Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The Health Ministry is in the spotlight this morning, over the database it used to keep tabs on Covid vaccinations. Apparently, the Ministry went with its usual 'we know best' approach. At the time, the guys over at Stats NZ were saying, “here, use this database, it's much more up to date”. Health of course said, “nah nah, we're good, we've got this one, we know best”. End of the day, it looks lik...

Stats NZ will conduct a peer review of our vaccine numbers as questions are asked about their accuracy. The vaccination rate for people aged over 12 is calculated on those who were that age prior to June 30 2020 and had accessed health services that year. That means anyone any age might not have been counted in the early numbers if they didn't access the health system that year. National Māori Aut...

Boris Johnson is facing a challenge for his leadership. The British Prime Minister is facing a no-confidence vote in the coming hours, with a growing number of Conservative MPs concerned about the Partygate scandal. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says it's a blow for Johnson's mandate to govern. He told Tim Dower while Johnson's expected to survive today's vote, there's no guarantee he will. “Apparen...

Wellington's Newtown cycleway is back in the news. This is the cycleway already under construction from Newtown to Courtenay Place - and it's getting rid of some carparks in the process. Six car companies are now trying to fight the progress by bringing a legal case, according to transport advocates. Laura Newcombe, owner of Four Seasons Florist says her business will be heavily impacted if the ca...

Praise for the NZ Rugby and Silver Lakes deal two years in the making. New Zealand's 26 provincial rugby unions have voted 89 votes to one to accept the $200 million investment. The American private equity firm will control all revenue-generating assets of NZR. Halo Sports Management Chief Executive Simon Porter told Kate Hawkesby he never doubted the deal would eventually go through. “It’s got ev...

Everyone’s chucked in their two cents worth over the Johnny Depp win in his defamation case against Amber Heard, but here’s a couple of things that resonated for me. One, we have come so far down a dangerous and slippery slope on judging people guilty until proven innocent, that it’s actually devastating for those accused who are innocent. Many of them would not have the wherewithal, money or abil...

New Zealand have surged back from adversity on the opening day of the first test against England at Lord's. The visitors were dismissed for 132 and looked to have conceded first innings honours to the hosts who reached 59 without loss and kept the momentum going to 92 for two. Then, in the space of 28 balls, the world champions took five wickets for eight runs to reshape the balance of the match....

New research shows taxes on sugary drinks, result in a drop in sales by 15 per cent. AUT Emeritus Professor of Nutrition Elaine Rush told Kate Hawkesby how much things cost matters. She says price is the biggest factor in most purchasing decisions. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More money to go down the drain, as Christchurch City Council prepares for another round of consultation over the city's costly stadium. Some Cantabrians are angered by the latest setback, with the budget's blow out up to $150 million. The projected new price tag is now at least $673 million. Christchurch Central Business Association chair Annabel Turley told Kate Hawkesby they've been given a lar...

My brother travels a lot, both for work and to visit family – my nephew's studying in the US. So he’s made about three trips during the pandemic, done MIQ twice, and since MIQ was dropped he’s made about three more trips, he left again on another one yesterday. Given I’m not flying anywhere I always appreciate the update on his experiences.  Yesterday, he sends me a text from the airport, he’s mad...

The wellness industry is very much a booming sector overseas, with studies showing more people have experienced unwanted weight changes and are wanting to move on from the stress of the pandemic. But it's an industry that's still building here in New Zealand. Australia's largest body shaping and wellness company Body Catalyst has this week opened its first clinic in New Zealand. Founder and CEO Sa...

There are concerns that despite the resignation of two senior leaders at Gloriavale, there's been no real change at the top. Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim have both left their leadership roles. It follows an unprecedented public apology last Friday. Gloriavale Leavers Support Trust's Liz Gregory says it's a good start, but the two senior leaders were clearly asked to do it. She told Kate H...

Gun control is very much on the agenda, both locally and globally. The Police Commissioner says the spree of drive-by shootings in Auckland is partly due to our relaxed gun laws. He said Police's long-term goal is to tighten up gun control. We also had the school shooting in Texas, and now Canada’s Prime Minister wants to ban the sales of guns altogether. Spokesperson for the Council of Licensed F...

