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New data out of Stats NZ reveals the country's gross domestic product grew by 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2025. It's a stronger result than predicted by the Reserve Bank and Treasury. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann unpacks these results - and voices his concerns about the future. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers is calling on Revenue Minister Simon Watts to rule out new changes to the Fringe Benefit tax that would impact utes. The IRD has proposed major changes to the way FBT applies to utes and farmers are concerned this would set them back thousands of dollars a year. Federated Farmers' transport spokesperson Mark Hooper says this issue started drawing in more attention post-Fieldays. "We've had a little bit of communication with the minister's office - as I said, we looked at it from a farm perspective, we could see that there were some issues with the categories they had laid out." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Government has faced calls to update its tax system to pay off its national debt. The Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said he won't ‘rule in or rule out' any changes to future tax plans, including raising the GST, something the treasurer has clearly said he is against. Australian Correspondent Murray Olds says, “there's no doubt, you have to have to have some reform over here.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon's trip to China looks to be successful so far as it reaches its conclusion today. Chris Luxon is due to meet President Xi Jinping this afternoon after 871 million dollars of commercial agreements have been signed so far between Kiwi businesses and our Chinese counterparts. New Zealand China Council executive director Alistair Crozier told Andrew Dickens that today's meeting between leaders will be more than pleasantries. He says there is a lot to discuss, and it will come down to a respectful exchange of views. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An International Relations Expert says the Prime Minister will set the record straight in China regarding the pause on Cook Island aid funding. Foreign Minister Winston Peters has put millions of dollars in developmental aid on hold - saying trust needs to be restored. The island nation signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, without reference to New Zealand, despite our two countries' official special relationship. International Relations Expert Robert Patman says the timing of his current visit to China, isn't great. He says he's sure Luxon will make the point the Cook Islands were informed well before this visit. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Crusaders take on the Chiefs in the Super Rugby final held in Christchurch tomorrow night. With nearly half the games decided by 7 points or less, the recent games have been tight and entertaining, leading to a boost in viewer numbers. Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley says, 'law innovation' and ‘close games and unexpected results' have helped Super Rugby gain its recent boost in audience. Crowd numbers are also up by 6% this year, despite fewer games. This increase is expected to continue next year. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Department of Internal Affairs' Digital Messaging Transparency Report shows reports of text scams fell by 62 percent between 2023 and 2024. It seized almost 400 thousand dollars' worth of scam equipment last year. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson told Andrew Dickens that people can now report text scams with a single click. He says there have already been 665 thousand of those reports so far this year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hawaiian soul and R&B musician Deva Mahal joins Andrew Dickens to discuss her new single ‘South Coast'. Deva Mahal is the daughter of legendary Blues Singer Taj Mahal, a factor that she says does not impede her music. She said that “[Taj Mahal] has always taught us it's not following in his footsteps; it's standing in his light” The Wellington-based artist has hinted that her next project will be released this October. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwibank's chief economist says GDP figures released today show good momentum - but the next report isn't looking as good. Stats NZ says our gross domestic product grew a strong 0.8 percent in this year's first quarter. It's much higher than predicted by the Reserve Bank and Treasury. Jarrod Kerr says there is less optimism around the quarter ending June. "The data that we talked about was for the first quarter - obviously, it pre-dates Trump's tariff announcements, which has thrown a whole lot of uncertainty into the year. And it also predates the recent spike in oil prices." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US President has set himself a two-week deadline to decide on US involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict. Hundreds have been injured and killed over the past week, with both sides trading punishing strikes. Israel has bombed nuclear and civilian targets in Iran - and Iranian missiles hit an Israeli hospital overnight. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Andrew Dickens that Donald Trump has very publicly been trying to negotiate an end to the conflict, with domestic politics playing a part. He says Trump is dealing with division in his own political ranks over the issue and he's been going back and forth on US involvement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Israel-Iran conflict has continued on for a week - and it's seen markets dropping as more fear the conflict intensifying. Experts also believes markets are likely to drop further if the US gets more involved in the conflict. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains the market impact of the conflict. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are early finishes to blame for the surgical backlog? Surgeon Chris Wakeman claims that public health professionals won't perform surgeries past the 4pm cutoff, causing backlog issues. Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan told Mike Hosking that early finishes do occur. The rosters generally run until about 4:30/5pm, and he says that there are very few operations that can be done in less than half an hour. He says they've been running weekend theatres to try get more people through, but you need quite a big work force to do that consistently. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Matariki this weekend, we've come to the end of a short week. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson joined Mike Hosking to get their session of Mike-bullying in early – going after his expensive tastes, his lack of control over his life, and his special burgundy suede loafers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest carbon auction was a bust. It attracted zero bids, becoming the eighth auction to be declined. The secondary market currently sits around $58 a tonne, while the auction price sits at $68. ACT's Climate Change Spokesperson, Simon Court told Mike Hosking it shows that industrial emitters, such as coal users, already have enough units in the carbon bank to pay for this year's emissions. With the success of the secondary market, Court says it's evidence the Emissions Trading Scheme and the carbon markets are working quite well. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 19th of June, what will our GDP number look like? It's set to look quite healthy, but will that give us false hope in Q2? The Crusaders are going to win the Super Rugby final this weekend, so coach Rob Penney is on to tell us how they'll do it. It's a short week, so Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson get to have their Mike-bullying session slightly earlier as they Wrap the Week. 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.

A sleep-expert assures Melatonin is safe, but is still urging people to take caution. Medsafe has given approval for the sleep drug to be available over the counter at pharmacies. It is commonly used to treat insomnia or jet lag. Sleepwell Clinic Director Alex Bartle says potential side-effects are fairly minor, and long-term effects aren't fully understood. However, he doesn't believe it's as valuable as it's made out to be. Bartle told Mike Hosking behavioural treatments are much more effective. He says a 2017 study shows a person's total sleep time after taking the medication didn't improve, and says he doesn't prescribe Melatonin at all. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are concerns scrapping the traditional census won't deliver the desired results. Stats NZ is moving to a system using Government collected admin-data, saying the current five yearly Census is financially unsustainable. Census-style questions will still be asked in much smaller annual surveys looking at a small fraction of the population. Former national statistician Len Cook told Mike Hosking data-wise, this won't cut it. He says admin-data comes from about a dozen different sources, none of them complete. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The economy is expected to look better than earlier predictions. Figures —due out from Stats NZ this morning— are expected to show the country's GDP grew 0.7% for the first quarter of the year. It's slightly higher than 0.4%, predicted earlier this year. ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley told Mike Hosking things are expected to slow through the middle half of the year. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Crusaders' current Super Rugby season is like chalk and cheese when compared to the las. They missed the playoffs in 2024, with just four wins in 14 matches. In contrast, this year sees them host the grand final against the Chiefs – clashing at the Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday. Coach Rob Penney told Mike Hosking the Chiefs have beaten them twice this year, but neither team is the same team as they were on those occasions. He says it's going to be another tight match, and the team that holds its composure the longest, prepares the best, and plays the best will be the ultimate victors. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Vocational Minister's hopeful students will flood back to polytechs after the model is de-centralised. Staff-to-student ratios are still lower than they were in 2016, despite staff numbers being slashed by 8.2%. Penny Simmonds says low ratios signal financial trouble. She told Mike Hosking student numbers have dropped by 11,000 since Te Pukenga was established in 2020. Simmonds says the Government's working hard to get student numbers up and viable again. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moana Pasifika are downplaying their dependence on outgoing skipper Ardie Savea. He will miss Super Rugby next year to take up a sabbatical in Japan, before making a 2027 return. Savea is signed with NZR through to the end of the 2027 World Cup in Australia and will end up spending half of that cycle playing in Japan. Franchise boss Debbie Sorensen told Mike Hosking that Savea's contribution might look inordinate, but there's a lot of things that go together to make the team work really well. She says that he's worked quite hard to ensure he's not the single outlier, working hard to bring the squad together and mentor other players. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's being suggested small businesses are finding it tougher to get loans than big businesses, despite being a safer option. The latest data shows the compound annual growth rate of bank lending has slowed from 6% to 1.5% since 2013. Small Business NZ Founder Phil Wicks told Mike Hosking most banks are making business hard. He says lending to someone with skin in the game should be more attractive to banks. Wicks told Hosking many banks assess loan risks like it was centuries ago. He says there are small businesses with strong work ethics, no debt, and personal guarantees, still being declined LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's being suggested the pricey cost of our food baskets is great for the economy but bad for our wallets. Food inflation has risen 4.4% annually, the highest in 18 months. Meat, poultry and fish had the biggest increases, while butter, milk and cheese drove grocery prices. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin told Mike Hosking increases in foods like Kiwifruit and butter is fantastic for New Zealand's economy, but tough for households. Quin says they're doing everything they can, but they can't contain the same costs of energy and people. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is delivering an increased number of elective procedures to try to meet patient wait time targets. More than 84% of cancer patients are starting treatment within 31 days – 1% more than last year. Health Minister Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking they want that up to 90% by 2030, and are working to speed up treatments. He says they've swiftly outsourced nine thousand 500 electives to the private sector in an effort to get Health New Zealand moving faster. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday the 18th of June, our food prices are on the way back up. Is it seasonal or is something happening behind the scenes? Our health stats are slowly trending in the right direction, and Health Minister Simeon Brown also answers the question as to why surgeries in public hospitals don't happen past 4pm. Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk Mark's lengthy trip over to China, scrutiny week, and the elective surgery load being taken on by the private sector on Politics Wednesday. 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 Government's having another crack at mental health, allocating $36 million to suicide prevention. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey's unveiled a five-year approach for addressing high suicide rates. The new Suicide Prevention Plan includes strengthening the workforce, targeting higher-risk populations, and improving community care. But Mental Health Foundation CEO Shaun Robinson told Mike Hosking they remain in a very resource-constrained environment. He says everyone will do their best with what's available from the Government, but a lot more is needed. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Mitchell's hoping to broaden relations with China in his role of Minister for Ethnic Communities. He's in the Chinese economic capital of Shanghai with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Mitchell's meeting with the Kiwi business delegation today to plan out what they want to achieve. He told Mike Hosking trade, food, and education are on the agenda. Mitchell says they're all ambassadors for New Zealand, aiming to solidify a relationship with China. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump's recent social media posts hint at major escalations in the Iran and Israel conflict. Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes, with at least 224 Iranians and 24 Israelis killed since hostilities began after Israel's initial attack on Friday. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking Trump's posts mean we could be on a brink of a rapid shift in the American role in the Iran and Israel conflict. He says Trump wrote that they now have complete and total control of the skies of Iran, which echoes exactly what Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu said in his most recent US interview. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's work to tackle emergency housing appears to be paying off. Only about 500 families remain in emergency housing after one year of the Government's Priority One policy. It bumps families to the top of the social housing waiting list if they have dependent children and have spent more than 12 weeks in emergency housing. Almost a thousand families with more than two thousand children have been moved from emergency housing motel rooms into homes, since the policy took effect Housing Minister Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking they're well on the way to solving the problem. He says under Labour's government, there were more than four-thousand families living in motels permanently. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's confident it's getting on top of youth vaping, with more rules coming in today. New rules come in today including stricter advertising restrictions for vape retailers and a ban on disposable vapes. It's in an effort to clamp down on youth vaping, with around 10% of teenagers currently regular vapers. Associate Health Minister Casey Costello told Mike Hosking she believes we'll see further declines in youth vaping. She says Action for Smokefree data shows youth vaping rates have declined over the last three years. However, she says New Zealand isn't ready for a full crackdown, and Australia's prescription only approach won't work here. She says Pasifika and Māori continue to have the highest smoking rates, and reducing availability for those who aren't engaging with the health system is problematic. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ian Foster was one of the more polarising All Blacks coaches in recent memory. He took the helm after the superb record of Sir Steve Hansen, and during his time there were constant discussions surrounding his job security. During his tenure he had a win rate of 70% and lost New Zealand the number one world ranking, but at the same time, he won 4 Bledisloe Cups, 4 Freedom Cups, and 3 Rugby Championships, as well as coming within a point of winning the Rugby World Cup. Foster is still in the coaching game over in Japan, but in the meantime, he's written a book called ‘Leading Under Pressure', that tells the story of his time with the All Blacks. He told Mike Hosking he had never intended to write a book, but felt it was an important story to tell. “A lot of the feedback we got is that people actually saw a team go through a journey over those four years,” he said. “I just felt that I almost owed it to my management team and a lot of my leading players to actually tell the story of the journey of that particular team.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel's operation against Iran is expected to "take weeks, not days", as tension escalates between the countries. 224 Iranians and 24 Israelis have been killed since hostilities began after Israel's initial attack on Friday. Features editor at Jewish News Syndicate, Steve Linde told Mike Hosking Israel has a few days to try to end this, before they alienate the world and go too far. He says Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to change the face of the Middle East by realigning forces for and against Iran, while the Americans want to strike a deal diplomatically. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nico Porteous is walking away from competitive free skiing, retiring at age 23. The Kiwi Olympian has admitted his 2022 Olympic gold and 2018 bronze in the freeski halfpipe have contributed to his decision. He told Mike Hosking he set out with a number of goals when beginning his career at age 12, and he's now achieved those goals. “I feel as if the ‘more, more, more' mentality can often lead to doing damage or leaving a sour taste in your mouth,” Porteous said. “So I just wanted to call it.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A growing number of New Zealanders perceive China as a threat. A new report from the Asia New Zealand Foundation surveyed 2,300 locals between November and December, with an additional poll in March. It shows New Zealanders' perception of China as a threat rose from 28% to 40% over four months. Jason Young, Director of Victoria University's NZ-China Research Centre, told Mike Hosking the big jump in threat perception happened in March, just after Chinese Navy conducted exercises in the Tasman Sea. He says that New Zealand has seen China and its military grow, but its military has always been very far away, and coming into the Tasman changed that. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 17th of June, we have good news around the number of families moved out of emergency housing and where they've gone. Small hint - it's not to cars or the streets. At 23 years old, Nico Porteous has decided he wants to retire from the Olympics, at the peak of his prime. He joined the show to delve into his decision. Former All Blacks coach Ian Foster has a new book out about leadership and his time in the top job, so he's on to talk all things pressure. 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.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 16th of June, the police are starting the ball rolling on putting bodycams on our frontline police. The Prime Minister is gearing up to head to China but before that he pops in to talk the economy, balancing world egos and why we still have 10 sick days. Andrew Saville and Jason Pine talk the F1, the Super Rugby semifinals and Auckland City getting pumped by Bayern Munich. 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.

