The Mike Hosking Breakfast

It's thought the Government's 'Māori Issue' will be its biggest hurdle this year. Parliament sits for the first time this year today and the coalition parties will resume their 100 Day Action Plan. Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Mike Hosking that Chris Luxon probably made David Seymour the Associate Justice Minister to try to distance the Nats from ACT's proposed Treaty Principles Bill. He believes it's too late. Soper says National agreed to it in coalition agreements, and why they'd do that but only back it to Select Committee is beyond him. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought the Government's 'Māori Issue' will be its biggest hurdle this year. Parliament sits for the first time this year today and the coalition parties will resume their 100 Day Action Plan. Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Mike Hosking that Chris Luxon probably made David Seymour the Associate Justice Minister to try to distance the Nats from ACT's proposed Treaty Principles Bill. He believes it's too late. Soper says National agreed to it in coalition agreements, and why they'd do that but only back it to Select Committee is beyond him. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oranga Tamariki says there's been an increase in emotional abuse of children returning to their parents, and physical harm between children in its residences. The agency's Safety in Care report for the year ending June 2023 shows 9% of children in its care were harmed. That's up from 5.6% in 2019. Oranga Tamariki's Nicolette Dickson told Mike Hosking that in the past, harm children have experienced in care has probably gone undetected. She says what's really difficult is when children are open and honest but aren't believed and action isn't taken, which is why Oranga Tamariki reports on this. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The West Coast is punching above its weight with visitor spending numbers. Last year's figures rose more than 30-percent from 2022. It's way ahead of the national average of 11.6 percent. Development West Coast Chief Executive, Heath Milne says it's an outstanding result, for the first full-year of having international visitors back. He says it's encouraging to see international spending nearly at pre-Covid levels. Milne believes the region's being more greatly recognised for its natural beauty and experiences on offer, by both domestic and international tourists. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An education researcher says the government's new education requirements will mean no change for some schools -- and a lot for others. The new government's making an hour each of reading, writing and maths compulsory at years zero to eight. Next term schools will be required to have cellphone policies in place -- but it's expected most schools will implement them this term. Education Hub founder Nina Hood told Tim Dower it's important students spend time every day on those subjects -- but it's more about the quality of instruction happening in that time. She says there are likely to be more announcements about the curriculum, lesson content and method of teaching. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An international geopolitical analyst says New Zealand's review of funding to the UN's aid agency in Gaza is appropriate - but should be done quickly. Several western countries have suspended funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency - following allegations its staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Australia, the US, the UK and Canada are among them. Analyst Geoffrey Miller told Tim Dower the allegations warrant scrutiny. He says it means western donor countries indirectly funded Hamas attacks on Israel -- which are why the allegations are so serious. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour wants New Zealand to recover from what he calls two lost decades. In his state of the nation address over the weekend, he claimed not much progress was made under the Ardern, Key and Clark governments. He pointed to the housing crisis, lagging education standards and productivity problems. Seymour told Tim Dower infrastructure is a key part of the turnaround. He says we need to reform regulation so things don't take so long to build. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Councils are getting the push from scientists to create their own risk maps for deadly landslides. Landslides are responsible for more deaths in New Zealand than earthquakes and volcano's combined. The calls are especially applicable in Nelson, where for hundreds of years the town has built on the unstable Tahunanui Slump. Nelson Mayor Nick Smith told Tim Dower the information will be useful in preventing them from building in similar areas. Smith says if geo-technical engineering can't be met and an area is high risk, it should not be built on. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Councils are getting the push from scientists to create their own risk maps for deadly landslides. Landslides are responsible for more deaths in New Zealand than earthquakes and volcano's combined. The calls are especially applicable in Nelson, where for hundreds of years the town has built on the unstable Tahunanui Slump. Nelson Mayor Nick Smith told Tim Dower the information will be useful in preventing them from building in similar areas. Smith says if geo-technical engineering can't be met and an area is high risk, it should not be built on. