The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The intentional killing of women and girls is now its own crime in Italy.  

Lawmakers unanimously backed a bill making femicide a specific crime punishable by life imprisonment.  

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the measure a tool to "defend the freedom and dignity of every woman". 

Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna told Mike Hosking it looks very much like a symbolic gesture. 

She says she’s not sure how you ...

The Reserve Bank Governor is leaving the job tomorrow with no major regrets about the pace of OCR cuts. 

The cash rate's dropped 25 basis points to 2.25%. 

Forward-projections suggest this will be the end of the current cycle of OCR cuts, with inflation expected to ease and the economy expected to recover in the new year. 

Governor Christian Hawkesby told Mike Hosking they've been responding to circumstances. 

H...

A public policy think tank is pushing the Government to take advantage of social impact bonds.

The model means the Government only pays providers when they achieve results for a particular problem.  

It had previously been used for the Genesis Youth Trust, which reduced youth reoffending by 30%.  

Maxim Institute Researcher Thomas Scrimgeour told Mike Hosking the beauty of social impact bonds is that it allows highly flex...

A suggestion most Northland businesses are ready to move on rather than seek compensation over widespread power outages. 

In June last year, an inexperienced worker removed nuts from three of a pylon's legs causing it to fall over cutting power to almost the entire region. 

The opt-out class action against Transpower and its lines maintenance contractor is being backed by Australian financing firm Omni Bridgeway.  

N...

Don't bank on any further cuts to the Official Cash Rate. 

The Reserve Bank's dropped the cash rate 25 basis points to 2.25%. 

It expects to see inflation ease and the economy recover. 

Kiwibank Chief Executive Steve Jurkovich told Mike Hosking this could very well be the bottom of the current OCR cycle. 

He says there's lots of talk about green shoots in the economy, although much of this has been in farming.&n...

It's the Reserve Bank outing this week. 

One last hurrah for the year. It has a certain anticlimax about it, doesn't it? 

It's probably going to be 25 basis points. 25 points is priced in by just about everyone. 

There is a chance it's zero. Next to no one says 50 basis points. 

Infometrics last week had the Q3 GDP number at 0.9% and I'm told the Q2 number is going to be revised up, which means if you add all th...

Ukraine and the US are signalling they're nearing a proposal to end the war as Russia maintains its uncompromising position. 

Ukrainian and US officials have negotiated details of a proposed 28-point peace plan in Switzerland. 

A US official's told reporters Ukraine has agreed to a peace deal, but there were still some minor details to be sorted out. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking it appears sever...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday the 26th of November, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop explains why they want to scrap regional councils.  

Estonia has the highest education results in Europe, and now their Education Minister is in New Zealand to check out how our reforms are panning out.  

Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen cover off Michael Wood, regional councils, Greg O'Connor and Craig Ren...

Thousands of cases of amputation and vision loss could be prevented thanks to diabetes monitoring technology. 

Continuous Glucose Monitors, or CGMs, have been funded for Type 1 diabetes since last October. 

New data from CGM producer Dexcom finds lifetime use of the devices could prevent up to 70 thousand diabetes-related complications and save the country $50 thousand a day. 

Diabetes New Zealand Chief Executive Hea...

European nations are eyeing New Zealand’s education overhaul as a model for their own reforms. 

Education Minister Erica Stanford's implemented new curriculums, scrapped NCEA, increased learning support funding and put a sharper focus on teaching the basics this year. 

Estonia’s Education Minister Kristina Kallas is here meeting Stanford, and says her country and others are considering similar changes after drops in achie...

The Reserve Bank's set to slash the Official Cash rate today but the big question is whether today's cut will be the last. 

The final OCR decision of the year is set down for 2pm. 

Most economists expect the cash rate to be cut 25 basis points – from 2.5% to 2.25%. 

Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr told Mike Hosking the main message seems to be that we’re getting pretty close to the bottom. 

He says interest...

Red tape continues to tie up New Zealand's agriculture and horticultural sectors. 

Animal and Plant Health NZ's annual survey finds nearly half its members feel regulatory performance has worsened, despite recommendations put forward by the Ministry for Regulation earlier this year. 

Chief executive Liz Shackleton told Mike Hosking despite reassurance from regulators, the day-to-day process is not getting easier. 

Sh...

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says regional councils add layers of confusion, as he looks to scrap them. 

Consultation's open on the proposal which would see the councils abolished and replaced with boards made up of local Mayors. 

Boards would be required to put plans in place around re-organising services and infrastructure, which will be checked over and ticked off for financial sustainability. 

Chris Bishop to...

Regular listeners will be aware of my ongoing angst over banks and whether or not they are legit players in our marketplace. 

The Reserve Bank this week, in one final stab this year, will most likely cut the cash rate, again, which will leave it at 2.25%. 

The Co-operative Bank last week claimed they are the only ones who have fully passed on the cash rate cuts so far. 

In fact, as of the current cash rate at 2.5%, t...

Counter-proposals to the US-peace plan for Russia's invasion of Ukraine are emerging as European, US, and Ukrainian officials hash out discussions in Switzerland. 

Russia's backing the 28-point plan that'd include Ukraine ceding territory and ditching efforts to join NATO. 

European leaders have criticised the plan, which is widely considered favourable to Russia. 

France Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hoski...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 25th of November, the Government is introducing mandatory building warranties, and we have news on the job numbers from Seek.  

Covid Inquiry Chair Grant Illingworth KC attempts to explain why there’s been multiple high-profile resignations from the Commission, and whether the inquiry is still on track.  

And we reveal that up-and-coming Kiwi motorsport driver To...

One young Kiwi racer is living his dream.  

18-year-old Tom Bewley competed for the first time in the Porsche GT3 Sprint Challenge Series in Australia, finishing third with four season wins and a couple of lap records. 

As a result, he’s won the Porsche scholarship to take the next step and will compete in the Carrera Cup next year. 

“It was an up and down year, definitely,” Bewley told Mike Hosking. 

“My goal g...

Kiwis are now spending a reported $1.8 billion a year on their pets. 

Insurance, food, grooming, and daycare make up the bulk of the spending, with luxuries and niche businesses playing a part as well.  

Dog Zen founder and animal behaviourist Mark Vette told Mike Hosking over time the relationship between pets and their owners has become more like that of a surrogate parent-child relationship, which drives people to spen...