The Mike Hosking Breakfast

The Finance and Growth Minister is confident the economic turnaround will continue.  Latest figures show we're officially out of recession, after our economy grew 0.7% between October and December.  Nicola Willis says we're going to continue to see growth in tourism and agriculture exports.  She told Mike Hosking households should also be getting more disposable income as they switch over to lower mortgage rates, that will flow through into the economy.  Willis says the consensus among forecasters is for growth to accelerate this year.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Telecommunications Forum says difficulty switching between providers isn't an issue, despite concerns from the Commerce Commission.   A study from the commission says the process of changing providers isn't working as well as it should for consumers.  It wants telcos to improve its process to benefit consumers and competition.  But Telecommunications Forum Chief Executive Paul Brislen told Mike Hosking most people aren't worried about their phone bill.  He says it's not an issue most people think about.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s middle-distance prodigy Sam Ruthe has become the youngest person in history to break the four-minute mile barrier.  The 15-year-old from Tauranga became the 49th New Zealander to break the four-minute mile doing so at a wet Go Media Stadium last night.  Olympian Sam Tanner helped lead Ruthe in the second half of the race, setting the pace for the teenager towards the finish line.  Ruthe eventually finished second behind Tanner in three minutes 58.35 seconds.  He's eclipsed the previous pioneer, then 16-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who has gone on to become a double Olympic champion.  Ruthe told Ryan Bridge that it felt amazing having all his friends and family there supporting him.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no such thing as a ceasefire this morning.  It's all breaking down in the Middle East. Netanyahu's come out with more fighting talk and the rockets are back on.  And for Ukraine, Trump hasn't exactly cloaked himself in glory with this so-called deal.  And I say so-called deal because it hasn't actually held.  First, it was only partial. There wasn't a full ceasefire like Zelensky agreed to.  Second, it covered energy infrastructure not being hit for a 30 day pause. But already the Russians have fired at energy facilities, roads, and two hospitals.  Now, if you go and have a look at the read-out from the call between Trump and Putin it says Putin gave the order to his top brass to immediately stop the firing on this energy infrastructure.  So, either the military is going rogue and firing anyway, or Putin's up to his old tricks.  Actually, both of things could be happening. Hell, with Russia they both could be true.  But either way, for Trump and the big game he likes to talk, the art of the deal has just hit the Kremlin wall.  In Trump's favour, reputation-wise, is at least people are talking about peace.  We've just had three years of war and whenever world leaders meet it's always talk about more, more and more war.  A ceasefire, an armistice and a peace deal all require action.  At least the phones are ringing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 20th of March, will the light at the end of the economic tunnel start to reveal itself with today's Q4 GDP data?  15-year-old Sam Ruthe is on the show after becoming the youngest person to run a sub four-minute mile.  Senior expert on Russia Keir Giles joins us out of the UK after we've now had the Trump/Putin call, and the Trump/Zelenskyy call overnight.  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.

The details of President Donald Trump's phone conversations with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts remain relatively shrouded.  Trump's sought a full end to hostilities between the two sides but appears to have settled for a limited ceasefire and further discussion for now.   All three parties say the calls have gone well, but there are discrepancies in their reporting.   Chatham House UK Russia expert Keir Giles told Ryan Bridge the read-out on Trump's call with Vladimir Putin is like two completely separate conversations.   He says neither of them is a particularly reliable source at the moment, but it's clear they're treating this in two different ways.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A crack down on persistent young offenders.  New Ministry of Justice data shows a 19% increase in children and young people receiving orders or adult sentences in 2024, compared to the previous year.  There's a 16% rise for Māori tamariki and rangatahi.  Blue Light CEO Brendon Crompton told Ryan Bridge these are children who have likely gone through the youth system and have continued to offend.  He says to keep the community safe Youth Aid has no choice but put them in the District Court.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist is warning not to expect big growth in GDP figures out today.  Data —due out from Stats NZ just before 11 this morning— is expected to show the economy has been pulled out of recession, but is still crawling to recovery.  Economists are predicting growth of between 0.3 and 0.5%.   Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon told Ryan Bridge he's predicting flat growth in the fourth quarter.  He says there have been signs things are turning, but it's likely to have happened in the beginning of this year.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simeon Brown's hitting back over concerns of overreach from what he's calling the 'health police.'   The Health Minister's directed public health doctors to stop weighing in on issues like fast food, and leading advocacy campaigns.   But the comments, combined with looming job cuts, have sent shockwaves through the medical sector – who fear this 'censorship' would limit doctors' ability to effectively serve their communities.   Brown told Ryan Bridge public health teams should primarily focus on immunisation targets.   He says they shouldn't be waging war against council policies and people's choices about what they want to eat.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pope's condition is said to be improving, but there's uncertainty over an upcoming royal visit.  The 88-year-old has been in hospital for more than a month with double pneumonia, but the Vatican is now saying he's making slight improvements.  King Charles and Queen Camilla are due to visit for the jubilee celebrations of the Catholic Church, early next month.  But Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna told Ryan Bridge it's uncertain whether the Pope will be able to meet the royals.  She says the Vatican is refusing to confirm the meeting, or whether he will be out of hospital by then.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.