The Mike Hosking Breakfast

We're still losing people to Australia, but not as badly as we were. Stats out yesterday tell the story. If I could pick a country right now, I would go with New Zealand and by some margin. I haven't always said that. Of course, most people go because they are going to go. If you want reasons to stay or go, and justify it to yourself, you can always find them. The same way, overall, the number of people moving to or from Australia will always be in their favour because they're a bigger country. They have more options. That's not about quality, it's about size. At the margins though, the point is it's slowing because the tide has turned. If you accept most western nations are right now in a quagmire of sorts, we, little old New Zealand, are doing quite well thank you. We are safe and isolated, we are robust and resilient, we are increasingly in favour by expats looking to return. As part of the overall migration numbers released yesterday, we still don’t have enough people. Our net gain is meagre, bordering…

Greg Johnson is headed back to New Zealand after the release of his new album, ready to take his music around the country. With 'Some Night, Somewhere' now out in the world, he's celebrating his 60th birthday in style with a career spanning tour that takes him right up the country. Johnson's tour takes him to a unique series of venues, ranging from intimate music venues like Nelson's Room Twenty5 to places like the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland. "It's one of those rare moments left in life now where people can actually sit and enjoy an experience together," Johnson told Mike Hosking. "So it's a range, you know, big, bigger theatres for the bigger cities. I'm not a huge theatre fan as much as I am clubs, but you can't always do clubs." "It's an experience." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 15th of October, we've put all the "best bits" of the leader's debate into a package for you, plus we have good news re: police recruitment. Labour leader Chris Hipkins discusses the debate, how his candidates are going in the Māori electorates, and the Greens and Te Pāti Māori's meeting with the Mongrel Mob. Kiwi musician Greg Johnson sings us a song ahead of his NZ tour. 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.

Former Kiwis captain Richie Barnett has rolled out the red carpet for the 17th edition of rugby league's World Cup starting tonight in Sydney. The 10-team men's tournament begins with defending champions Australia hosting New Zealand in Group A. Barnett told Mike Hosking the emergence of Samoa and Tonga as genuine contenders has been a coup for the international game. He says based on what they're seeing on paper, those two teams are incredible, as are the Kiwis, so he's very optimistic. He says it's going to be the best and most competitive World Cup he's ever seen. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government says the legal test wasn't passed for safeguards for the aluminium sector amidst a flood of cheaper imports from China. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer declined a request for the measures to protect them. The sector says thousands of jobs are at risk, warning local production has slowed down 40%. Brewer told Mike Hosking there's been MBIE investigators looking into this. He says they spent 85 days pulling this report together, but found it didn't meet the threshold for him to sign it off. The Minister also says it's not imported products alone causing the heartache. Brewer told Hosking there's a range of factors including lower construction activity, rising production costs, and waning business and consumer confidence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins is lambasting Greens and Te Pāti Māori for engaging with gangs. MPs from those parties met and posted photos with members of the Mongrel Mob in South Auckland this week, surrounded by patches. It's led to the Labour leader ruling out any MP from the Greens or Te Pāti Māori holding the Justice or Police portfolios in any government he leads. Hipkins told Mike Hosking he doesn't want to be seen alongside gangs, and he doesn't want any of his MPs alongside gangs – calling them a scourge on society. He says the move was "irresponsible" and validated gang activity. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's confidence police recruitment standards mean only the best candidates are getting through. New data shows 2026 will be one of the highest graduating years in the history of New Zealand Police. Around 730 recruits are expected to graduate – almost 50% more than the average over the past two decades. Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told Mike Hosking Police aren't dropping standards just to pump out numbers. She says if recruits aren't right to be out on the street, they aren't getting there. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the rules of engagement in this election campaign? Prominence was given by media for a good chunk of yesterday to Kieran McAnulty's crack at Christopher Luxon and how Kiwi families were $6000 worse off under National. Now for a start, it isn't National, it’s the Government, and the Government is three parties. So McAnulty got his headline. If you don’t read past a headline, you never discover what a crock it all is. Should media give away such easy coverage, should any claim be able to be a headline no matter how absurd? $120 a week, Kieran goes on, swallowed up by higher prices. Higher prices for what? Food, petrol, power, rates, healthcare, and getting kids to school. Let's dissect this: food is not the Government's policy. They don’t regulate food, peripherally, and we have had the debate. They may, or may not have a bunch of settings around market participation, the Commerce Commission may or may not look at mergers and competition generally, but governments do not price food. Petrol? Petrol is…

