Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

A glimpse into how our economy is continuing to fare post-pandemic. Stats NZ is set to release our GDP figures for the third quarter later this morning. It was up 1.7 percent in the June quarter. ASB's chief economist Nick Tuffley told Roman Travers they expect today's numbers will show the economy is still going through a recovery. He says they're tipping it'll show a decent growth of 0.9 percent...

The end has come for half-price public transport and fuel tax cuts. The Government's announced both subsidies will finish at the end of March.  Half-priced public transport will still be available for Total Mobility and Community Service Cardholders. Public transport users association national coordinator Jon Reeves told Roman Travers getting rid of the subsidies does the opposite to encourage peo...

The Bluff Oyster and Food Festival has been canned once again. The festival was to be held in May,  but has been postponed due to a former hotel adjacent to the site,  having a dangerous building notice on it. It’s the second year running it’s been cancelled, with Covid-19 the reason last year. Festival chair John Edminstin, who owns the building next door told Roman Travers he knows this is disap...

An expectation that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will use his address to call for more lethal aid. The Ukrainian President will be speaking to Parliament via video link this morning, as New Zealand becomes the latest Western country to receive him. And with Ukraine making significant ground in the country's east in recent months, he'll likely expect New Zealand to send more weapons. Democracy Project geopo...

Changes to emergency housing looks to return motels back to tourism. The Government has agreed to a raft of recommended changes, after a review by the ministries of social development and housing. It includes quality standards for suppliers, expanding support services and improved grants to help get people into private rentals. Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell told Roman Travers they've been calling fo...

As much as anyone might have a long list of things they’d love to have for Christmas; I’m picking that most of us really just want to spend time with family and friends. Gone are the days when a large quantity of presents was the measure of one’s devotion and love. The slow to catch on but evolving trend now is to buy experiences rather than things. Wouldn’t you rather have a fantastic memory for...

David Seymour says there needs to be consequences over the water privatisation entrenchment debacle. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta received a letter of advice on making water privatisation more difficult. That was a month before the controversial vote which was criticised by constitutional lawyers,  and later labelled a mistake by the Prime Minister The Act Party leader told Roman Traver...

The College of Nurses says a pay increase is well overdue. Te Whatu Ora is asking the Employment Relations Authority for interim orders to fix pay equity rates for nurses. It would increase pay for most by more than 14 percent, putting Kiwis on par or better with Australian nurses. Executive Director Kate Weston told Roman Travers it's a shame it's taken so long. She says nurses were the backbone...

The Cancer Society says New Zealand is taking a step towards a Smokefree 2025. Newstalk ZB understands questions still remain over the compliance of almost 1700 products in New Zealand - with 466 already removed due to banned ingredients or high nicotine levels. The deadline for information passed on Friday - and officials are now reviewing details. It comes as our newsroom can reveal British Amer...

So, over the weekend, The National Party completely flipped the seat for Hamilton West, which probably means that the Labour Party have flipped the desk with their visceral reaction to losing it; although Jacinda Ardern did appear most magnanimous. With 100 percent of the vote counted, Potaka won with 6629 votes, with Labour's Georgie Dansey trailing by 2285 with 4344 votes. The Labour candidate s...

Kiwis are feeling the pinch in grocery prices as the Christmas period nears. The latest Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index data shows cost increases from suppliers to supermarkets have risen by more than 10 percent in November. Around seven-thousand-800 items increased in cost, nearly three times as many items as in November 2019. Vegetables NZ chair John Murphy told Ro...

Frustration from councils over the passing of the first of the Three Waters reforms bills. The Water Services Entities Bill jumped its last hurdle, thanks to Labour's majority, yesterday. The reforms take water assets from 67 councils, and amalgamates them into one of four water entities. Communities 4 Local Democracy Chair, and Manawatu District Mayor Helen Worboys told Tim Dower the Government h...

