Holiday Breakfast

Morgana O’Reilly is one of New Zealand’s brightest screen talents.  

She first broke into the spotlight with the cult hit ‘Housebound’, appeared in the Australian series ‘Wentworth’, and rubbed shoulders with award winners and music royalty in season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’. 

The third season of HBO’s award winning series aired last year, and it seems to have changed O’Reilly’s life. 

“People are really nice to me now,” she told Andrew Dickens. 

“I’m pretty realistic about this industry, y’know, it’s fairly fickle. When you’re the cool kid at school, you’re the cool kid at school, but whether that stays that way, I don’t know.” 

It’s opened a few doors for the Kiwi actress, allowing her to get some things without having to audition “over and over and over and over and over and over again.” 

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Fears of Russian aggression will see France re-introduce national military service. 

Nearly three decades since conscription was scrapped, the plan will see young men and women volunteering for a 10-month military service.  

The new “national service” will focus mostly on 18- and 19-year-olds, and will initially be restricted to 3,000 volunteers, which should rise to 50,000 by 2035.  

France Correspondent Catherine Field told Andrew Dickens the Government has made it clear the service would only be carried out on French soil, and these will not be soldiers sent off to do duty for NATO and other countries. 

She says they’re hoping to perhaps tap into some of the skills young people have that aren’t as common in the armed forces, such as drone operators, counterterrorism surveillance, and even bakers, mechanics, and electricians. 

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The Government's being urged to reverse a decision to scrap the contract for the Cook Strait's emergency tug. 

Transport Minister Chris Bishop last year confirmed the 'MMA Vision' would leave service in February, saying its cost outweighs the risk, and it hasn't been required in most major incidents.  

But the Maritime Union's secretary Carl Findlay says with new Interislander ferries still three years away, removing the tug could be gambling with lives. 

He told Andrew Dickens for peace of mind and the security of our coast, we really need this vessel. 

Findlay says it’s proven itself time and time again, and Bishop could have a very serious situation on his hands if the funding isn’t reinstated.  

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A big decision for shareholders of homegrown Kiwi tech firm Rakon. 

The Auckland-based manufacturer of high-precision microchips and frequency-control components has received a takeover offer from California-based electronics manufacturer Bourns. 

Bourns is offering $356 million for the business. 

Rakon independent director Chris Swasbrook told Andrew Dickens it's a quiet Kiwi success story – a family business that has scaled globally. 

He says Rakon builds a very clever timing technology that keeps everything from satellites to smartphones ticking, and Bourns is an international conglomerate that's looking to expand. 

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A historic first for Warbirds Over Wanaka this Easter. 

One of the world’s most advanced fighter jets, the US Air Force F-22 Raptor, will appear on all three days of the April air show. 

It’s the only US-built fighter never sold overseas, and this will be its first visit to New Zealand. 

General Manager Ed Taylor told Andrew Dickens the demonstration will showcase the aircraft’s full capabilities, and it'll be unbelievably loud and ground-shaking. 

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An anti-Iran regime activist says deadly demonstrations there have become a fight for freedom. 

Hundreds of people have so far been killed amid a deadly crackdown on anti-Government protestors. 

President Donald Trump's warning the US is considering very strong options to intervene, and Iranian leaders are vowing to fight back if attacked. 

Anti-regime activist Leila Dadian told Andrew Dickens she hopes this is the end of Iran's Islamic Republic. 

She says the Iranian people have just one demand: democracy. 

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Hundreds are feared dead in what started as a cost of living protests in Iran, which spiralled into general protests against the regime.

The protests escalated as protesters were killed and the internet was blacked by the Government. 

UOA international relations professor and human rights expert Dr Maria Armoudian joined Andrew Dickens to chat about the ongoing situation.  

She said, "they don't have a problem arresting, jailing, killing people. And so yes, they are losing their legitimacy in that way as well, but it's also a signal of a weaker and weakened government because a competent and confident government doesn't have to respond this way."

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Kiwi student Arki Hunter has been accepted into New York's Columbia University in the early admissions round - with only 10-15% of students worldwide being accepted at that stage.

Hunter co-founded '12oz', an AI platform tackling NZ's drug and alcohol issues which won her a Crimson Education scholarship and the Deloitte Individual of the Year award. 

Hunter plans to major in sociology and political science at Columbia. 

She joined Andrew Dickens to chat about her career goals, socially conscious businesses, and the brain drain.

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Costs from grocery suppliers to supermarkets increased again in December 2025 by 2.4%pa.

Proteins saw the largest increase, and dairy's price increase slowed but still remained above the average. 

Although, Brad Olsen says the latest numbers give him hope for better food costs through this year. 

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On Sunday the Government announced a new platform, Open Electricity, to compare power plans.

A Beehive press release claims that approximately two million households and 165,000 small business customers will benefit.

Energy minister Simon Watts chats to Andrew Dickens about the new platform and a focus on increased transparency for consumers across industries. 

"We think the average household's probably going to save about $360 a year," he said. 

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