Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

New year, new Prime Minister, new Cabinet. Chris Hipkins will unveil his Ministerial reshuffle at 4pm today, plugging holes left by retiring MPs. Political Editor Jason Walls joined Early Edition. “Hipkins’ assent to Prime Minister means he vacates a number of fairly chunky portfolios including education and police, those are expected to go to already senior Cabinet ministers but Hipkins has said...

Some early childhood centres will be open this week, for parents who need to drop their kids off. But Early Childhood Council Chief Executive Simon Laube told Kate Hawkesby a number may remain closed. "If you are in Auckland today, if you haven't heard from your centre, reach out, get in touch and see fi they're open." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flood-affected parts of Auckland are preparing to be in the firing line once again. Red Heavy Rain Warnings have been issued for Northland, northern Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula. Orange Heavy Rain Warnings have also been issued for the rest of Auckland and Bay of Plenty. In Auckland, a state of emergency remains in place, many roads remain closed, and schools have been asked to delay the...

Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick says authorities will need to learn lessons from their slow response to Friday's heavy rain. She told Roman Travers there is an obvious disconnect between Auckland's leaders and Auckland's people, which is disappointing. Swarbrick says questions will need to be asked about why authorities were so slow to respond to the severe weather event. But the focus right n...

People on the Coromandel Peninsula are being urged to brace for more heavy rain. There are extensive road closures, including State Highway 25 between Coromandel Town and Whitianga, and State Highway 25A between Kopu to Hikuai. That means many communities, like Whitianga, are once again cut off. Coromandel MP Scott Simpson told Roman Travers that the slips on State Highway 25A will take the highwa...

What the weather brought to vast parts of predominantly the North Island over the long weekend will hopefully not be seen again for a very long time.    Something else I hope not to see for a very long time is the attitude portrayed by our leader, the mayor of Auckland who told us that it wasn’t his job to get out there with a bucket.   It was an interesting thing to hear Mayor Brown say, when cle...

Every time I’m confronted with what people are pay for rent I am completely shocked at how anyone can afford to part with that kind of money, and still have money anything else.   I’ve real concerns for my daughters who are in their 20s and just how on earth they will ever get to a position where being able to afford a mortgage is a viable proposition.    Yesterday, TradeMe revealed the whopping a...

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Hamish Bond is joining Team New Zealand for the America’s cup. He will be a cyclor in the 2024 Barcelona competition. Sailing commentator Mark Orams joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harold the Giraffe is expanding his focus. The popular giraffe puppet has been teaching generations of New Zealand children about their bodies and being healthy. Now, Healthy Harold is teaming up with Barnados to educate five to 19-year-olds about how and when to ask for help with their mental health. Barnardos General Manager Jo Harrison told Roman Travers they're hoping to reach more young peopl...

A warning that increasing the minimum wage could make inflation even worse. The number of people seeking help because of financial hardship is on the rise, as inflation continues to remain at historically high levels. But National says any increase to the minimum wage is the wrong move right now, as it will increase inflationary pressure. Employers and Manufacturers Association Chief Executive Bre...

Yesterday was a very big day for new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.   There aren’t very many of us that can say we’ve been Prime Minister. Evidently, there aren’t too many who want the job. We’re only up to number 41.   There aren’t very many that put their hand up for the job and given the way they’ve been treated in recent years, you’d have to say, it takes a certain kind of someone. Regardless,...

Some are suggesting kiwifruit growers being hard done by. Zespri has pulled pin on its February payment to growers due to higher costs from last season. Chief grower Carol Ward says it's down to fruit quality. But Seeka says growers shouldn't be taking the brunt of it. CEO Michael Franks joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A study by NIWA shows almost half of our river network is inaccessible to migratory fish. A further 36 percent could also be restricted but has not yet been assessed. NIWA is now studying the swimming capabilities of native fish to try and come up with a solution. Freshwater ecologist Dr. Paul Franklin joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It could soon be a little big cheaper to fill up the fruit bowl and vegetable drawer. Latest figures show fruit and vegetable prices are 23 percent higher than they were a year ago, contributing to a 7.2 percent rise in overall consumer prices. But growers are optimistic seasonal fruit and vegetable prices could drop, and supply could increase, in the coming weeks. Vegetables New Zealand Chair Joh...

There's no guarantee inflation is on the decline. The Annual Consumer Price Index data, due out later this morning, will show how much prices have increased for the average household in the past 12 months. While many economists expect the inflation rate to be lower than the 7.2 reached in the year to October, ASB is predicting the inflation rate will be even higher. ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith...

What are you having on your toast this morning? Hopefully it’s some delicious Australian mānuka honey. If we don’t win the ongoing battle with Australia to claim the word mānuka as specifically unique to New Zealand, then we may well be having Aussie mānuka honey on our toast and letting Australian producers have their way.   There is a group of New Zealand honey producers who’ve not given up. The...

Misogyny appears to have played a key part in the unprecedented vitriol faced by Jacinda Ardern. New Auckland University research —tracking thousands of hateful posts on the dark corners of the internet in recent years— has found that 93-percent targeted Ardern. And experts now warn that Ardern is likely to need more ongoing protection than any other former Prime Minister. Researcher Chris Wilson...

Could a drug used for breast cancer treatment be the key to making people live longer? An Auckland University trial has found long-term treatment of healthy mice with the drug —alpelisib— increased their lifespan by about ten percent. Those mice also showed some signs of being healthier in old age, such as improved coordination and strength. Auckland University researcher Peter Shepherd says the f...

For as long as I can remember, farming and forestry have gone hand-in-hand. In fact, there was a huge push, back in the 80s for farmers to invest heavily in forestry but now the chickens have come to roost.   Federated Farmers is now calling on the government to establish an independent inquiry into the factors that contributed to the flooding and destroyed infrastructure from ex-tropical cyclone...

Transport costs are set to increase in the coming months and that could push up the price of almost everything else. Discounts to public transport, fuel taxes, and road user charges will end next Tuesday. Road user charges are set to increase by 36-percent. Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett says that will mean a 45 tonne truck and trailer travelling 100-thousand-kilometres a ye...

And so here we are; Monday morning, with a brand-new Prime Minister and leader of The Labour Party: Chris Hipkins.  I guess that now we have two men leading the two main political parties with the same Christian names, they’ll forever now be known by their surnames in order to prevent confusion. Hipkins and Luxon. At least they have differing hair dos.  Perhaps that confusion will become even more...

I lost interest in the British Royal Family so many years ago that I can’t remember ever having had any interest in anything other than the history that got them there, which is not very pretty. I also promised myself to never click on any articles, written about Megan and Harry. It’s with a heavy heart, overwhelming sadness and the deepest and greatest regret imaginable, that I can inform for you...

The National Party says there are big challenges in our economy despite a quarter three GDP boom. New Zealand's GDP increased two percent in the three months to September. That was much higher than most economists predicted and a bigger jump than the UK, the US, Australia and the EU. National's Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis told Roman Travers everyone wants businesses to grow, but not everyon...

The New Zealand Herald recently ran a poll to get a better understanding of how New Zealanders feel we're collectively doing with regards to climate change. Contrary to some of those with the loudest voices on talkback radio, denouncing almost entirely the science that proves that climate change is unquestionably happening - and at a greater speed than once thought, the collective feedback is that...

A telethon of a different sorts is getting underway at Lincoln University. Charity Meat the Need is hosting The Big Feed, where farmers donate livestock and milk to foodbanks and City Missions for families in need. It's New Zealand's first ever rural telethon, starting at 6am, and being livestreamed across Facebook and YouTube for 12 hours today. Co-founder Wayne Langford told Roman Travers they s...