Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

I know this move today to Level 2 is a step in the right direction; God only knows we all want to get down this level slide ASAP and back to some kind of normality.  But I hear the businesses who're saying this Delta 2, the heavier version of Level 2 with new mask rules and capped numbers on indoor venues, is actually really tough.   Many say they're just not profitable this way, small cafes and b...

Welcome to Delta Level 2.  Well, for most of the country, Auckland still has work to do.  For a lot of Kiwis, the last few weeks have involved plenty of time in front of the television, with some even complaining they have run out of content to watch.  Sky owns streaming service Neon and Head of Entertainment Programming Kristen Prendergast joined Kate Hawkesby.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/li...

Northland has become an island under the new Level Two restrictions.  While many businesses can reopen, travel between Northland and the rest of the country through Auckland is restricted to approved essential travel.  That means the crucial tourism sector remains in hibernation for now.  Jereon Jongejans from Dive Tutukaka told Kate Hawkesby everyone hopes the restrictions can be safely removed s...

Relief in the construction industry.  The Government's agreed to allow manufacturing of some building products to restart in Auckland during level 4.  There's been a supply chain issue looming because those in level 2, in the rest of the country, can resume construction.  Construction Industry Council chair Graham Burke told Kate Hawkesby it's a problem they'd been talking with the Government abou...

Stoked for everyone, bar Auckland, who gets to wake up tomorrow morning in Level 2.  A few changes, but hey, at least you’re in level 2. Or ‘Delta 2’ as they’re calling it. Always a catchphrase.  The new rules include recommending mask use in schools, especially in secondary school settings, not compulsory, but recommended. So how does this transpire? Leaving it up to schools, who’s monitoring or...

Missing boy Anthony "AJ" Elfalak has been found alive after a desperate three-day search, NSW Police have confirmed.  Anthony, or "AJ", who is autistic and non-verbal, had last been seen at about 11.45am on Friday.  A widespread search of the family's 650-acre property at Putty, west of Newcastle, had lasted for almost 72 hours and included police, emergency services and volunteers when the miracu...

Confidence teachers will be able to navigate the issues around mask wearing at schools.  It's recommended for over 12s but not required, when school begins for most of the country on Thursday.  Clinical psychologist Dougal Sutherland told Kate Hawkesby schools should make a clear decision about mask-wearing, with exceptions for children with communication difficulties.  He says it could be a bit t...

A Māori leader is outraged after David Seymour tweeted a Māori only vaccine code.   The code allows people to book in or turn up without an appointment at a drive through clinic in West Auckland.  The Act Party leader argues getting vaccinated shouldn't be a race-based issue.   The National Māori Authority Chair Matthew Tukaki told Kate Hawkesby his rhetoric is unhelpful.   "David has completely l...

Otis, the first New Zealand oat milk brand to grow its own oats, is wanting some company. Its launching the 1 percent fund today where one percent of its sales will be dedicated to funding projects and initiatives to make oats a viable alternative for farmers. Otis co-founder Chris Wilkie told Kate Hawkesby they deliberately set out to be both pro-farmer and pro-environment and believe the two don...

How you holding up there Auckland?  As the meme says, what a year last week has been.  A Level 4 lockdown, an escapee from MIQ, flooding in West Auckland, and a terrorist attack.  I mean you wouldn’t read about it.  Except that we have.  How’s everyone’s nerves? I have so many questions. Why was someone on a terror watchlist out in the community?  Why was someone known to the PM at the highest lev...

How things can change in just three games. After an embarrassing first-up capitulation and the last-ball loss that followed, the Black Caps have gone full circle to spin their way to a crunching 52-run win in their third Twenty20 against Bangladesh, and stay alive in the five-match series. A rapid adaption to the conditions in Dhaka has caused the drastic turnaround, and after the bowlers showed p...

A former close aide to Prince Charles stepped down temporarily from his role as chief executive of a royal charity amid reports that he helped secure an honor for a Saudi donor. The Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday newspapers reported that Michael Fawcett coordinated support for an honor for Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz. The Times said the businessman donated sums of more tha...