The Santamaria scandal at TVNZ and the information that keeps seeping out over this is increasingly disturbing. Last night two more women came forward with allegations of inappropriate online conduct. It's also emerged from a woman who worked with him at Al Jazeera that there were lewd emails, kissing attempts, objectification, inappropriate texts and a power imbalance. She was not the only woman...

China's offering reassurances about its step-by-step move into the Pacific. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has failed to convince Pacific countries to sign up to a new wide-ranging trade and security pact, but has struck an agreement on areas of cooperation. He's also urging us not to be too "anxious" or "nervous" about China's plans to play a greater role in our region. Democracy Project international...

Banks are starting to lift mortgage and deposit rates following last week's OCR hike. Kiwibank has lifted its headline rate for a two-year fixed mortgage to 5.19 per cent and ANZ has signalled changes to its interest rates. Mortgage broker Marcus Hull told Kate Hawkesby people are feeling the pinch. People look to tighten the belt and find ways to do a better budget, so brokers are seeing an incre...

There is confidence the Government's moves to tackle the supermarket duopoly will increase competition. It's matched 12 of the 14 Commerce Commission recommendations,  and gone further on two of them. It's going to do annual competition checks on supermarkets instead of the report's suggested checks every three years. Night 'n Day is our third biggest grocery retailer, and General Manager Matthew...

It seems all those Kiwis wanting to bail and go live and work overseas are having trouble even getting on flights. A travel agency was reported yesterday saying flights are just so hard to get. “We have so many people wanting to leave the country to work abroad but there just aren't any seats on direct flights to the USA or to Australia until the end of July," the agent was reported saying. And we...

We want to bring your attention to the idea of 3D printed schools. Thinking Huts, a non-profit dedicated to making education more accessible, has just opened a 3D printed school in Madagascar. The most amazing bit? Founder and CEO Maggie Grout is just 22-years-old. Maggie Grout joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For those of you who don’t live in Auckland, I’ll just paint a picture of my weekend so you get the gist. Saturday we go to lunch at a suburban café, sitting outside, minding our own business, eating lunch, and this extremely large woman – I’m telling you about her size because it’s significant in terms of what she said. She’s extremely large, and she walks slowly and unevenly - seemingly struggli...

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez held on to win today's rain-marred and chaotic Monaco Grand Prix. The race was red flagged after Mick Schumacher slammed into the barriers at the swimming pool area in a scary incident. Schumacher lost control of his car and his Haas car split in half, such was the impact of the crash. Thankfully he walked away from the incident unharmed. 🚩 Red flag after Mick Schumac...

Tear gas fired indiscriminately around children and the elderly. Pepper spray unleashed at close-range on frustrated fans. Ticket holders blamed for delaying kickoff when they’d spent hours trying to enter the stadium in bottlenecks in tight spaces. Liverpool supporters have been defending themselves against accusations by French authorities they were responsible for the unrest at the Champions Le...

Kiwis who came home at the beginning of the Covid outbreak are now taking a one-way ticket back overseas. Some reasons are believed to be employers being closed off to the idea of global experience and recruiters not being able to translate people's specific skills to roles here. Tribe Recruitment's Sarah White told Kate Hawkesby many people who came home when the pandemic struck weren't in a posi...

It's hard not to feel helpless, and a whole lot more, watching the news stories out of Ukraine. There is something you can do to show solidarity that won't break the bank and there's something in it for you. You have the opportunity to see a film, or a couple of films, even a Ukrainian film in Auckland. The Ukrainian Film Festival starts this weekend in Devonport. Filmmaker Dasha Volga joined Tim...

Disagreement between National and the construction industry, over the pressures facing the industry. The recent liquidation of Tauranga's Oceanside Homes and Wellington's Armstrong Downes has exposed the pressures the multi-billion dollar industry is under. But Construction Industry Council Chair Graham Burke told Tim Dower talking about a recession, is the right way to go about making one happen....