Today on Politics Wednesday, National’s Mark Mitchell and Labour’s Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to break down the biggest stories of the week thus far. They discussed the latest education results, and whether political debates in their current form are still worth it, or if they’re just a waste of time. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 14th of October, we watched the multi-party debate so you didn't have to and have condensed it all into a handy three-minute package. Air New Zealand are on to talk about their punctuality, fuel, and ending the codeshare with Qantas. Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen debate all things education and whether debates in their standard form are still worth it, or are a waste of time 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.

Our economy seems to be faring better than our neighbour across the Tasman. The International Monetary Fund has issued a stark outlook for the Australian economy, as it’s dealing with some of the worst inflation in the developed world. It’s forecasting GDP growth of just 1.6% next year, and the biggest rise in unemployment among developed economies – going from 4.4% to 4.7%. ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Mike Hosking in growth terms, particularly compared to Australia, we look great. She says we’re growing out of a hole, with 2.6% growth coming off a weak period, compared to their 2.1% off the back of a quite strong period of growth. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand says it is confident punctuality is achievable at a large scale. The airline says 87.3% of its flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule over September, up 2% on August, and up from 75.5% a year ago. Total cancellations have also fallen to 1.4%. Regional services hit 90.3%, with the airline now ranked third in Asia Pacific. Chief Operations Officer Kate Boyer told Mike Hosking it's a proud achievement, as they’d made a commitment to customers that they were going to turn their performance around. She says even during school holidays, with over 500 flights per day, it was still at this level, which proves they can maintain it on hard days and can do it at scale. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our local aluminium sector says it's been left with no protection from a flood of cheaper imports from China. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer has declined a request for safeguard measures to protect them. Production has slowed down 40% in this country, and the sector says thousands of jobs in manufacturing and downstream businesses are at risk. McKechnie Aluminium Managing Director Dave Slomp told Mike Hosking they’re seeing Chinese extrusion land in New Zealand for less than what local manufacturers pay for the raw bullet they make the extrusions out of. He says MBIE, who Brewer took advice from, has got it badly wrong in a number of ways, but the little acknowledgement of the injury caused by pricing under the cost of raw materials is the biggest one. “While we understand that ministers take advice from their officials, there’s no question in our mind that Mr Brewer has thrown a whole industry sector under the bus.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Primary school maths achievement is showing a significant rebound. The New Zealand Council for Educational Research has analysed 15 years of Progressive Achievement Test results in reading and maths. It found the average maths score this year was about four months ahead of 2024's. Education Minister Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking that's a huge jump and the biggest improvement in maths seen in years. She says it represents thousands of children doing better in the classroom, who will go on to succeed in life. The data also found reading vocabulary has steadily improved in the last six years. Stanford says this report isn't the first to say this, as other data is showing the tide is turning. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Latest numbers from the Electoral Commission as of the weekend show 63.4% of 18-24-year-old voters are enrolled. It's a shockingly low number. It's lower than previous elections. This is bad news for democracy and especially bad news for the Greens. There's no excuse for this. You can't blame the Electoral Commission. You can't blame the media either. They have fallen over themselves processing the Commission's press releases. It's one of the rare times modern journalism, which is little more than regurgitation of press releases, might have been actually trying to do the right thing. It's not the change of date's fault. The Green's tried that "scam" on earlier. There was, and is not, a scandal. Elections are regular events and you have three years notice. Election dates are announced at the start of the year, and you then have about 10 months. If you can't enter a couple of simple details in that time that’s on you. We need to have individuals own more of their incompetence in this country. We look for…

New England test cricket coach Stephen Fleming has already laid down a challenge to their Australian rivals ahead of next year's home Ashes series. The former New Zealand captain told Mike Hosking that he hasn't been given any KPIs per se, but the Ashes aren't too far away, and he learned pretty quickly that that's the be-all, end-all. He says the timing is really good as he can see a bit of creaking and groaning in the Australian team, so if New Zealand has a great summer and puts them under pressure, it might set things up well. Fleming's first series in charge is away against South Africa in December and January. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 13th of October, NZ Initiative's Bryce Wilkinson joined us to crunch all the data from all the parties' fiscal plans. Nicola Willis pours over the National Party's numbers. Black Caps legend Stephen Fleming joins the show to talk about his new job with England, his brief visit to NZ, and look ahead to the Black Clash in January. 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.

