Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

I see universities are asking students to come back to lectures in person because the low attendance is apparently ‘demoralising’ staff.  Covid lockdowns and closures saw more classes go online and as it turns out, many find that preferable to having to rock up in person. It is also no doubt a contributing factor to our truancy levels at school.  Once you stop something and let students know it’s...

You can guess what the conversation around the water cooler will be about today; the Blackcaps and that staggering win at the Basin Reserve. They took the victory by one run in the second test against England in an absolute nail-biter to the end. Newstalk ZB cricket journalist Andrew Alderson caught all the action at the Basin and joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Few are surprised to learn that house values have fallen again. This time, it's by one percent for February, the largest monthly decline since October last year. It's in the latest CoreLogic report and chief property economist Kelvin Davidson joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour doubts the dismissal of Te Whatu Ora's chair goes far enough. Rob Campbell has been sacked by Health Minister Ayesha Verrall, for venting on social media about National's Three Waters policy. But the Act Party leader is adding to some calls for Campbell to be removed as chair of the Environmental Protection Agency as well. He told Kate Hawkesby the role is subject to the same Code of...

An opportunity for Chris Hipkins as PM to show real leadership -  and a divergent path to his predecessor by acting decisively and quickly on the Health NZ Chair, I reckon. I think that'd go well for him. If you've missed this story, former trade unionist Health NZ Chair Rob Campbell, criticised the National’s policy announcement on Three Waters on social media, stating that he thought it was a ‘t...

More history for Kane Williamson in his illustrious Blackcaps career.   His second inning at Wellington's Basin Reserve saw him overtake Ross Taylor as New Zealand's leading Test run scorer. Newstalk ZB's cricket guru Andrew Alderson has been at the Basin Reserve and joined Kate Hawesby. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retail sales were down 4 percent in the December quarter of 2022 compared to the previous year. Hardware, building and garden supplies were hit the hardest with a 15 per cent drop. Managing director of First Retail Group, Chris Wilkinson joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rotorua's Mayor says she wants more local input in central government spending. Local Government New Zealand says 90 percent of public spending is allocated by Wellington. Tania Tapsell says local people need to be able to have their say on how and where the money is spent. She told Kate Hawkesby Cyclone Gabrielle has highlighted the importance of that. Tapsell says when it comes to important jobs...

Cyclone-affected regions are bracing for yet another round of heavy rain. MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for the Gisborne District north of Tolaga Bay until 6am Tuesday. There's also a heavy rain watch for the Coromandel Peninsula until 3am Tuesday. Gisborne District Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Kate Hawkesby that every bout of rain makes the East Coast's issues even worse. The Government's...

At least 58 migrants have died after their wooden boat sank in rough seas off the southern coast of Italy. It was carrying around 150 people when it hit rocks and broke apart near a seaside town in the Calabria region. One of the more than 80 people who survived has been arrested on migrant trafficking charges. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that it's another unfortunate case o...

I was very pleased to see that the second series of ‘’Clarkson’s Farm” has broken Amazon viewing records to become one of the most watched shows in the UK.  The very same UK that we heard was cancelling Clarkson due to his comments about Meghan Markle. So I regard this as, one, smart viewership by people drawn to quality programming, and two, a figurative flick of the bird to cancel culture.  The...

As my son marched off for a lung X-ray for a chest infection yesterday, I wondered just how dire the health system was going to get this winter.  As the weather starts to cool, many are picking up change-of-season coughs and colds and when I look at what happened in post-Covid winters overseas, I worry about how bad it might get here too.  Health NZ says it’s ‘bracing’ for a tough winter. But it’s...

More heavy rain is expected in the Gisborne District and Hawke's Bay today and further flooding, slips, power outages and evacuations are possible. Both regions remain under an Orange Heavy Rain warning until tomorrow morning. In Gisborne District, 64 households in the Tokomaru Bay township and Mangahauini River catchment have been evacuated to the local marae and whanau overnight. In Hawke's Bay,...

The judge overseeing the Gloriavale employment trial is set to visit the reclusive Christian group today. Judge Christina Inglis will tour the community in person to better understand the testimonies being presented in court. Six former Gloriavale women claim they were effectively born into and kept in servitude - by being forced to work long days with no breaks and very little food or water. Hera...

Ukraine is ramping up security ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion. It has been called the largest air, sea and ground conflict in Europe since World War Two. UN figures show at least eight thousand civilians have died so far. World Vision's Chris Palusk told Kate Hawkesby there's a tense feeling on the ground and Ukrainians are exhausted. The New Zealand Government has announced a...

One of my fondest memories of living in London was how keen they were to hire Kiwis. My girlfriend and I rocked up to job interviews with minimal practical skills as university graduates, and not much ‘real world’ experience under our belts. They didn’t care.  New Zealanders ‘had a reputation’ they told us, for being hard workers, we got snapped up at every job we went for. And it wasn’t hard to f...

Questions have been asked as to what the impact of the Official Cash Rate hike is going to be on mortgages. The Reserve Bank lifted it by 50 basis points to 4.75 percent on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the banks are supposedly discounting one and two-year fixed rates, but it's behind closed doors. Financial advisor Sue Tierney joined Kate Hawkesby to explain. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

New Zealanders could be hiding hundreds of dollars in their wardrobes. That's according to TradeMe's annual Circular Economy report, which shows Kiwis are selling old clothes for big bucks. These items reportedly add up to around $300 million nationwide. TradeMe's marketing director Sally Feinson joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pressure on the Government to get an upcoming probe into forestry slash wrapped up as early as possible. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is expected to announce the inquiry during a visit to Hawke's Bay today. It's expected to take two months, but Federated Farmers wants it done sooner as weather events become more frequent. Spokesperson Toby Williams told Kate Hawkesby we've needed solutions for a l...

There’s a big disconnect happening at the moment between government and locals in the Hawkes Bay area over what’s really going on.  The Police Commissioner and the PM were both on Mike’s show yesterday saying the reports of looting are just not true, that it’s all the stuff of rumour and gossip, and that it’s unsubstantiated. But then you have the locals. They’re irate, arguably more irate after h...

A petition is being launched today called Barbie's Bill, calling for living wills to be recognised in a patient's advanced care plan. Barbie Duffy died after 58 days of refusing food and water. She gave consent to die if she suffered an event causing irreversible mental or physical loss. It wasn't followed and there is currently not requirement for doctors to do so. Act Party leader David Seymour...

Ravensdown is staying committed to Hawke's Bay and remaining a major employer in the region, despite flood damage to its plant. It's joining forestry company Pan Pac in committing to a rebuild rather than moving elsewhere. The two businesses employ around 600 people in the area. Ravensdown CEO Gary Diack joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Official Cash Rate announcement is coming later today and it's expected to lift 50 basis points to 4.75 per cent. That's much lower than the original prediction of 5.5 per cent, but still a jump from the current 4.25 per cent. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyclone-ravaged businesses are set to lean on the Government for cashflow support. Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says that the 50 million dollar package is great, but businesses need more help through things like a wage subsidy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lukewarm response to the Government's crackdown on truancy. 82 new attendance officer roles are being created to help address dwindling school attendance in a 74-million dollar package. Their job will be to work with students with high absenteeism, and around three-thousand kids are expected to benefit. Secondary Principals' Association President, Vaughan Couillault told Kate Hawkesby that anyth...