The Mike Hosking Breakfast

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.

New Zealand Cricket president Mark Greatbatch admits the governing body has been caught out. That's after initially shouldering arms to calls from the likes of Sir Richard Hadlee for some form of evidence to justify the choice of NZ20 as a short-form pathway for the future of the domestic game. Board chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon has apologised for a lack of clarity about why independent reports on the process were not presented to key stakeholders. Greatbatch told Mike Hosking it's important they listen to those involved in the game as to what its future should be, and they probably could've done and explained it better. He says they're not always going to get thigs right, but there's some good people working for the game. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins reckons there was no easy answer to this week's leaders debate question on whether it's okay to be a billionaire. Former Prime Minister Sir John Key says it's "nuts" to think billionaires are "morally offensive". Key told the Herald's Future of New Zealand debate last night that we should be celebrating business success like we celebrate sporting and musical success. Labour's leader told Mike Hosking he thinks there's something imbalanced about an economy that sees so much power and money concentrated in the hands of so few people. But he says there are also some very wealthy people in New Zealand who give a lot back. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From our “he would say that, wouldn’t he” file, comes the predictable Winston Peters response to the National Party's medicine for aid deal. National are reading the room. If you have no money and you need to trade one thing for another, does medicine beat aid? Yes, hands down. Although Pacific aid is protected, where Peters has fallen hopelessly short is in his oft-used line about being friends, "long-standing friends", and that counts. In other words, the fact big players like China roll into town and start writing cheques won't ultimately make a lot of difference because good old New Zealand has been along for the ride for years. Well, that ain't true, and we know it. Money talks and the last Pacific Islands Forum with its missing members and its lack of communique because of the various players who are now overtly pro-China, tells the real story. That’s before you get to the lack of accountability. Aid has become a sop, a hand-out, and the recipients don’t appear overly grateful. Then you might well…

Exercise chain CityFitness is lining up one of the sector's biggest expansions yet. It's looking to pump $100 million into 50 new gyms over the next five years, expanding its network beyond 100 locations. The plans include growing its Simplicity Fitness Premium Facilities and launching women-only gyms, and would create around 1000 new jobs. Chief Operating Officer Doug Hatten told Mike Hosking they're focused on creating the offering that's right for the market they're heading into. For example, he says, if they go into a market where there's 30,000 people within 10 kilometres, they know they can provide a fitness offering for that market – it's just a matter of what the right one is. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 7th of October, Mike gives his thoughts on last night's debate, and we bring you a selection of the best bits. Kiwi pro golfer Steve Alker keeps on winning on the PGA Champions Tour, so he's back for a chat. Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell discuss the debate, education, and cocaine use 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.

Labour says schools need more flexibility around teaching reading, writing, and maths to make room for critical thinking. Leader Chris Hipkins confirmed at last night's leaders' debate Labour wouldn't require schools to teach an hour a day of each subject if elected. National introduced the mandate in its first 100 days. Labour's education spokesperson Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking the Government's reforms haven't put children at the centre. She says politicians shouldn't be deciding how kids learn. National's Mark Mitchell hit out at the party's stance, saying the party needs to keep their weird social experiments away from kids, and just let them learn maths and read for an hour a day. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's plan to cut aid is troubling a foreign affairs expert. The party says it will take 10% of the aid budget and shift it to Pharmac's budget, if it forms the next Government. Funding to the Pacific will be spared. National says our money's gone to such far flung things as workshops with indigenous farmers in Patagonia and installing live emissions equipment in South African universities. Geopolitical Analyst Geoffrey Miller told Mike Hosking while there are legitimate questions to ask about the efficacy of individual aid programmes, that's not an argument for cutting them. He says it's an argument for making them more effective and ensuring every dollar works as hard as it can for those who really deserve it. Miller says that most people around the world probably won't notice what we're doing with our aid budget, but it's the people at the bottom of the pile who will suffer the most, especially since we probably aren't the only ones making cuts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…

