The Mike Hosking Breakfast

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.

Christchurch has been added to the list of cities hosting games for next year's Rugby League World Cup.  The city joins Australia and Papua New Guinea as hosts for the event, and although the addition is a surprise for fans, it has been in the works for a while.  New Zealand Rugby League CEO Greg Peters told Mike Hosking that, 'it's been on the cards for a little while now, obviously, with the opening of Te Kaha down there.' LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon says he is confident that he will lead National in next year's general election.  A hit in the polls raised questions about his leadership last week, and rumours spread that he would be replaced come next election.  The Prime Minister has denied these rumours. He told Mike Hosking that, 'It's quite hard to take this seriously because I've read all of this before the whole 4 years I've been in politics.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are calls for shoppers to choose smaller businesses this black Friday, and holiday season. Data from accounting service - Xero -  reveals shifting just 10% of consumer spending from big to small retailers, could bring $11billion into independent businesses. That excludes spending like utilities, and transport. Xero Country Manager Bridget Snelling says consumers must consider shopping locally for the benefits. She says shopping locally improves our economy as small businesses make up 97 percent of all business nationwide. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A promise to increase Kiwisaver rates is being described as a fundamentally good move - even if there's more to do.  National says it will lift default contributions to six percent by 2032 - matching Australia's 12-percent superannuation rate.  Employer contributions would increase by half a percent each year - but not until 2029. Milford Asset Management's KiwiSaver Head Murray Harris told Mike Hosking that although he backs the idea, 'we need to see what the long-term strategic plan for KiwiSaver is.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.