Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

There are concerns funding cuts will have even wider impacts on the screen industry's future.   The New Zealand Film Commission is cutting its annual Core Funding Programme, saying it wants to put the money into fewer and higher investments.   It currently provides more than a million dollars in support to ten industry groups each year.   Screen Production and Development Associatio...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2026 EDs saw a record 1.4 million patients last year, Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director, Sarah Dalton shares her thoughts.  The NZ Film Commission’s cutting its core funding supporting 10 film and screen organisations, SPADA President Irene Gardiner tells Ryan how this will impact the film industry.  The...

The debate over AI marking in schools is back, with secondary teachers warning the tech could eventually replace human judgement. A paper presented to the PPTA says automated marking is likely to expand under the qualification replacing NCEA, and assessment decisions must remain in human hands. Canterbury University Associate Professor of Digital Education Kathryn McCallum told Ryan Bridge AI coul...

Health is one of those areas where you can churn through cash.   It's expensive to visit your GP, but also expensive to fund.  The amount taxpayers spend on health has gone up 100% over the past decade. It was around $15 billion in 2016, it's now up over $30 billion.   The population has not increased by that much – only roughly 15%.   But there are always better medicines to b...

The owner of ChatGPT has scrapped its latest AI model after safety concerns.   OpenAI says its GPT-6.1 Astra model missed the bar, as it would've performed tasks, like browsing the web, by itself. Debate's intensifying about risks posed by the tech, with Reuters reporting rival AI company Anthropic plans to warn investors of potential existential threats.  Tech commentator Oskar Howell t...

ACT Party leader David Seymour says while the PREFU numbers are “hopeful”, they rely on there being further significant reduction in Government spending by the end of the decade.  Asked how reliable the forecast was, Seymour told Ryan Bridge the 2023 PREFU had promised a $2 billion surplus by the current financial year, with debt at $193 billion, and in reality it was now at $209 billion.&nbs...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday the 30th of September 2026, Treasury’s now forecasting a $4 billion surplus in 2028/29, up from $2.6 billion, Act Leader David Seymour shares his thoughts.  Auckland Council is ditching postal voting, Auckland Councillor Richard Hills explains why he voted to ditch it.  Open-AI is scrapping the rollout of its new model, te...

The form of democracy used in the country's biggest city is about to change.   Auckland Council members have voted to shift from postal voting to in-person booth voting, making them the first to do it since 1992.  The current proposal has been costed at between $31 and $40 million, but the council's asked staff to drive that down to $20 million.  Councillor Richard Hills told Ryan B...

How much cash will we get back from tax cuts?  Nicola Willis will soon make an announcement about their timing and potential value, if they get back to the Treasury benches.  The good news out of yesterday's PREFU is that the books are out of structural deficit this year.  That means when the Government borrows new money going forward, it will be for capital spending, not to keep th...

The Government's books are being opened today, giving a financial read of the state of the economy.  Treasury's Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update will show how Crown debt, expenditure, and revenue are tracking.  National's Nicola Willis has let some small details slip, saying people will like what they see.  Infometrics' Brad Olsen told Ryan Bridge they expect a slightly rosie...

There's disappointment from a building voice over MBIE's slow response to working on overheating new homes.  The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment say they're working on the issue, but changes will require more technical work and sector consultation.  Officials told RNZ hot homes wouldn't be part of the Building Code review in 2028, but instead the next one five years away...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2026, Treasury is set to open the government's books for the pre-election economic and fiscal update, Brad Olsen Principal Economist at Infometrics tells Ryan what we can expect. New research released to Newstalk ZB shows 68% of schools surveyed have accidentally published an image despite parental privacy restrictions, Darfield High SCHOOL P...

Schools appear to be finding it tough to keep track of students with image restrictions. New research by Christchurch tech company Hail has found 68% of schools have accidentally published a student's image online despite restrictions. Just 12% are confident they could find and remove an image once it's online. Canterbury's Darfield High School Principal Andy England told Ryan Bridge there's a lot...