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you were after tickets to New Zealand and Australia’s next cricket clash, you’re out of luck. Despite the test still being a month out, tickets have officially sold out. Black Cap Neil Wagner told Tim Dower that it’s good to see everybody who’s excited, and hopefully they can put on a good show. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Cathedral Cove tourism operator believes the Department of Conservation's latest track update is just another delaying tactic. The track has been closed for almost a year after damage from severe weather. DOC says it'll know in coming months if the track is feasible, or if other options need to be considered. It has commissioned further land stability monitoring. Cathedral Cove Scenic Cruises' Ken Hindmarsh told Tim Dower that he's on the water constantly and hasn't seen any rockfall since the main weather damage. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What the heck is the Associate Health Minister doing floating the idea of a freeze on cigarette tax increases? We know the ongoing hikes in tobacco excise duty have done the job, smoking is right down and only about 8% of us are now daily smokers. Tax has essentially priced us out of smoking, they're a couple of dollars a pop these days. Now, the coalition dropped a shocker on us with respect to smoking before Christmas, when it ditched that world-leading legislation which would have banned anyone born after 2008 from ever being able to buy tobacco. It also abandoned the move to cut the number of tobacco outlets and reduce nicotine content. All of those, you'd have hoped, would have helped create an environment in which, slowly but surely, New Zealand would evolve into a nation of non-smokers. And as I said at the time: what an achievement that would have been. Not that I have anything at all against smokers. It's a personal choice, but it costs you and there's no excuse for not knowing about the health risks. But I do know what it's like to be addicted to a harmful substance and the tortures of trying to get off nicotine. So, I feel strongly that if we can spare the next generation from that and everything else that goes with smoking, it's the right thing to do. So, back to the Associate Health Minister —Casey Costello— and her sniffing around for information that would support a three-year freeze on tobacco tax hikes. The job of the Health Ministry and of its Minister and Associate Ministers is to manage the health system, it's not meant to concern itself with taxation or excise duties. It gives the impression that the Associate Minister doesn't recognise the taxes are good for the nation's overall health. And worse, it gives the impression the Associate Minister cares more for the tobacco trade, than she does for health. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today marks 236 years since Britain's First Fleet landed in Sydney Harbour. Protestors have marked it by vandalising statues of Captain James Cook and Queen Victoria in Melbourne. But Australian correspondent Murray Olds told Tim Dower that despite the visible opposition to Australia Day celebrations, a recent poll says otherwise. He says it shows almost 70% of Australians say they must keep celebrating it —up on last year— and 60% say the date must stay on 26 January. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida's legislators have passed a bill to ban social media for children under 16. It will affect any site that tracks user activity, allows for online interaction, and uses features designed to cause excessive use. Both Democrats and Republicans support it, arguing social media can cause mental health issues and addiction in children. US correspondent Richard Arnold told Tim Dower that Florida isn't alone, Utah has also banned children under 18 using it without parental consent. He says an industry group is suing Utah over their bill, and New York mayor Eric Adams called social media an "environmental toxin". LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win for our local tourism operators as inbound travel bookings to New Zealand surge. Flight Centre data shows they've increased 65% in the last three months. General Manager, Heidi Walker, told Tim Dower that a close to home destination is leading the pack for bookings. She says 57% of soon-to-be travellers are from Australia, as well as solid numbers from the UK and Canada. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Cabinet Minister wants the Government to be more careful around sensitive information. An MBIE investigation’s found a confidential cabinet paper, sent to Oranga Tamariki and 19 other agencies was leaked, regarding repealing Fair Pay Agreements. It was sent to a union representative from an Oranga Tamariki worker, and then leaked to media. Workplace Relations and Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden told Tim Dower that she doesn't think it was necessary for the document to be sent to other agencies. She hopes Cabinet looks into how it treats sensitive information. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People have been left shocked and disappointed by Oranga Tamaraki's data issues around children's healthcare. An Independent Children’s Monitor report has revealed gaps in information about whether children in state care are receiving medical and dental checkups. Whanau Ora Commissioning Chair, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, told Tim Dower that these standards of care have been required since 2019. She's surprised to hear it hasn't happened, particularly as child in care's health outcomes are poorer. