Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Numbers in the latest 1News political poll fall for National and ACT this time - projecting a total of 62 seats between them, should they form a coalition. Labour, Greens, and Te Pāti Māori would only muster 58. Political commentator and lawyer Brigitte Morten joined Tim Dower to discuss the latest polling. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As if a cost of living crisis and a crime crisis were not enough, we also have a mental health crisis in this country, and it’s heart-breaking. It was reported the other day that, on average, 54 tradies take their own life each year, as well as 23 farm workers. They're predominantly men. So what services are available here? Well as we know, time and time again, because it’s constantly reported on,...

New Zealand's logistics and freight industry is calling for immediate intervention to a worker shortage. A new government study finds the labour shortage could triple from nearly 5,000 to over 18,000 in the next five years. Chair of the NZ Council of Cargo Owners Ant Boyles joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems alcohol may not hold the allure it once did for young people. Youth drinking survey results from 20 years ago show more than half of those in high school were drinking and going to parties on a regular basis by Year 10. Comparatively, Otago researchers surveyed students last year and found only one of the Year 10 students they spoke to reported drinking socially. Senior Research Fellow, D...

Some good news, and some bad news, from the Reserve Bank. The central bank has hiked the Official Cash Rate by a further 25 basis points to 5.5 percent. But it's also indicated no further hikes are likely, before the OCR starts coming down towards the end of next year. Weakening is already being felt in the retail sector, where new figures show spending is continuing to slide. Retail NZ Chief Exec...

I’m bordering on feeling sorry for Chris Hipkins - and I’ll tell you why. He’s single-handedly being the face of the entire Government day in day out and spinning so much BS that it must be giving him a headache. I mean the level of ‘creative facts’ shall we call them, being espoused, is truly award winning. Yesterday he even tried to blame an international TikTok trend which has only just blown u...

Act's Police Spokesman says new Police assault data is a damning indictment on the type of country New Zealand has become. Newstalk ZB can reveal the number of assaults on police staff has almost doubled in recent times - with officers reporting more than a 1,100 attacks in 2022, up from 631 in 2021. Chris Baillie says although tragic, the figures sadly will surprise few. He says the numbers show...

The Official Cash Rate is expected to take another hike today. An announcement will be made by the Reserve Bank at around 2pm this afternoon. Most economists are holding out for a 25 basis point increase to 5.5 percent. Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss a potential rise. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Miami Zoo has announced that Paora the kiwi will no longer be offered up for paid encounters with the public after videos of the bird being paraded in daylight for selfies with zoo visitors went viral, causing outrage. Ron Magill, communications director for Miami Zoo, told the  Herald  that they had listened to the response from New Zealanders. “We regret the unintentional stress caused by a vide...

So another day, another shop closing for good because they’re fed up with being robbed. That sees off West Auckland’s only Post Shop – seven ram raids and break ins have pushed them over the edge. They’ve been in business 20 years. Now, they’re closing their doors for good. It beggars belief that business owners are getting run out of town by thugs and criminals, but that’s where we are now. Remem...

The ratio of sheep to people has dropped below 5 to 1 - the lowest number since the 1950s. Stats NZ has released its five-yearly Agricultural Production Census, which shows decreases in the national dairy herd and sheep flock. Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Chairman Toby Williams told Kate Hawkesby the fall in numbers shouldn't have much of a direct impact on our exports. "It'll make our product...

An economics professor says Working For Families abatement thresholds have fallen behind and should increase. The Government lifted the abatement threshold in 2017, from a little more than $36,000 to $42,700. But wage growth has pushed many families over the limit for receiving it. Auckland University associate economics professor Susan St John told Kate Hawkesby an increase between $52,000 and $5...

Bus drivers eagerly await their turn to discuss working conditions today. Transport Minister Michael Wood is meeting with union representatives in Auckland - the hot topics: wages and conditions. More than 500 bus drivers have been hired since November, meaning Go Bus and NZ Bus numbers in main centres will be back to full strength in coming weeks. Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaf...

The Energy Minister says we can't under-estimate how effective the Government's plan to reduce emissions in the steel sector will be. NZ Steel will receive up to 140 million dollars to help replace half the coal used at its Glenbrook site with electricity. It will cut emissions by 800-thousand tonnes on day one, the equivalent of taking every Christchurch car off the road. Megan Woods told Kate Ha...

I was disappointed the Nats dropped the ball last week and missed the opportunity to seize on what really mattered in the Budget — and it wasn’t free prescriptions. That particular political smokescreen was put up as easy fodder for media to fall for in the hope they’d miss the real story, which is our eye watering debt levels and how inflationary this whole thing is going to be. Sadly it wasn’t j...

So the crime in Auckland is now reaching the point of ridiculous, and as I said yesterday, I don't know how it even gets reported without an all-out outcry at how barbaric we are becoming. So to recap the past couple of days - a 15 year old gets shot at on the motorway while innocently sitting in the back of the family car because some losers with guns decide they don’t like how her family's drivi...

The 2023 Budget offered $11.5 billion over the next four years but left nothing for farmers. But it's farmers saying that more than money, they'd just like relief from the endless regulations. Federated Farmers Acting President Wayne Langford joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multiple offers have been received in an attempt to buy the Mount Ruapehu skifields. However, locals have concerns surrounding how transparent the MBIE is being about these offers. Spokesperson for the Ruapehu Skifields Stakeholders Association, Peter Thomson, joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2023 is focused on the 'bread and butter' issues.. The Government has injected tens of billions of dollars, in the hope it battles the high cost of living. Questions remain as to what it means in terms of inflation, spending and debt. Associate Minister of Finance Michael Wood joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we await Budget day announcements and an inkling as to where the Government’s interested in putting money, I hope we see some more investment in education. Our stats around education are now so woeful and so depressing that I’m not even sure more money would fix it – but it needs drilling down on as a priority for this Government given where we’re at. The latest global study shows the reading s...

Creepy crawlies are continuing to pop up in food items. The latest is insect larvae which was nestled in a boy's Whittakers bar, the second bug incident the chocolate company has dealt with in less than two weeks. So what's the reputation damage? Marketing expert Bodo Lang joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been much discussion over whether or not changes to tax will be made in today's Budget announcement. The Government has ruled out any major changes to tax brackets, despite a wealth tax report showing a major gap between tax paid by the wealthy and poor. KPMG Tax Partner Rebecca Armour joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't expect any big surprises, when the Government releases its Budget at 2pm today. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby pre-Budget statements and announcements show the Government is taking a "back to basics" approach. He says there isn't nearly as much wriggle room in this Budget as there has been before. Olsen says it's good to see more restraint, following the Covid...

The vaping epidemic in this country really grinds my gears, because it was all so avoidable. We let the horse bolt, for years, and then sat on our hands until it well and truly took hold, until every school in the country, alongside thousands of parents, were all crying out for legislation and restrictions around it – until we took it seriously. And then we set up endless committees, reviews, and...

Only two Firearm Prohibition Orders have been issued since coming into force six months ago. They were brought in to be used against people with a criminal history. Questions have therefore been raised as to why are police utilising them so sparingly. Hugh Deveraux-Mack is the spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/list...