Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Everything that's wrong with our justice system at the moment was summed up this week by the judge who gave those two sex offenders home detention. They were described as two of this country's most notorious sexual predators, their offending so heinous one of the victim's called it depraved, one's had PTSD and flashbacks since, one had attempted suicide twice. The judge apparently choked back tear...

The housing market is unlikely to be greatly impacted by the latest Reserve Bank announcement. The bank confirmed the Official Cash Rate will remain at 5.5 percent, although there is a possibility this could be raised again this year. Corelogic Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Kate Hawkesby the decision is neutral for the housing market, with a muted recovery still likely. He says wha...

Deciding the verdict in the Lauren Dickason trial would've been an extremely difficult decision for any jury. The 42-year-old has been found guilty of murdering her three daughters at their Timaru home in 2021. Dickason pleaded insanity, caused by postpartum depression. The Criminal Bar Association's former president Gary Gotlieb told Kate Hawkesby it was a case of having to weigh up the different...

Auckland Transport is celebrating an end to bus driver shortages, but some believe it's too early to pop the champagne. At the height of the crisis AT needed 578 drivers. The city has three more drivers than the 2,206 required to operate the bus schedule. But, Public Transport Users Association's Jon Reeves told Kate Hawkesby only having three spare is a bit dicey, when it comes to staff sickness....

I see one of the favourite holiday playgrounds for many Kiwi families, has been hit with a travel advisory over violence. ‘Fiji police to increase presence after reports of violent attacks on tourists’ read the headline. These attacks apparently include assaults, robberies and sexual assaults, mainly in Suva’s downtown nightspots. Fiji, one of the safest countries in the world, facing the same pro...

A leading economist is sceptical of claims Official Cash Rate hikes will be halted until next year. The Reserve Bank is providing an OCR update today, with economists predicting it will stay at 5.5 percent. Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold says the bank believes this will be on hold until the second half of next year. But he told Kate Hawkesby with a strong labour market, strong migration, an...

Former US President Donald Trump is facing his fourth indictment in less than five months. He's been charged in Georgia with attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat - he denies all 13 charges including racketeering and election meddling. A phone call has emerged of him pressuring a Georgia Secretary of State to find votes. Washington Post Political reporter Amber Philips told Kate Hawkesby...

More than half of New Zealanders say they're starting to sink when it comes to money. Fresh data collected by the Retirement Commission, shows 55 percent are having a hard time with their finances, up 17 percent from 2021. However, Sorted Personal Finance Lead Tom Hartmann told Kate Hawkesby the research also shows more people are starting to focus on positive money management skills. He says more...

The audacity of this Government - seriously, it makes you wonder whether this the most hypocritical government ever. Yesterday, Chris Hipkins - as in pulpit of truth Chris Hipkins – Covid Minister Chris Hipkins, the guy who ran the whole shebang alongside Jacinda - showed he's now so desperate for votes, that he said he now regrets the 2021 lockdown length for Aucklanders. No kidding. Does he real...

The curtain is closing on the Women's World Cup for New Zealand, with just one game left on home soil. Spain and Sweden will go head to head tonight at Eden Park in the first semifinal. Over half a million tickets have been sold for the 29 New Zealand games - with the country hosting some of the world's best talent.  New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell joined Kate Hawkesby to give a review of...

More Kiwis are starting new lives overseas despite migrants arriving in droves. In the year to June, annual net migration rose to more than 86,000. But, the loss was nearly 35,000 citizens - the largest in a decade. ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Kate Hawkesby we're losing New Zealanders to Australia because it's seen as a low-risk  option. She says changes to the citizenship and wage lev...

The Australian woman who served up poison mushrooms suspected to have killed three people has sent a new statement to police. Erin Patterson now says she was hospitalised after the meal and had bought the ingredients from two different shops. Australian correspondent Donna Demaio Kate Hawkesby says Police are continuing to investigate the deaths. She says Patterson says she released the statement...

