Far-right politician Pauline Hanson's party One Nation has seen an unexpected surge in popularity ahead of this year's election, and Hanson's stardom has skyrocketed as a result. 

Australia correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking about his encounter with her at a local football club.

"She walked in and got a standing ovation from people, and then a queue formed to her right of mainly young people I would say. And they all wanted a selfie, they all wanted to have a picture taken with Pauline Hanson."

LISTEN ABOVE

Far-right politician Pauline Hanson's party One Nation has seen an unexpected surge in popularity ahead of this year's election, and Hanson's stardom has skyrocketed as a result.&nbsp;
Australia correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking about his encounter with her at a local football club.
"She walked in and got a standing ovation from people, and then a queue formed to her right of mainly young people I would say.&nbsp;And they all wanted a selfie, they all wanted to have a picture taken with Pauline Hanson."
LISTEN ABOVE

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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

Steve Price: Australia correspondent chats Pauline Hanson's unprecedented stardom

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/4170e19b-7e0e-40a0-960b-b431016b8e37/transcript

Listen to the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday 20 April.

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday 20 April. 
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Full Show Podcast: 20 April 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/0923b717-3c89-40b1-abc5-b431015c710e/transcript

You know exactly how today is going to go.

The Prime Minister does the media rounds this morning. There will be no shortage of cortisol spiked journalists hanging off every word, double dissecting every pause and utterance—many of them desperate to write something disparaging about a man they’ve already decided they dislike.

I wouldn’t be Luxon for quids. He’s been dealt a shit hand.

Worse than the media, though, are the stirrers inside his own party. The selfishness and bare knuckle self preservation on display is disgraceful.

You buy into a deal in life and you stick to it. You join a company, take a job, make a promise—whatever it is. In an MP’s case, you’re part of a three year deal. During that time you are honest, transparent, hardworking, loyal, and dedicated.

Clearly—and history backs this up—National has a recurring issue here. Right now, we have a few people who appear willing to put themselves and their own survival ahead of the collective.

As I said on Friday, nothing is coming of this. Luxon isn’t quitting. There is no coup. They don’t have the numbers—and they don’t have the stomach for it.

Here’s the truly absurd part of their foolishness: even if there were a major problem (and there isn’t), there is no obvious answer.

National’s strength is that it has depth. There’s real talent and a solid group of capable operators—Willis, Bishop, Stanford, Mitchell, Brown, Penk, McClay. They’re good at their jobs. But no one among them is some mythical tide turner. This isn’t a Little to Ardern moment, it's a Shipley to Bolger or Lange to Palmer moment. History tells us that when parties panic, they almost always regret it.

There is, in fact, nothing fundamentally wrong with Luxon. No, he isn’t John Key—and he’s not Gandhi either—but he is competent, effective, and successfully leads a workable three party collaboration.
National sitting around the low 30s is not evidence of failure. It’s the natural outcome of governing with three solid parties. The era of easy 40% peaks is over. That reality shouldn’t be played out publicly through destabilising nonsense by people who can’t accept it.

Peters and Seymour should be just as concerned. They’re surrounded by amateur political operators within National who are perfectly capable of dragging all of them back into opposition.

So yes, we’ll ask the questions. But in an increasingly troubled world, isn’t it painfully small town New Zealand to be bogged down in village level idiocy—driven by self serving nobodies whose vision extends no more than two centimetres in front of their noses—rather than focusing on genuinely important issues of global consequence and how we navigate our way through them?

LISTEN ABOVE 

You know exactly how today is going to go.
The Prime Minister does the media rounds this morning. There will be no shortage of cortisol spiked journalists hanging off every word, double dissecting every pause and utterance—many of them desperate to write something disparaging about a man they’ve already decided they dislike.
I wouldn’t be Luxon for quids. He’s been dealt a shit hand.
Worse than the media, though, are the stirrers inside his own party. The selfishness and bare knuckle self preservation on display is disgraceful.
You buy into a deal in life and you stick to it. You join a company, take a job, make a promise—whatever it is. In an MP’s case, you’re part of a three year deal. During that time you are honest, transparent, hardworking, loyal, and dedicated.
Clearly—and history backs this up—National has a recurring issue here. Right now, we have a few people who appear willing to put themselves and their own survival ahead of the collective.
As I said on Friday, nothing is coming of this. Luxon isn’t quitting. There is no coup. They don’t have the numbers—and they don’t have the stomach for it.
Here’s the truly absurd part of their foolishness: even if there were a major problem (and there isn’t), there is no obvious answer.
National’s strength is that it has depth. There’s real talent and a solid group of capable operators—Willis, Bishop, Stanford, Mitchell, Brown, Penk, McClay. They’re good at their jobs. But no one among them is some mythical tide turner. This isn’t a Little to Ardern moment, it's a Shipley to Bolger or Lange to Palmer moment. History tells us that when parties panic, they almost always regret it.
There is, in fact, nothing fundamentally wrong with Luxon. No, he isn’t John Key—and he’s not Gandhi either—but he is competent, effective, and successfully leads a workable three party collaboration. National sitting around the low 30s is not evidence of failure. It’s the natural outcome of governing with three solid parties. The era of easy 40% peaks is over. That reality shouldn’t be played out publicly through destabilising nonsense by people who can’t accept it.
Peters and Seymour should be just as concerned. They’re surrounded by amateur political operators within National who are perfectly capable of dragging all of them back into opposition.
So yes, we’ll ask the questions. But in an increasingly troubled world, isn’t it painfully small town New Zealand to be bogged down in village level idiocy—driven by self serving nobodies whose vision extends no more than two centimetres in front of their noses—rather than focusing on genuinely important issues of global consequence and how we navigate our way through them?
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Mike's Minute: National's internal stirrers need to quieten down

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/9cbf8085-84a8-4b74-9635-b431015b632c/transcript

After briefly re-opening the Strait of Hormuz, Iran closed it again after the US did not meet demands to unblock Iranian ports.

Former US Army Major General told Mike Hosking, "unfortunately, I have to say that the Iranians have assessed the situation probably the most accurate, which is there's inconsistency on the American position, and we just don't know where this is going."

LISTEN ABOVE

After briefly re-opening the Strait of Hormuz, Iran closed it again after the US did not meet demands to unblock Iranian ports.
Former US Army Major General told Mike Hosking, "unfortunately, I have to say that the Iranians have assessed the situation probably the most accurate, which is there's inconsistency on the American position, and we just don't know where this is going."
LISTEN ABOVE

Randy Manner: Former US Army Major General on Iran opening and closing Strait of Hormuz over blockades

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e6c3c444-f0d3-4c5c-a07d-b43101590127/transcript

Steve Price: Australia correspondent chats Pauline Hanson's unprecedented stardom

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