Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Nationals Annual Blue Greens forum was held over the weekend. The prime minister and the party caucus members were all there to talk with the environmental leaders. Greens Forum chair Grant McCallum told Mike Hosking that the meeting was a 10/10 and it 'couldn't have gone better'. When asked how green the national party are he said 'we're very pragmatically green, We're not idealistically green.'...

Ginny Andersen says she'll apologise to Mark Mitchell, over comments she made on last week's Mike Hosking Breakfast. On last Wednesday's show, the Labour Police Spokesperson accused the Police Minister of being paid to kill people when he was a defence contractor in East Africa and the Middle East. Mitchell says he hasn't knowingly killed anyone. Andersen told Mike Hosking this morning, she should...

A building expert says people tend to focus on the cost of building infrastructure and think they'll figure everything else out as they go along.   The Infrastructure Commission says we need to spend around 60% of our investment to look after what we already have, rather than building more.   AUT Professor of Construction Management John Tookey told Mike Hosking that people often focus on acquisit...

There’s “a new approach" from the Government on breaking the cycle of child poverty.   The percentage of children living in poverty has risen to 17.5, with the percentage of children facing material hardship rising to 12.5.   Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says they'll have a target and will be held accountable for it.   She told Mike Hosking that it's not just a matter of addressi...

There’s concerns the Government's plan to switch the first year of free tertiary study to the final year won't hit the mark.   The Tertiary Education Commission has told a select committee this week that there's no discernible evidence the first-year policy changed numbers of low decile school students attending university.   Tertiary Education Union National Secretary Sandra Grey says once studen...

Air New Zealand's turbulent relationship with Auckland Airport is taking another turn.   The national carrier is demanding an inquiry into the airport's spending, claiming it will push up airfares to five times the current rate by 2032.   Cath O’Brien, Executive Director on the Board of Airline Representatives, told Mike Hosking that the airport has a history of extremes, going from spending too l...

A tribute from one Pacific leader to another.   49 yearold Green Party MP and former Auckland Councillor Efeso Collins collapsed and died at a charity event yesterday morning.   Pasifika Medical Association Board Director Sir Colin Tukuitonga told Mike Hosking that he picked up the causes that other people perhaps wouldn't.   He says that includes young people and poor south Auckland communities,...

The Children's Minister says she's prioritising frontline staff investment in Oranga Tamariki.   Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has released a report detailing two thousand complaints and enquiries he's witnessed in the past four years.   He concluded work is inconsistent across the country, with some parts showing an alarming "absence of discipline"   Minister Karen Chhour told Mike Hosking that w...

It seems the path has been cleared for a multi-million-dollar film studio in Hawke's Bay.   Number Eight Studios has received resource consent from Hastings District Council for its 400-hectare facility in the coastal township of Te Awanga.   Despite having been five years since the first proposal, project leader Tony Keddy says it's been worth the wait.   The idea is for buildings to be built for...

Labour's Grant Robertson is retiring from Parliament next month and will become Otago University's Vice-Chancellor in July.   The 15-year MP was Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the Labour Government.   He says the time is right for new challenges.   Political Commentator Brigitte Morten told Mike Hosking that the writing was on the wall when he decided not to run in Wellington Centra...

There's no silver bullet when it comes to improving our physical activity levels.   Health New Zealand's latest review of the state of our health has found one in three adults carries enough weight to affect their health.   Exercise New Zealand Chief Executive Richard Beddie says we're one of the worst in the western world when it comes to being active.   He told Mike Hosking that if information w...

High mortgage rates are continuing to pressure the housing market as the year starts with slow January sales.   CoreLogic data shows there were more than 3,100 sales last month, up just 2% on the same time last year.   It's the slowest start to a year since 1983.   Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson says a slowdown in the Auckland market has also had a big impact.   He says mortgage rates ha...

A taskforce is proposing a crackdown on drugs and alcohol in the Australian parliament.   Australian Senator Perin Davey admitted to having a couple glasses of wine before a senate hearing, where she was seen slurring her words.   Australian Correspondent Donna Demaio told Mike Hosking that this isn't the first time an Aussie politician has been caught drinking on the job.   She says the image of...

