Organised crime groups likely still dictate New Zealand's drug market despite huge increases in seized product. 

Border drug busts jumped from 1.5 to 6.5 tonnes between 2018 and 2024. 

In the first nine weeks of 2026, more than 12 tonnes of cocaine was stopped in the Pacific. 

Chair of Ministerial Advisory Group for Organised Crime Steve Symon told Mike Hosking groups are stockpiling.  

He says they're getting enough drugs in so they can still control prices, even when there are disruptions. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Organised crime groups likely still dictate New Zealand's drug market despite huge increases in seized product.&nbsp;
Border drug busts jumped from 1.5 to 6.5 tonnes between 2018 and 2024.&nbsp;
In the first nine weeks of 2026, more than 12 tonnes of cocaine was stopped in the Pacific.&nbsp;
Chair of Ministerial Advisory Group for Organised Crime Steve Symon told Mike Hosking groups are stockpiling. &nbsp;
He says they're getting enough drugs in so they can still control prices, even when there are disruptions.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

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

Steve Symon: Ministerial Advisory Group for Organised Crime Chair on the increase in drugs being intercepted at the border

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/92b2ad46-088e-413e-bdcd-b42601540e5d/transcript

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. 

 

Trump: 1/10 

I reckon it's been his worst week yet. The polls have tanked, the House flip is on, SCOTUS rejected him on mail-ins, the Fed rejected him on interest rates, more Republicans than ever swapped sides to vote against the war, and his name is not on the Kennedy Centre. 

 

Youth wages: 7/10 

Policy of the week. It's easy to bag if you're a union, but it actually makes sense and actually solves a problem. 

 

AI: 6/10 

Because the debate got real intense, and earnest, and fast. But, small clue, we aren't getting wiped out. So if you panicked you should have focused more on Sydney Sweeney. 

 

Supermarkets: 1/10 

The biggest amount of combined idiocy I have seen in a campaign in years. Shallow as a puddle. 

 

The Warriors: 9/10 

Glass half-full – if we had won last week we wouldn’t have this weekend, and who doesn’t want this weekend? 

 

LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW 

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Trump: 1/10&nbsp;
I reckon it's been his worst week yet. The polls have tanked, the House flip is on, SCOTUS rejected him on mail-ins, the Fed rejected him on interest rates, more Republicans than ever swapped sides to vote against the war, and his name is not on the Kennedy Centre.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Youth wages: 7/10&nbsp;
Policy of the week. It's easy to bag if you're a union, but it actually makes sense and actually solves a problem.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
AI: 6/10&nbsp;
Because the debate got real intense, and earnest, and fast. But, small clue, we aren't getting wiped out. So if you panicked you should have focused more on Sydney Sweeney.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Supermarkets: 1/10&nbsp;
The biggest amount of combined idiocy I have seen in a campaign in years. Shallow as a puddle.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Warriors: 9/10&nbsp;
Glass half-full – if we had won last week we wouldn’t have this weekend, and who doesn’t want this weekend?&nbsp;
&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW&nbsp;

Mark the Week: Youth wages is the policy of the week

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/9ba45c7b-b535-498d-9b1f-b4c8016de36c/transcript

How about our week of angst? 

Take your pick, because there were hot takes galore. 

Sydney Sweeney was the funniest. The ad agency that dreamed up that campaign must be lining up for a bonus. 

Because the airtime it got in the end outweighed any actual cost by about 10:1. It went white hot viral as millions raged about boobs and sexuality and insulting female athletes. 

All of which it did of course, but that was the point. Did no one work out that was the point? Get Sweeney partially naked, say "sports, sports, sports" a lot and queue the fury. 

The ol' sexuality card is the oldest trick in the book and we're still falling for it. 

Hyrox was just plain weird. An unfortunate scenario mid routine and the whole rule book is changed out based on the outrage. 

The woman concerned didn’t seem overly worried, having appeared on social media seemingly making light of it. 

Then you've got Harry and Meghan. I blame the media, mainly the British. But their school upheaval went viral globally and it turned out the security issue for the kids was a bit of traffic. 

It's once again a reminder that these two are the worst sort of attention-seeking grifters and I now genuinely feel sorry for the kids. Their Mum and Dad are buffoons but given they don’t know any better and their attention obsession is seemingly incurable, maybe it’s the media's job to step back and simply ignore them. 