Golfer Steven Alker has toiled through a troublesome back and a sick caddie to a third PGA seniors tour title in his last four attempts - his fourth title win of the year. The Hamiltonian pulled out of the pro-am of the Tour's latest event in Pennsylvania through injury, then lost regular caddie Troy Martin halfway through the first round. Alker says being was forced to rein in his game turned into a positive after managing to get his back good enough to compete. He told Mike Hosking you start to appreciate winning a bit more at his age, when you haven't got as much time left to play. Alker says his game's been really consistent the last four or five years, so to keep that consistently good playing is really pleasing. "Whether you win or not ... to have the consistency to actually be week to week, like year, I've actually had the chance to win the golf tournament, that's what I'm most proud of." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

City and town centres are busier than they were after Covid. Latest Paymark data shows retail spending in the past few months has been down on the same period last year. But new Experian data shows shops, bars, and restaurants in most cities have been seeing business pick up since Covid – Wellington being an outlier. Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking that in New Zealand, it's often easier for people to stop in store rather than online, due to geography and freight distribution. She says around 80% of shopping is done in person, which is why having busy city centres and people working in offices is so important for retail in New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's confidence the Government and Otago councils can work together to keep up with the region's growth. The Government's formally signed a regional deal with Queenstown Lakes, Central Otago, and Otago Regional Councils. It aims to improve planning coordination over the next 30 years, with ministers promising to meet local leaders every six months. Queenstown Mayor John Glover told Mike Hosking there's been huge investment locally as the region's grown over the past two decades. But he says the area hasn't seen investment in energy supply, education, health, and state highways. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the period of digestion now complete, I think it is more than fair to suggest that the Labour Party's fiscal plan has been marked a failure. This is not just me, but as far as I can read virtually every journalist and commentator, including economists, say so. This politically should be a disaster. Economic credibility, this election in particular, is everything. The election's almost sole vote swinging or determining issue is: who do you think can run the economy better? Has the Government done enough to convince you they have stopped the bleeding and a path to better days is in front of us? Or do Labour have an alternative plan that appeals enough to you to give them your vote? In that last bit is their biggest problem. By looking to be as close to National as possible, they have stuck to the $2.4 billion new money annually. They have promised the same surplus target, and they've more broadly promised debt reduction over time. So, ironically, there's not really any reason to vote for them given it's…

Retired Supercars legend Garth Tander knows better than most the Bathurst 1000 is won with a mix of skill, strategy and timing. The six-time winner, and reigning champion alongside Kiwi Matthew Payne, believes there's a four step process to give yourself the best chance to conquer Mount Panorama. However, Tander says that the track has a mind of its own across 1000 kilometres and distributes luck and pain in equal measure. He told Mike Hosking it doesn't matter how fast your car is and how good your form is, if it's not your day, it's not your day. Tander's also handed down a glowing comparison of Matthew Payne as the Kiwi driver prepares to defend his Bathurst title this weekend. He says Payne is building an ability he's only seen in another Kiwi teammate he combined with to win the Great Race twice before: Shane van Gisberg. "Shane has this, had this, and still does, has this incredible ability to slow everything down in the car and have extra capacity to think on the run, and Matt's certainly developing…

In 2025, author and former UK politician Jeffrey Archer joined Mike Hosking to chat about the final stage of his writing career. He's now died at age 86, his publisher Harper Collins saying he died suddenly and peacefully at home. At the time, Archer was in the midst of writing his final book, though he had no plans to step back from writing as a whole, telling Hosking he plans on short stories and perhaps a screenplay. “This book is, frankly, bigger than ‘Kane and Abel’ as a story,” he said. “I’ve got to see if I’ve been able to write it, and frankly, I won’t want to follow it.” Said book, titled 'Adam and Eve', is set to be released this month. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australasian construction giant Fulton Hogan has recovered from a rough 2025. Annual revenue rose from $6.9 billion to $7.3 billion, while after-tax profit jumped from $365 million to $430 million. Its profits are now evenly balanced between Australia and New Zealand. Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett told Mike Hosking their success doesn't quite represent the entire construction sector, which is more of a mixed bag. He says construction figures are showing stronger activity, but it's been very hard, and there are still design and engineering companies that are laying people off. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.