The arrival of cruise ship Crown Princess in Auckland has marked the start of the 2026/27 cruise season. 

Louise Upston says 200,000 cruise passengers are expected to visit New Zealand between now and the end of June and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited expects the cruise sector to contribute more than $200 million to the local economy this season.

But, NZ Cruise Association CEO Jacqui Lloyd told Mike Hosking the benefits aren't limited to the major centres.

"I think it's the regional spread that cruise provides, the international spend that comes into smaller regions around the country that don't necessarily usually see, a lot of international visitation areas like Tauranga, Napier, Picton, Dunedin."

The arrival of cruise ship Crown Princess in Auckland has marked the start of the 2026/27 cruise season.&nbsp;
Louise Upston says 200,000 cruise passengers are expected to visit New Zealand between now and the end of June and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited expects the cruise sector to contribute more than $200 million to the local economy this season.
But, NZ Cruise Association CEO Jacqui Lloyd told Mike Hosking the benefits aren't limited to the major centres.
"I think it's the regional spread that cruise provides, the international spend that comes into smaller regions around the country that don't necessarily usually see, a lot of international visitation areas like Tauranga, Napier, Picton, Dunedin."

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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

Jacqui Lloyd: NZ Cruise Association CEO on climbing cruise visitors

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/49b921b9-4bb5-4222-9ea5-b4b6014634c2/transcript

The All Blacks faced their first loss of the South Africa tour on Sunday as the Springboks held them off to win 33 - 26. 

But, Newstalk ZB lead rugby commentator Elliott Smith isn't concerned. 

"I think this is what we expected out of the series, Mike, a ding dong battle, and that's exactly what we've got," he told Mike Hosking.

LISTEN ABOVE 

The All Blacks faced their first loss of the South Africa tour on Sunday as the Springboks held them off to win 33 - 26.&nbsp;
But, Newstalk ZB lead rugby commentator Elliott Smith isn't concerned.&nbsp;
"I think this is what we expected out of the series, Mike, a ding dong battle, and that's exactly what we've got," he told Mike Hosking.
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Elliott Smith: Newstalk ZB rugby commentator on All Blacks loss

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/b8cb3676-6c48-4f6a-a5db-b4b6014e8c48/transcript

To the Reserve Bank, the cash rate and the state of NZ Inc.

It's assumed by most that the cash rate will be increased 25 points to 2.75%.

It's also assumed there will be another one by the end of the year. What happens after that has a “who knows” feel about it.

What I feel, to a degree, is a groundhog-ish sort of vibe.

We have been here before. We were here before the war. The momentum was building, the recovery was on and we started to feel good about the place.

Then Trump blew it up.

It turns out, if Westpac are right, the period of the war (April, May and June i.e Q2) wasn’t as bad as we thought it might be.

They argue we will see negative growth of -0.1%, so in other words, it's flat and a return to real growth in this current quarter. This is all good!

What the Reserve Bank worry about is inflation. Perhaps they shouldn't be as much as they might be? No it is not in the band, but it's tracking that way.

Business and their desire to bump prices has hit a wall. We simply won't pay and we'd rather not buy than pay more.

The exceptions are rates, power, insurance and imported stuff like oil and also, previously, food.

The Reserve Bank can look through oil a bit. Insurance is starting to be under control. Even power for some is starting to fall in price as generation costs fall.

Food at 1.9% is sorted. Rates of course are an ongoing scandal but, and this is where Kiwibank are right, there is enough there if you were of a mind to just take a beat and let this play out a bit further.

In other words, given we are back where we were about a year ago i.e on the move and feeling better, why would you take a hammer, or at least a negative view of it all, and squeeze when you don’t really need to?

Why risk choking off what little we currently have?

To my mind it is a persuasive argument. It's perhaps a weakness in the Reserve Bank riding instructions, the singular focus on inflation.

But we are currently coalescing under the broad idea of "here we go again", "it's coming right" and "at last, better days ahead".

Please, just for Wednesday, don't wreck it. Is that too much to ask?

LISTEN ABOVE 

To the Reserve Bank, the cash rate and the state of NZ Inc.
It's assumed by most that the cash rate will be increased 25 points to 2.75%.
It's also assumed there will be another one by the end of the year. What happens after that has a “who knows” feel about it.
What I feel, to a degree, is a groundhog-ish sort of vibe.
We have been here before. We were here before the war. The momentum was building, the recovery was on and we started to feel good about the place.
Then Trump blew it up.
It turns out, if Westpac are right, the period of the war (April, May and June i.e Q2) wasn’t as bad as we thought it might be.
They argue we will see negative growth of -0.1%, so in other words, it's flat and a return to real growth in this current quarter. This is all good!
What the Reserve Bank worry about is inflation. Perhaps they shouldn't be as much as they might be? No it is not in the band, but it's tracking that way.
Business and their desire to bump prices has hit a wall. We simply won't pay and we'd rather not buy than pay more.
The exceptions are rates, power, insurance and imported stuff like oil and also, previously, food.
The Reserve Bank can look through oil a bit. Insurance is starting to be under control. Even power for some is starting to fall in price as generation costs fall.
Food at 1.9% is sorted. Rates of course are an ongoing scandal but, and this is where Kiwibank are right, there is enough there if you were of a mind to just take a beat and let this play out a bit further.
In other words, given we are back where we were about a year ago i.e on the move and feeling better, why would you take a hammer, or at least a negative view of it all, and squeeze when you don’t really need to?
Why risk choking off what little we currently have?
To my mind it is a persuasive argument. It's perhaps a weakness in the Reserve Bank riding instructions, the singular focus on inflation.
But we are currently coalescing under the broad idea of "here we go again", "it's coming right" and "at last, better days ahead".
Please, just for Wednesday, don't wreck it. Is that too much to ask?
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Mike's Minute: "Why risk choking off what little we currently have?"