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes that the increase in breath tests will be a turning point for reducing deaths and injuries from drunk driving. Provisional figures show Police took more than three million tests last year, up from 2.4 million in 2022. It's the first time it's surpassed three million tests since 2014. AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen told Tim Dower that it's testament to the huge effort to crackdown on drunk driving. He says the challenge now is to make sure it isn't a one-off. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lower inflation is thought to be responsible for ASB reducing interest rates on its three, four, and five-year home loans. The Official Cash Rate's predicted to peak early this year before falling, and inflation is lower than previously predicted. Squirrel Mortgages Chief Executive David Cunningham told Tim Dower that he believes the Reserve Bank would like to see retail banks continue to lower rates. He thinks it would be pleased with how things are unfolding but would like to see one-year rates start to drop. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2023 is well on the green for kiwi golfer Steve Alker. He took the opening tournament of the 2024 PGA Tour Championships by four strokes, making this his eighth Championship victory. This follows on from his second-place win in the 2023 Charles Schwab Cup. Alker told Tim Dower that you never quite know what you’ve got game wise coming into the new year. His win is attributed in part to a lucky shot on the seventh course, to which he said that while there is always luck involved, he was the one to make the putt and the eagle, helping with momentum. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American politics is pretty baffling, isn't it? In arguably the most powerful nation on earth, with a population of well over 300 million and both the main candidates for President look pretty shabby, don't they. The way things are looking now, the country will be led by either a doddery old fart with some dodgy offspring, or a raving egomaniac with a dodgy business track record and his own dodgy offspring. Out of that massive population and all that economic power, they're the best that aspires to occupy the White House? Where's the Kennedy? Where's the Clinton? A Reagan would do, a Carter perhaps, even an Obama? Barring a major political shock, the Republican nomination will go to Donald Trump and Joe Biden will have another crack. Perhaps what it tells us is the rest of America is either completely satisfied with the way things are going or that they perceive no prospect of changing the way things are done. You'd think voter turnout would be an indicator. Only two-thirds of the eligible population bothered to vote in the last presidential election. Three out of ten people there haven't voted in the past three election rounds, not for the presidency in 2020, nor in either the 2018 or 2022 mid-terms. Less than 40% voted in all three, less than four out of ten. Is that apathy? Or a signal that people see no point because they don't like either side, and their system is still a first past the post duopoly. Just as a side note, our turnout last time was 78% overall, it has been in the 80s under MMP. So why does it matter to us anyway? If they want a lunatic president that's their business, isn't it? Well, apart from the significant geopolitical issues, we do quite a lot of business with the States, and there's a lot of two-way travel between here and there. Oh, and we've just agreed to get involved in a contentious military adventure led by the Americans, in the Middle East. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A night at the theatre is back on the table. The Pop-Up Globe returns next month, bringing well-loved classics to life for the first time since 2020. Audiences will be able to enjoy Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet in comfort, the company taking to the stage of SkyCity Theatre. David Lawrence, the Artistic Director for the Globe, told Tim Dower that the shows feature a lot of returning actors and the same performance style, just with comfortable seats and air conditioning. He said that the Pop-Up Globe is a populist theatre company, and they perform these plays so everyone can come together under the same roof and have a great time together. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baby boomers are back in the business of selling their businesses. Professional services network PwC says it’s seen an uptick in enquiries from owners looking to exit successful firms. ABC Business Sales Managing Director Chris Small told Tim Dower that they list approximately 800 businesses for sale each year, about half of which belong to baby boomers. He said that uptick began at the backend of 2023, as the economic uncertainty caused by Covid is abating. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says the Government still has work to do in reducing inflation. The Consumers Price Index rose 4.7% in the year to December, a two year low. Nicola Willis says they want that into the 1-3% percent range. Rents were one section of the economy which bucked the trend by increasing. Willis told Tim Dower that the Government is working to make it easier to build more houses. She says they are making it easier for council to build more and consent the accompanying infrastructure. