The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Most economists expect the latest unemployment figures to show the labour market has finally turned a corner.  

Stats NZ is releasing its latest quarterly data at 10.45am. 

Westpac is picking a fall from 5.6% to 5.5% for Q3 – the first drop in five years. 

Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold told Mike Hosking we've seen the strongest quarter of employment growth since the start of 2023, and that combined with slower population growth adds up to a falling unemployment rate. 

He says our economic growth is still unbalanced, but there's enough that we should see falls in the unemployment rate throughout the next year and a half.  

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Congress is up for grabs in today's midterm elections, with Democrats eyeing up a potential double victory.

If secured, the party would be better placed to scrutinise President Donald Trump and block his plans.  

Polling predicts the Democrats have the House of Representatives in hand, but the Senate could be a tighter race.  

Former White House Spokesperson for George W Bush, Pete Seat told Mike Hosking he expects the Senate will come down to one seat, but some think it could be split down the middle.  

He says if that happens, it will have a fascinating impact on JD Vance's potential presidential campaign, because he'd have the tie-breaking vote as Vice President.  

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is supporting New Zealand's Police Commissioner being cleared of any wrongdoing. 

The police watchdog has cleared Commissioner Richard Chambers of wrongdoing after concerns were raised by an anonymous complainant. 

The IPCA found all accusations lacked evidence. 

National's police spokesperson Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking he had backed Chambers from the start. 

"We just believed him and at the end of the day, it's been extremely tough on him and his wife and daughters. 

"There's unequivocal evidence now." 

Mitchell agreed the facts behind the accusation should not be made public. 

"Those are sensitive issues and the public should maintain that we have a very good internal investigations unit. 

"These things have to be looked into and taken seriously, I saw the complaints, I backed him, the Prime Minister backed him." 

Labour's police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said despite the outcome, an investigation was warranted. 

"It's important that victims of crime need to be able to report crime and it be investigated thoroughly. 

"While each instance is different, it's important we don't create a culture where victims can't come forward." 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cheap Chinese imports are continuing to cause problems for our aluminium industry. 

Hollow extrusion imports are now up 192%, while reported values are down 31%. 

Commerce Minister Cameron Bewer has declined to introduce safeguards for the industry, instead telling it to file a new application and go down the anti-dumping route. 

McKechnie Aluminium Solutions Ltd's Dave Slomp told Mike Hosking the reason they were advised not to go down that route in the first place is because it can be quite hard to prove. 

New construction has fallen around 70% in China since 2021, and they'd have to prove it's being sold in New Zealand for a lower price than in China. 

He says proving it to be dumping might be extraordinarily difficult, and they'd also have to get the details on what it's being sold for from Chinese manufacturers.  

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our dairy industry is continuing to reach new heights. 

Prices have risen another 3% at this morning's Global Dairy Trade auction, with whole milk powder up 5.9% and skim milk powder up 3.1%. 

The sector's also produced more than two billion kilograms of milksolids during a single season for the first time. 

Dairy NZ Chief Executive Campbell Parker told Mike Hosking it's despite farmers costs still rising. 

He says farmers are doing more with less and drive good productivity through good decision making. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The trouble for Netball NZ is they claim to have a plan. 

The reality, of course, is we may or may not ever know what happened to the previous plan – the Williams-Mowbray plan. 

That plan looked set to go. Most of us didn't have a clue what was in it, nor do we care. But we know the names Mowbray and Williams. We know they have lots of money. We probably knew they were in it for the right reasons. We also knew Netball NZ is a mess, and the sport is in dire straits. 

So at that point, we most likely concluded there was a bit of hope. 

Until there wasn't, which was Friday's news. 

What didn't help on Friday was the seeming surprise from Williams, who apparently didn't see anything coming. 

Then on Friday night I watched netballers crying, as well they might. 

Personally, I would have cried before that, and for all I know some have. Because as an elite player I would have buggered off months back, probably when they shafted Noeline, who by anyone's measure is the G.O.A.T. The way she was treated defied belief. 

Anyway, after the players cried, they got an apology from Netball NZ, which said it regretted news of the Williams-Mowbray deal being tanked, leaking out. 

Places that leak, in my experience, generally aren't run well. 

So by yesterday, the new CEO of Netball NZ, Ms Wootten, having said her sorrys, then announced they had a plan. 

Here is the truth: I hope she does and I hope it's good because we live in a day and age in which stuff, rightly or wrongly, is dispensable. Yes, we will gnash our teeth and bemoan our plight, but once something is gone, we all move on. 

Netball at the top level is on the verge of collapse. 

There is no money. There is no TV. There is a limited audience, and kids have a world of choice when it comes to balls and running around. 

To put it bluntly, no one really cares. Make it work or don't. 

Williams and Mowbray seemed to be there for the right reasons. The deal may have been jettisoned for the right reasons. 

But the ball is back in the same old court. 

And that court has failed to produce anything other than more trouble. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Douglas has had an incredibly storied and illustrious Hollywood career. 

The son of the legendary Kirk Douglas, Michael more than established his own credentials over the course of six decades. 

He's got two Academy Awards under his belt, as well as Golden Globes and over half a dozen other awards and honours for both acting and producing.  

Douglas has plenty of stories to tell, and he's decided to do just that, releasing an autobiography called 'One Helluva Ride'. 

He told Mike Hosking that by all means, things have worked out. 

"Obviously one of the reasons why I wrote the book was I looked at my father and I, and between the two of us, we have quite a legacy ... I think 125 movies and 80 years in the business." 

"And then for me, you know, to have a kind of dual career as a successful producer, as well as an actor, yeah, it's been great." 

Although in the grand scheme of things, Douglas' life has worked out well, he told Hosking he does write in the book to be careful what you wish for. 

"Sometimes in my life, I was just too overwhelmed by acting and my responsibilities as a producer, and I think it hurt my marriage, to a degree, and, and my relationship with my first son, and certainly alcohol and drugs came into play in terms of self-medicating." 

"There's ups and downs," he told Hosking. 

"Yes, I was rewarded well, but certainly other things suffered." 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Protests continue to spread across Europe. 

Saturday saw unrest and police clashes in France, Germany, Portugal, and Albania, with protest camps also being cleared in Portugal. 

Shops have been looted, tear gas fired, and firebombs thrown as thousands of young people take to the streets. 

Newstalk ZB's Catherine Field live in Paris told Mike Hosking more protests are planned across France and Germany this week. 

She says it's Generation Z complaining about the high cost of living, cuts to public spending, and the lowering of education standards. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A spotlight on the rising costs of raising a young child. 

The latest report by Crayon —a support group working to reduce financial stress for parents— states the first five years of a child's life alone can cost parents almost $180,000.  

It's often nearly a third of parents' take home pay, and childcare alone often costs around $20,000 a year, per child.  

Founder Stephanie Pow told Mike Hosking with the current policy settings, there are very real costs and trade offs that parents have to deal with, but it doesn't have to be that way. 

She says our parental leave system is in the bottom quartile for primary carers, we have no paid partners leave, and some of the least affordable childcare in the world. 

But, Pow says, other countries have successfully tackled this issue and seen the benefits of it.  

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 3rd of November, it's good-news-Tuesday with good numbers around retail, EVs, international students, and payment arrears. 

Netball NZ CEO Jennah Wootten attempts to explain what's next after turning down the Williams-Mowbray deal to privatise the league. 

Legendary actor and producer Michael Douglas joins the show to talk his memoir 'One Helluva Ride'. 

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.