There's confidence Christchurch's covered stadium won't leave attendees hot under the collar this summer. Temperatures inside parts of One NZ Stadium hit 31 degrees during Sunday's NPC quarter-final and Farah Palmer Cup final, despite outdoor temperatures in the low 20s. Venues Otautahi say cooling systems weren't at full capacity. Chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare told Mike Hosking ten misting fans can also be activated for summer concerts. She says they impact temperatures by about 4-to-5 degrees but can't be used for sport. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research suggests people aren't waiting around for the election to make big financial decisions. ASB analysis of the last 20 years of elections shows spending and investment don't tend to slow down just before elections or speed up right after them. Senior Economist Mark Smith told Mike Hosking while there are some differences due to things like the Global Financial Crisis and Covid, generally activity is actually stronger before elections rather than after. He says rather than delaying decisions, firms and households just get on with it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National claims it has a credible path for paying down the country's debt. The party plans to keep the Budget operating allowance at $2.4 billion —matching Labour's— and return to surplus in two years. It would cut foreign aid and welfare spending to fund its election commitments, with $7.5 billion left over. Tax cuts are off the table until New Zealand's in the black. Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking New Zealanders care about dealing with debt. She says everyone understands that if a household's debt mountain is out of control, you go into a debt spiral, and it's no different for a country. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A business think tank says there's not much different in National's fiscal plan from its budgets of the past couple of years. The party wants to keep the operating allowance at $2.4 billion, with all commitments funded and $7.5 billion left over. It suggests tax relief won't be on the table until debt's paid down. New Zealand Initiative Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson told Mike Hosking National's trying to hold the line on spending, which is tough. He says there are handouts here and there, but the plan's dependent on economic growth. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Teaching Council's promising change after repeatedly failing to act on warnings about a convicted sex offender A KC inquiry has found the council had multiple chances to cancel Timothy Fisher’s licence, but he went on to work at dozens of schools after admitting an indecent act in sight of children in 2015. Teaching Council Chair Patrick Walsh was appointed in July after two other damning probes into its culture and leadership earlier this year. He told Mike Hosking this new report made him feel sick, as parents expect children to be safe in the hands of teachers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hss Paddock to Pantry just confirmed what most of us who think the whole “blow up the super market” game is stupid …were in fact right? The most open display of pandering to the lowest common denominator I have seen in years is virtually every party promising to take you to the promised isle of cheap food, and the only one left with common sense and an adult approach is ACT, who see this for what it is. Paddock to Pantry is an NZ operation that has largely been on line - they have some bricks and mortar operations but are now on a major expansion path, with $25 million to be spent over the next 5 years. Their sales are up almost 200 percent in a year, and they are aiming to be the 3rd biggest player in the market. Let me quote them: "changes to supermarket competition settings provided the foundation for independent operators to compete with the big chains." "The ground work has already been done through the changes to competition settings. Those reforms have opened the door for independent operators like us…