A new bill to create more flexible parental leave. National MP Nicola Willis's members' bill has been drawn from the biscuit tin for a proposal to allow a baby's parents to both take maternity leave, simultaneously or one at a time. Willis says she's hoping for cross-party support, saying it's a simple legislative change to support families. She says it's a total no brainer and parents should be a...

It's thought Harry and Meghan's new Netflix series is unlikely to ruffle too many feathers. The first three episodes of the pair's long-awaited docu-series dropped last night, after weeks of rumour about the content. Royal Correspondent Robert Hardman told Tim Dower there's nothing terribly surprising in there. He says the rest of the family will just roll their eyes and get on with it. Hardman sa...

Young criminals will now have a support plan put in place within 48 hours of offending. The Government is launching a  $2 million youth crime package to fund locally-led solutions in Auckland, Waikato, Northland and Bay of Plenty. A new, fast-tracked intervention approach will be taken for children aged 10 to 13 - dubbed serious or persistent offenders. Youth worker Aaron Hendry told Tim Dower it'...

A barrister says there was potential for a dangerous precedent, had the judge ruled in favour of the parents of a six-month-old who needs heart surgery. Doctors at Starship Hospital have been granted medical responsibility of the baby until the surgery is complete, and he recovers. His parents won't let doctors use donations from the Blood Service for the surgery - over claims it's all tainted by...

A new and efficient way of getting across the Hauraki Gulf. Fullers has teamed up with sustainable boat company SeaChange, to bring a zero-emission hydrofoil onto Auckland's waters from next year. The boat is fully electric, carries 10 passengers and can reach a top speed of 55 km/h. SeaChange founder and CEO Max Olson told Tim Dower they're much more efficient than the ferries currently on the wa...

It's been five years since New Zealand brought in compensation for live organ donors. It was driven by National's Chris Bishop, allowing living donors to receive 100 percent of their income for twelve weeks after surgery. So far, 344 people have been supported. Chris Bishop joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Waikato University sports sociologist is applauding the actions of Sport New Zealand around inclusion of transgender people in community activities based on which gender they identify with. The document takes a human rights rather than scientific approach to the issue which has tended to be the focus at elite level. Holly Thorpe says the guidelines are an important first step to navigate a compl...

First home buyers aren't taking their eyes off the housing market. The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand's latest survey shows first home buyers remain much more interested in making a purchase than investors. It comes as agents report a new downward pressure on average sales prices. Chief executive Jen Baird told Tim Dower there's been a noticeable drop in investors in the market. She says fir...

National is increasing its lead over Labour. Labour has slid one point to 33 percent support in the latest 1News Kantar poll, while National is up one point to 38 percent. Act has 11 percent —giving it the backing to form a government with National— and the Green Party is sitting at nine points. National Leader Christopher Luxon says it's clear the public want change. He says they want to see a Go...

St. Edward’s Crown, the centerpiece of the Crown Jewels viewed by millions of people every year at the Tower of London, has been moved to an undisclosed location for modification in preparation for the coronation of King Charles III next year. The move was kept secret for security reasons until the operation was complete, Buckingham Palace said in a statement Saturday. The palace provided no detai...

Funding for a Cystic Fibrosis drug is being described as a miracle. A provisional agreement's been made between Pharmac and Vertex to fund the drug Trikafta for those with the condition aged six and over. The drug buying agency estimated it could give those people up to 27 more years of full health when compared with supportive care. Cystic Fibrosis Chief Executive Lisa Burns told Tim Dower they k...

The Government's backdown on entrenching that part of the Three Waters legislation was about as well orchestrated as it could have been. We got the release about 8am yesterday — unusual to be honest — and Chris Hipkins was available to speak to it on ZB just after 9 with Francesca. What a stroke of luck! That opens the door to the Opposition parties to have their say and I suspect that on a bad da...

Kylian Mbappé scored two goals and set up another for Olivier Giroud, giving France a 3-1 victory over Poland and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals today. The Paris Saint-German forward now has a tournament-leading five goals and the 2018 champions are within three wins of defending their title. Robert Lewandowski scored from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time for Poland. No country...