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is considering giving lethal aid to Ukraine in a proposed new round of assistance. Most of Aotearoa's support to the nation, under siege from Russia, has been in the form of humanitarian aid. Massey University international security expert John Battersby told Tim Dower that they're considering it. But he believes New Zealand's more likely to go where our strengths are; in training, advice, and humanitarian support. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour is remaining defiant in the face of a lack of enthusiasm for his treaty plans from his boss. The Prime Minister is making it clear that National has no interest in meddling with the Treaty of Waitangi. Christopher Luxon's party has promised to support ACT's proposed bill on treaty principles to first reading, but no further. But Seymour told Tim Dower that public opinion might sway them. He says it may be more popular than National and New Zealand First think, and their support could continue further than just to select committee stage. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six Defence Force specialists are off to the hot zone in the Middle East. Judith Collins has been at pains to stress they won't be in combat roles, and won't be going into Yemen itself, where the Houthis are launching their attacks on shipping from. The job is defined as helping to protect shipping routes and playing a part in bombing targets in those parts of Yemen under Houthi control. We're being told it's wrong to conflate the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea with what's going on in Gaza. Thing is, the Houthis do conflate those two, and their main backers —Iran— see Israel as the ultimate enemy. So, effectively, by joining this US and UK coalition under the banner of protecting trade, whatever message we're intending to send is going to be perceived in a different way in that part of the world. I'm not saying we shouldn't in the long term be looking to have closer ties with the US or the UK. I think it would be to our advantage to negotiate a way into the AUKUS alliance, and to upgrade our military significantly in the ways that would require of us. So, playing our part here is kinda timely. But do we want to be at the beck and call of any other nation, especially when it comes to the Middle East? Is getting involved in the attacks on the Houthis a contradiction of our stated position on Gaza? I guess that depends on your position on that. But isn't perception the important thing here? How will our part be perceived in the Middle East? So, in summary: do we need to show some solidarity with our traditional allies over the Red Sea attacks? well yes, we do. As a trading nation, we rely on safe shipping routes. Do we need to have better ties with our traditional allies? Yes, it's a volatile world right now. But we also need to remember that sometimes being a good ally is like being a good friend. And sometimes being a good friend means confronting your friend and being prepared to speak your mind bluntly when what they're doing, or not doing, is wrong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand wool is finding its feet in the US market. New research from the Campaign for Wool reveals that at least three in four purchasers would buy again, and when it comes to insulation 88% percent of customers would use wool in future. The Campaign’s chair, Ryan Cosgrove, told Tim Dower that this study is empirical evidence that global attitudes towards wool are shifting. He said that New Zealand is rating highly for producing quality, luxury, and sustainable wool. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All signs are pointing to a much-needed easing in inflation. Consumer Price Index data for the December quarter will be released later today. The Reserve Bank has forecast annual inflation to come in at 5%, while ASB thinks 4.7%, and KiwiBank 4.6%. Jarden Economist John Carran told Tim Dower that they’ve seen clear signs that components of the CPI are coming down, with things like food, petrol, and some goods prices. He said that they’re also seeing some easing in the economy, and all these factors point to the inflation rate starting to ease. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electricity prices are continuing to bite as kiwis deal with a scorcher of a summer. Genesis Energy is raising its prices for the second time in the span of eight months, increasing rates for 11% of their customers. Inflation is being blamed. Genesis’ Chief Retail Officer Stephen England-Hall told Tim Dower that the cost of energy is growing with demand, as kiwis seek to decarbonize their lives and increase their electricity usage as a result. He said that they’re trying to be as fair and reasonable as they can, as they’re very conscious of the cost-of-living crisis. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour says New Zealand has no place in the fight against Houthi rebels. Six personnel are being deployed to the Red Sea to support coalition airstrikes against the group, who have been attacking commercial shipping. Labour and the Green Party have come out against the move. Labour's Palmerston North MP Tangi Utikere says the move has shades of the Iraq invasion. He told Tim Dower that National should follow Helen Clark's example, and not support this latest venture. On the other hand, National’s Mark Mitchell said that it’d be wrong to bury our heads in the sand and say it doesn’t impact us. He said that the Houthi attacks on shipping lines has a big impact on New Zealand, and the Government has been clear that we have to support our partners in the US and UK. