Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The battle of Wayne Brown versus the road cones is one I want a front-row seat for. I am here for it and I love it so far.  I don’t think it’ll be an easy fix. The cones have taken over our streets like some kind of cancer and they seem hell-bent on staying, but now that Auckland’s Mayor’s waged war on them, and Vector’s joined in, I have hope of eradication. The first shock was the cost – althoug...

Concerns have been raised that our climate change policies are too insufficient to mitigate the effects of climate change. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report shows emissions will need to be halved by 2030 to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius. It also warns every degree will exacerbate extreme weather events, as seen at the start of the year. NIWA Principal Sci...

Trade, TikTok and Ukraine are expected to be top-of-mind during a diplomatic visit between New Zealand and China. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta is today on-route to Beijing to meet with her Chinese counterpart. Contemporary China Research Centre Director, Jason Young, told Kate Hawkesby they'll likely oppose New Zealand banning TikTok on diplomatic phones. And New Zealand may push back on Russia'...

The retail sector is hoping to sit down with the new Police Minister soon. Ginny Andersen is replacing Stuart Nash in the role, having only been sworn in as a Cabinet minister earlier this year. She is a low-ranking member of Cabinet, but has 10 years of experience working with Police. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford told Kate Hawkesby they want Police to have more resources and tools to de...

There are demands for dental care to be included in New Zealand's public health system. An Association of Salaried Medical Specialists-commissioned poll shows seven in 10 Kiwis agree it should be free, as it is for children. Seventy-two percent of respondents say they've delayed a dentist visit due to cost, and only 43 percent had visited a dentist in the last year. Auckland Action Against Poverty...

The Make it 16 campaigners are annoyed apparently – because their campaign’s been shoved on the back burner by the new PM, who has worked out that it’s not a priority right now and added it to his so-called ‘bonfire’.  But it shouldn’t be a priority right now, not when the government has to contend with rising inflation, the health system in dire straits, crime at massive highs, a huge cyclone rel...

The Green Party wants a commitment to climate action from a potential coalition partner. Co-leader James Shaw voiced his distaste at the prospect of a National-Act alliance in a 'State of the Planet' address yesterday. He said it would be the most "reactionary, race-baiting, right-wing" government in decades. Clint Smith, a former advisor to Jacinda Ardern, says that the Greens aren't happy with t...

The clock is ticking for Switzerland's banking sector as one rival hopes to save another. The country's largest bank UBS has offered to buy all or parts of Credit Suisse. The Swiss Government is looking to change laws to bypass a shareholder vote. Regulators have been racing to save the 167-year-old bank, hoping to secure a deal before the markets reopen tonight at 6pm New Zealand time. Europe cor...

Will Stuart Nash last the day as a member of the Cabinet? Newstalk ZB has revealed Nash was warned for breaching the Cabinet manual over a 2020 Newstalk ZB interview in which he advocated for police officer Matthew Hunt's killer to be imprisoned for a long time. Nash has already lost his job as Police Minister after revealing on Newstalk ZB this week that he'd asked the Police Commissioner two yea...

While Cyclone Gabrielle will have a negative impact on the economy this quarter, it could be a different story later in the year. The latest GDP figures show a 0.6 percent contraction for the December quarter, with economists predicting another decline to follow, partly driven by recent weather events. But ANZ Senior Economist Miles Workman told Kate Hawkesby that it will support GDP in the quarte...

Lyttelton is gearing up for a big weekend. Racing in the International SailGP competition starts tomorrow on Lyttelton Harbour. Banks Peninsula Community Board Member Reuben Davidson told Kate Hawkesby that after a few false starts due to Covid getting the event off the ground has been hard work, but the set up looks amazing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the start of this week I was chastising Auckland for being a dump these days and don’t get me wrong, I still hate the traffic, the cones, and the congestion. But, I am here today to defend the city of my birth.  When I criticized Auckland this week, part of my long list of complaints was the way people behave at concerts (Snoop Dog was the example). Someone who attended said the crowd was so ba...

