Podcast
The Mike Hosking Breakfast
Hosted by Newstalk ZB · EN
Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show.
Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda.
The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion, delivers the best talent, and always leaves you wanting more.
The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.
Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda.
The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion, delivers the best talent, and always leaves you wanting more.
The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.
785episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Mark the Week: Luxon stared them down again
Yesterday00:02:39Tap to summarizeAt the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Christopher Luxon: 8/10 Stared them down, again, and they folded like an umbrella. Chris Penk: 1/10 Not only did he get sucked in in the first place, he paid the ultimate price for a flop. Chris Bishop: 2/10 He can say what he likes, but we know. Erica Stanford: 3/10 She can say what she likes, if she was saying anything at all. Let's put it this way; if they ran the country like they ran a coup, we'd really be in trouble. Hipkins in Rotorua: 3/10 "Emergency housing got a bit out of control." Did it Chris? Honestly. And no apology? The guy is a robot. Trump in the food delivery truck: 8/10 And he takes Hegseth but leaves Rubio, Miller, and Bessent on board the old one with the blinds down. Who needs enemies? LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Mike's Minute: It's not the taxpayers' job to "clean up" businesses
Yesterday00:02:20Tap to summarizeSo we have Golden Bay Cement and we have New Zealand Steel. In their own way, both companies that make things we need as a country and would struggle without. One of them said they would close because of the ETS cost of producing cement locally, and the other is now making steel with its renewable powered electric furnace. Neither paid for their improvements. We did. Is this good business? In talking to Contact, the power supplier to NZ Steel, they say yes and they say yes because of the jobs; local manufacturing and local jobs and a better climate. They also supply the electricity for the furnace, so why wouldn’t they say yes? So what is the price of the climate? The odd bit about the cement is imported cement doesn’t attract the same ETS cost as the local sort. That seemed, and seems, odd. It doesn't seem like a level playing field. You might remember I asked the Government at the time why we didn’t just carve out the product from the ETS like we carve out farmers. The Prime Minister said we didn’t want to mess with the ETS, despite the fact we had messed with the ETS. When I asked the bloke at the steel factory whether they would have paid for the furnace themselves he wasn’t keen to be overly clear. So I still don’t know. But why would you pay if you can get someone else to? In this case it was $140 million from the previous Labour Government. The steel, by the way, reduces this country's overall emissions by 1%. Is that worth it? Is any of it worth it? So two stories, two companies, and $200 million of taxpayer's money to allegedly address two pressing climate problems. Mind you, they did the same yesterday in New South Wales for an aluminium operation to the tune of $2.5 billion to save 1000 jobs, so clearly it’s a new age thing. What is the return on that for any of us? What materially changes apart from the concept? And that is all it is – the concept. That we produce cleaner products, which of course is a good thing, but it would also be a cleaner environment if the Government bought me an EV and paid for my solar. But they're not going to, are they? If business in the cement case becomes untenable, is the climate worth it? Or if business would like to, as in the steel, but won't, why should we? Is it now the taxpayer's job and obligation to clean up every business that wants it? And if so, how is that good business? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Wrapping the Week with Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson: The National leadership challenge, the party for 100 Years of ZB
Yesterday00:10:15Tap to summarizeIt’s Friday, which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was. They discussed National’s leadership challenge and the coup that wasn’t, the podcasts covering 100 Years of ZB, and tonight’s party celebrating the occasion. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Full Show Podcast: 14 August 2026
Yesterday01:30:34Tap to summarizeOn the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 14th of August, tourism leaders are welcoming ACT’s proposed alternative to a bed tax, and there’s a dire new report on the state of our Super Rugby franchises. Netball NZ CEO Jennah Wootten has officially been in the job for three days and joined to discuss the latest pitch to save next year’s domestic competition. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson give their thoughts on the coup that wasn't and ZB's 100th party tonight as they Wrap the Week. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Robert Wall: Invest NZ CEO on the success so far of the golden visa scheme
Yesterday00:04:02Tap to summarizeThe appetite for New Zealand’s golden visa continues to grow. Since the rules were relaxed last April, $4.845 billion has either been committed or added to the investment pipeline – from more than 700 applications. InvestNZ is also changing tack – refining its overseas roadshow to create a more targeted approach. CEO Robert Wall told Mike Hosking the Active Investor Plus programme is simply about getting investment into growing Kiwi businesses to the benefit of Kiwis. He says their focus is on getting the best out of those applicants, and making sure their investments are going into productive parts of New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Malcolm Gillies: Hurricanes Co-Owner on the report on Super Rugby's viability, funding issues, potential for privatisation
Yesterday00:03:45Tap to summarizeA Super Rugby team owner believes a damning report into the competition's viability is further proof a new financial structure is needed. A Deloitte document claims no franchise would have been profitable on a stand-alone basis since 2019, without New Zealand Rugby funding. Hurricanes co-owner Malcolm Gillies has been an advocate for privatisation, telling Mike Hosking they must adapt. He says they’re outgrowing the model, and they have to look collectively at how they can get it to produce players of quality, but at the same time it needs to stand on its own. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Jennah Wootten: Netball New Zealand CEO on her first week in the role, the Mowbray's proposal to save the ANZ Premiership
2d ago00:06:36Tap to summarizeNetball New Zealand chief executive Jennah Wootton is conscious of rushing a decision which could define her tenure. She's officially started in the role as of Wednesday as the sport grapples to salvage its domestic competition. The Herald reports Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray have pitched a professional competition to bridge the gap to a fully privatised 2028 league. Wootton told Mike Hosking time is crucial as players weigh up options offshore, but they need to do their due diligence. She says it’s a decision that will have impacts for years to come, so they need to make sure it’s the right decision, it’s responsibly made, and that it works really well for the game’s future. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Paul Clark: Westpac Chief Economist on the report revealing the growing funding gap for the aged care sector
2d ago00:02:28Tap to summarizeA new report finds the funding of aged residential care is not keeping up with the cost of providing it. The Westpac NZ report investigates what challenges and opportunities service providers could face in the future. It finds, with an aging population, people will require more complex and costly care. Westpac economist Paul Clark told Mike Hosking the biggest cost is labour, which made up around 70% of operating costs. He says that highly specialised labour is needed, and as more older people move into aged care facilities, they need higher and higher quality care, which requires better and better labour. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →James Doolan: Hotel Council Aotearoa Strategic Director on ACT's proposed alternative to a bed tax
2d ago00:03:47Tap to summarizeACT's alternative to a bed tax is being welcomed by tourism leaders. The party's promising one dollar be given to local councils for each guest night in their area, funded through GST and levies already paid by tourists. It's estimated the dividend would give councils more than $40 million annually. Hotel Council Aotearoa strategic director James Doolan told Mike Hosking ACT is the first party to acknowledge the fundamental problem operators are facing. He says a huge amount of tax is collected from tourists and not enough of it goes back to local communities. Doolan told Hosking $5 billion in tourism GST is collected each year, and while ACT has acknowledged the problem, there are some questions about mechanisms and quantum. He says the number for Auckland alone should be about $40 million. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Mike's Minute: Luxon had belief and came out a winner
2d ago00:02:24Tap to summarizeNot for the first time have too many people read what happened yesterday completely incorrectly. "It was over", they told us. "The numbers were done", they told us. "Tuesday night was it", they told us. "There wasn’t a caucus meeting required". Wrong. "Mark Mitchell was Erica Stanford's deputy". Wrong. "The idea that Luxon could do this twice was impossible". Wrong. One of the great sadnesses of the modern media and its lack of institutional knowledge is too many people talk to themselves, or don’t recognise when their sources are stitching them up, or they put too much of their own agenda into the coverage. This is not to say Luxon didn’t have trouble and that members of the National caucus weren't whining. But it is to say that that doesn’t mean when push comes to shove you pull a trigger on what almost certainly was a gargantuan political mistake. To repeat from yesterday; the polls are fine, Luxon's issues are not sackable, and the economy is turning. The S&P just upgraded our GDP for God's sake. This is no time to panic, and this is no time to put your burgeoning aspirations as a backbencher to the test. I'm thrilled for Christopher Luxon. He deserves a lot better than he has got. The foibles, if you want to put them like that, are not sackable offences. The fact Peters last time, and Seymour this time, spoke well of what he has done in a tricky first-of-its-kind coalition deal is not to be underestimated. Oh the irony that opponents can see what his backbencher moaners can't. This is not and was not a crisis. This was a self-centred, naval gazing, bitchathon from National MPs who should know how to behave better. Remember where you heard it first – when National win and the Coalition enter the second term, and the Luxon era of leadership issues vanishes, because that’s what happens with victory, it will be a moment to savour. The easy thing for Luxon to do would have been to walk, and a lot would have. Belief is a sadly rare, but powerful trait and whatever you say about him he clearly has it. Staring them down for a second time might just be the nail in their coffin. He is a better man than they. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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