The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Should a politician’s private life impact their political career?  Labour Leader Chris Hipkins’ ex-wife Jade Paul made allegations against him on a private Facebook post on Sunday, none of which allege unlawful conduct.   They've since been deleted.  Political Commentator Grant Duncan told Mike Hosking whether or not the allegations would move a vote depends on the person.   He says that some people separate someone’s private life from their suitability for a particular role, while others will draw a direct line between their conduct in their private life and their suitability for public office.  “That’s the question of trust, the trustworthiness and the consistency between their party values and what they do in private.”   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is aiming to bolster our geothermal supply. It announced $50 million in new funding, with $23 million has been committed so far – including two $10 million loans for new plants near Rotoma and Kawerau.  The aim is to cut upfront risk whilst doubling generation by 2040. Contact Energy CEO Mike Fuge told Mike Hosking that New Zealand is a world leader in geothermal, and if we can maintain that edge, that’s a good thing.  He says what excites them is the potential growth in the electricity market, which could supply new industries and attract new investment.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pressure is mounting for the country to retain Chinese students.  A new NZ China Council report shows they make up 35% of international enrolments, contributing $3.6 billion a year.  But competition is intensifying, with around 14 countries now vying for the market.  Chair John McKinnon told Mike Hosking New Zealand has a strong story to sell.  He says the quality of our education and being in an attractive, safe country are big draw cards.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cost increases from the war in Iran haven’t hit supermarket shelves yet, Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin says. The latest food price index, published on Tuesday, showed food costs up 4.5% in the year to February, largely driven by red meat, but those increases came prior to the first attack on Iran on February 28th. Quin told Mike Hosking Foodstuffs was trying to anticipate what the conflict would mean for New Zealand food prices. "We are definitely seeing… dramatic increases in the cost of diesel, which is all about our supply chain fleet. And we're seeing our suppliers start to tell us that they really are seeing component costs like plastics start to increase pretty rapidly," he said. The good news was that supply was not a risk. "Our supply comes down through around the bottom of South Africa rather than coming through the Straits of Hormuz. So we are not concerned about having products on shelf. What we are keeping a very careful eye on is what is happening to cost. "The company's own truck fleet, which moves product from warehouses to Foodstuffs stores, would see a multi-million dollar impact from diesel prices in the next few months. "We're absorbing that at this point to try and do everything we can to have it minimise the impact on New Zealanders on shelf. But there is, if this continues, it is going to be very difficult to suppress.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The economic impact of property investors is being quantified for the first time.  A report commissioned by the Property Investors Federation estimates the sector added $24.8 billion to GDP last year.  It also links investors to about 126 thousand jobs nationwide – about 5% of the workforce.  Advocacy Manager Matt Ball told Mike Hosking the lack of data has been damaging to the sector.  He says it leads to bad policy which leads to bad outcomes, so they're trying to change that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How long can you pedal an invention?  On Friday March 6th the poll is out. It's bad for National and the media has concocted the idea that as a result of these numbers and the previous Monday's press conference about the war, that things have got so bad for the Prime Minister he is “considering his position over the weekend”.  They have also concluded numbers are being crunched, pressure is mounting and pressure is building for him to resign.  By the Monday, on this programme, March 9th it is clear no such thing has happened. No numbers are crunched and no considering of positions has been undertaken.  Is that the end of the story? No, it is not. It bubbles on for the rest of the week with literally nothing happening apart from the reiteration of what we already know not to be true.  By Thursday last week the NZ Herald runs an editorial declaring he has survived the week.  Survived from what? Their invention of a problem?  On Friday, Peter Dunne writes a piece that calls the media invented nonsense out.  On Saturday, Bruce Cotterill adds TVNZ woes to the list, but also points to the abject absurdity of the previous Monday's blitzkrieg at the airport as said Prime Minister and various Cabinet members arrive in Wellington to a pack of screeching journalists still refusing to believe that the story is entirely of their invention.  Then yesterday, March 16th, ten calendar days since the invention, Radio NZ were to have two talking heads discussing how the Prime Minister survived the pressure and the pending consideration of his position.  Assuming today there is no more, surely that has to be a record for continuing coverage of a pile of bollocks. Which leads to the question: how dangerous are our media when they invent a story and run with it? And then having had it dispelled, continue to run with it?  New week and there's a new story. The aforementioned Prime Minister ahead of his Pacific trip asked for a title, said the Samoan Prime Minister.  "Not true," said the Prime Minister's office, yet they still ran with it until Monday when the Samoan Government said it's not true.  How many times do you have to say a story isn't true before it isn't a story?  Is it true to say if a story that isn't true is still run as a story, we most definably have an agenda here? A bias? A level of dishonesty?  Given that, do they wonder why their reputations are in tatters?  Do they even care? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK says it won't be drawn into a wider war in the Middle East as Donald Trump urges allies to keep shipping lanes open.  The US President wants nations to help police the strait after Iran used drones, missiles, and mines to shut the key channel, used by tankers carrying a fifth of the world’s oil and gas.  Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain will work toward a fast resolution that brings security and stability, and he wants to see an end to the war as soon as possible, as it becomes more dangerous the longer it drags on.  UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking that Starmer’s position is roughly in line with what the nation is thinking.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of our favourite tool shops is now a century old.  2026 marks 100 years for the tool company Stihl, which has been in New Zealand for over 40 years.  It’s been family-run since its inception – founded by Andreas Stihl in 1926 and passed on to his son, Hans Peter Stihl, before his grandson Dr Nikolas Stihl took the reins.   He’s the Chair of the Advisory Board and Supervisory Board and told Mike Hosking that remaining a family-run model has been better for them in the long run.   “Family-run businesses, they simply can take strategic decisions better than publicly owned companies,” Stihl says.  “We don’t report to any boards outside of the family ... we are independent, and in the long run, at least for us, that has been a lot better.”   With a turnover of €5.5 billion, equivalent to nearly $11 billion, 20 thousand employees, and manufacturing in eight countries around the world, Stihl is still continuing to grow.  “We keep on growing,” Stihl told Hosking.  “We’ve grown last year, and that wasn’t easy because of the world economy, but we did.”   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 17th of March, Finance Minister Nicola Willis breaks down the fuel situation and its impact on our economy.   Another big win has brought Wētā FX’s Oscar count to eight – Matt Aitken joined Hosking to chat about the win.   The man in charge of the century-old Stihl company, Dr Nikolas Stihl, is in the country, and joined to discuss one of the greatest business stories in the world.   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.

A big Hollywood celebration for the Wētā FX team last night after another Oscar win.   Wellington's Wētā FX won Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards in LA yesterday for their work on James Cameron's blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash.   It brings their total Oscar count to eight.   Head of Visual Effects Matt Aitken told Mike Hosking it's an acknowledgement of the team's dedication.   He says they thought it was the best work ever done in visual effects, but you never know how it's going to go on the night.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.