Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

It’s Halloween tonight, so stand by for trick or treaters coming to a doorbell near you.   Although weather in many parts of the country may keep little trick or treaters at bay, it probably won’t deter teenagers. We’ve had a mixed run of approaches to Halloween over the years. When the kids were really little, they would find some of the costumes frightening and we wondered the merits of tiny chi...

Supie customers may be left out of pocket.   The online grocer's entered voluntary administration with PwC, owing some $3 million after launching two years ago.   It promised to bring competition to the market, and subscriptions to the service cost an annual fee of $99.   Consumer New Zealand CEO Jon Duffy told Kate Hawkesby that they don’t know all the reasons that lead to Supie going into volunt...

A major bank has increased its test rate, which is the rate at which it checks that borrowers can afford a loan.   ANZ has upped it to 9.1%.   That's despite home loan rates sitting around 7% for a two-year fix.    Key Mortgages mortgage broker Jeremy Andrews told Kate Hawkesby that it's the first bank to make such a move in decades.   He says interest rates have been going up since Covid came alo...

India stayed perfect and England remained awful as Mohammed Shami bowled a stunning opening spell to give the hosts a 100-run win at the Cricket World Cup. Shami and Jasprit Bumrah shared an initial five wickets in a fiery exhibition of pace and seam movement in a six-over spell in the first powerplay and blew away the English top-order. That came after India had been put into bat and scored only...

American hockey player Adam Johnson, who appeared in 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019 and 2020, has died after his neck was cut by a skate blade during a game in England on Saturday, his team said. He was 29. Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers when he suffered the skate cut during the second period of the Elite Ic...

There’s not a lot to say about that game that hasn’t already been said — however it will be a game that gets digested for a long time yet. Mainly over the place of TMO in rugby and how slowed down the game is these days. It’s almost like they’re not allowed to play it anymore. It must make players incredibly nervous when every move is questioned, yellow carded, TMO’d and often red carded. It’s too...

Israel says its next stage of war with Hamas has begun as it expands ground operations in Gaza. Telephone and internet communications in Gaza have been partially restored after a more than day-long blackout, which badly impacted rescue operations. The UN has warned civil order in Gaza is deteriorating. Otago University international relations professor Robert Patman told Kate Hawkesby two-thirds o...

History does unfortunately repeat itself with an absolutely gutting loss for the All Blacks. The All Blacks have had to settle for second in the Rugby World Cup after losing to the Springboks 12-11 in Paris. They had to play the majority of the game with 14, after captain Sam Cane became the first player sent off in a Rugby World Cup final. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith joined Kate H...

It’s finally time for a rematch.   Back in 1995 the All Blacks faced South Africa in the Rugby World Cup Final and will be doing the same this Sunday morning.   Hennie Le Roux was a member of the Springboks when they took the cup in ‘95 and told Kate Hawkesby that they’re preparing themselves for an enormous battle this time.   He said that New Zealand has shown that they’re a power to reckon with...

There are lots of reasons, obviously, why we all want the ABs to win this weekend, but my main one to be honest is Ian Foster.   That guy got dragged through the ringer, treated like utter crap from everyone, from fans to the Rugby Union itself, and he just carried on. Plugging away, keeping his head down, taking it all on the chin, and just trying to do his job. I mean he got slandered. Thumped v...

Reports that demand for financial help is growing among employed people and property owners.   CoreLogic data shows that despite interest rates doubling over the past two years, mortgagee sales remain below pre-pandemic levels.   But it says this is a "fingers crossed scenario" and is dependent on people's ability to keep their jobs and maintain home payments.   CoreLogic Chief Property Economist,...

The suspect in the latest mass shooting in the United States is still on the run.   At least 18 people in the city of Lewiston in the state of Maine are dead, and a further 13 are injured. Police are hunting 40-year-old Robert Card, who is believed to be armed and dangerous.   There's a "shelter in place" order for residents and two neighbouring towns.   Portland Press Herald lead reporter Marla H...

There are hopes Christmas will bring businesses a cash bounce.   The latest Retail NZ sales index —for the third quarter— shows many retailers sat in a holding pattern before the election.   59% reported increasing prices and just 57% felt confident their businesses would survive the next year.   Business NZ CEO, Kirk Hope, told Kate Hawkesby that there’s a lot more certainty after the election.  ...

Further concern about the state of Wellington City Council's books as it agrees to a new budget for the Town Hall.   The council agreed to approve up to $147-million towards the redevelopment, an expense which could bring the total up to $329-million.   The heritage-listed building has been closed to the public for the past decade for quake-strengthening.   Wellington Chamber of Commerce Chief Exe...

You’ve got to think there’s something very rotten in the state of the public service in this country that they’re carrying on —in some quarters where they know full well they’re getting cancelled— that they’re carrying on hiring people, working on projects, spending money, commissioning work.   Why? They’re not going anywhere. Three Waters, light rail, Let’s get Wellington Moving... why are people...

New Zealand's Government has made further public comment on the conflict in Israel and Gaza.   Outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, in consultation with incoming Prime Minister Chris Luxon, has joined international calls for humanitarian corridors in Gaza and designated safe areas.   Honorary Consul for Israel, Henri Eliot, told Kate Hawkesby that what's missing is the New Zealand government rec...

Peter Dunne is someone I really respect because he’s emerged from a life inside politics to remain an engaged and informed observer on the outside.   He makes a lot of sense, which is why I love having him on this show. He recently gave an interview where he talked about the fact we shouldn’t have to wait this long for election results. I agree.   I’m sure most of us do. I mean we voted for a syst...

Concerns that Wellington City Council's financial books aren't in a good state.   Castalia was commissioned by a group of locals for an independent analysis of public records, which suggests a one-billion-dollar budget blowout.   Group member and Wellington Lawyer, John Swan, told Kate Hawkesby that the council's 'reckless.'   He says they've bitten off more than they can financially chew, but con...

A Rotorua Councillor says they'll be more transparent with the public, but some meetings need to be confidential.   A Chief Ombudsman review of eight councils has found some have effectively closed workshops to the public for invalid reasons.   It followed complaints they were undermining local democracy by making decisions away from the public eye.   Rotorua Lakes Councillor Fisher Wang told Kate...

Christopher Luxon's staying tight lipped about coalition discussions.   Meanwhile, ACT's David Seymour says he's happy to make the coalition agreement public once it's been struck.   Arrangements in 2017 weren't made public by Jacinda Ardern, with the Chief Ombudsman ruling details couldn't be requested under the Official Information Act as it came within her capacity as Labour leader.   Former Na...

Emergency warnings have been issued for people in the way of fast-moving fires in southern Queensland.   From today, residents in several towns about 250 kilometres from Brisbane have been urged to leave their homes immediately.   Evacuation centres have been set up.   Australia correspondent Donna Demaio says one of the fires, which has burned about 200 hectares of land already, is deemed suspici...

How good is a long weekend?     And is Labour weekend not one of the best? It’s the downhill slide to Christmas, which by the way is just nine Fridays away now.   It’s heading into summer, it’s just a vibe. I notice people had an extra spring in their step – the sun was shining, the AB’s won a place in the final, we had two good games of rugby to watch in fact, there just seemed a real buzz over t...

Four years on from the March 15th Christchurch terror attacks, the coronial inquest is beginning today. Coroner Brigette Windley will hear up to eight weeks of evidence.   She will determine the cause and circumstances of the 51 deaths and make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future.   Herald reporter Anna Leask told Kate Hawkesby that the coroner will look at whether people co...

The outgoing and incoming governments are blaming the caretaker convention for keeping tight-lipped about the situation in the Middle East.   The convention applies when an outgoing administration is preparing to make way for an incoming one.   International Geopolitical Analyst Geoffrey Miller told Kate Hawkesby that New Zealand's done the minimum: condemning the Hamas attack, calling for restrai...

A macroeconomics professor is hitting back at a forecast our economy is on track for a soft-landing.   Infometrics has revised its expectations for next year up to 0.9% growth, saying strong migration figures are having an effect.   Auckland University Professor Robert MacCulloch told Tim Dower that the report is silly.   He questions how they could come out with a line like that when next year th...