The Mike Hosking Breakfast

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed a general election will take place July 4th.  

It comes as the ruling Conservative party trails Labour by 20 points in the polls.  

UK political commentator Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking that despite that, Labour's not in a good position with its deputy being investigated by police and split views over Gaza.  

He says they're also in trouble ...

An industry in reportage appears to have sprouted. 

Never before have I seen such coverage of what the Government is being told about their new polices and how said polices are no good. 

What might be a bit misleading about all this reportage, apart from its increasing volume, is none of it is news. 

Everything from the Oranga Tamariki 7AA repeal, to the fast-track law, to the Waitang...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 23rd of May, Finance Minister Nicola Willis reacted to the Reserve Bank's updated forecast. 

Speaking of, Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr explained his position and whether the option of raising rates was just a threat or a realistic move. 

IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin was on after getting pole for the Indy 500 for a chat with Mike abou...

Scott McLaughlin is in the best possible position for the upcoming Indy 500. 

The Kiwi driver is sitting in pole position, first on the starting grid with a record-setting time. 

With the race set for Monday morning New Zealand time, McLaughlin has been spending the week preparing for what’s set to be an intense race. 

The Indy 500 has a unique qualifying system, with the fastest 12 d...

The Reserve Bank governor says the Monetary Policy Committee spent considerable time discussing the possibility of hiking the Official Cash Rate.  

It has again held the Official Cash Rate at 5.5%, where it's been for a year.  

Inflation has fallen to 4%, but is still above the target of a 1-3% band.  

Adrian Orr told Mike Hosking that the talk about hiking the OCR is real.

A new bill that would allow consumers to share their data with companies hopes to give people more power. 

The Consumer and Product Data Bill has been introduced to Parliament. 

It aims to prevent scams and encourage competition in banking, insurance, and telecommunications companies. 

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly told Mike Hosking that it would be the start of ...

The Finance Minister says the economy is in a very painful spot for many people.  

The Reserve Bank has again held the OCR at 5.5%, where it's been for a year.  

It means interest rates may have to stay higher for longer.  

Minister Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking that the Government's made it clear Adrian Orr needs to get inflation back into the target band.  

She says ...

There are claims extracting our own minerals can build the country's resilience from geopolitical vulnerabilities. 

Resources Minister Shane Jones's launching a draft strategy for the mineral sector today and will be announced in the West Coast's coal-mining district. 

He says it'll highlight critical and rare earth minerals, such as titanium and antinomy. 

Jones told Mike Hosking tha...

Even our sports are being impacted by the rising costs and turbulent economy. 

South Canterbury Rugby Union have had to pull out of the Ranfurly Shield as they can’t afford to play. 

CEO Tim Hyde-Smith told Mike Hosking that it would cost them about $50,000 to get up to Hawke’s Bay to challenge the Magpies for the shield, of which they only managed to raise 30%. 

He said that they’d b...

One NZ’s earnings are up, but it’s outlook for 2025 isn't as positive. 

The teleco’s operating earnings jumped 13% to $600 million in the year to March 31st, 2024. 

However, they’ve predicted flat earnings for 2025, somewhere between $580 million and $620 million. 

One NZ CEO Jason Paris told Mike Hosking that they’re calling it flat for ne...

Here are a couple of things I know about education. 

The first is that we aren't that good at it and our results, whether PISA scores, or kids leaving school without proper qualifications, or even turning up in the first place, speak loud and clear on this. 

The second is that although the unions argue more money is the answer, it is, and it isn't. 

In New South Wales at the moment, t...

Donald Trump has decided not to take the stand amid his hush money trial. 

The former president faces charges of falsifying documents to cover up payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. 

The trial's defence has now wrapped up as jurors prepare for deliberations. 

US correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Trump declined to speak, despite his claims throughout the case he's b...

Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell joined Mike Hosking to dive into the biggest political stories from the week so far. 

Erica Stanford has been gifted a bed, what gifts have they received and had to register? 

Plus, the bill repealing section 7AA passed its first reading in Parliament yesterday, and Ginny Andersen is pretty strongly opposed. 

It doesn’t achieve anything, she told Mike ...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 22nd of May, we looked at the bad news the Reserve Bank may give us today, and how serious is the threat from the Rugby Players Association to split from the NZR? 

In the midst of the bizarre news that Erica Stanford declared a gift of a bed, Mike revealed he was also "gifted" a bed, which turned into a big drama! 

Ginny Andersen and Mar...

New Zealand’s rugby provinces have been warned by the professional players association to brace for a civil war if they vote to approve their own governance change proposal at next week’s special general meeting.  

In an explosive move, the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association (NZRPA) has told the unions it is ready to break away to form a new and separate entity to manage the professional game. 

The Reserve Bank is walking a tight rope when it comes to interest rates. 

The OCR is expected to remain unchanged at 5.5% when the bank releases its quarterly Monetary Policy Statement this afternoon. 

It's signalled a rate cut may not come for another year. 

ANZ's Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Mike Hosking that their view is that a cut is more likely to come next year, as infl...

Two MPs are facing electoral commission investigation after electoral paperwork blunders. 

The Greens have referred suspended MP Darleen Tana to the Electoral Commission for failing to put a promoter statement on a magazine article about herself. 

At the same time, National MP David MacLeod has lost his Select Committee positions after he failed to declare almost $200 thousand in donations. 

There are pleas for the Government not to scrap the first-home buyers grant. 

Newshub is reporting the Government plans to redirect the $60 million allocated to help first-home buyers and put the money into social housing. 

The scheme gives buyers between $5,000 and $10,000 towards their first home if they earn under a certain threshold, and property experts say dissolving it would be a bad move.

It’s a sad, old business when part of your market update is the cost of the violent crime you are having to deal with. 

Michael Hill this week talked of the sort of things businesses talk of; the downturn, the mood, the spend and the consumer. All of it's bad right now for obvious reasons. 

What is interesting is they said of the various countries they operate in that New Zealand is the worst in te...