The New Zealand economy is shrinking, the only question is by how much. GDP figures due out this morning are expected to show the economy contracted in the fourth quarter of last year. Speaking to Tim Dower ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley is picking a steeper 0.5 percent drop. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins is determined to laugh off the resignation of Police Minister Stuart Nash. Nash has been forced to resign, after revealing on yesterday's Mike Hosking Breakfast, that two years ago he asked the Police Commissioner to appeal a judge's sentencing. The Prime Minister joked about the news during a speech to kiwifruit growers last night saying a "minor reshuffle" is coming, but he'd rathe...

I said yesterday that I worry we care more about having a Prime Minister who looks like someone you could have a beer with, than caring about leadership, economic responsibility or policies.  The electorate fell head over heels in love with a smiling friendly looking Jacinda Ardern, until her ideology started to bite, then everyone freaked out and she was gone. In came smiley friendly looking Chri...

It's thought anything this country does on climate change will have no impact until the whole world responds. A 1News Kantar Public survey reveals more than half of respondents want the Government to act with more urgency on climate change. The poll, taken in reaction to Cyclone Gabrielle, finds 27 percent want officials to continue as planned and 10 percent want less urgency. But Victoria Univers...

The Government is coming under fire for scrapping a number of climate-focused policies. However Prime Minister Chris Hipkins insists Labour has not lost sight of the country's climate goals. New Zealand's first Climate Change Ambassador, Adrian Macey, agrees with him. Now a senior associate at Victoria University, Adrian joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Cashflow issues are being blamed for building businesses falling over. The country's construction crunch may start to snowball, with more building businesses expected to fail. Bayside Designer Homes is the latest, leaving nine Auckland housing sites unfinished. AUT Professor of Construction Management John Tookey told Kate Hawkesby the industry uses borrowed money to do all the work. He says as in...

Cashflow issues are being blamed for building businesses falling over. The country's construction crunch may start to snowball, with more building businesses expected to fail. Bayside Designer Homes is the latest, leaving nine Auckland housing sites unfinished. AUT Professor of Construction Management John Tookey told Kate Hawkesby the industry uses borrowed money to do all the work. He says as in...

Napier's Mayor says cyclone impacted residents want central government decisions on whether they'll be able to re-build. The Government is introducing a Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Bill, similar to legislation passed after the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes. The Bill will remove constraints on recovery such as letting rural landowners in affected regions carry out emergency work wi...

I was telling you about my $7.99 lettuce yesterday – and my bad, as I said, I shouldn’t have bought it at that price – it’s ridiculous. But it’s also a reality at the moment that we’re not only paying more for fruit and vege – and all groceries actually, but that those prices are potentially going to get worse before they get better. That’s according to leading economist's and pretty much everyone...

A researcher says urgent policy change is needed to ensure the future health workforce reflects the diverse communities it'll serve. An Otago University, Auckland University and AUT study in the British Medical Journal Open, has analysed data from 20,000 students. It's found systematic under-representation of Māori, Pacific, low socioeconomic and rural background students. Otago University Profess...

Te Pāti Māori are in a key position, based on the latest poll results. The latest 1NEWS Kantar Public poll shows if an election were held tomorrow, a Labour-Green-Te Pāti Māori coalition would secure 63 seats in the Beehive to National and Act’s 57. Both Act and the Greens are on 11 percent, and Te Pāti Māori on three percent. Newstalk ZB's Political Editor Jason Walls told Kate Hawkesby Te Pāti M...

National says the Government is fixing its own mistake by increasing superannuation and main benefits in line with inflation. The change kicks in from next month. National Deputy Leader Nicola Willis says the Government switched to calculating them based off average wages, instead of inflation. But she told Kate Hawkesby the problem is, average wages haven't kept up with inflation and prices. Will...

I’m noticing a lot of tourists in town and I’m just wondering what kind of experience they’re having.  I was walking through a well-known shopping precinct in Auckland, Newmarket, with my daughter at the weekend and there was a guy walking in front of a few of us just weaving across the footpath getting in everyone’s way and each time someone tried to pass him he’d cut them off and weave back acro...