The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The Oscars nominations have come out and guess what? Wicked the Musical with Ariana Grande is on the list for Best Picture.  

It's two hours and 40 minutes long. It doesn't have an ending because there's two parts. So you get half a story, and it takes half your life to watch. We should not be encouraging this type of time wasting. Cinemas are not comfortable places. I've got a bad back, I've got a low tolerance for people bur...

There’s encouraging Jobseeker data for the long-term.  

Just over 33,000 people cancelled their benefits after finding work in the six months to December, up 22% annually.  

The Government's also looking at more changes, including non-financial sanctions on jobseekers.  

Former WINZ boss Christine Rankin told Ryan Bridge that young people cannot be left to get into the habit of relying on the benefit without taking a...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 24th of January, Resources Minister Shane Jones tells Ryan Bridge the Government wants to open up conservation and stewardship land for mining. 

The Government is establishing a new agency to attract a foreign investment - but an expert tells us there's much more to do to make New Zealand attractive again. 

The Oscar nominations are out, but Ryan has something to ...

There's belief a new agency focused on driving up foreign investment is well overdue. 

The Government is creating Invest New Zealand to attract overseas investors into infrastructure and other key sectors. 

It aims to streamline overseas investment by providing tailored support. 

Queen City Law Managing Director Marcus Beveridge told Ryan Bridge it was what New Zealand Trade and Enterprise was always meant to do.&nbs...

David Seymour is making it clear the country can't just wait around for change. 

The ACT party leader is delivering his State of the Nation address in Auckland today. 

Our newsroom understands he will use his speech to ask whether New Zealand should move towards privatisation in the health and education sectors.  

Seymour told Ryan Bridge it's time to be asking the bigger questions. 

He says the government owns ...

The largest snow sports event in the southern hemisphere is no more. 

The Winter Games have been held annually in Queenstown and Wanaka over the last 15 years. 

But organisers have announced it can no longer continue in its current format, due to escalating costs.  

Snow Sports NZ Chief Executive, Nic Cavanagh told Ryan Bridge it shows sport isn't immune to the current economic woes. 

He says everyone in the ind...

Shane Jones says Kiwis need to get over themselves as he looks to open mining on Department of Conservation land. 

The Prime Minister yesterday defended his intention to grow the mining sector. 

Resources Minister Shane Jones told Ryan Bridge if we want to boost the economy, we need to utilise conservation land. 

He says the DOC estate is large and suitable for mining. 

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So we have an inflation number, which is better than not knowing, but it doesn’t tell us much.

2.2 percent for the year to December, no change from the quarter before it and crucially non-tradable inflation, the stuff we should have more control over domestically is sticky at 4.5 percent.

Two main problems here, one for us and one for the Government.

If the exchange rate keeps tanking, the stuff we buy from the rest of the world - ...

A strong relationship is being forged between Italy and the United States. 

Donald Trump has called Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a “fantastic woman”, and says she’s taken Europe "by storm”. 

Meloni was the only European leader present at Trump’s inauguration as President, and had also visited him at his Mar a Lago retreat in Florida a couple of weeks ago.  

Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna told Ryan Bridge tha...

A Kiwi actress is making waves on international screens. 

Luciane Buchanan began her rise to fame in her teens, but it was the last few years where her career really took off. 

The 31 year old was cast in Netflix and Apple TV+ shows in 2022, but her lead role in Netflix’s ‘The Night Agent’ made her a household name. 

‘The Night Agent’ was the most watched show on Netflix around the world in 2023, reaching number 1 in...

The Toyota Aqua has held onto its title for the third year in a row. 

The hatchback is New Zealand’s most stolen car, making up 8% of all stolen vehicle claims in 2024. 

New figures released by AMI today show the company received almost 12,000 vehicle claims last year, including those related to attempted vehicle theft.   

Driven Deputy Editor David Linklater told Ryan Bridge that it’s likely down to numbers.&nb...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 23rd of January, Kiwibank CEO Steve Jurkovich tells Ryan Bridge the OCR and mortgage rates will continue to drop after yesterday's inflation number. 

We get expert analysis on Donald Trump's threat of tariffs and sanctions against Russia and Vladimir Putin unless a deal is done to end the war in Ukraine. 

Ryan finds out why Canterbury is leading the way in new h...

Economic growth and recovery is expected to be front of mind as the Prime Minister prepares to address business leaders in Auckland today. 

Christopher Luxon will share his State of the Nation speech, outlining what he sees as the country's challenges and priorities for the year ahead. 

Tim Hurdle is a former National Party senior adviser and told Ryan Bridge it will be all about the economy. 

He expects Luxon to out...

There's scepticism over whether European countries would be willing to provide more security in Ukraine. 

US President Donald Trump has warned of imposing high levels of sanctions, taxes and tariffs on Russia to try to force a ceasefire deal. 

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskky says any deal would need at least 200,000 peacekeepers on the border. 

But Keir Giles —a Russian expert with international think tank Chatham Hous...

The latest inflation rate is giving confidence to cut interest rates.  

Stats NZ figures show the inflation rate for the year to December hasn't changed, sticking at 2.2%, well within the Reserve Bank's target band.  

Kiwibank Chief Executive Steve Jurkovich told Ryan Bridge their two-year mortgage rate is expected to come down half a percent over the next few months.  

He says it'll vary by term, but he thinks we wi...

There's no surprise from the Christchurch Mayor that construction is booming in Canterbury. 

The region's councils consented about 6,500 homes in the year to November – a fifth of the country's new builds. 

The number of consents in Christchurch was also triple Wellington's. 

Phil Mauger told Ryan Bridge there's been a billion-dollars worth of new homes built in Christchurch – half being units, townhouses, or apartme...

There's a push for the Government to focus on increasing tourist numbers to maximise economic growth. 

Nicola Willis —the minister now charged with driving the growth agenda— is considering visa changes to pull more tourists through the door. 

She wants to see Chinese visitor numbers back to pre-Covid levels.

Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges wouldn't be drawn on whether increasing the international ...

A recent UK health trend is growing in popularity for Kiwis. 

Zebra striping means alternating between alcohol and a no or low-alcohol drink while socialising. 

Independent consumer research found that 55% of Kiwi respondents said they've drunk low-alcohol beverages in the past year. 

Alcohol Beverages Council Executive Director Virginia Nicholls told Ryan Bridge the growth of these drinks is being driven by a trend ...