The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The view of a Chinese vessel in our waters highlights our complicated relationship with the country.  The visit has been approved by the New Zealand Government, as part of a NIWA research project.   Although its movements have been approved, Australia is not the biggest fan, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying he would prefer it wasn’t off Victoria’s coast.  NZ Contemporary China Research Centre Director Jason Young told Mike Hosking we have a complicated relationship.  He says that while New Zealand does have a very important trading relationship with China, some of their actions in the Pacific go against our interests.  Young says both Australia and New Zealand need to be able to manage those areas of difference, while maininting the positive aspects of the relationship.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new affordable housing solution has just been completed.  The Living House, designed by RTA Studio, takes just six weeks to build, costing only $333 thousand.   It costs $253,000 less than the Government’s average Kainga Ora build, and Architect Rich Naish told Mike Hosking they got frustrated by the failure of successive governments to build truly affordable housing.   He says they’ve designed it to be scalable, optimising it down to the cheapest and simplest build so it can be repeated by individuals or organisations.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 3rd of April, the final report into a $627 million mental health programme has been released. Has it hit its targets?  Private school enrolments are booming – is the disparagement of our public school system to blame?  Kiwi caddie Steve Williams has a new book about his 12 years on the bag for Tiger Woods, so we need to talk to him about his success and regrets.  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.

It’s been about 14 years since Kiwi Steve Williams last caddied for the great Tiger Woods.  But to coincide with the 2025 Masters and the 20th anniversary of Woods’ iconic shot on the 16th hole at Augusta – Williams is releasing a new book.  ‘Together We Roared: Alongside Tiger for His Epic Twelve-Year, Thirteen-Majors Run’ is filled with behind the scenes moments, delivering the definitive account of one of the most successful golfer-caddie partnerships in the sport’s history.   Williams told Mike Hosking he found the process of writing the book to be like a memory – a great way to rewind and relive the journey of the time he spent caring for Woods.   He says that during the partnership, there was little time to celebrate Woods’ successes, as every moment was focused on the next championship.  “That pursuit of trying to chase down Jack [Nicklaus]’s record of 18 major championships sort of became an obsession,” he said.  “The book actually has, has been a real good thing for me – to be able to actually sit down and take a look at what he achieved.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist says Donald Trump's 'liberation day' could better be described as 'watch your wallet day'.   The US President will be announcing his next round of tariffs in about half an hour.   Dartmouth College Economics Professor Douglas Irwin say tariffs could be across the board or set specifically to each country.   He told Mike Hosking a blanket option would create a lot of economic pain.   Irwin says that includes fruit, clothes, shoes, and other manufactured goods.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a belief a surge in Kiwi parents making significant sacrifices to afford sending children to private schools won't last.    In some instances, private school enrolments are closed until 2027, families are being asked to submit videos of their home life, and entrance tests are being made tougher.  Independent Schools of New Zealand chief executive Guy Pascoe told Mike Hosking around 4% of New Zealand students are enrolled at private education.   He says parents are making huge financial sacrifice to make it happen, and there's concern there'll be a point when parents simply can't afford it anymore.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A $664 million mental health programme seems to have challenges to address to help it reach its targets.  The Access and Choice Programme received the five-year funding in Labour's 2019 'Wellbeing' Budget.   It's aiming to support 325 thousand people per year, but during 2023-24 saw just over 207 thousand.   Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission chief executive Karen Orsborn told Mike Hosking awareness is an issue.  She says people don't always know where to go, and it's also about how GPs make it easier for patients to seek the support.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's crackdown on cowboy builders is seen as a step in the right direction.   Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says there'll be more transparency about suspended builders, stronger discipline, and an improved complaints process.   Master Builders CEO Ankit Sharma told Mike Hosking the current disciplinary system doesn't provide enough of a deterrent as it's very slow, lacks transparency, and many consumers don't even know it exists.   He says this will try to improve the system to a level where they can not only address the small instances of bad performance, but also provide more transparency to homeowners.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two special elections in the US are racking up quite the price tag.   Voters are heading to the polls in two special elections in Florida and Wisconsin.  Florida's holding special elections for Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz's congressional seats, and both seats are critical races for Republicans, given their slim majority in the House.  The battleground state of Wisconsin is also voting on a new judge for the state's top court.  It's become the most expensive judicial contest in US history, with more than $90 million being spent on campaigning, including $21 million by Elon Musk.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Musk has been accused of trying to buy the election.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump tariffs are looming over Australia.  Washington is expected to announce new tariffs on its trading partners tomorrow, and opinions are divided on whether Australia will get pinged.  Australian Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking that they shouldn’t get hit too badly as there’s currently a $17.9 billion trade surplus with the United States.  He says there could be a couple of flow on effects that could impact Australia, such as China flooding their market with cheaper products, or buying less of their minerals as they won’t selling as much to the US.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.