Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The News Publishers Association remains optimistic the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill will go through.   A Select Committee's recommended the bill not be passed in its current form.   The bill would force social media giants to pay for using news media.   Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith says they've not made a decision and it's still on the table.   News Publishers Association...

Nelson-based fuel company NPD has remained 100% Kiwi owned.   The company left the hands of the founding family, selling a majority of the shares.   One Kiwi in particular now owns the company, current CEO and longtime employee, Barry Sheridan.   Sheridan told Mike Hosking that their goal is to bring the most competitive fuel prices they can as they expand through New Zealand, while still maintain...

A public transport advocate believes we're paying the price for a lack of investment in trains.   Only 22.5% of Wairarapa trains arrived within five minutes of being on schedule in April.   It's a slight improvement from February, which had only around 5% of trains within target.   Jon Reeves from the Public Transport Users Association told Mike Hosking that there's a lot to catch up on.   He says...

A struggle to staff the country's radiation oncology services is turning more cancer patients to private care.   RNZ is reporting that a service caring for patients in five regions across the North Island is not allowed to recruit the staff it needs, despite recommendations from Te Whatu Ora.   Cancer Society Co-Director Kate Gregory told Mike Hosking that the shortage is just one reason for the p...

- Charles Leclerc’s first win since July 2022 - Max Verstappen started and finished the race sixth for Red Bull - Early crash took out Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won the restarted Monaco Grand Prix from pole position today for his first Formula 1 victory in nearly two years. Leclerc was on pole for the third time in four years, but had previous...

The secondary teachers union says the Government's pre-Budget teacher recruitment announcement is a good start but it needs to ramp up. Education Minister Erica Stanford's announced a 53-million dollar package to train and recruit 1500 teachers over four years. It includes establishing 1200 places for aspiring teachers to learn on the job. PPTA President Chris Abercrombie told Mike Hosking that th...

The UK Prime Minister has made a big pre-election promise - ahead of July's general election. The Conservative party wants to bring back 12 months of national mandatory military service. Eighteen year olds could choose between a fulltime military placement or one weekend a month of community service. Rishi Sunak's party has not stated the planned punishment if the compulsory service is not complet...

This week marks the conclusion to the Donald Trump Hush Money Trial in New York. The first criminal trial of former President Donald J Trump will have its closing arguments on Tuesday before Jurors have to decide to convict him. Mr Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Anthony Davis is an LA based journalist and host of Five M...

The state of New Zealand’s economy is a disappointment.   In a pre-Budget speech to the Employers and Manufacturers Association, Finance Minister Nicola Willis confirmed the Government had found savings to pay for tax cuts.   However, she warned that the books are still in a structural deficit, with spending outpacing tax revenue.   EMA CEO Brett O’Riley told Mike Hosking that while it was disappo...

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer have hit the ground running in the UK.   The leaders of the Conservative and Labour parties, respectively, are out and about ahead of the July 4 election.   But Newstalk ZB UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Mike Hosking that it hasn't been a smooth start for the Conservative leader.   He says Sunak had an embarrassing faux par in Wales when he asked locals if they...

It’s little surprise a large number of Kiwi teachers didn't pass some high-school subjects.   New research has found a quarter of new primary school teachers failed maths and more than half failed science at NCEA Level One.   More than half who pursued Level Two maths also failed.   The Teaching Council's calling for more investment and widespread changes to how teachers are prepared for the class...

A mining lobby group thinks the Resources Minister's decade-long vision for mining is achievable.   Shane Jones has announced a draft strategy which would see a critical minerals list for New Zealand produced, and a detailed stock-take made of the country's known mineral potential.   He wants to double export values in 10 years, from one billion to two.   Straterra Chief Executive, Josie Vidal tol...

Major tornados hit Iowa, leaving towns devastated and people injured or dead.   Greenfield was struck by the deadliest tornado of the storm, leaving homes and businesses destroyed, and while police confirmed fatalities at a news briefing, they were unable to say how many.   The town’s hospital was among the buildings damaged, forcing the injured to find refuge elsewhere.   US Correspondent Kathrin...

