The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Unprecedented jet fuel prices are set to cause extensive Air New Zealand flight cancellations, affecting tens of thousands of people.  The airline expects to consolidate 1,100 flights over the next six to eight weeks – impacting about 44 thousand passengers.  It expects to start notifying affected customers from today.  Chief Executive Nikhil Ravishankar told Mike Hosking at this stage, they're planning to cut frequencies, rather than entire routes.  He says they're in daily —if not hourly— contact with their fuel suppliers and working with the Government on a coordinated response.  They've already had to raise fares to help cover the rising costs, but Ravishankar told Hosking every airline is dealing with similar issues.  He says the airlines have the same or similar playbook for dealing with fuel price shocks like this.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister says they'll continue to work with unionised primary teachers, despite offering pay rises to the rest.   About ten thousand non-union primary teachers have the option to accept pay offers from today after the union's rejected three recent deals.  Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking a third of the workforce are being held up, and deserve a pay rise.   She says they'll continue to sort a deal with union in good faith.   NZEI's Liam Rutherford says the move is a deliberate breach of good faith and undermines teachers' collective bargaining.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some simple observations on part two of the Covid Inquiry.  1) It's cheaper than the British equivalent finished last week that cost over half a billion dollars.  2) It says pretty much what you thought it would.  3) I'm convinced it’s a waste of time because a pandemic response is about the ideology and Government of the day, not medical process.  4) Why do I say that? Read the report. It says numerous times good advice was ignored.  5) Did the Labour Government, broadly, cock it up? Yes.  6) Badly? Yes.  7) The report says, at its heart, people tried hard. They wanted to do the right thing.  8) Is that an acceptable answer? Sort of. But wanting to do well isn't the same as actually doing well.  9) It's hard to work out what's worse – the medical cock-ups or the financial ones.  10) Grant Robertson and his economic vandalism come out of it probably as bad as Jacinda Ardern and her megalomania.  11) They were too slow, I would argue because they were lazy. They sat in Opposition for nine years not expecting to get to Government, they weren't sharp or ready, so not only did Winston hand them a lifeline, they got a pandemic. They never stood a chance. They weren't match fit.  12) It's as much our fault as anyone. A party that gets about 30% support in an MMP election got 50% in 2020. Too many of us loved being told how to wipe our bums and too many of us were too lazy to think and work out where it was all heading.  13) The tide turned and (given any response whether it be a pandemic, war, or just plain policy is reliant on public goodwill) once it did turn Labour were done for.  14) The fact Ardern can't live in the country tells you very clearly how badly the tide turned.  15) I am no more confident today that we are any more ready for a pandemic, although if we can take anything from the report;  16) It’s the recommendation that public debt needs to drop so we can be more ready for an unpredictable world. War, anyone?  17) Neither of the reports were really needed. We are the experts because we lived through it. Some of us still bear the scars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White House says the conflict with Iran will end when Donald Trump decides it will end.  The US President says the mission is almost complete, but the US is "going to go further".  US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says US strikes are ramping up today, the Iranian regime is "totally and decisively defeated", and Iran's leaders are "desperate and scrambling".  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Trump’s giving mixed messages about the timeline of the conflict.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven Iranian football players have now been granted asylum in Australia.  Five players from the women’s team, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, slipped away from the team hotel under the cover of darkness to claim sanctuary from Australian officials, the Australian Government announced.  At least two more members of the team applied to stay later in the day, according to reports.   Australia Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking that those who wanted to return left the country last night, catching a flight to Sydney, then to Kuala Lumpur.   Where they go from now, he says, is uncertain, as commercial flights obviously can’t enter Iranian airspace at the moment.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis are spending less time on hold to customer service call centres.  Research from AI platform ServiceNow estimates New Zealanders spent 22 million hours waiting on hold last year – two million less than the year before.  It says banks and retailers have the fastest resolution time of 2.4 days on average, while government and manufacturing lag behind at 6.5 days.  ServiceNow Country Manager Kate Tulp told Mike Hosking the improvements are being driven by AI.  She says 72% of New Zealanders say that they're willing to embrace AI and actually want to use self-service first.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 11th of March, we dig into the findings of the Covid Inquiry, and look at just how long Air NZ’s prices will be raised, considering fuel prices have mostly been corrected.   Former Covid Minister Chris Hipkins explains his position on the inquiry.    And on Politics Wednesday, Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk the Covid inquiry and Mark's house in Bali – you'll never believe what he paid for it.    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.

Yesterday saw the release of the results of the second phase of the Inquiry into New Zealand’s Covid-19 response.  Today on Politics Wednesday, Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen discuss the inquiry’s findings – the mistakes, the lockdowns, and the lack of communication.  Plus, Mike is fascinated by Mark’s house in Bali.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Housing affordability in New Zealand has improved to its best level in almost a decade, according to new data from Cotality.  Lower property values, rising wages and easing mortgage rates have helped reduce pressure on buyers.  Cotality NZ’s Housing Affordability report, covering Q4 in 2025, shows the national value-to-income ratio fell to 7.2 – the lowest level since a brief period in 2019 and before that 2016.  Mortgage servicing costs have improved, with repayments accounting for 42% of gross median household income, down from a peak of 56% in late 2023.  Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Mike Hosking that the housing market isn’t cheap and getting into it is not easy, but it’s easier than it’s been for quite some time.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The former Covid Response Minister admits some pandemic decisions were mishandled.  The second phase of the Covid inquiry has found New Zealand’s overall response was effective, but the Government went too far with some restrictions and moved too slowly in some areas.  It's recommending new pandemic legislation before future outbreaks and stronger financial reporting.  Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking he recognises his mistakes, in hindsight.  He says he'd would've made decisions about the Auckland lockdown and the roll-out of RAT testing differently.  But he’s defending their Covid spending, saying the inquiry raises questions about what was included as ‘Covid spending’.   Hipkins told Hosking that the category was too broad, and could’ve been broken down.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.