As much as we tried to celebrate last week's excellent economic numbers regarding the food and fibre, the bullishness of Fieldays, the boost in elective surgery and the boom in teacher numbers, what you can't ignore is the manufacturing read for April. It hit a brick wall. It fell over six points and is below the 50 point expansionary mark. A couple of key things about that - while services and sentiment and spending figures have been bad manufacturing, for months now, has been on the increase each and every month. It has been above 50, it has been growing. It has been a significant green shoot in the overall economic picture. The other thing is employment. That is a sub category that had its biggest reversal in the history of the index. What makes this worse? For those of you saying "oh, it will be Trump", the experts don't think it is. So the big question is, how much of it is the world? Remember the World Bank last week reduced global growth all over the place. So how much of it is the world vs how much of it is the U.S? Has New Zealand Inc hit a tough spot? For trainspotters it was suggested fairly far and wide at the time that April and May seemed to be an issue. All the momentum that we felt we had at the start of the year had suddenly run out of puff. These numbers would tend to suggest the vibe was real. Ironically this week we get the GDP figures for Q1, that's January, February and March, and the broad consensus is that we will have seen good growth. They think about 0.7% for the quarter. If you annualised that out it gives you a number very close to 3%, which anyone would take in this troubled and turbulent world. But we can't annualise it out, not with manufacturing numbers like this. It might be short term. It may involve the Reserve Bank and that idea they had that things were a bit neutral and therefore not needing a gee up. They may well be hopelessly wrong. Politically it's a hole in the head the Government don't need, because its not like they aren't pedalling fast. But when one of your major economic reads that was good, now isn't, it doesn't take an economics degree to recognise a big, fat, red flag. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some kids have a nack for saving, a piggy bank full of coins - while some never get it. So what is it that makes someone good with money? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queen of the stage, Alison Quigan is a mainstay in New Zealand's performing arts scene. You may know her best as Yvonne Jeffries, Shortland Street's maternally-minded receptionist, or from one of her many theatre productions, as Quigan has spent her career creating stories that portray the real lives of Kiwis on stage. She's back to her theatrical ways, directing a brand-new production by Sir Roger Hall, ‘End of Summer Time'. It's the story of retired cow cocky Dickie Hart and his wife Glenda's move to Auckland, a decision Dickie thinks is the beginning of the end. Quigan told Jack Tame that Hall's a great observationist, and it's his understanding of his audience that allows them to connect with his works. “He's been telling the story of this particular generation for 50 years, and he is very loyal to them and they are very loyal to him.” She started directing his plays in the late 80's when she took over Centre Point Theatre in Palmerston North, but as a solo show, this one is a little bit more complex than normal. “You're actually trying to create all the other characters with the actor, and obviously with the writer, and so it's a case of making sure that he's, he can get from A to B to C to D, to all of that, so he can get through to the end of the play,” Quigan explained. “So there's the practical part of understanding how a solo show works, but also reassuring and just loving what this other person can bring to the play.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taskmaster NZ, The Traitors NZ, The Chase NZ – Kevin Milne is wondering if New Zealand has run out of ideas of our own. Being inspired by the success of overseas productions is fine, he says, but we shouldn't just be copying them outright. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Homeowners in Auckland might be shocked to see their properties valued 9% less than last year. How concerned should they be? Tim Beveridge is joined by Harcourts Cooper & Co Managing Director Martin Cooper. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Damage in the garden can strike at any time. Serious leaf damage (chewing and molesting of foliage all the way down the branches of a tree or shrub) is not something that small birds tend to do. At ground level you can rightly guess that sparrows and quail are the possible delinquents, but when it really looks like full-on destruction you will need to do a bit of research: Large bites in leaves: classic possum damage! Skeletonised Pohutukawa was bringing the trees to extinction – Project Crimson was the organisation that started the rescue mission. Possums work on their local, favourite tree in the neighbourhood – constant chewing puts trees under pressure to make more leaves, often with an increased amount of sugar – Yum! Bark damage is easy to spot: big scratches up and down the tree. Possum poo (1-1.5 cm in length) is often found under the tree – a dead give-away! But the most ridiculous damage in your garden is possum chewing on fruit, especially citrus. It's often like the possum helps you to peel the fruit – it only seems to like that peel and doesn't often touch the fruit, unless it is very sweet and ripe. Possums are rather destructive eaters. They eat a decent number of different trees – their favourites are Pohutukawa, Totara, Kohekohe, and Tawa, and their feeding habits literally have an impact on the make-up of our forests. That means that our forests are often changed in composition, which in turn could have an impact on the sequestering of carbon. All possums in New Zealand together eat about 21,000 tonnes of vegetable material – almost equivalent to the weight of the Sky tower! They also eat birds, and the eggs in their nest, and many larger insect species. At night, possums roam their territory. They are