Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Germany's center-left Social Democrats were locked in a very close race Sunday with outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right bloc, which is heading toward its worst-ever result in the country's parliamentary election, projections showed. Top officials from both parties said they hope to lead Germany's next government and have their candidates succeed Merkel, who has been in power si...

The All Blacks are playing arguably their fiercest rivals this weekend; the Springboks.  This will be the first time the two teams have met since the 2019 World Cup, where the All Blacks won their pool game, but South Africa took home the trophy.  The Boks come to the game after back-to-back losses to the Wallabies, can they bounce back?   South African sports correspondent Sias du Plessis joined...

Now we've accepted we're going to have to learn to live with Covid-19, can we please have a clear plan?  Listening to the PM and Chris Hipkins and the good Doctor this week, I sense they realise this last lockdown needs to be just that, the last lockdown.  We were scared at the beginning, and we've been cowed into compliance over the past couple of years.  But I sense now that New Zealanders, Auck...

Retail chain Farmers has told Auckland office staff to go back to the office in Level Three, or be reduced to 80 percent pay.   At the same time, the Government line is that if people can work from home at Level Three, they should.  First Union organiser Ben Peterson joined Tim Dower.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are losing out on money paid for holiday accommodation they can't use in lockdown.  Consumer New Zealand has been receiving up to 15 Covid-19 related accommodation complaints a week during Alert Levels Three and Four.  Many are from people who can't get refunds for booked accommodation.  Spokesperson Gemma Rasmussen told Tim Dower people should check the terms and conditions.   "When you lo...

I’m feeling for the events industry this morning, another industry left in a holding pattern by the Government, playing a waiting game of will we, won’t we. It’s a familiar game by now for South Islanders and everyone outside of Auckland, and for many hospitality outlets still. Level 2 is still not Level 1. There’s still a big difference.  And if you’re looking down the barrel of summer festival s...

It seems more and more young people are expecting parents to help buy their first home.  But yet young people often still struggle when it comes to financial literacy.  20 percent of those aged between 16 and 24 think Kiwisaver balances can only ever go up in value.   That's according to research out by BetterSaver, which also found half of that age bracket expect their parents will gift or loan m...

A new programme will help prepare police with the various skills they need.   The Government is investing $45 million in frontline officer safety - instead of arming police.    It includes $15 million for a Tactical Response Model and expansion of the frontline skills course.   Former Justice Advisory Group member Chester Borrows, himself a former officer, told Kate Hawkesby police need to have di...

Bit of a double-edged sword today, and I’m not sure what we should be worried about more. The hundreds of thousands of extra Aucklanders back at work today all mingling in kitchens, cafes and businesses, or the absconders who continue to flee the border.  We’ve had the Hamilton Maccas run cowboys, the gang with the boot load of KFC, the Northland sisters skipping the border, the drug taker running...

Kiwi e-bike supplier Electrify New Zealand is launching its own e-bike brand in the UK after finding success locally.  And more good news for them, a recent survey shows 55 percent of Brits are thinking about buying one.  Electrify NZ CEO Michael Tritt joined Kate Hawkesby.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington's mayor isn't entirely sure why the capital's MIQ facilities are being halved.  MBIE has decided to stop using one of Wellington's quarantine hotels, leaving just one in operation.  MIQ officials say Wellington Airport is not set up to easily cater for red zone flights  Andy Foster told Kate Hawkesby he's not sure why returnees aren't being shared around the regions.   "Question marks a...

Despite hundreds of thousands of Covid cases every day, and an average of 2000 deaths a day, the US is opening up again.  They're opening their borders to vaccinated UK and EU citizens in November.   The ban has been in place since March last year, and our tourism industry here will be watching with keen interest.  But with the international tourism market opening up, will New Zealand get left beh...

So they did it, they dropped us to level 3, which they were always going to, despite case numbers and mystery cases looking pretty much the same, if not worse, than they have the past two weeks.   Which begs the question, what the hell have we been doing in level 4 all this time if that was the case? Have they suddenly woken up to the fact elimination is out of reach and we are changing tack? If s...