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An immigration lawyer says people are asking to buy job offers in New Zealand. Newshub reports 10 young migrant workers claim they paid between $50-70,000 to Indian agents for the jobs, but were underpaid and made redundant just months in. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says she's seeking advice to further tighten settings for the Accredited Employer Work Visa. Immigration lawyer Aaron Martin told Tim Dower that some people ask recruiters, immigration agents, and immigration lawyers here how much it will take to buy a job. He says they spend a lot of time saying that's not legal in New Zealand and they won't deal with them, but there's clearly a group of employers who are tempted. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to face some heat at Ratana today. Chris Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters are both expected to attend the celebrations near Whanganui. Political commentator Brigitte Morten told Tim Dower that there will be no hiding from the debate for the Prime Minister, but it will be done respectfully. She says celebrations around Waitangi Day tend to feature more protests and stunts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Defence Minister says New Zealand has taken a principled stand against Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Middle East. New Zealand will send six personnel to the Red Sea, as part of an ongoing US-led mission to strike the Iran-backed rebels carrying out the attacks from Yemen. Judith Collins told Tim Dower that the war and the attacks shouldn't be conflated, as the attacks were going on long before the war in the Gaza. She says the groups have seized on the war as an excuse to ramp up their attacks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Voting is underway in the American state of New Hampshire, with former President Donald Trump and his former ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, facing off to be the Republican nominee. It comes after Trump's victory at the Iowa caucus and rival candidate Ron DeSantis dropping out and endorsing the ex-President. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Tim Dower that it's Nikki Haley's last stand. He says latest polls give Trump a 22-point lead over Haley, and says it looks like Trump will seal the deal. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Established in 2019, kiwi band 'NO CIGAR' has already found massive success on a world stage. They toured the Northern Hemisphere in 2023, playing headline shows in the UK and France before dropping back home to play the festival circuit over summer. Self-described as 'semi-rock', the band recently released their sophomore album 'The Great Escape', a coinciding tour taking place from December through to February. When it comes to overseas tours, Lead Guitarist Josh Morrice told Tim Dower that they didn't really know what they were getting into. "We kind of just thought, let's give it a crack." They knew they had fans throughout Europe and the UK, but didn't expect to sell out shows in Amsterdam and London. "London sold out three times, which was pretty, pretty spectacular and pretty amazing to kind of have that happen on our first time." Morrice said that selling out these shows was validating. "It feels like we're doing the right things, and we just need to keep doing it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supermarkets are under fire again. The Commerce Commission now says it will look into what might be dodgy pricing practices. If past performance is anything to go by, expect them to find pretty much nothing when they report back. And again, going on past performance, expect to see that report sometime around the early 2030s. Consumer NZ has been asking for an investigation since August, I guess Comm Comm since then has been investigating whether it's got time to do an investigation. After all, it's busy with...err...well...it's busy. Just busy. Any road up, there probably is a case to answer. But I wonder if the horse hasn't kind of bolted with the new labelling that’s already on its way, and recognition on the part of the supermarkets that shelf tickets can and should be more standardised. That way people can compare like with like and decide if they're getting a good deal or not. It's actually information that's been there, on a lot of products for long enough if you have the time to look for it. Now, some stuff you buy goes on so-called 'special' on a regular cycle and those deals are actually often driven by the manufacturers and suppliers. So, if you have the time and the inclination and the desire to plan, you can take advantage of those deals by bulk buying when things are cheap, and not buying when they're not. Have a bit of sport trying to beat the supermarkets at their own game, knowing all along that you'll never win. End of the day, the thing is we all have to eat and for most of us, the main source of our food is the supermarket. The duopoly knows this and rubs their hands with glee every time we go in. They're smart enough and tough enough businesspeople to know how to maximise their profits from our needs. So, what's needed is not an expensive and long-winded report from the Commerce Commission, what's needed is more competition. We’ve seen how tough it is to break into the market just from a couple that have tried, we've known that more competition is the answer for years now. So, the question is: how do we get more competition into the market? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The America's Cup match will start on October 12th in Barcelona. The dates for this year's regatta have been confirmed, with a winner expected to be crowned by October 21st. A preliminary regatta will be held in late August to bed in the new AC75s before Team New Zealand faces their challengers in the Louis Vuitton Cup round robins from August 29 to September 8th. They then watch on with interest as the semi-finals and finals unfold in September and early October before the Cup Match. Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton told Tim Dower that when it comes to the teams involved, they have to be wary of all of them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lawyer says it would be useful to have a look at regulations around parking fines. Some concert goers at a Foo Fighters show in Auckland were left hundreds of dollars out of pocket after a parking scam led to them being towed. Clifton Chambers Barrister Ben Hamlin says people will have to pay the fee, but they can raise a dispute after the fact around if the fee was reasonable. He told Tim Dower that there's room for reform. Hamlin says there should be a maximum fee for private towing, same as there is for public carparks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Republican strategist thinks Donald Trump is a shoo-in for the party's Presidential nominee. Florida's Ron DeSantis has officially dropped out of the race to be the 2024 candidate and endorsed Trump. The New Hampshire primary is tonight, with Trump seen as a frontrunner to South Carolina's Nikki Haley. Campaigner Matt Terrill told Tim Dower that DeSantis supporters will likely go with his endorsement. He says if New Hampshire goes with Trump, which he expects it will, that's going to lock him in as the presumptive nominee. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is again pouring cold water on ACT's Treaty Principles bill. ACT Leader David Seymour plans to introduce a bill to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi by May. National will support the bill to the Select Committee stage, but no further. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka told Tim Dower that they aren't interested in rewriting the Treaty. He says the Treaty stands as it is, and is important for the past, present, and future. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer NZ is pleased that the Commerce Commission's investigating the two supermarket chains on the back of its complaint. The commission's investigating whether certain pricing and promotional practices comply with the Fair Trading Act. Consumer NZ received more than 600 complaints from consumers. Chief Executive Jon Duffy told Tim Dower that this includes the price on the shelf being different to what's being charged at the till. He says more complex issues include multi-buys like two for ones, but it's more expensive to buy the two than buy them separately. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Otago University researchers have taken strides towards solving the mystery surrounding Long Covid. A new study has found strong links between the illness and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, suggesting those suffering from either condition, may benefit from a coordinated treatment strategy. Otago University Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry Warren Tate told Tim Dower that research on each illness could be translated across to help each other. He says there are some differences, but both conditions have the same physiology defects in the immune system proteins and in energy production. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Maori King's chief of staff says his national hui exceeded expectations. Around 10-thousand people attended the hui which was held in response to concern about the Government's Māori policies. National's Maori Development Minister Tama Potaka went - but there were no representatives from other coalition partners Act or NZ First. Kiingitanga Chief of Staff Ngira Simmonds told Tim Dower that there was unity, peace and harmony. He says iwi from across the country, pakeha, pasifika, and all people who live here came in numbers far greater than expected. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some locals want a permanent vehicle ban on Auckland's Muriwai beach. A teenage girl died yesterday after being thrown from a ute that rolled on top of her - two others have serious injuries. A fisherman described a vehicle hooning and doing burnouts. Rodney Local Board chair Brent Bailey told Tim Dower vehicles were banned from the beach during the holiday break - but allowed back from January the 15th. He personally believes it's reached a point where they can't afford to have vehicles on the beach with all the fishers, bathers, dog walkers and horses. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A number of troops have been injured from an Iran-backed militia group's missile attack, on Al-Asad airbase in western Iraq. It's the latest in attacks on US troops since the outbreak of war in Gaza, with international shipping in the Red Sea also targeted by Houthis in Yemen. US Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis told Tim Dower that there's pressure in the US to target Iran, to get the militia groups -- but it's very dangerous. He says if the US adds Iran or Hezbollah into their mix of targets, the whole region could turn into a flame. Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 25-thousand people -- with 178 killed in the past 24 hours. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dolly Parton is a music legend. Her career spans 50 years, 11 Grammys, countless country music awards, and over a hundred-million records sold worldwide. She’s released over seventy albums, and since her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she’s decided to live up to the title and release a rock album. So she joined Newstalk ZB’s Hosking to talk her 49th studio album, Rockstar. It features both original songs as well as covers of iconic hits, and on 27 of the 30 tracks Parton is accompanied by a whole cast of music stars. When it came to building the album, Parton told Mike Hosking that it started with choosing songs she especially loved. “Then you think, well, am I gonna be able to sing this song good and make the rock person that I’m stealing from proud?” She said that she didn’t want to be just another country artist who made a rock album. “If I’m gonna do a rock album, I’ve got to do it well enough to where the rock world will think, ‘Wow. You know, that’s pretty good.’” While she didn’t get to record in person with every artist who features on the album, there were a few. “That was fun,” Parton told the Newstalk ZB Breakfast host. “To actually get to stand there, get to talk to them after, you know, behind the scenes.” It always seems like every famous person knows each other personally, but Parton revealed that wasn’t the case. “I would actually... couldn’t honestly say I knew anybody other than Cheryl Crow and even Lou Harris.” Dolly Parton’s genre of choice is country, so a rock album was a bit of a departure for her in terms of musical style. She told Hosking that Kent Wells, her musical director and guitar player of over thirty years, told her that if she was going to do this, she had to be true to the genre. “He said ‘you really need to kind of be true to the song, as true to the melody as you can be also, and still be yourself.’” “I tried hard to, to try to stay in my lane so to speak,” she said. These days, most modern albums feature between ten to fifteen songs, with twelve being the standard length. Rockstar has thirty. “I always said I didn’t intend to do 30 songs,” Parton confessed to Hosking. “I was just doing all these songs on a demo scale, and then I just kept doing songs that I really liked.” With the completion of this album Parton’s done with the genre, telling Hosking that she’ll never need to do another rock album. Country music has boomed over the years, the genre growing and becoming more successful globally, and in New Zealand. “I’ve loved watching it grow too, and I’m just proud, you know, that people want to have that title: ‘I’m a country singer, I’m in country music,” Parton told Newstalk ZB. With such an extensive career, last month’s release of her autobiography, and the upcoming release of Rockstar, there is one question: where does she go from here? “I’m very passionate and very energetic and I have to focus that on something, but every new dream kind of spurs on another.” “I have all these chances now that I have my “brand,”” Parton joked. “I can sell cake one day and a rock and roll record on the next.” Although she has plenty to look back on, Parton doesn’t dwell on the past, “I’m still looking to the future.” “I’m gonna go just as long as I can and I’m gonna, I’m gonna create as much as I can,” she told Mike Hosking. She plans to leave as much good in this world as she can, feeling that it’s her duty to make the most of herself. “If I don’t, nobodies gonna do it for me.” Rockstar was released on November 17th.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir Rod Stewart has made another promise to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking. When the British rock icon joined Hosking, the radio host reminded him of his last time in New Zealand, where he dedicated a song to him. "You said was I coming to the show and I said I'd come to the show if you played Handbags and Gladrags and I was joking. But you did, and you dedicated it to me and that meant the world. I thought it was one of the greatest nights of my life," Hosking said. Chuckling, Sir Rod asked if there is anything else Hosking would like to hear to which he replies People Get Ready, which is a song that is performed regularly, and the artist tells Hosking he will "see you there." The 78-year-old was last in New Zealand in 2015 and is back next month for the third, and possibly final, time with shows in Dunedin, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland. With a record of 250 million records sold and an entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sir Rod says he and his team have their shows down to a science. "It does take a lot of planning," the London-born rocker told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking. "Not too much rehearsal, because we don't take years off. We played our last show only two weeks ago, so we don't need any rehearsals." Stewart prides himself on his performances and will be bringing his alter ego to New Zealand in order to give fans one last taste of his infectious live show, saying he brings as much