The Reserve Bank had a few surprises in its monetary policy update yesterday.   While the OCR remaining at 5.5% was expected, Governer Adrian Orr’s signal that the cash rate may remain “restrictive” for longer, was not.   Domestic inflation is proving more stubborn than expected, and the Bank is also considering hiking rates if it must.   Malcolm Knight, Director of Advice Knight, told Mike Hoskin...

French President Emmanuel Macron's imminent arrival in New Caledonia is being viewed as a show of defiance.   Six have died in the unrest sparked by government electoral reforms.   A further 49 New Zealanders have been rescued from Noumea following the initial 50 people evacuated on Tuesday night.   They arrived in Auckland early this morning aboard a Defence Force plane, having initially being ta...

The OCR is expected to remain steady.   It’s expected to remain unchanged at 5.5% when the bank releases its quarterly Monetary Policy Statement this afternoon.   It's signalled a rate cut may not come for another year.    Infometrics' Brad Olsen says the central bank is having to focus on inflation, over other negative economic indicators like rising unemployment.   He told Mike Hosking that he’d...

New Zealand’s rugby provinces have been warned by the professional players to brace for a civil war if they vote to approve their own governance change proposal at next week’s special general meeting.   In an explosive move that shows how distressed the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association (NZRPA) is with the current governance system and the possibility of it not being fixed in line with indepe...

Electoral paperwork is landing two MPs in hot water.   The Greens have referred suspended MP Darleen Tana to the Electoral Commission for failing to put a promoter statement on a magazine advertorial.   The party itself is investigating what she knew about allegations of migrant exploitation relating to her husband's business.   At the same time, National has stripped MP David MacLeod of his Selec...

Passengers have described their terror when a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore dropped suddenly.   A 73-year-old British man has died of a suspected heart attack and dozens of others were injured.   A statement from the airline says 23 of the 211 passengers were from New Zealand.   Flight SQ321 was diverted to Bangkok.   UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking that the plan...

Police response times in Australia’s Northern Territory have gotten worse.   A domestic violence inquest has heard that police response times have increased in the past year, more than doubling over the previous five.   NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy revealed that between 2022 and 2023, the number of hours spent on domestic violence cases increased from 712,000 to 882,000, costs increasing...

Local councils want a new approach to move decision making away from central government and back into communities.   Local Government New Zealand is proposing city and regional deals, a system which would see councils team up with the government on specific projects.   Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe told Mike Hosking that it will give more control to local communities.   He says communities know wha...

The death of Iran's President isn't expected to have immediate impacts internationally.   President Ebrahim Raisi and the foreign minister have been confirmed dead by state media after a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijan border.   Iran has announced five days of public mourning.   Otago University international relations professor Robert Patman told Mike Hosking reaction will come down to wheth...

Immediate changes are in store for Kainga Ora, in light of a critical independent review.   It found the public housing agency needs significant savings to become financially viable.   Housing Minister Chris Bishop's indicated a total refresh of the board but rules out a mass sell-off of state houses.   Community Housing Aotearoa Deputy CEO, Chris Glaudel told Mike Hosking that the report isn't sh...

A sellout crowd is certain as it's just one day til Wellington Phoenix chants ring out across the city.   The nix are playing the Melbourne Victory at a packed Cake Tin.   Excitement's been building up in the capital about the A-League semifinal clash, as the team goes into the second leg on a nil-all aggregate score, at home.   Weekend Sport host Jason Pine told Mike Hosking that he gets the feel...

King Charles has been attending garden parties as he returns to public duties.   The monarch returned to work in late April, about two months after it was announced he was being treated for cancer.   UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Mike Hosking that he appeared in good spirits at the garden parties this past week.   He says hundreds of people are invited to the parties, which have days for...