Over the weekend, One Nation's Pauline Hanson got some digs in at the Coalition, but said she'd work with them if it means removing Labour. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Hanson urged voters to ditch the Coalition and voiced opposition with the Liberal Party's policies. Australian correspondent Steve Price says she also called Opposition leader Angus Taylor a 'smarmy management consultant'. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Saville and Jason Pine joined Mike Hosking to review all the big sporting events of the weekend, including the All Blacks' victory over Australia at Eden Park, the memorable moments of Bathurst 1000 and more! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Startup Week is set to begin for another year, and it's set to draw some extra attention to the tech sector. The event runs from October 12-16, and it features 45 events across Auckland's city centre. Auckland Council General Manager of Economic Development Pam Ford says these startups will be creating more jobs and helping find solutions for global issues. "We're just trying to build that pipeline of more of those big companies - and then they feed the whole kind of system." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump recently took to social media to claim that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an energy ceasefire - without giving further details. The announcement seems to have come as a surprise to Ukraine, with leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he supports a deal, but wants clear details from US dialogue with Russia. US correspondent Kate Fisher says there's been no word from Moscow about this arrangement - and it follows Trump's calls for Ukraine to oust Zelenskyy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT Leader David Seymour suspects it'll be events that'll drive a lift in the Super age, rather than a particular party. His party and National are both campaigning on gradually raising the super age to 67. Labour and New Zealand First are both campaigning to keep it at 65. Seymour says the change has to happen. "It may be that as bond rates head over 5 percent, the pressure on Government budgets becomes unsustainable - and some of the unreasonable people come to the table." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday 12 October. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A view it's become clear both Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been gearing up for another offensive. The Houthi group in Yemen have taken responsibility for targeted attacks, including yesterday's deadly strike on Riyadh Airport that killed 13. Hundred of flights have been cancelled after a further attack caused a fire in the terminal's passenger hall. The Economist's Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom told Mike Hosking they've been fighting for the better part of 10 years. He says the cost of the continuing battle against the Houthis will come at a big cost to Saudi Arabia. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought young people need to master basic life skills, before making decisions about their futures. National wants to require students to stay in school until they complete Year 11, unless an exemption applies. Currently, students can leave once they turn 16. Blue Light Ventures Chief Executive Brendon Crompton told Mike Hosking the move would help ensure young people have the maths, reading and writing skills to write emails and CVs, and manage a budget. He says NCEA level one is needed for entry in other courses or trades anyway. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon says National's continuing to take the same fiscal approach, as it did under Sir John Key and Sir Bill English. National's fiscal plan - due out today - would involve a return to surplus a year later, than under Act's plan released yesterday. Luxon told Mike Hosking National is continuing to be gradual and disciplined He says the right will always call for harder, faster austerity, and the left will always call for more spending. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I spoke to Jeffrey Archer last year, he didn’t look anything other than what he has always looked like – vibrant, well, and full of good vigour. So his death is a shock. He looked like a very good 86-year-old. Or 85-year-old, as he was when I talked to him. I also talked to him a couple of years earlier when we were in London for the coronation. We got on well. He was one of those guests that over the years you lost count of how many times you had talked to them. One of the great joys of having been around a while is you get to talk to most of them. But the downside of having been around a while, is eventually they will start to pass. I wasn’t expecting Archer to go at mid 80s. That was a bloke who had a purpose, who was still working daily, who was still in demand in books, who was still revelling in life and had more cricket stories to tell. I met him in Christchurch when he was on a book tour. Side note, that's perhaps one of the sadder changes in modern communication. Authors don’t really need to…

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 campaign: 7/10 It feels real at last. The first debate, the volley of policy, the rolling coverage; a country engaged in democracy is a very fine thing. The first leader's debate: 5/10 These things no longer work. They produce little, if anything. The world has changed, our consumption of news has changed. These need to change too. Jaguar: 8/10 In a world of design blandness, they will not die wondering. The Type 01 is either exceptional, or the end. Cocaine: 3/10 Most sobering, if not depressing, news of the week. Our use is third world. We are embarrassing. Zombie Towns: 7/10 It’s a NZ On Air mini-series made by economist Shamubeel Eaqub. Places like Balclutha and Tokoroa, it's an educational watch and reminded me not everything NZ On Air funds is wasted. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trademark law is in the spotlight with a couple of key cases making the news. British Car Manufacturer McLaren has applied to trademark the Auckland suburbs of Remuera and Muriwai – potentially for their first SUV. And NZ Rugby has taken legal action to stop Papua New Guinea's new NRL franchise from using the 'Chiefs' name. Intellectual Property Lawyer Rick Shera told Mike Hosking that while it's unlikely there'd be confusion between New Zealand's Chiefs and Papua New Guinea's, trademark law isn't based on confusion, it's based on distinction. He says that even if NZR was sympathetic to the PNG club, they have to defend their trademark or they risk losing it later down the line. With the McLaren case, securing those trademarks within New Zealand would likely be a challenge, Shera told Hosking, but not overseas. He says trademarks are jurisdictional, so as long as there's no Remuera SUV mark, car mark, or vehicle mark in the UK, they'll probably be fine. Shera says their bigger issue would be the fact that…

