Latest news with #Hosking
7NEWS
4 days ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
AFLW veteran Jess Hosking puts career on hold for personal reasons: ‘Difficult decision'
AFLW veteran Jess Hosking has stepped away from the game, two weeks after it emerged she did not return for pre-season training because of a personal issue. West Coast confirmed the development on Thursday night, two and a half months before the season opener, and asked for privacy. 'I would like to thank the West Coast Eagles for providing me with the opportunity to continue my AFLW career last season,' Hosking said. 'While this has been a difficult decision it is the right time for me to take a break from football for personal reasons. 'I wish Daisy (Pearce, senior coach) and the girls the best of luck for the season ahead.' Hosking moved to the Eagles ahead of the 2024 campaign after spending time at Carlton and Richmond, and was locked into a new contract for 2025. But her time at West Coast is now over and her future in football is uncertain. 'The club accepts Jess's decision to take time away from the game,' women's football boss Michelle Cowan said. 'We acknowledge Jess's significant contribution and wish her all the best with her future endeavours.' West Coast had reportedly been 'working through the details' of the off-field issue that kept her away from the start of pre-season training earlier this month. Hosking made headlines in 2022 when she wore X-rated shoulder strapping for a final against North Melbourne. The 'Kill B******' comment on her right shoulder drew the ire of the AFL and she received a 'please explain' from the league, but escaped punishment for the 'offensive language'. Not long after that, she was again in trouble after driving a jet-ski drunk while on a holiday with teammates. She blew an alcohol reading of 0.137 and told police at the time that she had consumed 'a few UDL cans'. About a year later she was delisted by Richmond and then picked up West Coast for the 2024 season. The 29-year-old received a one-year contract extension from West Coast after an impressive season in the west, but it is now unclear if she will play again. Hosking is the twin sister of Sarah, who also plays at Richmond, and together they share a high profile in the AFLW world. After the strapping saga, the AFL said Hosking was 'extremely remorseful and deeply disappointed in her actions'. The AFL accepted a letter of apology from her and issued her with an official warning regarding the offensive language.
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Mike Hosking, Newstalk ZB rule the airwaves as radio industry celebrates weekly jump in listeners
After ZB, MediaWorks music stations fill out the top five - The Breeze, The Rock, More FM, Magic. 'We are so proud to once again have the two biggest breakfast shows in the country with Hosking on ZB and Fletch, Vaughan and Hayley on ZM,' said NZME chief audio officer Jason Winstanley. 'Newstalk ZB has been the country's number one commercial radio station for 17 years – a phenomenal achievement.' The radio industry is celebrating an overall increase in listenership. Total weekly reach increased 2% to 3.5 million listeners. 'What a cracking way to start the year,' said The Radio Bureau chief executive Alistair Jamison. 'The first survey of 2025 shows growth in weekly listeners, growth in daily listeners, growth in time spent listening and growth in average audience. More people listening, more often and for longer has to be great for advertisers.' NZME chief executive Michael Boggs said: 'What we're witnessing in audio audience growth across many global markets is mirrored here in New Zealand. 'When great content reaches listeners on their terms, across any device they choose, it creates a powerful connection which is compelling for advertisers. 'These results are a testament to audio's enduring and evolving relevance in people's lives.' MediaWorks chief executive Wendy Palmer said: 'Three-quarters of NZ continue to listen to commercial radio each week and this is in-part due to the continued growth in accessibility of our content. Device-based listening has grown 7.7% since last year, with over 900,000 Kiwis listening on a device each week.'