not always easy to find, as they are rather sneaky when going from tree to garden. We used to have them in the city of Auckland and many people simply didn't believe they would have them in densely populated areas. But even on quiet nights, possums can be heard making their special noises: growling, hissing, and screeching. Possum control is best attempted with the good old “Possum Trap”, also known as the Timms Trap. There are also the newer models of re-setting traps. Cam Speedy is a brilliant trapper and his best lure for possums is the following mixture: Make a “blaze” with flour (1 kg) and icing sugar (100 gr), plus 15 ml of cinnamon, peach, eucalyptus, or vanilla essence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 14 June 2025, legend of the screen and stage Alison Quigan joins Jack to discuss directing a brand-new theatre production from Roger Hall. Jack considers what real life skills we need in the world of AI. Kevin has a few thoughts on what skills we should be nurturing and hopes they might translate to more original ideas. Francesca Rudkin dishes on the dishy stars in new film ‘Materialists'. And Mike Yardley recounts his exploration of the Galapagos Islands. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oral hygiene is incredibly important for maintaining your health, but when you're brushing twice a day, you can burn through brushes pretty quickly. With dentists recommending toothbrushes be replaced every three months, New Zealanders send an estimated 20 million toothbrushes to landfill every year. Is there a better option? Kate Hall offers a few tips that could help bring down the waste. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly a million people in New Zealand are currently receiving Superannuation, getting payments of between nearly $600 and just over $1000 every fortnight. But in this cost of living crisis, how easy is it to survive on the pension? Ed McKnight tried living on it for a week and came to a couple of conclusions around what it would be like to retire. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Do the Galapagos sea lions know how good they have got it? Sprawled across the pristine beaches, they wallow, snooze, and frolic across the powder-white stretches of sand, blissfully unconcerned by curious passers-by entering their slice of paradise on a goggle-eyed shore excursion. In fact, some of the sea lions waddled up to greet us into their realm of unrivalled wonder. The Galapagos grips you good, and doesn't let go. I'm fresh back from my maiden visit to this extraordinary group of islands with Viva Expeditions, enjoying a four-night cruise aboard the magnificent La Pinta." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston's Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond; mission specialists John Griffin and Lydia Danes; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant. Vianne by Joanne Harris On the evening of July 4th, a young woman scatters her mother's ashes in New York and follows the call of the changing winds to the French coastal city of Marseille. For the first time in her life, Vianne feels in control of her future. Charming her way into a job as a waitress, she tries to fit in, make friends, and come to terms with her pregnancy, knowing that by the time her child is born, the turning wind will have changed once again. As she discovers the joy of cooking for the very first time, making local recipes her own with the addition of bittersweet chocolate spices, she learns that this humble magic has the power to unlock secrets. And yet her gift comes at a price. And Vianne has a secret of her own; a secret that threatens everything… LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Their 27th album and their most theatrical yet, Phantom Island is the latest release from Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. It's a partner to their prior album, Flight b741, and was recorded during the same sessions, continuing on with the same themes, but with a more orchestral sound. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on the album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India's set to lead an investigation into a plane crash in Ahmedabad, which has killed at least 290. The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed onto a doctor's hostel right after take-off, heading for London's Gatwick Airport. According to the Telegraph, the last words from the pilot were 'Mayday, no thrust, losing power, unable to lift'. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking this is the first fatal crash by this particular Boeing model, of which there's about a thousand in service around the world. He says experts believe the black box should contain a significant amount of information about the crash, and no doubt Boeing and US safety inspectors will play some role in the investigation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some good news for the New Zealand fashion industry. The once troubled NZ Fashion Week has secured a three-year partnership deal with Giltrap, ensuring its future for the next few years. It comes after the event was cancelled in 2024 due to economic uncertainty. Owner Feroz Ali told Mike Hosking it's going to be an amazing show this year. He says they have a packed schedule for the five day event, with emerging designers, new designers, and designers that probably haven't shown for 15 years all returning to the runway. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.