The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The 22-year-old charged with allegedly killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has made his first appearance in court.  Tyler Robinson is facing seven charges including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.  Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University last week.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, which is something Trump had called for.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Things have been heating up in the political sphere, so Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to delve into the latest developments.  They discussed the decision to close Auckland’s Harbour Bridge for a protest, before the wind changed the plans, free speech and the right to protest, and the latest in the situation with Te Pati Māori and the tricky spot Labour seems to be in.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 17th of September, data reveals the chance of going to prison is at an all-time high, but only 15% of criminals are going behind bars.  The Black Caps’ new coach is in for a word ahead of the 20th anniversary of T20s and our series against Australia. Keen sports fans will know that the first ever T20 was played between NZ and Australia.  Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen spar over the Te Pati Māori's comments and John Tamihere’s endorsement of them on Politics Wednesday. 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.

New Zealand’s creative sector has much more impact on the economy than commonly believed.  The sector is now the country’s fourth-largest export industry, worth $13 billion a year and supporting 100,000 jobs.   It’s also more productive than agriculture, with each worker generating $346,000 a year compared to $317,000.  Toi Mai Workforce Development Council CEO Claire Robinson told Mike Hosking it’s bigger than wine, fruit, and seafood – all industries we think are part of our economic narrative.  But despite this, she says, the creative sector doesn’t have a voice or a seat around the cabinet table.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A chance for the Black Caps to build depth and experience in the Chappell-Hadlee T20 series against Australia at home.  The 14-man squad's been depowered by injury.  Regular skipper Mitchell Santner, Will O'Rourke, Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne are sidelined, while Kane Williamson's unavailable.  Coach Rob Walter told Mike Hosking it’s all part of the build-up to the T20 World Cup next year and in the same breath, series against Australia are always ultra-competitive.  He says they’re taking it one series, one game at a time, but still keeping an eye on what’s happening in the future.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food prices are continuing to rise, with a 5% increase in the year to August.  Dairy continues to be the main driver, with the price of milk rising 16%, cheese 26%, and butter 32%.   Meat, poultry, and fish followed behind, up 8.1% annually.  Fonterra Co-operative Council Chair John Stevenson told Mike Hosking what they see is a pretty clear correlation between current prices and global markets.  He says it’s a good time to be a farmer now but it may not always be the case, and you only have to go back to the 23/24 season in which the headline milk price was below the cost of production to see that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government wants to see more careers in the aviation sector take off.   It's launched the first ever aviation strategy which is designed to future proof the sector, and promote tourism and economic growth.   Associate Transport Minister James Meager says he wants to make it quicker and easier for people to train while keeping standards high.   He told Mike Hosking there are some barriers which need to be looked at.   Meager says it costs about $100 thousand to train and it's slower than other countries.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data shows hospitals were, on average, 587 nurses short every shift last year.  A Nurses Organisation Infometrics report analysed Te Whatu Ora data from 1.69 million shifts from 2022 to 2024 in 59 public hospitals.  Last year saw a slight improvement on 2023, when the shortage averaged 684 nurses per shift.  Former Health New Zealand Chair Rob Campbell told Mike Hosking it confirms that issues facing the health system are dire.  He says nurses have had to face people telling them they're wrong about the issues, but now it's clear they aren't.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than seven thousand people have been sent to prison following a conviction.  Ministry of Justice data shows the proportion of convicted charges leading to prison sentences has reached an all-time high at 27%.  People convicted of robbery, sexual offences, and homicides have the highest imprisonment rates.  Criminal defence lawyer Steve Cullen told Mike Hosking it's worrying to see such a large number of people involved in illegal activity.  He says it could be due to a wave of young people coming through, social media, or gang and drug influences.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see the plan.  Labour is sweating the current Māori Party meltdown, so they have rolled out Willie Jackson, who claims Takuta Ferris is handing political extremists ammunition to paint the Māori Party as too weird to ever do business with Labour.  There are several problems with the plan.  Firstly, post the by-election Willie has no credibility.  Willie couldn’t win a raffle, far less a vote. And not only couldn’t he win the vote, he couldn’t get anyone out to even contemplate voting. What we saw a couple of weeks ago in Auckland was the biggest by-election shambles in many a long year.  The next problem is the Māori Party are too wacky to ever be in Government, Ferris or no Ferris. In citing Ferris as some sort of issue, you are forgetting Packer, Waititi, and Maipi-Clark, and all the others who found themselves in front of the Privileges Committee and sanctioned in a way we had not seen previously.  These are not people remotely interested in working with others.  In that is the real issue for Labour. It's not the Māori Party's problem.  If the Māori Party weren't attached to a centre-left bloc by polling, none of this Ferris nonsense would be of any interest to anyone.  But because mathematically they are needed in an invented deal for polling purposes, they take on a larger importance.  Without them Labour stand zero chance in the election next year.  To make the story interesting, the pollsters and the media have to align all three parties otherwise the narrative doesn’t work.  Then there's the other issue for Willie: the so-called "political extremists" he talks of. Another name for them is middle New Zealand, who saw what Labour, and Labour alone, did with Māoridom 2020-2023 with the obsession, the name changes, the new rules and courses and the compulsion around all things Māori. Talk about turning the punter off with obsession.  Between the Greens with their Palestine and wealth tax fascination and the Māori Party and their separatism, no wonder Labour are worried.  They have freaks for friends. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.