The Spinoff
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
From tikanga to ‘protocol': Luxon's war on the Māorification of Aotearoa
The prime minister insists his government is clamping down on the spread of Māori language and culture in the public sector. But beneath the tough talk, what's really changing – and who is he trying to win over? Our government is halting the Māorification of Aotearoa. This isn't an opinion, but rather a proud declaration made by Christopher Luxon in his usual Monday morning interview with Newstalk ZB broadcaster Mike Hosking earlier this week. 'How do senior bureaucrats not understand that they're working for a government that have spoken very clearly on the Māorification of this county?' asked Hosking. 'Where we see it, we call it out,' Luxon gloated in response. The duo were talking about a job advertised in March by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat), searching for a tikanga lead. At around the same time, the minister of foreign affairs and trade (Winston Peters) was trumpeting his party's bill to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion targets from the public sector – with the backing of Luxon. The tikanga lead role quickly became the example, sort of. The fix for Peters' concerns was seemingly simple – replace any mention of 'tikanga' with 'protocol'. 'The minister's opposition to the politically loaded and inaccurate use of the term 'tikanga' is well known. However, protocol has always been important,' a New Zealand First party spokesperson said following the change in terminology. Following the furore, several requests were made under the Official Information Act in an attempt to unveil what was happening within the ministry during the kerfuffle. Evidently, it appeared top officials within Mfat were caught off guard by Peters' criticism of the role. Understandably, the likes of Hosking were dumbfounded as to how the country's top bureaucrats could have missed the agenda clearly set out by this government. Nevertheless, Luxon is quick to point out that his government is laser-focused on stopping the 'Māorification' of the country. His most recent example? The removal of traffic control stop-go signs in te reo Māori in Te Matau a Māui. 'We need the stop-go signs to be very unambiguous,' Luxon said. Hosking went on to say that the production of Māori road signs is 'taking the piss', drawing a chuckle from Luxon as he reiterated his coalition government's intent on 'running things differently'. 'We want everybody in the public service focused on delivery, focused on results, and not lots of resources tied up in things that isn't core business,' Luxon said. 'Where it comes out and they get it wrong, we're very quick to clamp down on it.' This is strong, authoritative language from Luxon. It shows a switch in his political demeanour from a centrist to a more explicitly right wing politician, at least on this issue. The shift towards 'a tough guy approach', as Willie Jackson called it during the Labour caucus run on Tuesday morning, appears to be an attempt to pull voters from its more right wing coalition partners, draining them of their overall influence on the make up of government. It's the dog trying to take back control of its tail – but this approach also has its risks. The thing with the authoritative approach from Luxon is that you must walk your talk if you want to appear authentic in your belief – lest those you are trying to win over see through the charade. With the case of the Mfat job, it appears that all that was changed was the use of the word 'tikanga' in the job title. Everything else stayed the same and presumably, someone was still hired for the role and is currently employed at the ministry, providing expert advice and support to ensure Māori cultural 'protocols' are understood, upheld, and appropriately applied across the ministry's work and foreign policy priorities. So what was really achieved and is it enough to convince the voters you are trying to win over? Similarly, te reo Māori road signs aren't really an important issue to everyday New Zealanders. Most people would understand that green means go and red means stop. 'This isn't about rules – it's about racism,' said Ngāti Kahungungu chair Bayden Barber. The language being used on a road sign is likely not something that shifts a swing voter. But seeing your prime minister getting giddy about Fonterra's ambient cream being sold in Korea, yet livid about the inclusion of te reo Māori in roadworks signage? That might be a deterrent for someone sitting in the middle. The more you take the hard line approach, the more you risk alienating the always-important centre bloc voters who may feel uncomfortable with such an attitude on diversity, equity, inclusion and race relations. Luxon risks sending National further to the right and competing for a share of the same culture war voter base that New Zealand First and Act already tussle over while leaving voters abandoned in the middle. I won't venture into how te reo Māori is an official language of this country, or how the likes of Wales and Ireland have effortlessly adopted dual-language signage across their roading networks, aiding the revitalisation of their indigenous languages. However, what's clear from all of this is that if it isn't a part of the government's 'core business' of turning a profit, then it's not a priority. The issue around the use of te reo Māori is like the latest haka debacle – Māori culture is great, but only on certain terms and when it suits the wider agenda. We love to parade the culture overseas as being our point of difference, our unique selling-point. Why? Because it helps turn a profit. That is the government's core business. But when it comes to the normalisation of te ao Māori in its rightful home, we are quick to condemn. Not right. Not core business. Not helping us make money. The window dressing and pandering to casual racists will only get National so far. With a turn right coming at a time of already fragile race relations in Aotearoa, the coalition government appears to be throwing caution to the wind. Luxon will be keeping an eye on how his latest gamble plays out with voters. If it goes well, we may be in for a fight for the right in 2026, with Labour left alone in the centre.
