, that's a record. What a year, and what a time to have a year.    Glastonbury: 8/10  Sold out in 35 minutes, costs $700 and you got no idea who's on stage.    Taylor Swift: 3/10  With an education system like ours in the state it's in, is it really wise to spruik a Taylor Swift course? Is that really your calling card?    LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am trying to work out which I like least – Elon Musk or Disney.  Elon bought Twitter and turned it into 'X'. He paid $44 billion, and they say it's worth about $10 billion now, but he doesn’t care.  It's worth $10 billion because a lot of corporates bailed because of its ugliness.  He argues it's free speech, but it's free speech at the lowest level, so it's ugly. He still defends it, and it makes life for a libertarian like me hard because I like the idea of truly free speech and, as a result of that belief, I have nothing to do with 'X' because I have standards.  But it's also apparent that as good a concept as free speech may be, when left to its own devices it's an ugly place and vulnerable people get hurt.  So that’s Elon.  Disney were one of those who bailed on 'X' because they didn’t like what they saw. But the Financial Times suggests they are heading back to 'X' now that Trump has won, and Trump likes Elon, and Elon might spend a lot of time at the White House, so Disney wants “in” on the action and the influence.  If that’s true, and it's not just Disney but also a bunch of corporates, that makes them hypocrites of the worst sort.  High and mighty – but only when it suits.  Full of principal, as long as they end up on the right side, whatever the current right side is.  They went hopelessly woke in their movies, until Bob Iger came back and said the reason he was back was because Disney was losing money, and they were losing money because they're woke.  Once upon a time having principles was quite the thing. It was expected and it was common, until it wasn’t.  These days corporates too often don’t know who they are so they end up in a moral blancmange. We saw it here during Covid – furious at the Government in private, pussy cats in public.  You would hope there is a lesson there somewhere they might want to learn and do something about.  Elon is at least reasonably consistent. You don’t have to like it, but he is true to his word.  It's cost him $35 billion in 'X'. But then he found Donald and the balance has been more than rectified, so what does he care?  Which I guess ultimately means, it's Disney. I like Disney less than I like Elon.  And that's saying something. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders can now make contactless payments entirely on iPhones.  Any retailer with a supported iPhone can accept payments from cards or digital wallets.  It's paid via an app from one of Apple's payments service partners including Stripe, Worldline, Windcave, and ANZ.  Ben Hanna, Head of New Zealand at Stripe, told Mike Hosking that it cuts down on the costs of running a traditional Eftpos machine.  He says it cuts down on hardware costs, deployment time, and administration.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday has come once again and Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was. This week they discussed the Coldplay concerts, famous people's guitars (including one signed by Donald Trump), and how much they'd be willing to pay for a scoop of chips from the fish and chips shop. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 22nd of November, is the Government's desire for a third medical school at Waikato at risk after David Seymour raised concerns about the cost?    All Blacks' captain Scott Barrett pops in for a word ahead of their clash against Italy – the final game in the end of year international tour.  Tim Wilson and Kate Hawkesby talk Coldplay, Trump guitars, and the price of fish and chips as they Wrap the Week.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's relationship with the incoming Trump administration will be the main topic at a US Business Summit in Auckland today.   It will feature speeches from the Prime Minister, Trade Minister Todd McClay, US Ambassador Tom Udall, and a variety of business voices.   Auckland Chamber of Commerce CEO Simon Bridges says it will be a great chance to get the Government's perspective on the American relationship.   He told Mike Hosking that Trump’s win is hugely consequential, and it’s not enough for the Government to simply say they’ll wait and see.  Bridges believes there can be some optimism though, as New Zealand is generally good at riding the waves and trade with the US flourished after Trump ripped up the CPTPP during his last term.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After being clouded in sexual misconduct allegations, Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration to become Donald Trumps' attorney general.  The former Republican congressman says he felt he was becoming a distraction, and didn't want to waste time on a "scuffle".  US correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking Gaetz had faced intense scrutiny over a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.  He says this is the first loss from Team Trump, who has been issuing threats to keep Senators in line.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks have stuck with the tried and tested for their final fixture of the year against Italy in Turin on Sunday morning.   Changes are minimal from Paris – the team is relatively close to what could be termed a first-choice 23.  There are five changes to the run on-side that lost to France, four being injury related.  Captain Scott Barrett told Mike Hosking they had a focus on improving each game they played in the end of year tour. He says that while the narrow loss to France hurt, the team will be better for that.   “Hopefully we can get through this game and, you know, that’s an 80 minute performance that we can, you know, hang our hat on and be proud of.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Councils are celebrating the government's decision to lift the debt cap, allowing them to borrow more money.  It follows an average 15% rates increase this year across the country.  Local Government New Zealand President Sam Broughton told Mike Hosking that councils currently have two options - borrow or lift rates.  He says they have to borrow more because residents can't afford to fund the infrastructure deficit councils are in.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A paediatric endocrinologist believes the Health Ministry's puberty blocker stance is sensible.  The Ministry's brief shows a lack of good quality evidence backing the drug's effectiveness and safety for treating gender dysphoria.  It says they should only be prescribed by a clinician experienced in gender-affirming care, as part of a team offering a full range of support.  Paul Hofman told Mike Hosking puberty blockers are safe and reversible, and have been used by hundreds of thousands of kids in the last 30 years.  He says data on its efficacy is poor, which is down to doctors not following up on the treatment, and assuming it will work as intended.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour's concerned about the rationale behind the new Waikato medical school.  National campaigned on the idea of a new medical school with a greater focus on rural and primary healthcare.  The ACT leader wrote to Health Minister Shane Reti saying he was dissatisfied with a cost-benefit analysis on the school, which must be presented according to the coalition agreement.  Seymour told Mike Hosking they have to be sure this is the most efficient way to get doctors.  