of his personality as he can. "I'm old school, it's entertainment, people want to be entertained," he says. "I'm Mr. Razzle Dazzle, aren't I?" "I lived through the sixties and the seventies and the eighties were especially razzle dazzle, but I've always been a bit of a show off." After Australia and New Zealand, the United States and Britain are on the itinerary and while many at 78 would recoil at the thought of spending months on end at the other side of the world, Sir Rod Stewart relishes in the opportunity. "Love it! It wouldn't be doing it if I didn't love it. It's what the good Lord put me on this earth to do." The inevitable retirement rumours have swirled in recent years, with many predicting Sir Rod to hang up his microphone. He says he plans to work with a number of artists, including Jools Holland, and produce some music of some other genres and take up some new endeavours. "I just want to get away from what I'm doing, I've been doing it a hell of a long time and I love it, but I want a new challenge." In recent years he has become something of a philanthropist, having notoriously been called cheap in the past by Ronnie Wood, most recently housing a number of Ukrainian refugees who had fled the Russian invasion. "Lovely, lovely people. We've got to win this war, it'll be the end of man-kind as we know it if we don't." This is not the only example of the rock legend's generosity. In late February, he visited Essex Hospital and paid for a full day's worth of MRI scans following a phone call with Sky News, in a bid to reduce waiting times. He told Mike Hosking he had heard the effort had reduced times but 10 percent. If these are in fact Sir Rod Stewart's final shows in New Zealand they promise to be full of razzle dazzle, although fans will be hoping this is not the last time we see the famed performer on our shores. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paris Hilton has spoken of the empowerment she's feeling in telling her truth, detailing her experiences of childhood abuse. She's just released her auto-biography Paris: The Memoir. The 42-year-old addresses the alleged abuse she endured at boarding school, being raped at 15, having an abortion in her twenties and her infamous sex tape scandal. Hilton told Mike Hosking since sharing her experiences of alleged abuse at Provo Canyon School in Utah, tens of thousands of others have spoken out too. She'll go back to Washington D.C next month to push for federal legislation to introduce her new Bill regulating troubled teenage centres in the U.S. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She’s been making music for fourteen years but has only recently turned 23. Nashville-based singer-songwriter Alana Springsteen is taking the world by storm, the Grammys comparing her perceptive storytelling and pop-country music to a young Taylor Swift. She released her first album in late 2021, and just this year released her deeply personal three-part album ‘Twenty Something.’ The album is made up of three six song instalments: ‘Messing It Up’, ‘Figuring It Out’, and ‘Getting It Right,’ the full album containing eighteen songs total. Springsteen told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that she’s a big signs person, with eighteen being her lucky number. “It’s just kind of popped up throughout my entire life,” she said. “My birthday is the 18th, my parents got married on the 18th, and we’ll see it in the most random place.” Keeping in line, Springsteen released the album on August 18th. Eighteenth of the eighth. “I just tried to pack as much good luck into it as I could.” Not only is Springsteen a big signs person, but she’s also a big manifester. “I always had huge dreams when I was a kid,” she told Hosking. “I just had this blind faith that it was what I was meant to do.” Springsteen picked up the guitar when she was seven, started writing songs when she was nine, and started co-writing music with industry heavyweights not long after. She told Hosking that it was the first time she found people that spoke the same language that she did. “People were calling their friends being like, ‘you’ve got to come meet this girl,’ and it was just such an organic way of finding community.” Despite her youth Springsteen has already made songs with a variety of artists including Mitchell Tenpenny and Brad Paisley, and toured with Luke Bryan. “I learned so, so much just from watching him,” She told Hosking. “The way he interacts with the crowd, he’s so fan focused.” Community is a key part of music, country music in particular, and Nashville is where the roots of this community are planted. Springsteen has performed twice at what she calls the ‘Holy ground’, the Grand Ole Opry, telling Hosking that it’s hard to find words to describe the experience. “It doesn’t really hit you until you step in that circle. Until you’re thinking about everybody that’s come before you, and you feel like you’re officially part of the country music family.” Joining the family brought with it advice from the older generations, and for Alana Springsteen, Kenny Chesney had some words of wisdom. “Just do it your own way, let it come to you.” “The biggest thing he told me that stuck with me is not to be impatient, you know? He’s like, take your time.” She says she has to constantly remind herself that a slow rise builds a lasting foundation. “The most important thing to me is to have a long career and do this for the rest of my life.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.