Business Mayor
18-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Efune launches fresh Telegraph bid with Brexiter businessman Hosking
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Media myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. New York Sun owner Dovid Efune is launching a fresh effort to buy the Telegraph with backing from multimillionaire Brexit backer Jeremy Hosking and former UK chancellor Nadhim Zahawi in what has been dubbed a 'British bid' for the newspaper. UK-born Efune was in exclusive talks to acquire the newspaper from Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI until December, and has since remained in discussions with bankers on the deal despite the lack of guaranteed funding. Efune's attempts to secure money for his bid from US funds failed, leaving RedBird boss Gerry Cardinale to try to take full control by buying out IMI. But Efune has now secured financial backing from Hosking, a British investment executive, according to two people familiar with the matter. Hosking donated heavily to the Reclaim and Conservative parties in the past, as well as to Vote Leave before the 2016 Brexit referendum. Zahawi, who was involved in RedBird IMI's move to take control of the Telegraph last year, has also backed Efune's bid, adding rightwing political support. Aryeh Bourkoff at LionTree, who is advising Efune, has spent time in the UAE in the past talking to IMI, the Abu Dhabi investment group that controls the Telegraph alongside US-based Redbird, according to people close to the situation. A person with knowledge of Efune's latest offer described it as the 'British bid' as 'the vast bulk of the funding comes from Brits and Efune himself is obviously British'. They added: 'Jeremy Hosking is a major backer, as is Nadhim Zahawi.' Efune will travel to London next week for meetings about the deal, they said. Hosking has already met senior Telegraph management, according to a separate person with knowledge of the situation. On Saturday, a person familiar with Efune's plans told the Financial Times that he 'has been working quietly over the past months and has now secured commitments from a group of backers amounting to a significant bulk of the equity capital required'. Hosking told the FT: 'I fully support the Efune bid as they are appropriate owners of this British asset, and have already offered financial backing. If it succeeds I am confident I will be significantly involved.' Zahawi declined to comment. RedBird IMI did not respond to requests for comment. Many in the industry had assumed that Cardinale has the advantage in the battle for control of the Telegraph. He has also held talks with other UK-based investors and media groups, including Lord Rothermere's group that owns Telegraph rival the Daily Mail. The dealmaking saga began two years ago when Lloyds Banking Group seized control of the Telegraph after the Barclay family, which had owned it since 2004, left the bank with unpaid debts. RedBird IMI took control of the media group for about £550mn but its bid to convert this into full ownership was blocked by the then-Conservative government owing to concerns about a foreign state-backed fund owning an influential newspaper. The UK government this week confirmed plans to increase the cap on foreign state ownership of British national newspapers to 15 per cent, meaning that IMI could in future retain a small stake in a Cardinale-led group.
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Finance Minister Nicola Willis signals KiwiSaver changes amidst Superfund withdrawal announcement
'[Changes will be positive] because I want to see people's KiwiSaver balances grow. KiwiSaver has become particularly important for those saving to buy their first home – we had more than 40,000 people use KiwiSaver to do that in the past year," she told Hosking. 'And it's become an increasingly important supplement for people's retirement income.' Willis announced yesterday that the Government was forecast to make its first withdrawal from the NZ Super Fund in 2028, five years earlier than forecast at last year's Budget. The fund was set up in 2001 to subsidise the future cost of Superannuation, easing the burden on taxpayers. The date of the withdrawal – forecast to total $32m in 2028 – isn't at the Government's discretion and is written into the Fund's governing legislation. The first withdrawal would be followed by some 'bouncing around between withdrawals and contributions', but from 2031 onwards, withdrawals were expected every year, Willis said yesterday. Despite withdrawals, the Super Fund won't shrink in the short-term. It will continue growing for some time as withdrawals will be smaller than the overall growth in the fund, the Herald reported yesterday. Treasury's forecasts, which were based on a complicated formula relating to how much is in the fund, GDP, taxpayer numbers and other factors, confirmed help was needed to pay for superannuation, Willis told Hosking this morning. 'We've all talked for several years about at a certain point, the cost of superannuation will get very high, and then we'll need the Super Fund to help. We're now at that point.' Asked how much of the cost of superannuation the fund would cover 'in its golden moments', Willis told Hosking: 'In its golden moments it's only going to be about 20% of the total cost'. 'There's no getting away from the fact that superannuation is very expensive … just in the next few years, it's going to leap up to $29 billion a year, because there are a lot of people over the age of 65 and superannuation is pegged to the after-tax average wage, so that number keeps going up. 'That's the commitment that we have as a country, is to fund that entitlement, and we then need to pay for it. And there are fewer taxpayers, of course, in the future to help pay for it.'