He says they had not counted the cost of training specialists and they'd made a lot of assumptions.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand aren’t the only ones suffering from healthcare struggles.  Italy released their 2025 draft Budget, and medical professionals in particular are unimpressed.  Nurses and doctors went on a nationwide strike, drawing 85% of support according to trade unions.  Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna told Mike Hosking that they’re saying not enough money has been allocated to healthcare, and they have insufficient resources to pay staff and keep the system functioning.  She says the system is rather rundown, and waiting lists are a big problem in the public system, which a majority of the population uses.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's ironic that we mention the Commerce Commission yesterday and here we are today, indulging in a bit more of its madness.  Lines charges, the cost of getting power to your house, is going to get more expensive.  Your bill will rise for the next handful of years by up to $85. That’s over $1,000 a year.  Is your power better? No.  Do you get more power? No.  You just pay more. Why?  Because the Commerce Commission decided they are going to let Transpower and local lines companies charge more so they can invest in new infrastructure.  They will be allowed to raise just shy of $6 billion.  There are a few ironies with this:  1) We also, says the Commission, understand the importance of incentivising business to invest and improve and meet consumer demands. What?! You don’t think they would charge this and more if they could?  And what incentive? Transpower are a monopoly. They have no incentive to improve anything.  2) The $6 billion is way more than it should be. What should it be? Under $3 billion.  Why? Because 55% of what Transpower is doing is because of higher inflation and interest rates. And what is 55% of $6 billion, roughly?  Now, how did we get those? That’s right - Adrian Orr.  If you want yet another tangible example, as the Labour Government and Adrian Orr years of incompetence roll on, then here you are. $3 billion worth, that is for nothing other than admin and fees.  Stuff that should not have happened if the approach in Covid hadn't been as grandiose and wasteful and plain idiotic.  More inflation than we ever needed, leading of course to interest rates we shouldn't have had to try and bring back to Earth, entirely as a result of the Covid approach that crippled the country.  Yes, there are plenty of intangibles like morals, behaviours, mental health and school attendance. But we are also paying Transpower $6 billion to do what they should have done anyway.  Awesome economics in an awesome economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A researcher believes international drug smugglers are flooding the New Zealand market, bringing prices down and availability up.  The New Zealand Drugs Trends Survey found cocaine use is increasing, with 48% of respondents reporting they've used it at some point in their life.  It finds meth's also dropping in price, with a gram becoming 36% cheaper over the past six years.  Massey University drug researcher Chris Wilkins says the majority of Australia's meth comes from Mexican cartels.  He says there's now an overlap for smugglers, importing meth and cocaine together.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 21st of November, the new Police Commissioner Richard Chambers reveals his plans for the next five years, and touches on the gang patch ban that came into effect overnight.  Just how much meth, cannabis and cocaine are we consuming? We look at the annual drug trend survey.  The Naked Chef Jamie Oliver hasn't done a New Zealand interview in eight years, so after the launch of his new cookbook, he joined Mike for a chat about his 25 years in the industry.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a view Netflix isn't paying enough attention to New Zealand's screen industry.  The movie and TV streaming corporation is setting up an office in Sydney to take care of Australia and New Zealand.  So far, the content and commissioning has been heavily based across the ditch.  Screen Production and Development Association President Irene Gardiner told Mike Hosking that some international productions have been shot in New Zealand, and they’ve bought the odd pre-existing show, when it comes to commissioning a local production they’ve had nothing but silence.  She says that commissioning gives us intellectual property and export dollars - which is good for our economy.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Oliver has built a culinary empire.  He’s a household name in the kitchen, writing 23 cookbooks and selling over 46 million copies.  Oliver sprung into the spotlight 25 years ago with ‘The Naked Chef’, a BBC Two cooking show that ran for three series.   He landed the role after he appeared in the background of a BBC documentary about The River Cafe in Fulham, where he was working as a sous-chef at the time.   Oliver told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that he got lucky.  “It was never planned,” he said.  “I was never even supposed to be there that day ... Someone called in sick.”   25 years on, Oliver says time has given him a bit more perspective, and he tends to lean more towards experience and wisdom a little more than just enthusiasm.  Oliver is currently on tour in Australia, performing live shows to promote his newest cookbook ‘Simply Jamie’. Coming from a humble background, the chef told Hosking he never thought he’d be able to travel internationally in this way.   “I never thought I’d get here,” Oliver said.  “I just thought it was out of my reach.”  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's released a new child and youth strategy, with a focus on supporting children and their families in the first 2000 days.   It aims to lift 17,000 children out of material hardship by 2027.   2000 days is just over five years.  Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston told Mike Hosking the Government needs to focus its efforts – if they attempt too many things, they won't achieve anything.   She says this is a plan to work across government ministers' departments to get things done.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Agency's spending is in the spotlight.  The Transport Minister's calling NZTA's costs “eye-watering” and excessive after revealing a near $800 million spend on traffic management over the past three years.  Simeon Brown says a new framework is coming to reduce costs.  Traffic Direct General Manager Dev Strause told Mike Hosking it will be made, but change doesn't happen overnight.  He says it takes a bit of fine tuning to be able to redevelop and retrain all the workers, especially when some have been in the industry for over a decade.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police have already acted on the new gang patch ban.  The Gangs Act 2024 came into effect at midnight last night, banning the public wear of gang patches and insignia.   New Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told Mike Hosking that at three minutes past midnight, Hastings police stopped a vehicle displaying gang insignia, and they are now facing prosecution.  He told Hosking the person staff dealt with was respectful and followed the orders of police.  “I’m happy with how that went, and I suspect there will be more to come,” he said.  When asked whether he had enough resources to get the job done, Chambers said they will do their best with the staff they have.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.