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/f4ac0c1a-995d-4a3d-93c6-b4b60149245d/transcript

In the end, was this a “to do” about nothing? 

The social media ban for under 16s is a global bandwagon that we were already late to. 

And by the time it arrived on Monday, it turns out the party that wrote it didn't have the numbers. 

Of a three-party Government, two parties wouldn’t back it and so they went to the major party on the other side of the House. 

They had 79 questions. No one has 79 questions, and the second one, even if you did have 79 questions, should not be about Te Tiriti. 

So, so far, so messy. And you can quite rightly ask the question at this stage whether our Parliament is in fact wildly out of step with the majority of New Zealand. 

My gut says a ban is popular. No, it is not effective in its entirety. 

Yes, a French court has blocked theirs. 

No, Australia has not got it right when they led the world off on the idea. 

But socially and morally, big tech is increasingly seen as a pariah and a bottom-line fiend that does whatever is necessary to stoke their engine of commerce. 

So the sense of it is we want to be seen to at least give this a good crack. At least be seen to be on the right side of the increasingly alarming stats around kids and harm and online life. 

And yet Labour, who should not have been needed, got there in the end and said, 'we've read all 79 answers (yea right) and we will back it to the first committee'. 

And then it turns out that didn’t matter because the Government doesn’t have time anyway. 

What a gargantuan waste of energy. 

No, it's not dead. Yes, it will still be an issue next year. And yes, in some way, shape or form we will probably get it across the line. 

But this thing started as an MP's bill, not a party idea. After it spent several years being “thought about”, it finally got revealed to a group of politicians who didn’t want it and wouldn’t vote for it. 

And by the time it got the numbers to get underway, time was up! 

On an energy-in/energy-out sort of equation, it's right up there in the waste-of-time stakes. 

So if you got excited, and this week looked a bit historic, see you next year. 

In the end, was this a “to do” about nothing?&nbsp;
The social media ban for under 16s is a global bandwagon that we were already late to.&nbsp;
And by the time it arrived on Monday, it turns out the party that wrote it didn't have the numbers.&nbsp;
Of a three-party Government, two parties wouldn’t back it and so they went to the major party on the other side of the House.&nbsp;
They had 79 questions. No one has 79 questions, and the second one, even if you did have 79 questions, should not be about Te Tiriti.&nbsp;
So, so far, so messy. And you can quite rightly ask the question at this stage whether our Parliament is in fact wildly out of step with the majority of New Zealand.&nbsp;
My gut says a ban is popular. No, it is not effective in its entirety.&nbsp;
Yes, a French court has blocked theirs.&nbsp;
No, Australia has not got it right when they led the world off on the idea.&nbsp;
But socially and morally, big tech is increasingly seen as a pariah and a bottom-line fiend that does whatever is necessary to stoke their engine of commerce.&nbsp;
So the sense of it is we want to be seen to at least give this a good crack. At least be seen to be on the right side of the increasingly alarming stats around kids and harm and online life.&nbsp;
And yet Labour, who should not have been needed, got there in the end and said, 'we've read all 79 answers (yea right) and we will back it to the first committee'.&nbsp;
And then it turns out that didn’t matter because the Government doesn’t have time anyway.&nbsp;
What a gargantuan waste of energy.&nbsp;
No, it's not dead. Yes, it will still be an issue next year. And yes, in some way, shape or form we will probably get it across the line.&nbsp;
But this thing started as an MP's bill, not a party idea. After it spent several years being “thought about”, it finally got revealed to a group of politicians who didn’t want it and wouldn’t vote for it.&nbsp;
And by the time it got the numbers to get underway, time was up!&nbsp;
On an energy-in/energy-out sort of equation, it's right up there in the waste-of-time stakes.&nbsp;
So if you got excited, and this week looked a bit historic, see you next year.&nbsp;

Mike's Minute: What a waste of time the social media bill was... this year

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/aa91bf42-5798-4dcd-b6f3-b4b4015b5372/transcript

Jacqui Lloyd: NZ Cruise Association CEO on climbing cruise visitors

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