It seems incredible that Lady Gaga, a vastly bigger name than both of them put together, can vanish, give birth and truck a reasonably, well-developed child around and no one knows about it, or sees any of it, unless she decides to let that happen. 

But the biggest and saddest of them all was Macklemore and the fellow travelling try-hards who decided to abandon their friendship with Ed Sheeran by dropping him in it after they, like so many of their lot, felt unable to keep their politics to themselves. 

Sheeran is famously apolitical. It’s a smart move that served Dolly Parton well and yet the musicians, some of whom you would never have heard of if it wasn't for Sheeran's kindness and desire to promote new talent, left him with possibly no American tour after Macklemore got dropped and the rest quit in a fit of pique. 

Is it too much to ask to park the self-importance for a half hour opening act and just play? 

Oh, and to maybe be a decent person for the bloke who's giving you your break? 

So much outrage, so many causes, so much self-importance. 

Lucky the world is such a benign place and we have nothing big to worry about. 

How about our week of angst?&nbsp;
Take your pick, because there were hot takes galore.&nbsp;
Sydney Sweeney was the funniest. The ad agency that dreamed up that campaign must be lining up for a bonus.&nbsp;
Because the airtime it got in the end outweighed any actual cost by about 10:1. It went white hot viral as millions raged about boobs and sexuality and insulting female athletes.&nbsp;
All of which it did of course, but that was the point. Did no one work out that was the point? Get Sweeney partially naked, say "sports, sports, sports" a lot and queue the fury.&nbsp;
The ol' sexuality card is the oldest trick in the book and we're still falling for it.&nbsp;
Hyrox was just plain weird. An unfortunate scenario mid routine and the whole rule book is changed out based on the outrage.&nbsp;
The woman concerned didn’t seem overly worried, having appeared on social media seemingly making light of it.&nbsp;
Then you've got Harry and Meghan. I blame the media, mainly the British. But their school upheaval went viral globally and it turned out the security issue for the kids was a bit of traffic.&nbsp;
It's once again a reminder that these two are the worst sort of attention-seeking grifters and I now genuinely feel sorry for the kids. Their Mum and Dad are buffoons but given they don’t know any better and their attention obsession is seemingly incurable, maybe it’s the media's job to step back and simply ignore them.&nbsp;
It seems incredible that Lady Gaga, a vastly bigger name than both of them put together, can vanish, give birth and truck a reasonably, well-developed child around and no one knows about it, or sees any of it, unless she decides to let that happen.&nbsp;
But the biggest and saddest of them all was Macklemore and the fellow travelling try-hards who decided to abandon their friendship with Ed Sheeran by dropping him in it after they, like so many of their lot, felt unable to keep their politics to themselves.&nbsp;
Sheeran is famously apolitical. It’s a smart move that served Dolly Parton well and yet the musicians, some of whom you would never have heard of if it wasn't for Sheeran's kindness and desire to promote new talent, left him with possibly no American tour after Macklemore got dropped and the rest quit in a fit of pique.&nbsp;
Is it too much to ask to park the self-importance for a half hour opening act and just play?&nbsp;
Oh, and to maybe be a decent person for the bloke who's giving you your break?&nbsp;
So much outrage, so many causes, so much self-importance.&nbsp;
Lucky the world is such a benign place and we have nothing big to worry about.&nbsp;

Mike's Minute: What a week of angst it's been

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/8a80e510-eec0-4864-8e12-b4c8016b5e57/transcript

Friday has arrived, which means it's time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to help Mike Hosking Wrap the Week that Was. 

They discussed award-winning kitchens, how much they'd charge for a Swysh and ... three-ways?  

LISTEN ABOVE  

Friday has arrived, which means it's time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to help Mike Hosking Wrap the Week that Was.&nbsp;
They discussed award-winning kitchens, how much they'd charge for a Swysh and ... three-ways? &nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Wrapping the Week: Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson on award-winning kitchens, Swysh

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/02770b37-613e-4b16-8ff8-b4c801681db3/transcript

Steve Symon: Ministerial Advisory Group for Organised Crime Chair on the increase in drugs being intercepted at the border

In 1 playlist(s)

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips