On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 18th of May, Winston Peters tries to speak his bank buying idea into being.

The Prime Minister responds to Winston Peters wanting to buy BNZ.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville cover Auckland FC, the Warriors win (and also loss) and the surfing in Raglan.

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

LISTEN ABOVE

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 18th of May, Winston Peters tries to speak his bank buying idea into being.
The Prime Minister responds to Winston Peters wanting to buy BNZ.
Jason Pine and Andrew Saville cover Auckland FC, the Warriors win (and also loss) and the surfing in Raglan.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
LISTEN ABOVE

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show.

Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda.

The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion, delivers the best talent, and always leaves you wanting more.

The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show. Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda. The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion, delivers the best talent, and always leaves you wanting more. The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show.Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda.The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion,...

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Full Show Podcast: 18 May 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/51165758-49d5-4996-9b40-b44d015d61d9/transcript

Can anyone tell me why literally everything that is ever done in the education space is rejected, hated and railed against by the unions?

Have the education unions ever not asked for more money, more resources or more non-contact time, while at the same time telling you everything in the classroom is crap?

The NCEA changes confirmed over the weekend, to most parent's eyes, will make perfect sense.

Anyone who has had kids through these past few calamitous years knows full well the old NCEA has been an abject failure.

The indisputable outworkings are;

1) We have a swath of kids leaving school too early without any real qualifications to their name. We then wonder why their unemployment rate is so high.

2) Of those who do leave, too many have a potpourri of random eclectic passes that may or may not mean anything in the real world.

On paper having hundreds of choices and vague terms like 'merit' or 'achieved' probably looked like it could make sense.

But it relied on parents and kids having the wherewithal and interest to navigate their way through a system that in reality allowed you to take the piss for an easy pass.

With 'A' to 'E' you know where you're at.

Being able to actually read and write remains as important today as it ever has and a few basics like science and maths are critical for life, as well as job prospects.

But no, this won't suit students according to the unions. Is it the students they are worried about, or themselves?

The more accountable you make the system the more questions that get asked about the quality of the teaching and what's unfolding in the classrooms.

Unions hate that. All that accountability is deeply unsettling and of course only ever cured by wanting more money.

Between the old NCEA and Covid there is a generation of our kids that have been robbed and, quite possibly, detrimentally affected for life. They have been let down shockingly.

If the unions wanted to make up for any of that, some enthusiasm and a vastly more productive approach to change and improvement would go a long way to restoring their increasingly tattered reputations.

LISTEN ABOVE

Can anyone tell me why literally everything that is ever done in the education space is rejected, hated and railed against by the unions?
Have the education unions ever not asked for more money, more resources or more non-contact time, while at the same time telling you everything in the classroom is crap?
The NCEA changes confirmed over the weekend, to most parent's eyes, will make perfect sense.
Anyone who has had kids through these past few calamitous years knows full well the old NCEA has been an abject failure.
The indisputable outworkings are;
1) We have a swath of kids leaving school too early without any real qualifications to their name. We then wonder why their unemployment rate is so high.
2) Of those who do leave, too many have a potpourri of random eclectic passes that may or may not mean anything in the real world.
On paper having hundreds of choices and vague terms like 'merit' or 'achieved' probably looked like it could make sense.
But it relied on parents and kids having the wherewithal and interest to navigate their way through a system that in reality allowed you to take the piss for an easy pass.
With 'A' to 'E' you know where you're at.
Being able to actually read and write remains as important today as it ever has and a few basics like science and maths are critical for life, as well as job prospects.
But no, this won't suit students according to the unions. Is it the students they are worried about, or themselves?
The more accountable you make the system the more questions that get asked about the quality of the teaching and what's unfolding in the classrooms.
Unions hate that. All that accountability is deeply unsettling and of course only ever cured by wanting more money.
Between the old NCEA and Covid there is a generation of our kids that have been robbed and, quite possibly, detrimentally affected for life. They have been let down shockingly.
If the unions wanted to make up for any of that, some enthusiasm and a vastly more productive approach to change and improvement would go a long way to restoring their increasingly tattered reputations.
LISTEN ABOVE

Mike's Minute: Do the unions have anything positive to say about education?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/9bb9ec61-0a37-4a55-9ec5-b44d0158c179/transcript

Andrew Saville and Jason Pine join Mike Hosking to review the weekends' sports. 

The Warriors defeated the Broncos in Brisbane, is this finally our year? 

And Auckland FC have defeated Adelaide to progress to the A League Grand Final, where they'll face Sydney FC on home turf. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Andrew Saville and Jason Pine join Mike Hosking to review the weekends' sports.&nbsp;
The Warriors defeated the Broncos in Brisbane, is this finally our year?&nbsp;
And Auckland FC have defeated Adelaide to progress to the A League Grand Final, where they'll face Sydney FC on home turf.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

ComBox: Andrew Saville and Jason Pine discuss the weekend's sports

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/550b3bd4-e625-4de9-ac57-b44d01536599/transcript

Chris Luxon is firing back at Winston Peters over his latest comments about immigration.

The New Zealand First Leader has been accusing his Coalition partners National and Act of being too slow on immigration.

The Prime Minister and National Leader says he feels like there's a bit of anti-immigration cos-playing going on, whereby some politicians pretend to be Donald Trump, Nigel Farage or Marine Le Pen.

He told Mike Hosking that the remarks by Peters are an example of that.

Luxon says New Zealand doesn't have uncontrolled immigration, while the US has 13 to 14 million illegal immigrants.

LISTEN ABOVE

Chris Luxon is firing back at Winston Peters over his latest comments about immigration.
The New Zealand First Leader has been accusing his Coalition partners National and Act of being too slow on immigration.
The Prime Minister and National Leader says he feels like there's a bit of anti-immigration cos-playing going on, whereby some politicians pretend to be Donald Trump, Nigel Farage or Marine Le Pen.
He told Mike Hosking that the remarks by Peters are an example of that.
Luxon says New Zealand doesn't have uncontrolled immigration, while the US has 13 to 14 million illegal immigrants.
LISTEN ABOVE

Chris Luxon: Prime Minister addresses spat between Labour and NZ First leader

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/f7ca8c22-6229-4ba2-847d-b44d014f5231/transcript

Full Show Podcast: 18 May 2026

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