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.
482episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Heather du Plessis-Allan: Hegseth's comments shouldn't upset New Zealand
2d ago00:01:59Tap to summarizeI don't think anyone should be offended by Pete Hegseth saying that New Zealand is freeloading off the American military. This is not a controversial thing at all to say. The Australians have been privately complaining about us sponging off them for decades – they've urged us to lift our spend to 2% of GDP for decades. We have kept our spending at only 1%, or thereabouts, for decades. Wayne Mapp, the former Defence Minister, probably said the quiet bit out loud when he said yesterday that we don't need to lift our spending any higher than it is because we have so much water between us and everyone else that it makes us basically the safest nation on Earth. Which is A, probably what most of us think anyway about why we don't need to spend more, and B, an unbelievably short-sighted thing to say. We know the world is heating up out there, right? From Ukraine to Iran to Taiwan. We know Xi wants to take Taiwan. Some reckon it's going to happen in months, not years, worst case scenario. We also know that we don't know what that sets off in our part of the world. Now Mapp is right in what he's implying. An invasion of New Zealand is not really a concern, but shipping routes are, aren't they? Just look at what's going on with the Strait of Hormuz – imagine that's us trying to get our food out and our fuel in. We would not be able to keep a shipping route open by ourselves. We would need Australia or the States, and they are not going to help us if we're not prepared to help as well. Our gear is getting old, our frigates need replacing, they're old tech anyway. A billion dollar frigate can be sunk by a $300 drone nowadays, so we're going to need drones and we're going to need lots of them. We can't look around the world in 2026, as our only ally, Australia, spends more on defence, and as NATO lifts its spending, and see China making inroads into the Pacific and think we don't need to up our dollars as well. Of course we do. Say what you like about the shortcomings and the errors of the Trump administration, and there are plenty, but there is one thing they have been right about and have actually managed to start fixing, and that is that Western countries need to spend more on defence, and that includes us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Rod Liddle: UK Correspondent on the latest batch of Mandelson files, rifts in the Labour Party
2d ago00:04:21Tap to summarizeThe latest batch of files relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment to be released is reflecting poorly on the UK’s Labour Party. More than 1,500 pages of messages, emails, and other correspondence was released, and among them was criticism of Sir Keir Starmer by both Mandelson and other ministers. In May 2025, Mandelson told Minister Pat McFadden that Starmer “lacks verve”, and the same month, cabinet minister Pat McFadden criticised government policy on public spending and welfare, saying “every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others." UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the files are uniquely embarrassing to the Labour Party. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Commentary Box: Jason Pine and Andrew Saville discuss the Warriors v Panthers, Super Rugby Pacific, Tim Payne
2d ago00:11:24Tap to summarizeReturning after the long weekend, Jason Pine and Andrew Saville joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to recap this weekend's sporting events. On today's agenda: The Warriors fell short against the Panthers, the game ending with a tight 20-18 score in favour of the Australian team. Is it a good idea to rest your star players? The decision saw the Hurricanes lose to the Crusaders, but the Chiefs still claimed victory over the Blues. NZ Rugby is denying claims they're blocking Fehi Fineanganofo's move to the UK to instead have him join Dave Rennie's All Blacks squad. And Tim Payne has overtaken the All Blacks in terms of Instagram followers after an endorsement from an Argentine influencer saw his fame skyrocket. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Full Show Podcast: 02 June 2026
2d ago01:30:36Tap to summarizeOn the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 2nd of June with Heather du Plessis-Allan, the number of times school staff are having to physically restrain students has risen. The Prime Minister joins on a Tuesday to respond to Pete Hegseth's "freeloading" comments and discusses what they're going to do with superannuation in this year's election. Jason Pine and Andrew Saville take us through the long weekend of sport, including the game of the NRL season so far between the Warriors and Panthers. 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 →Luci Ellis: Westpac Group Chief Economist compares economic outlooks, unpacks whether NZ will become Australia's tax haven
2d ago00:05:08Tap to summarizeThe chief economist of one of the largest banks across the Tasman is quashing talk of New Zealand becoming Australia's tax haven. A recent Australian newspaper declared the country's recent capital gains tax changes had lifted our appeal to local property investors due to our lack of capital gains, stamp duty, or land tax. Westpac Group's Luci Ellis told Heather du Plessis-Allan there won't be as many concessions for new purchases of existing homes for rent, but negative gearing is still an option on new builds. She says while some Aussies might find a New Zealand property attractive, if what they're motivated by is the tax concessions, they can still buy a new build in Australia. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Anhar Khanbhai: Wise's Travel Spending Expert on the number of Kiwis going over-budget when overseas