The former Venezuelan President and his wife are facing new charges from the US for conspiracy to commit torture. Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, originally facing weapon and drug charges, now face allegations of human rights abuses. The pair have been in a New York prison since January after US forces seized them from their Caracas home. US Correspondent Nick Harper told Mike Hosking the US claims the torture was to suppress political opposition and maintain control. He understands the torture included electrical shocks, prolonged isolation, and starvation, used on both opponents and about a dozen US citizens. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Week two of this campaign of 2026 – is it close? They say so. But then one poll had Labour at 23%, and another poll had them at 29%. That's how bad polling has become, so who would know? It might be as simple as what happens with the Opportunity Party – if they're in, the Government is out. If they aren't, the Government are back. Or it could be one of those "hold your nose" votes where a lot of the people go, "I'm no Luxon fan but I'm sticking with what I know". My suspicion is that’s how it will play out. But as for the actual campaign, if it was a contest of campaign performance alone, so far ACT would be winning. They don’t get the same coverage as National and Labour, but I have watched a lot of it. A lot of it is streamed these days. If you really want to inform yourself there is a tremendous amount of material to be consumed. It's hard to overstate the Paul Henry factor. Online and in halls he is by any measure a political rockstar. In a world where politicians would sell their mother for attention,…

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 9th of October, National are campaigning on random drug tests for beneficiaries – Louise Upston explains the details. All Blacks' first five Damian McKenzie talks us through how the team plans to beat the Aussies this weekend at Eden Park. And Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson give their thoughts on week two of the campaign as they Wrap the Week. 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 arrived, which means it's time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to join Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was. And the week in question was the second week of the election campaign – how do they think things are going? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Damian McKenzie's welcomed the chance to return to the 10 jersey for tomorrow's Bledisloe Cup rugby opener against the Wallabies in Auckland. Richie Mo'unga was named internally at first-five but succumbed to a calf injury on Tuesday. McKenzie has started all seven tests in Dave Rennie's coaching era at fullback, but says he's had enough time to get across the detail for a positional switch. He told Hosking they're confident with the way they're going about things and he's looking forward to the challenge. McKenzie says energy within the camp has been high, and everyone's ready to go and excited for the weekend. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Social Development spokesperson says drug testing is already normal for a number of jobs, so Jobseekers should meet the same expectation. The Party's promising introduce random drug testing for people on the Jobseeker benefit and reduce payments for those who've been on it more than two years. Louise Upston says they'll start with 10 thousand tests in the first year and expand over time. She told Mike Hosking she was surprised by Winston Peters' claim it borders on fascism, NZ First are the ones that talk about getting people off the couch, which is what they're trying to do. Upston says they don't want young people wasting their lives on welfare, and for some drug use is a barrier to work, and that's what they want to prevent. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The South Island's set for a mammoth summer as tourist numbers and air capacity boom. Aviation and tourism consulting firm ISD Partners says New Zealand's likely to see 400 thousand more overseas passengers than last summer. We're set to hit pre-Covid peaks early next year, with Christchurch in particular seeing a big jump in international routes. Tourism Holdings Limited Chief Executive Grant Webster told Mike Hosking this is shining through in summer bookings. He says about two-thirds of their bookings are activities starting in the South Island. Webster says the step is to keep the momentum up, as a lot of tourism businesses only make money four months of the year, so if we could turn that into six, we'd be utilising the tourism industry much more effectively. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's potential for issues to emerge as Labour pledges to open the skies to more competition. The party's new aviation policies include requiring airlines to publicly report delays or cancellations and make big airlines automatically refund flights during cancellations, or big changes. It would also open up access to more airport infrastructure so smaller airlines can grow and compete. Travel Agents Association CEO Julie White told Mike Hosking travellers should be given the option to jump on another flight. She says people often book travel quite far out, so having to re-book on the day will end up being really expensive. White says Labour needs to be careful it's not over-regulating airlines. She told Hosking airlines would have to decide if they absorb the extra costs involved or pass them on to customers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's confidence that structured literacy is paying dividends for primary school students, despite some concerns from Chris Hipkins. The Labour leader and former Education Minister told Newstalk ZB yesterday the Better Start Literacy Approach is working, but comprehension remains a challenge for kids. Canterbury University Professor Gail Gillon told Mike Hosking their data shows gains in both reading and comprehension, and is questioning what data Hipkins is looking at. She says research around the world shows when children become good at decoding words, it's a big influencer in reading comprehension. However, Gillon says their dataset is for years 0-3, so it's unclear if the same impacts are being seen in the upper primary school years. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I tell you who should be feeling good this election campaign: political parties. If the commentary and expectation I'm seeing so far is truly representative of where we are at in this country, as consumers we have slipped back into a gliding-on type world of the 1970's. The supermarket scrap is stupid enough. But Labour yesterday yet again waded into the world of banking, promising to make it easier for more competition. I'm not sure I've ever seen a public so seemingly reliant, dependant, or expectant of a group of politicians to solve all of our perceived and imagined problems. It's like a bad, old habit. Who is going to make my butter cheaper? Who is going to punish a power company? Why can't I have some money for petrol? When are you going to teach those supermarkets a lesson? There doesn’t seem a single grievance we can dream up that doesn’t have a political party, or a queue of them, lined up to make a promise. To be fair to Labour, the right to repair thing the other day on cars has merit and…

