The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Christopher Luxon doesn't think the Reserve Bank's reputation has suffered any long-term damage.

Neil Quigley resigned as chair of the central bank on Friday night, after Nicola Willis raised concerns over its handling of Adrian Orr's resignation earlier this year.

Willis has revealed to Newstalk ZB, she would have asked Quigley to resign, if he hadn't resigned of his own accord.

The Prime Minister says Quigley has made the right d...

Board games have rolled past go, and seen a massive resurgence in popularity in the past decade.

The global market has an estimated value of more than 31-billion dollars, and is expected to grow a further five billion by 2029.

New Zealand's largest board game convention, WellyCon has just been held.

Convention organiser Ceedee Doyle told Mike Hosking some of the world's top games are made here locally.

She says a game from the Kapi...

A game-changer for smaller airlines that don't want to up prices, amid soaring aviation costs.

The Government's offering up to 30-million dollars in loans from the Regional Infrastructure Fund. 

It's also approved funding for a digital development that will allow regional transport bookings,  to be integrated with the platforms of major carriers.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager told Mike Hosking most regional ai...

The Police Commissioner's putting a focus on the basics down as a key contributor to a fall in violent crime.

The New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey reveals most violent crimes have been dropping in the past two years, while sexual assault cases increased.

There's been a 113 percent increase in Police beat patrols over the last year.

Richard Chambers says he's been clear he wants his staff to do the basics well.

He says it means ...

Emergency housing may not be being used the way it's intended, with application rejections on the up.

Data obtained by our newsroom shows applications have dropped significantly to the end of June, but the number being declined, is rising.

Rules introduced last year allow officials to decline grants if they believe a person has caused or contributed to their immediate need for housing. 

Social housing commentator Bernie Smith ...

It is with real enthusiasm that I see the Public Service Commissioner potentially doing what the main Government should have done two years ago. 

What the Government did two years ago was say they were going to rectify the absurd size of the public service. 

It had blown out to gargantuan proportions under the Labour Government, who knew no bounds in terms of fiscal largesse based on debt. 

What the new Government ac...

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. 

New Zealand: 7/10 

We're the 3rd safest country in the world and about to outgrow Australia. How's that for openers? 

Horticulture NZ: 7/10 

Their plan is to double export returns within 10 years. That’s the sort of attitude that turns tides. More please. 

Sean O'Loug...

I got a sense about something this week and it's not because it's about to be spring, although that will undoubtedly help. 

I got a sense this week that the tide on the New Zealand story is turning. 

The ongoing stats, like the size of the infrastructure pipeline, more money this year, more money and projects for years to come, the new visas, and the visas that are working better than we thought, money, jobs, and culture ...

Minneapolis' Police Chief says they'll be working to make sure schools are protected following a shooting which killed two children. 

Eighteen people were also injured when a gunman shot through church windows at Annunciation Catholic School, before turning a gun on himself. 

The FBI's investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crimes targeting Catholics. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told...

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 29th of August, we're changing the alcohol laws, making it easier to hold both on and off licenses. Common sense or no real change? 

Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran is in to talk their results and why we're seeing what we are when Qantas’ numbers are through the roof. 

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson try to make Mike more positive and talk about Tim’s return from hol...

Kiwis have racked up more than a billion dollars in green loans for energy efficient items like EVs, solar panels, and heat pumps. 

BNZ, ASB, and ANZ all lend up to $80 thousand on a 1% interest rate over three years. 

Massey University Banking Expert Claire Matthews says these are small loans, meaning the banks are pumping them out, while not actually lending a huge amount. 

She told Mike Hosking customers still hav...

Alcohol reforms are seen as a step in the right direction by a hospo industry voice. 

The Government's proposing to allow businesses a right of reply around licensing objections and is allowing wineries and breweries the ability to have both an off and on licence. 

Hospitality NZ’s Head of Advocacy Sam MacKinnon told Mike Hosking there’s a range of measures in these reforms, and they all support hospitality. 

He says...

Air Zealand's boss is predicting another challenging year ahead. 

Our national carrier has seen profits plunge. 

It's partly due to weak domestic demand and ongoing engine maintenance issues. 

Chief Executive Greg Foran told Mike Hosking it's also facing unavoidable price hikes for things like landing charges, wages, and engineering materials. 

He says they can't go down to Bunnings or Mitre 10 to buy a replacem...

Several factors are behind a flat-lining in investment from China.

New research by the New Zealand China Council and NZIER has found Chinese investment grew steadily between 2014 and 2019, but has stalled since then.

China now ranks as our 12th largest source of foreign investment.

Council Chair John McKinnon told Mike Hosking there's a number of reasons why the investment has stalled.

He says Covid, a slow down in the Chinese econ...

The initial construction of Transmission Gully is being described as a 'dog’s breakfast' as the chipseal and drainage systems prove unable to cope with demand. 

Newstalk ZB revealed yesterday that NZTA is planning to re-surface and rebuild several kilometres of the road north of Porirua, likely meaning lane closures during the day and full closures at night. 

Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett told Mike Hosking the road w...

Nicola Willis was back yesterday for another "guns at dawn" with the supermarkets. 

She had the results of the RFI, the Request for Information. The main takeaway was we are too tied up in red tape and we need to make it easier to do business. 

Now we know this of course, because before the RFI she told us this, and she told us she was going to do something about it. She told us she was going to do something about it agai...

New Zealand Fashion Week is headed down south. 

A bespoke version of the event is headed to Christchurch this Spring, a three-year partnership bringing Fashion Week to the South Island. 

It’ll be held in November and feature designers from all across the country, but with a focus on Christchurch-based creatives. 

NZFW Owner Feroz Ali told Mike Hosking it shouldn’t bleed any support from the Auckland event, with this ...

One of the country’s talented singer-songwriters is leaving our shores as she looks to crack the big leagues. 

Georgia Lines has been on the scene since 2019, and a couple of EPs and a debut album later, she’s making the move to Nashville. 

But not before a few final shows and one more EP - she's celebrating the release of The Guest House with a performance in Tauranga on August 29th, following it up the next day with a s...