Out in the big space that is the internet there is a lot of misinformation when it comes to Covid-19.  But an investigation has revealed dozens of the world's biggest brands including Amazon, Nike, Ted Barker and ASOS have been advertising on websites that spread Covid-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories.  The ads are helping fund these websites that include claims powerful people engineered...

Auckland University public health expert Colin Tukuitonga told Kate Hawkesby case numbers are too high to be easing restrictions.  "I would have preferred the number of new cases to be in single digits and for our vaccination coverage to be ramped up even further.'  New restrictions have been put in place around northern Hauraki, after three cases were found in Whakatīwai.  The rest of the country...

There's disbelief James Shaw wants to go to a climate change conference in Scotland with an entourage of 14 people.  The United Nations summit, dubbed Cop26, is due to start at the end of the month.  The Climate Change Minister intends to take nine people from New Zealand and five people from overseas.  National Party climate change spokesperson Stuart Smith told Kate Hawkesby Shaw thought it was...

I know the rest of the country is sick of hearing about this, but for the 1.6 million people who live in Auckland, we're into day 34 of level 4.  Since the start of the pandemic that means Aucklanders have spent “6 extra weeks at levels 3 and 4” than the rest of the country, and there’s more to come. Stuff reported that, “over the 2020 and 2021 school years, Auckland students have now missed 69 da...

France would have known Australia had “deep and grave concerns” that a submarine fleet the French were building would not meet Australian needs, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday after the contract's cancellation set off a diplomatic crisis. France accused Australia of concealing its intentions to back out of the 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) contract for French majority state...

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson says the cases are worrying for the small tight-knit community. He told Kate Hawkesby people should take advantage of the pop-up testing centre being set up at Wharekawa Marae in Whakatīwai this morning. “Anyone that is feeling unwell, anyone with symptoms, anyone that feels that they want to get tested — my advice is absolutely do get tested.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystud...

Cricket legend Chris Cairns says he is ready to tackle the greatest challenge he has ever faced as he begins rehabilitation following a serious health scare. The former Black Cap, 51, collapsed in Canberra last month after suffering a massive heart attack, resulting in an aortic dissection, or a tear in the inner layer of the body's main artery. During life-saving emergency heart surgery in Sydney...

A new managed isolation system hopes to beat some of the bots. At 8am a virtual lobby will open, placing people in a queue for 3000 managed isolation vouchers released at 9am. Alexandra Birt of Grounded Kiwis told Kate Hawkesby there are some positives to the new system. “It definitely will affect the bots in the sense that, the ones that would notify you the times that the release would occur obv...

These days there seems to be a reality tv show about anything, but this really takes the cake.  CBS have made "The Activist" which involves so-called activists competing against each other to go to the G20.  They compete in challenges where they're judged back on how much online engagement they get.  Judges include activist icons like Usher and Priyanka Chopra- Jonas.  With us now is Forbes senior...

Day 31 in Level 4 for Aucklanders, and boy, are we over it.  There’s actually a word for how we’re all feeling and it’s been called the dominant emotion of 2021.  It’s called languishing. Psychologist Dougal Sutherland, who we had on the show recently, says "the psychological toll of Delta may start to show, even for those out of lockdown now." He said recently that apparently even people with no...

A foreign policy expert says New Zealand being left out in the cold in a new security pact could be a benefit.   The three-way deal between the UK, the US and Australia aims to limit China's might in the Asia Pacific by sharing military technology.   Democracy Project International Analyst Geoffrey Miller says New Zealand is highly dependent on China for exports and should keep up current relation...

National is calling on the Government to explain why there aren't more Auckland GPs administering the Covid vaccine.   Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's indicated that about 113 GP practices are administering the vaccine across the region.  Health spokesperson Shane Reti told Kate Hawkesby it isn't good enough, considering there around 400 practices in the city overall.  "Why are we making it so har...