Lack of resources are being blamed for St John's move to pull some ambulances off the road.   The service is aiming to rein in costs for when a worker is sick or goes on leave.   Health commentator Ian Powell told Mike Hosking that it comes down to having enough staff, and funding isn't matching the increase in health demand.   He says this is not just a St John's problem there's a problem in the...

Labour's defending its work in the benefit space when in government, saying it takes time for change to occur.   Social Development Minister Louise Upston's announced a ramp up of work check-ins for jobseekers, with sanctions for those who don't meet obligations, starting in June.   Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni told Mike Hosking that when she was minister, there were re...

The British and American ambassadors to Russia have laid flowers at a memorial to Alexei Navalny in Moscow. The Russian opposition leader died after collapsing following a walk in his Arctic prison, over the weekend. Meanwhile, G-7 foreign ministers have met in Munich to discuss ideas to punish Russia for his death. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking that the UK and US have suggeste...

Scepticism over whether handing over speed camera duties will reduce fatal speed-related crashes. NZTA is taking over the job from Police, with plans to increase the number from 150 to around 800, as part of a high-tech development of the network. It's estimated to process around three million infringements annually by 2030. But road safety campaigner Clive Matthew-Wilson told Mike Hosking it does...

Prime Minister Chris Luxon gave a somewhat grim outlook of the economy during his State of the Nation speech in Auckland yesterday, but he still has support. Luxon says the state of the nation is fragile, and says the problems the country faces won't be fixed in 100 days .. or 100 days after that .. but his Government is getting to work. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls told Mike Hosking a...

The migration boom is easing ever so slightly.   Latest Stats NZ figures show annual net migration reached just under 126,000 in the year to December.   That's down 6.3% on the record high for the year to November.   The net migration gain is still one of the largest recorded, equivalent to the population of Taranaki.   Westpac Senior Economist Michael Gordon told Mike Hosking that he thinks we’re...

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been labelled "unrealistic" as concerns rise for Gazan city Rafah.   International relations expert Geoffrey Miller told Mike Hosking that Netanyahu seems to be in a fantasy land.   He says he seems to think the 1.5-million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah can all go to a small village on the coast seven kilometres away.   New Zealand, Australia, and...

The nurses union wants the new Health Minister to intervene on delays to payouts.   Te Whatu Ora owes nearly two billion dollars to nurses after failing to meet Holiday Act requirements, and its only paid roughly $250,000 back.   The union says the rest of the money, owed from 2010 onwards, has been pushed back.   Nurses Organisation President Kerri Nuku told Mike Hosking that they'll be writing t...

David Seymour's preparing to take a harder line on the parents of chronically absent kids.   As the Associate Education Minister, Seymour's been tasked with tackling increasing levels of absenteeism in schools across the country.   Regular attendance is classed as being in school more than 90-percent of a term.   He says he's investigating whether the power to fine the parents of absent kids shoul...

The Salvation Army says lifting people off benefits and into jobs is easier said than done.   The Government's looking to change benefit legislation that would see income support rise only with the rate of inflation.   Under Labour benefits rose with wage growth each year, which generally rises faster than inflation.   Salvation Army Head of Social Services, Lynette Hutson told Mike Hosking that m...

Fletcher Building's poor results are believed to be indicative of wider pain in the construction sector.   The company's half-year financial results painted a dire picture, with a $120-million net loss.   Chief Executive Ross Taylor announced his resignation yesterday alongside Chair Bruce Hassall.   Combined Building Supplies Co-op Chair Carl Taylor told Mike Hosking that the industry is hurting....

More privacy concerns for supermarket customers.   It's been revealed that Woolworths will collect personal data like images, audio recordings, and license plate numbers when people sign up to their Everyday Reward cards.   Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says businesses need to be transparent with what they're collecting from people and what's done with that data once it's been collected.  ...