2d ago00:02:35Tap to summarizeA reminder to watch our spending while overseas. A survey by money transfer company Wise has found almost half of respondents say they spend in the moment and worry later, and a similar number say money doesn’t feel ‘real’ overseas. More than four in ten say they go over-budget. Wise's travel spending expert Anhar Khanbhai told Heather du Plessis-Allan that over-spending becomes really easy as a result of the complexities of managing money overseas and the use of bank-issued cards. She says those cards are really expensive, having both a foreign transaction fee and using inflated exchanged rates. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Lisa Woods: Amnesty International NZ Movement Building & Advocacy Director on the cross-sector call for digital accountability from platforms like Facebook and TikTok
2d ago00:02:23Tap to summarizeAmnesty International says it's entirely possible for New Zealand to take on big tech. Several media companies, industry groups and other organisations have signed an Amnesty open letter, calling for a stronger crack down on digital platforms like TikTok and Facebook. They're calling for an independent regulator to manage risks like fraud, extremist content, and misinformation. Amnesty International NZ Movement Building & Advocacy Director Lisa Woods told Heather du Plessis-Allan we already hold other big companies to account. She says they want big tech platforms to face requirements such as a duty of care, to identify and reduce risks, and explain how their systems work. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Christopher Luxon: Prime Minister on accusations NZ's freeloading off the US military, Budget 2026,
2d ago00:10:16Tap to summarize“We choose our defence spending and no one else,” the Prime Minister says as the United States continues to pressure other nations, including New Zealand, to increase military spending. Speaking with Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast, Christoper Luxon has backed New Zealand’s defence spending. Luxon denied New Zealand is “freeloading” off America after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth fired comments at New Zealand over the weekend. “We choose our defence spending and no one else,” Luxon said. “I’m damn proud we’re doubling [the budget] it’s been run down over 30 years and it’s a big job building it back.” He said spending 2.5% of the country’s GDP on defence was “a start and a good place for us to get to” in wake of recent conflict. Luxon confirmed New Zealand is going to maintain its nuclear-free position. “It’s [nuclear-free] one of the best things we’ve done. “I’m very proud and it isn’t changing while I’m prime minister. Period.” Over the long weekend, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told the Shangri-La Dialogue defence and security conference that New Zealand was “freeloading” off the US military. The claim came in response to a question from Kiwi journalist Anna Fifield, after Hegseth said allies that “refuse to stand up and carry their weight for our collective defence will face a clear shift in how we do business”. At the Singapore conference, Hegseth said he expected allied governments to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence. Last week’s Budget outlined how New Zealand will boost defence spending to just over 2% of GDP over eight years. Fifield asked Hegseth if that meant New Zealand was considered a “free rider”. Hegseth said 2% of GDP was not enough, so “2% is freeloading” – though he also said New Zealand and the US’ relationship had been “a very fruitful one for a very long time”. Allies couldn’t just say: “‘Oh, we’ve been friends for a long time, so let’s work together’,” Hegseth said. “It’s: ‘We’ve been friends for a long time so you better have the same visibility as we do, because if we don’t, our alliance is meaningless’.” Hegseth also said he didn’t have anything against New Zealand and was looking forward to working with New Zealand’s Defence Minister and ”enhancing capabilities". Defence Minister Chris Penk was in the audience. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Pat Newman: Te Tai Tokerau Principals' Association Spokesperson on the rise in use of physical restraint on children
2d ago00:03:42Tap to summarizeSchools are calling for greater access to specialist support amid a rise in the use of physical restraint. Ministry of Education data shows the number of restraint incidents has risen from about 2,600 a year to about 3,000 a year since 2018. Pat Newman —spokesperson for Northland's Te Tai Tokerau Principals' Association— says schools are dealing with increasingly complex needs. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan they're seeing more children affected by trauma and abuse than ever before. Newman says the number that classrooms are dealing with is unknown, but it's huge. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Mark the Week: 'Horse-faced duck' gave a look behind the scenes at Labour
6d ago00:02:49Tap 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. The Budget: 6/10 The days of drama are gone. It reflected the state of the place; one with prospects but difficult days ahead and discipline required. Horse-faced duck: 1/10 You literally can't make this stuff up. A behind the scenes reality of what will be asking for your vote in a few short months. Stuff: 2/10 Their coverage of our acknowledgement to the MP Joseph Mooney over outing him in the Luxon drama was wrong. They said we apologised. We did not apologise, Stuff literally made that up. It's sloppy, unnecessary and lazy. The moon base: 6/10 Because it sounds cool, but the timeline of 2032 is six years away. You can't build a kilometre of tarmac in six years, far less house yourself on the moon. The Ferrari Luce: 1/10 It's inexplicable. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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