The Mike Hosking Breakfast

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 25th of November, the Government is introducing mandatory building warranties, and we have news on the job numbers from Seek.   Covid Inquiry Chair Grant Illingworth KC attempts to explain why there’s been multiple high-profile resignations from the Commission, and whether the inquiry is still on track.   And we reveal that up-and-coming Kiwi motorsport driver Tom Bewley has recieved the Porsche scholarship and will be competing in next year’s Carrera Cup.   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.

One young Kiwi racer is living his dream.   18-year-old Tom Bewley competed for the first time in the Porsche GT3 Sprint Challenge Series in Australia, finishing third with four season wins and a couple of lap records.  As a result, he’s won the Porsche scholarship to take the next step and will compete in the Carrera Cup next year.  “It was an up and down year, definitely,” Bewley told Mike Hosking.  “My goal going into the year was just to learn how to drive that style of car because it was something completely different to what I’ve been used to.”  “I feel like I did that pretty quick, but just some rough patches during the season kind of cost me those championship points,” he said.  “Overall, I think I was pretty happy with the season.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis are now spending a reported $1.8 billion a year on their pets.  Insurance, food, grooming, and daycare make up the bulk of the spending, with luxuries and niche businesses playing a part as well.   Dog Zen founder and animal behaviourist Mark Vette told Mike Hosking over time the relationship between pets and their owners has become more like that of a surrogate parent-child relationship, which drives people to spend more.   But he says there’s definitely been a push for those who have the money to spend it on “wants” instead of “needs”.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The head of Phase Two of New Zealand's Covid Inquiry says turnover is 'perfectly natural' as it loses two of its high-ranking officials.  Executive Director Andrew Sweet is stepping down just months before the second phase is due to end in February.  His predecessor, Helen Potiki, similarly lasted five months before walking away.  Inquiry Chair Grant Illingworth KC told Mike Hosking nobody has been dissatisfied with their experience in the inquiry.  He says two people have been offered very good jobs and are leaving for that reason.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears the Government's new construction requirements will unintentionally create a monopoly. The Government's announced mandatory warranties for new homes three storeys or less, and all renos worth at least $100,000.  Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says it's intended to protect homeowners from cowboys.   Combined Building Supplies Chief Executive Carl Taylor told Mike Hosking there's been difficulty in the past to get insurers on board.  He says there is work to change this, because there is much need for more competition in this space.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The job market remains in a tough spot despite modest improvements.   The latest Seek NZ Employment Report finds job ad volumes have risen 1% for the fourth consecutive month and 7% year-on-year.  The growth is seen across most regions and industries.  Country manager Rob Clark says we're heading in the right direction.  He told Mike Hosking that hospitality and tourism is important over the summer, but they’ve also seen some good progress in other industries, such as IT and construction.  IT is now up 15% year-on-year, he says, and construction is up almost 30% now.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s confidence the Social Investment Fund is assisting organisations that will effectively help at-risk youth.  It's allocating $50 million into programmes for children with parents in prison, those who’ve grown up in care, and under-13s suspended from school.  Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking they're taking a different approach to previous governments, which spent billions of dollars with no results.  She says they're using data, measuring outcomes, and holding organisations accountable – adding the fund will be scaled up, if it works.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 24th of November, National have their first 2026 election policy of increased Kiwi contributions. Is it a bottom line? And what do their coalition partners think of it? Prime Minister Chris Luxon says whether the coup rumours are real and what to do to boost our dollar. Jason Pine and Andrew Saville talk the All Blacks final game of the season, Liam and the F1 and Mike's workout routine. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The overarching view of the British Covid inquiry is that lockdown did not need to happen. Their inquiry is different to our two For a start, the key players turned up. Boris Johnson and co got grilled. Ardern and Hipkins and co never did because they refused. It still seems to me an astonishing act of arrogance that the same people who made such profound decisions on our lives refused to participate in a public way at the official look into the way they acted. It's a version of moral bankruptcy. Also, it's different in Britain in that it was adversarial. It's a mistake, I think, that we didn’t take their approach. Also, it appears our inquiry, part two at least, has issues with a number of resignations. So who knows how our's pans out. It's due first thing next year. But although the British report says much, it's inescapable that a major observation is if the British Government had got its act together faster, if it had been more coordinated - lock downs were not necessary. Just think about that for a moment and apply it here. Lockdowns here started pretty much the same day they did in britain; March of 2020. If the British hadn't got their act together and were locking down in March, then surely it can be argued the same applies to us. Obviously their lockdowns were nowhere near as hard as ours, and that’s another mass failing on the control freaks like Ardern and Hipkins. But just think about how Covid would have been, and our view of that period, if a lockdown had not been a part of the experience. Masks, rules, contact tracing, vaccines and respiratory hygiene could have stopped the need for lockdowns. That's the British conclusion. That’s a pretty profound finding. It's profound for mental health and the economy. Think of the ensuing years-long damage that came out of the lockdowns, especially the Auckland ones that lasted months on end. Jobs lost, lives lost, recession after recession for something that, quite possibly, we didn’t need to do. I can't see how, if they can conclude it in Britain, you can't conclude it here? Same virus, same approach, same outcome and same mistakes. It is a failing of historic proportions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: Auckland FC were not at their best as they struggled to a draw against Brisbane Roar. The All Blacks have ended their northern tour on a positive after defeating Wales, but failed to secure their 'grand slam tour'. And both McLaren's were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix as the title race heats up.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.