The Mike Hosking Breakfast

In the UK the Justice Secretary has suggested the end of the jury trial, except for rape, murder, manslaughter, or what he calls "cases that pass a national interest test".

The idea has received the sort of reaction you would expect from the usual quarters you would expect it from.

My hope is we might want to look at something similar here.

The wait, like in the UK, for a trial is absurd. The system is overwhelmed.

Getting a jury i...

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports.

On the table today: Auckland FC suffered a loss at home amid monsoon-like rains. Should the game have been called off? 

The F1 Driver's Championship is headed to the final race of the season, with three contenders for the title. 

And the V8 Supercars Championship has changed up their format, but is it too confusing? 

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US President Donald Trump's working to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of office.

Trump's warned airlines and travellers to avoid the country on social media - and says land strikes on Venezuela could come 'very soon'.

The Trump administration has pinned illegal migration and drug trafficking on Venezuela's Government - amid a crackdown on the issue.

Foreign Policy Institute Senior Fellow Jeffrey Price told Mike Hoski...

An anti-smoking group says young people don't think vaping is as cool as it used to be. 

Action on Smoking and Health has released the results of its survey which asks more than 30-thousand Year 10 students about their smoking habits. 

It shows 7.1-percent of the age group vape daily - down from the 10-percent peak in 2022 - and less than a third have ever tried it. 

ASH Chair Robert Beaglehole says Government policy...

Chris Luxon says banks need to be passing on their OCR cuts to customers - and customers should be switching banks if they don't.

Mortgage rates have been falling significantly, following recent OCR cuts.

But the Reserve Bank says the banks still have room to move, to be cutting the rates further.

The Prime Minister says [told Mike Hosking] banks should be competing for customers, and customers should be trying to get the best deal...

The Local Government Minister is pleased to see councils joining forces under the new water infrastructure model.

The Department of Internal Affairs expects councils to spend nearly 48-billion dollars on Local Water Done Well over the next decade.

The reforms could create more than 40 water entities, with some councils joining multi-council-controlled organisations.

Simon Watts told Mike Hosking that 38 councils have already combin...

Repeatedly low wheat prices are driving more farmers to turn to dairy.

The Canterbury Regional Council says up to 25-thousand more dairy cows could be added to the region this year - with 32 new farms given the green light.

Federated Farmers' confidence survey in July found 81 percent of dairy farmers surveyed were making a profit, compared to just 40 percent of arable.

National Dairy Chair Karl Dean told Mike Hosking that dairy ha...

If you follow the carbon market, and you should, it is yet another lesson in the abject failure that almost certainly results in gerrymandering markets. 

Four times a year you bid for credits (offsets) to counter your polluting habits. 

You do this because we signed up to Paris and made a bunch of promises we were never going to be able to keep. 

By selling credits the Government has the potential income of about $2 ...

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. 

Education: 8/10 

The maths trial results this week were a tangible example of the simple truth that if you concentrate on something and work hard, you will win. 

The All Blacks: 6/10 

They did better than the critics seem to suggest. Rugby has changed but the attitude on expectat...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 28th of November, Judith Collins speaks on the public inquiry to be held into the disappearance of Tom Phillips and his children. 

Could we grow more coffee in New Zealand? And who knew we grew any sort of decent coffee here in the first place? 

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk about the installation of Mike’s new TV and the legacy and impact of Simon Dallow as t...

It’s the simple question with seemingly no simple answer: why aren't more people excellent? 

Naylor Love reported this week they are cracking the $1 billion revenue mark. They are an old company that has never cracked a billion. 

Naylor Love are in construction. Construction is apparently having, or has had, a hell of a time of it. 

So how is it a business in a tough sector can be so outstandingly successful? 

T...

The week has come to an end, which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to wrap it all up.  

Mike ordered a new 85-inch TV and its installation has thrown the house into a bit of disarray. Kate’s been looking at the price of salmon, and they discuss the legacy and impact of Simon Dallow as he signs off as 6pm newsreader for the last time tonight. 

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A shift in climate has opened the door to grow more coffee in the Far North. 

Industry specialists have gathered near Kaikohe for the annual Coffee Producers Association conference. 

New Zealand currently has about a dozen growers and more than seven thousand trees, with goals to scale-up production. 

Association Chair Peter Sheppard told Mike Hosking we're in a zone where the climate has become warm enough to make t...

A mortgage advisor is joining the Finance Minister in urging banks to slash home loan rates.  

Nicola Willis is asking them to pass on “as much as possible” in the wake of the Reserve Bank cutting the Official Cash Rate to 2.25%. 

She says the banks have a stake in the economy, and passing the cuts on will make a significant difference.  

Loan Market Mortgage Advisor Bruce Patten told Mike Hosking the banks are holdi...

The Government's move to shift e-scooter users from the sidewalk to bike lanes is being hailed as a win for common-sense. 

ACC statistics for e-scooter injuries this year are close to surpassing $14 million. 

There were also more than two thousand claims for e-scooter related injuries in the first half of this year. 

Flamingo Scooters Co-Creator Jacksen Love told Mike Hosking it clears up confusion. 

He says bik...

Good news for the retail sector as sales increase across the country. 

Stats NZ data shows the total volume of sales increased 1.9% in the September quarter, equalling more than $470 million. 

The growth was driven by motor vehicles and electronic goods, which saw the biggest boost this quarter. 

Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking the start of a new Government year may play a role in the rising numbers.&nb...

There's assurance an inquiry into the Tom Phillips saga is important for the public, but also his children. 

Phillips was on the run with his kids for nearly four years, ending only when he died in September in a Police shootout. 

An inquiry's been confirmed to look at whether Government agencies took all practicable steps for the children's safety and welfare. 

Attorney-General Judith Collins told Mike Hosking we wa...

More details are emerging around the background of the Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC. 

Both soldiers remain critically injured after yesterday's shooting, while the suspect's in custody. 

The FBI says the shooter had worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and had immigrated to the US in 2021. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking the suspect was reportedly tr...

I tell you what I like about all the educators whinging away over the curriculum redo and the Treaty treatment: they are at least standing their ground. They are having their say and that is no bad thing. 

It struck me yesterday when I read Roger Gray's speech, Roger Gray of Auckland Port. When he talked of “No Zealand”, of the naysayers, of the cruise people in Miami and their view of NZ not wanting a cruise industry. Of Jaci...