The Supercar Sprints are kicking off in Taupo this weekend.  The event is expected to bring up to 70,000 attendees, giving a significant boost to the city and surrounding region.  Mayor David Trewavas told Mike Hosking that the town is absolutely buzzing.   He said they had the parade through the CBD last night, and thousands of fans came out to see the cars.  Taupo has a three-year contract to keep the race in the city Trewavas confirmed, and although Taupo isn’t quite large enough to handle to influx on their own, it’s become a major regional event.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prince William has made his first return to royal duties since Kate's cancer diagnosis went public.  Last month the Princess of Wales revealed she's been receiving treatment amid wild internet speculation.  The family has been away from the public eye but the Prince has returned to show support for a homeless food shelter.  UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Mike Hosking the public have been showing him and the Princess support.  He says someone gave the Prince a 'get well soon' card and told him to look after Kate, which he replied he would.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The turn of the economy could make it tricky for those on JobSeekers to find employment.   New Social Development figures reveal just under 188,000 people are on JobSeeker, up almost 20,000 people from last year.   Employment specialist Jennifer Mills told Mike Hosking that she's sure many on the benefit are ready to work.  She says the new work check-in arrangement may sharpen the focus for those who are job ready, but the question is whether those jobs exist in this market.  Mills says margins are squeezed, profits are down, and businesses are shedding staff.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts are forecasting more financial pressure for households, continuing into late next year.  The Infometrics data expects the annual GDP to dip into the negatives mid 2024, meaning slower growth than had previously been expected.  Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan told Mike Hosking that with higher interest rates more properties are on the market with no buyers out.   He says households are showing the signs of all the interest rate rises over the past few years.   Kiernan says it'll be another 12 months before the worst of the downturn is behind us.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven jurors have officially been selected for Donald Trump’s ‘hush money’ trial, leaving eleven more still to come.  Despite the trouble they’re facing, US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Mike Hosking that it is moving faster than people expected.  He said it could have taken up to 22 weeks to select all 18 jurors, and they already have seven.  The issue is finding people who don’t have bias for or against Trump, with 96 potential jurors entering court, 50 of which walked out within ten minutes, unable to be impartial.  Manhattan, McCann said, is in some ways a democrat city as they always vote blue, so he’ll have to “find a few red needles in a blue haystack” as they said in the New York Times.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Christchurch entrepreneur is attempting to break into the dating app market.  ‘Amor’ is trying to bring something fresh, only giving four matches a week and refusing to show profile photos for the first 2024 hours.  Creator Emily Heazlewood told Mike Hosking that although the market is quite saturated, a lot of them are hook up culture apps.  She said that they’ve gone down the compatibility route with matchmaking, helping drive people away from the app into meeting in the real world.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As inflation cools down, homeowners are starting to hold out for cuts to the OCR.   The CoreLogic April Housing report shows 56% of new loans taken out in February were on one-year fixed terms compared to 36% in December.   Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson says that's a pretty strong indication people don't want to lock in for too long in case rates fall.   He says the report also contains a prediction of general cooling of the previously hot property market. Davidson's expecting prices to be fairly subdued for the next couple of years, which will be good news for those struggling with affordability.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are concerns the Government's new health guidance for children could impact employer attitudes towards parents.  The guidelines say kids with a mild cough, headache, or runny nose should go to school, provided they don't have Covid-19 or other symptoms like a fever or vomiting.  This move is in an effort to improve school attendance numbers.  But NZEI President Mark Potter told Mike Hosking that parents may be pressured by their employers to go to work, despite their kids being unwell.  He says there's a growing wave of mental health issues at play, which are often very difficult, and parents are struggling with how to help them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Security guards have no more power than a regular citizen when it comes to a threat of danger.  They're expected to be more visible in malls around Australia and New Zealand following the stabbing at Bondi Junction in Sydney on Saturday afternoon.  Forty-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi stabbed six people to death, including a security guard.  Security Association CEO Gary Morrison says they don't carry weapons of any sort.  He says they're there to assist members of the public around how to escape when something like that happens and to make it as simple as possible.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Banks are picking inflation to continue falling.  ASB is expecting today's figures to show annual inflation falling to 4.1%, the lowest since June 2021.   ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Mike Hosking that things like rates, rents, and insurance are going the wrong way.  But, he says, it's still likely to drop because we aren't spending as much on durables, so some of those behavioural impacts should come through.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions are now being raised after a fire has ravaged one of Copenhagen's oldest buildings.  Its iconic spire collapsed during the fire, as emergency services and passerbys rushed to save priceless works of art inside and other valuables.  The 17th century old Stock Exchange building was currently undergoing renovations.  Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking the building was covered in plastic wrap and scaffolding.  He says investigators are seeing if the efforts made to save the building are the very thing that caused its downfall.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions are being raised over how the salvaged Newshub 6pm bulletin will be pulled off in its new format.  Stuff has signed on to produce and provide a daily bulletin on TV3 from July 6, following Newshub's closure.   The Spinoff founder and media commentator Duncan Greive told Mike Hosking that the level of scrutiny and quality of performance required to produce 6pm TV news will be challenging.    He says the Stuff staff he's spoken to were expressing this, adding they just don't have a lot of runway to get to the TVNZ or Newshub standard.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s hope more landlords will give people with pets a chance in the wake of government changes.   Pet bonds are being introduced: tenants will be liable for all pet damage beyond fair wear and tear and landlords will only be able to withhold consent on reasonable grounds.  Pet Refuge Founder Julie Chapman hopes this means people leaving family violence situations will be able to find places for them and their pets more easily.  Subsequently, Pet Refuge will be able to help more people, sooner.  She says they've been operating at capacity for the last nine months, on a one in, one out, situation for cats and dogs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The father of the man who killed six people and injured 12 others in a stabbing at Bondi Junction in Sydney says his son was a tormented soul.  Eight people remain in hospital after 40-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi went on a rampage through the mall on Saturday.  Australia correspondent Donna Demaio told Mike Hosking that his father, Andrew Cauchi, said he did everything to help his son who was mentally ill.  Meanwhile, four people are understood to have been injured in a second stabbing attack in Sydney.  It's understood a teenager entered the Christ the Good Shepard church in Sydney's West before stabbing a bishop in front of his parish.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is being advised to invest in immigration data gathering as record levels of arrivals and departures continue.   In February more than 253,000 migrants arrived and about 122,000 left, putting net migration at almost 131,000.  Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope told Mike Hosking that where they come from isn't a problem as long as skills meet labour market needs.   He says this is one the of the big data gaps the Government needs to look at, to find out exactly which people and skills are coming in versus who is leaving.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's 'hush money' trial has begun, and it’s the first time a US president has faced a criminal trial.   He's charged with falsifying business records, accused of trying to cover up a $130-thousand hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.  Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair.   LA's KNX news presenter Charles Feldman told Mike Hosking that Trump's already using it as a pulpit for his presidential campaign.   He says that at rallies Trump talks about how he feels this trial —and others— are politically persecuting him.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran has launched more than 200 drone missiles on Israel.  Neighbouring nations are calling for restraint, while Jordan, the US and UK military are intercepting attacks.  International Relations and Strategic Analyst Paul Buchanan says the strikes are a direct violation of an agreement between the nations.   Buchanan tells Mike Hosking hard liners want Israel to retaliate but the United States has told Israel they will not support offensive operations against Iran.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five victims have now been identified as among those killed in a stabbing spree at a Sydney shopping centre, which left six dead.  Australia correspondent Donna Demaio tells Mike Hosking 11 people remain in hospital. Many stories are emerging of near misses with the attacker, and of people who tried to protect others. Sydney lifeguard Andy Reid raced to give CPR to some victims.   The attacker’s family have released a statement revealing the killer battled with mental health issues.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox has slumped out of contention at the US Masters, currently tied for 20th position.  Meanwhile, the Warriors made a lucky comeback in a dramatic golden-point draw against Manly. The Sea Eagles lead 22-20 with three seconds left on the clock, when a post-siren penalty denied Manly the victory.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Minister of Trade Todd McClay visits China hoping to promote New Zealand business and exports.   Executive Director of the NZ China Council Alistair Crozier tells Mike Hosking the two countries are very adept at having difficult discussions in the open. NZ exports to China are double what is exported to the US or Australia, and prospects are bright for continued growth.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.