You may have noticed an element of concern, if not alarm, over the number of young people who are not enrolled in the election.  In the 18-24 age group there are just 61% enrolled. Last time it was 77%.  The Greens in particular have been running campaigns about this for obvious reasons.  The trouble is their campaigns are on university campuses where the bright and active hang out, not, I suspect, where those who aren't enrolled hang out.  There was also a conspiracy floated momentarily when Chris Luxon last ran into his leadership trouble. Just before the caucus vote there was a lot of angst over the plot, for that’s how they saw it, to overthrow Luxon and then call a snap election and the snap would leave thousands of young people un-enrolled.  That conspiracy fell apart when, oh that's right, no such thing happened.  There has also been the finger pointing over the enrolment rule changes and even though we still have well over three weeks to go its still, according to the aggrieved, not fair.  Anyway, none of it is new. Young people have always been hopeless at enrolling and actually voting.  It is sad but true, and as far as we can see nothing is changing this time. In fact it's getting worse.  The important bit is how that plays out. It's entirely possible that the Greens, once again, are going to enhance their reputation as a party who polls well but doesn’t turn out the vote.  While we're on polling, the immigrant vote will tell a story not really seen in polling either.  Language is an issue and increasingly this country is a country of migrants, especially in Auckland. The migrant population is not well polled.  How they vote, which is broadly conservative, might well swing the election in a way, that if you didn’t know that, would surprise you.  Migrants work hard, strive for better and chase a dream. That’s a centre-right view of the world. Watch this space.  But key advice – before Chlöe measures the curtains on the Finance Minister's office, she might want to drum up a few more Gen Z-ers to pull their finger out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour may have to find another way to fund some of its policies.  The party plans to use a Capital Gains Tax to pay for its health policies, and its costings assume 3% house price growth.   However, Treasury has forecast just 0.6% growth in 2027, and 2.4% in 2028.  Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking this is a policy that's based on using its revenue to directly pay for other things – like free GP visits.  He says if you don't get as much of the tax take at the start, you either have to find extra money to fund your promises, or you can't do them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks coach is reflecting on their performance against South Africa ahead of the Bledisloe Cup and later this year, the World Cup.  The Springboks claimed a 3-1 victory in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour, but Dave Rennie says the experience has left the team in a much better place.   He told Mike Hosking they're disappointed with the result, but committed to the way they're trying to play.  "When we get that right, we're a real handful."  He says they just have to be better and more accurate where it counts.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 1st of October, we look into the record amount of emergency department visits in the last year.  Dame Valerie Adams remembers the life of her friend and former ZB host Phil Gifford.  All Blacks coach Dave Rennie gives us his review of the season at the midway point, with the Bledisloe tests looming.  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 Film Commission says they need to focus their energy on development to ensure New Zealand continues to create high-quality content.  It's winding up its Core Funding Programme when existing contracts finish at the end of June next year.  The scheme provides more than $1 million to ten industry groups.   Film Commission CEO Annie Murray told Mike Hosking they have finite funding, so it needs to go to higher investment projects.   She says they're investing in making their films as world class as they can possibly be.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most people appear to be managing their money well against ongoing financial volatility.   Centrix's August credit indicator shows expected seasonal uplifts in consumer and mortgage arrears, but an overarching easing pattern for both.   Consumer arrears ticked up to 10.74% but remain 11.2% lower than a year ago.   Company liquidations are up 14% on last year, but the indicator found demand is about the same as in 2025, and defaults are down 1%.    Chief Operating Officer Monika Lacey told Mike Hosking things are definitely stabilising, and they'd expect to see it continue.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dame Valerie Adams has paid tribute to Phil Gifford after the legendary Kiwi sports journalist, broadcaster and writer died on Tuesday night.  Across his more than 50 years working in media, Gifford was a man of many hats, hosting several radio shows, working as a sports journalist, columnist and author, both under his own name and that of his satirical alter-ego, Loosehead Len.  Among his work, the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit worked with four-time Olympic medallist shot putter Adams on her 2012 book Valerie, The Autobiography.  Adams told the Mike Hosking Breakfast show on Newstalk ZB of her “amazing relationship” with Gifford, who died aged 79.  “The first memory is actually walking into his home in Stillwater. At the time, his wife was very unwell, so they were embarking on their own journey there, but [I] walked in and being greeted by amazing tapa cloth in the hallway, so many Polynesian artefacts in their house and just an incredible warmth within the home,” she said.  “When he invited me into his little man cave to start the book, I just felt really at ease, and that just shows the kind of man he was. Not only him but also his wife. I came into their life starting this journey of having my book written, but also our relationship just blossomed to the point where, when I was living in Switzerland, they came to visit me, [they’d] come to see me compete at the Commonwealth Games, multiple competitions, helped with my kids.  “Living in Christchurch during Covid, they made me feel at home, so I was like their Tongan child that never existed but just popped up.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another boost for Christchurch tourism, with millions of North Americans set to watch the city in the new season of The Amazing Race.  The show's 39th season premieres tonight, with an episode featuring Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region airing in the next few weeks.  Christchurch-born presenter Phil Keoghan told Mike Hosking the show aims to showcase the experience of each destination, while keeping the race at the centre.  He says they want to show the things that typify where they are – there's no point going to Tsbilisi or Bulgaria if you're not showing off the culture.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are worries people are spending far too long waiting in Emergency Departments as demand surges.  An Australasian College of Emergency Medicine report finds admissions around the country have risen 21% in the past decade, surging past our 13% population growth.  It finds there are rising numbers of seriously unwell patients.  Waikato Hospital Emergency Medicine Specialist John Bonning told Mike Hosking some patients are waiting 24 hours in EDs, with resources tight.  He says this will be a result of things like a lack of in-patient beds, as well as inadequate staff numbers. Bonning says a range of things has added up – the population is aging, people are getting sicker, and there are unmet needs elsewhere in the sector, so people are ending up in EDs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins has been exposed for the fraud he is.  Having made far too much of the PREFU and all the fiscal magic it would contain, he cornered himself.  He snookered himself.  By setting the PREFU release date as the date of revelation, he was always going to have to somehow explain that what we saw yesterday in no way was ever going to reveal the source of the $18 billion they have promised.  Much smaller irony in the PREFU was the adjusted forecasts for housing. His projections around the CGT are 3%.  It's 3% after July next year, despite the fact the money is already spent on doctors visits and the like.  Forecasts have now created real doubt as to what sort of, if any, real return you are going to get from the sector.  But that’s not his biggest headache. His biggest headache is he has learned nothing about taking our money and wasting it.  Pay equity is a terrific promise to make when you don’t hold any real level of accountability. And so it was off to PREFU day.  As we said yesterday, for the Government it was a report card on fiscal credibility and Willis was right; it was a decent result.  We are tracking, all things considered, pretty well.  But a lot of the forward projections were premised on the idea that spending going forward was going to remain tight.  $18 billion more isn't tight and $13 billion for pay equity is not doable.  So for Hipkins yesterday was a massive credibility issue, as he shot himself in the foot and announced that he won't be telling us at all how he is paying for this.  There will be a fiscal plan but not a line item. A line item is a number, like how much does it cost and where is the money.  He's not telling us.  You know why? Because he's a fraud, an economic vandal and he thinks you're stupid. Do you want to vote for that?  Go for it. But he is the same bloke who locked you down, didn’t turn up to the Covid inquiry, and part of the same robber baron cabal that virtually ran us broke, and now he's back to play you for a sucker one more time.  Don’t say you weren't warned. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.