The scrapping of Covid restrictions couldn't have come soon enough for the hospitality industry. All remaining restrictions were dropped as of midnight last night, including the seven day isolation period. Hospitality New Zealand Chief Executive Steve Armitage told Kate Hawkesby they're surprised it's taken as long as it has, but are keen to move on. He says we need to trust people to manage their...

Criticisms of Labour's latest election promise are rising. The party's promising to axe GST from fresh and frozen fruit and veggies from April, with the average household expected to save roughly $20 a month. But New Zealand Initiative Chief Economist Eric Crampton told Kate Hawkesby that these policies always end up costing more in revenue than they deliver to families, and make the tax system mo...

Homes are still covered in silt and roads are far from repaired six months on from Cyclone Gabrielle. The devastating weather event left Gisborne without power and communication for days, and took the lives of 11 people nationwide. Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Kate Hawkesby that resilience is as important as recovery, which could cost billions. She says we can't just keep on patching up thes...

Democracy's interesting isn't it? I mean it’s our best option, but look at what we got this weekend in the latest mad grab for power. We’ve got an anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist revealed as a NZ First candidate (read the Stuff piece from yesterday and weep), and we’ve got a ruling party announcing no tax on fruit and vege, in a completely pointless policy that even their own Finance Minister hate...

Getting to work on time isn’t usually an issue for me.   I have a well-staged and orchestrated routine that has me rolling out of bed on the first alarm, staggering with mediocre accuracy to the bathroom where I plunge my freshly light tortured eyes and body into an overly hot shower, before dressing at fireman like speed and sliding down the lift shaft to my Newstalk ZB racing car.  Today, all of...

One political party is making a comeback. New Zealand First has gained popularity in the latest Taxpayers' Union Curia poll, gaining enough support to push over the five percent threshold to return to parliament. It comes after Act leader David Seymour says he refuses to partner with Winston Peters. But that may have to change as a National-Act government is looking more solid. Political commentat...

Yesterday's news that another of our major banks has made another record profit, just about had me falling off my financially unstable rocking horse. ASB have reported another record annual profit in the same week that the TSB have said they'll be closing seven of their 25 branches, even though they are rated highly in customer service and satisfaction surveys. The ASB is our third biggest bank, a...

Six people have died as wildfires engulf the Hawaiian island of Maui. Residents and tourists have been escaping into the sea to escape the blazes, devastating the town of Lahaina. Some with burns and smoke inhalation, are being flown to Honolulu for treatment. US correspondent Mitch McCann told Roman Travers the fires are being exacerbated by wind from a hurricane moving past the island. He says t...

There is an expectation McDonald's will address charging loyal app users higher prices. Users have taken to complain on social networking site Reddit, after pointing out a $3 difference between what app users and casual customers are charged. McDonald's says the prices may be different to entice some customers to return to the app. But Massey University marketing professor Bodo Lang told Roman Tra...

The primary teachers union says the secondary teachers pay rise is great news for the whole sector.  PPTA members have accepted a 14.5 percent pay bump, meaning roughly 30,000 teachers will receive the first of three pay boosts between now and the end of next year. NZEI President Mark Potter told Roman Travers there's more to be done, but this is a good step towards recognising the value of teache...

For all the people ‘hopping across the Tasman’ at the moment I can tell you one thing - it’s not a hop.   It used to be a short haul quick trip - painless. But these days it seems to be less painless and more painful. I’m not sure who’s more at fault - Auckland Airport or Air New Zealand, or both. Of the three times I’ve crossed the Tasman in the last month; I’ve been held up on the tarmac or dela...

National plans to crack down on cellphone use in schools, if it wins the October election. It would ban phones for all year groups - with some exemptions for those needing the devices for health or learning purposes. Party Leader Christopher Luxon says it's about eliminating unnecessary disturbances and distractions.  But social media expert Vaughan Davis told Kate Hawkesby studies show cellphone...

A change in attitudes is needed before people will stop using cellphones in their cars. A six-month Waka Kotahi safety camera trial across Auckland spotted 242,000 potential offences, including drivers using handheld phones or not wearing a seatbelt. Neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis says we need a culture change so people don't have to be constantly available by phone. He told Kate Hawkesby peo...