Another year, another novel from bestselling author John Grisham. He's had 51 consecutive number 1 bestselling books across various genres, and has sold nearly half a billion copies worldwide. And now he's stepping out of the courtroom with his first spy thriller and foray into international espionage – 'The French Illusion'. "I love spy novels," Grisham told Mike Hosking. "I grew up reading them – still read them a lot." And so he decided to take a break from the courtroom and the lawyers, getting the idea for this story while visiting Paris. "For years my wife has said, "why don't you set a book here in France? We enjoy Paris and there's so much to write about," and I said, "great, I'd love to do that, but I have to wait till I have a good story."" "And it finally... it took years for it to come about." Although he's not ruling out another spy novel down the line, Grisham told Hosking he's returning to the courtroom in his next book. "That's where I belong, that's where my readers expect to find me."…

National's small business plan is being seen as practical, but not transformational. The party's released a 47 point plan to cut red tape for small businesses, which it would implement if re-elected. It features tweaks to non-trade barriers, employment relations, health and safety, and a review of the compulsory GST registration threshold. ABC Business Sales Managing Director Chris Small told Mike Hosking that yes, it will help, but it's not particularly transformational or material when you think of being a business owner. He says the idea is good and they're showing they have a soft spot for small businesses, but they could've put a bit more meat on the bone. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 8th of October, our teacher training enrolments are the best they've been in years – are we solving the problem? Labour leader Chris Hipkins discusses education and charter schools, co-governance, capital gains, and the state of MMP. Legendary author John Grisham is back to talk about his new book and the career of the late Jeffrey Archer. 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.

High unemployment could be behind a sudden surge of people wanting to become teachers. New Ministry figures show the number of people in training is up 40% from 2023. Education Minister Erica Stanford credits the School Onsite Training scheme, which pays people to learn on the job. Rangiora High School Principal Bruce Kearney told Mike Hosking when unemployment rises, there's normally a spike in people going into teaching. He says people will finish their degrees during times of high unemployment, and since teacher training is only 32 weeks and they're in desperate need of teachers, it's a no-brainer. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A spike in home construction costs could lead people to have second thoughts about building new. The latest Cordell Construction Cost index shows the September quarter saw the fastest increase since 2022 – 1.7%. Cotality Head of Research Nick Goodall says it's due to the war in Iran and the rising volume of new dwelling consents, which reduce capacity and create cost pressures. He told Mike Hosking that since the value of existing properties is tracking down, or sideways at best, in many parts of the country, some prospective homeowners might see more value in existing properties. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.