The Mike Hosking Breakfast

At 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 war: 6/10  As much as you want to give a war a number, this is not World War III, it is not going to last four years. It most likely won't last four weeks.    Helen Clark: 2/10  Everything that is wrong with ideological jibber-jabber. From Hipkins to Starmer to Clark, their theory is less relevant in this modern chaotic world than ever.    Dairy: 9/10  Honestly, is it now close to being ridiculous? Five auctions from five. The protein surge is real and we are making bank.    Bill “I saw nothing” Clinton: 4/10  Overshadowed by his wife who looks as feisty as ever and, all things considered, came out of it pretty well – almost as though they were called as a political stunt.    Dave Rennie: 7/10  Got there at last. How low-key was that? Is it possible we just aren't as invested as we once were in All Black rugby?    LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where are we at with the war?  Ambrose Evans-Pritchard makes a very compelling case that this thing is over in four weeks because that’s about when the petrol reserves in America get drained. The Strait is closed, no LNG is getting through, Trump cannot tolerate $100 a barrel and so he will capitulate.  China can hold out. The Iranians, if they have kept a bunch of attack drones back, can hold out too, then go for some fuel sites in Arab states. You see his theory? It's not to be dismissed.  But that’s not the only scenario. Bluster aside, and there is plenty of that from the White House, it does seem, as far as these things go, to be going well.  The navy is gone, commercial planes are slowly flying again, Israel seems devastatingly effective in Lebanon, and the Kurds are in place with CIA-supplied weaponry, ready to jump the border.  Whether the people rise up, when that happens, I have no idea, which could lead you to believe that what we end up with is not a complete transition but more a half-baked mess with vacuums and disorder. But a country that looks radically different to what it looked like a year ago, and with a decimated ability to be a nuclear threat, could be sold by Trump as a win.  Of course, the people could rise, alongside the Kurds, storm the barracks, get the Shah's son ensconced and it's what, loosely, you would call a complete victory, which would be historic if you’ve followed the story of American interventionism.  The cold, hard truth though is Trump in election year cannot afford to lose. So as make-shift and spontaneous as this may appear to some, he is not an idiot and never underestimate his passion for self-preservation.   It's why, by the way, for those who worry, Russia and China are nowhere to be seen for their Iranian friends.  Self-interest is the greatest weapon and motivator of all.  If this works though, as in the Iranian regime we have known with its killing and evil is wiped off the face of the Earth, then everyone from Macron to Starmer to Clark to Hipkins will be working hard to explain why sitting around for decades gasbagging about how unacceptable it is and yet achieving nothing, is somehow a more effective strategy than actually taking the problem and solving it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump has told a US news outlet he wants to be involved in picking Iran's next leader.   He's told Axios that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son is a lightweight and unacceptable to him.   Meanwhile, the death toll in Iran has risen to 1200, multiple Gulf countries are continuing to intercept missiles, and in Azerbaijan, an airport and a school were hit by Iranian drones.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Iran is firing fewer drones and missiles as the US and Israeli forces expand their control of the air and sea.  He says the Pentagon says they’re finding and destroying Iran’s mobile missile launchers.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems you really can’t beat locally grown produce.  Recent numbers show farmers’ markets around the country now support over a thousand food producers – attracting more than 50 thousand shoppers every week.  Tony Cato, owner of Pirongia Mountain Vegetables, told Mike Hosking that the industry’s been doing nothing but growing.  They’ve been in the markets for nearly twenty years, he says, and especially after Covid they’ve seen an increase in customers wanting to know exactly where their food comes from.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 6th of March, will New Zealand pull the trigger on a youth social media ban at the select committee’s recommendation?   Could New Zealand become a powerhouse when it comes to medicinal cannabis? David Seymour thinks so.  Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson go down memory lane as they Wrap the Week. Well, Mike and Tim do anyway.  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.

Friday has come once more, which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was.  They discussed the Warriors’ upcoming clash against the Roosters, those stuck in the Middle East, and took a trip down memory lane.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new initiative to tackle the ballooning Jobseeker numbers.  The Ministry of Social Development is pairing with the Chambers of Commerce to form ChamberWorks, in hopes of plugging a gap in the market.  Data from December shows over 223 thousand people on the benefit, and the programme intends to connect employers with pre-screened, work-ready candidates.   Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges told Mike Hosking many unemployed people are fairly recently out of work, are highly skilled and experienced, and absolutely ready to get back into the workforce.    He says the connections the Chambers of Commerce have puts them in a good position to be the glue between MSD and businesses seeking good employees.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer spending has increased in February, signalling a positive recovery within the retail sector.  Worldline NZ’s payments network shows spending reached more than $3.6 billion, up 2.2% on February last year.  The Auckland and Northland regions saw a lift of 2.8% year on year – the most growth the area has seen in a single month in nearly two years.  Infometrics Principal Economist Nick Brunsdon told Mike Hosking consumer confidence is continuing to grow.  He says December saw a 4.9% in retail trade, so it's all pointing in the same direction.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour has explained what we're missing out on by not investing in the medicinal cannabis industry.  The ACT Leader's looking at further improvements to speed up processing for exports of the plant, which he believes could one day rival the wine industry.   He's open to improving regulation domestically as well.  David Seymour told Mike Hosking they want to simplify the process it takes to get a licence.  He says regardless of what people might think of the plant, there's a market for it, it's worth several hundred million dollars to the economy, and creates jobs.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The City of Sails is set to be humming this weekend.  Auckland's hosting a plethora of events, as the Warriors take on the Roosters today, the Blues face the Crusaders tomorrow, and Round the Bays kicks off Sunday.  The city's newest golf tournament will also run across the weekend.  New Zealand Events Association General Manager Elaine Linnell told Mike Hosking they’ll be able to see and feel the financial impact of the weekend after the fact.  She says with events like this, hotels are full, restaurants are booked – it's busy, and it flows through every part of the city.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.