Don't blame terrorism on mental health issues or treat extremism like a mental health condition. A police scene examination is continuing at Auckland's Countdown LynnMall, after seven people were injured in an ISIS-inspired terror attack on Friday afternoon. The terrorist was shot dead by police officers at the scene. Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson told Kate Hawkesby the t...

Before we blow a fuse at managed isolation, let's have some context. Nearly 170,000 people have been through the system.  12 escapes all up involving 16 people, and that includes this one we had yesterday, who'd been in there not even 7 hours before he made his break.  What makes you sick about this guy is that a whole bunch of police have had to go chasing after him, and be exposed to him.  They ...

Even in the midst of lockdowns, the hospitality sector has been vocal about labour shortages.  The industry wants urgent visa extensions and border exemptions  But a McDonald's in the United States has found a solution, recruiting kids as young as fourteen.  Questions are being raised as to whether employers in New Zealand should be more open to hiring teenagers.  AUT Professor of Management Jarro...

Waikato University is launching the world's first degree in climate change today.   The aim is to produce graduates to lead future climate change solutions - combining science, economics and social and political systems.   Margaret Barbour, the University of Waikato's Dean of Science joined Kate Hawkesby.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns a new MIQ booking system may not make things any better.  A new virtual queue for spots will come into action once the outbreak-induced pause is over.  People will be selected from random, meaning they won’t have to constantly refresh the website.   But Travel Technology Consultant Mike Moore told Kate Hawkesby there should instead be a system that provides people with some ability to pla...

Of those working in our construction industry, just two point six percent are women.   Research out this morning shows both employers and women want the number to be higher, so questions are being raised as to where the disconnect is.  Kelly Bennett, who is the Principal Advisor for Women at the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) joined Kate Hawkesby.  LISTEN ABOVE Se...

Shout out to Auckland this morning, and Northland for that matter. The only two places still waking up in Level 4. Doing the heavy lifting for the rest of the country. Let’s hope it’s only for another two weeks Auckland.. fingers crossed.  I saw some stats out of Australia yesterday where lockdowns are really starting to bite. One poll showed 86 percent of Australians intend on getting vaccinated...

Deliveries are also an option for those who don’t want to queue     Domino's New Zealand general manager Cameron Toomey told Kate Hawkesby they’re expecting a big day    But he says, they’ve been here before and they know what to do    "We do serve a lot of customers every day normally, so we just make sure we've got the right amount of people rostered on and we've got the right procedures in plac...

An immunologist says new vaccine eligibility should be celebrated.  From today anyone over the age of 12 has the ability to book in to get the Covid-19 jab.   Despite this some are set to face long waits.   Malaghan Institute immunologist Graham Le Gros told Kate Hawkesby it needs to be targeted.   "The regions, Māori community, Pacific community and really make sure that they're really safe too,...

Today will see the return of cafe coffee and gloriously greasy takeaways for those south of Auckland, regarding it can be picked up or delivered under Covid guidelines.  But for a small business outside of a major city centre the cost of delivering is often hardly worth the profit margin.  Development West Coast has got a scheme to help with that, and the CEO Heath Milne told Kate Hawkesby an ince...

A lot of talk around mental health at the moment, and rightly so.  This lockdown feels tougher, and we’re right to feel deflated by it, our lockdowns are stricter than Australia’s. In Melbourne you can still meet up for coffee with people outside your bubble, exercise with someone outside of your bubble, go out for takeaways, coffees, flowers.   My girlfriend in Sydney says basically most business...

Two weeks is a long time when it comes to Covid.  There are 562 community cases in the current Delta outbreak -- with just 53 new cases reported yesterday.  That's 30 fewer than the day before.  Most of the country comes out of Level Four at midnight and Northland is likely to follow on Thursday night, while Auckland faces another two weeks under Level Four restrictions.  Otago University infectio...

Civil Defence officials still don't know the full extent of the damage, from a night of heavy rain and extensive flooding in Auckland.  Emergency services have received more than 150 calls about flooding, mostly in West Auckland.  One Swanson resident has described seeing cars being swept down the road, children being carried through shoulder-height flood waters, and homes ending up underwater.  A...