There's an irony to this latest poll which won't be lost on Labour.   It is, of course, one poll and should be read as such.   The big parties are getting smaller, and the smaller parties are getting bigger.   This trend will reverse course a bit on polling day because not everyone who's polled bothers to vote and not everyone who votes is polled.   But the fact the Greens have...

Five men have been arrested near a US military base in the UK, with counter-terror police investigating further. Reports claim police were called after three suspicious vehicles were seen travelling towards RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, in the early hours of yesterday morning. The five men were initially arrested under the Explosives Act, then further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terror...

Over in the UK, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised to bring 'stability' back to the UK's economy as Labour heads to Liverpool. However, economic concerns like the Middle East conflict and rising energy prices are threatening to have a significant impact on UK households. Business correspondent Vicky Pryce says interest rates in the UK are also quite high and the pressure's on for Burnham to...

The US President's throwing out another deal, as an Iranian official says negotiations are his only way out. Donald Trump's says Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz 'wasn't acceptable'.  But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says they're the same conditions included in the deal signed by both sides, in June.  US Army Former Major General Randy Manner says Trump's tried al...

Labour is rolling out an election-year sweetener, this time aimed at Kiwis with student loans. The party is promising eligible borrowers will receive a 10 percent reduction on their student loan balance if it's elected.  Under the proposal, graduates who complete their studies and stay in the country for at least three years would qualify.  Labour's Tertiary Education Spokesperson Shanan...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Monday September 28th 2026, Labour's Tertiary Education Spokesperson Shanan Halbert explains to Ryan why the party wants to wipe 10 percent off people's student debt loans.  Ryan wonders whether this is an election bribe - and whether it will work.  Business Correspondent Vicky Pryce explains why more and more economists are get...

It's not quite Briscoes sale level, but 10% off your student loan is not to be scoffed at. Unless you're not a student, never had a student loan, and don't plan on sitting in a lecture theatre for three years. Then you don't really care about this policy except for what it costs you as a taxpayer. The unfortunate thing about democracy is that we're all taxpayers. It'll cost almost half a billion d...

Another positive annual result for Fonterra despite challenging weather conditions and global volatility.  The dairy co-op's confirmed a total cash return to shareholders of $19.6 billion.  The final Farmgate Milk Price payout for dairy farmers is $9.69, down from a record-high payout of $10.16 last year.  DairyNZ CEO Campbell Parker told Ryan Bridge the results reflect not only str...

Taiwanese independence remains a sticking point in the US-China relationship despite Donald Trump describing a 'great meeting' with Xi Jinping.   Washington has pulled out all the stops for the Chinese leader's three-day visit, but neither side is expecting any significant breakthroughs.  Former US Ambassador Christopher R Hill told Ryan Bridge a multi-billion-dollar military package for...

Fears the Government has only increased uncertainty for councils with delays to amalgamation plans.  The Government won't evaluate council's proposals until next year, despite giving them a tight timeline to put the plans forward.  Local Government New Zealand Regional Chair, Deon Swiggs tells Ryan Bridge pushing back the date is disappointing because a lot of time and money has been put...

The North Korean who tricked their way into a job with Kiwi company to make Kim Jong Un some cash was so yesterday's news.   The nerds and cyber cops are now worried about yet another AI hack.   The Aussies' Health NZ-equivalent was breached a few months back.  The culprit? An OpenAI robot.   Albanese announced the breach at the UN in NYC.  In doing so, he revealed that Op...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2026, the Government's decided to put council amalgamation on ice, Canterbury Regional Council Chair Dr Deon Swiggs tells Ryan councils aren't happy with the decision. Fonterra farmers are getting a pretty healthy payout, Dairy NZ CEO Campbell Parker tells Ryan if it's enough to keep farmers going through El Nino.  The American diplomat...