Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Those on one side of a Waikato road will wake up tomorrow in level three, but the other will still be in level four.  Everywhere south of Auckland will move to level three at midnight but the boundary cuts across Koheroa Road at Mercer.  Waikato District Mayor Allan Sanson told Kate Hawkesby he's spoken to the Prime Minister's office about it but they're sticking with their decision.  "The stupidi...

It may be easier than we think to combat online scams that are continuing to run rampant in New Zealand. New research by BNZ shows nearly four out of five New Zealanders are being targeted by a scam and nearly a quarter are falling for them. It comes as BNZ launches its annual Scam Savvy Week, running from today until Friday. BNZ's Head of Financial Crime, Ashley Kai Fong told Kate Hawkesby with e...

The Public Service Commissioner, Peter Hughes, took umbrage at an editorial I wrote last week challenging the under performance of Ashley Bloomfield in his role as Director General of Health. Hughes misinterpreted this as me criticising frontline public servants, who he said deserve respect.  That’s right, they do — from Ashley Bloomfield, whose supposed to be working on their behalf. No one’s a b...

When six rounds were complete and Lisa Adams saw her name at the top of the leaderboard in the women's shot put (F37) at the Paralympic Games, a dream had been realised. She sought out her coach and sister, Dame Valerie, and the two shared an embrace before Adams had the New Zealand flag draped around her shoulders. It was a moment she won't soon forget. "Honestly, it was just phenomenal," Adams t...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday praised the "colossal" effort to airlift civilians from Kabul, as U.K. troops and diplomats flew home after the two-week mission, ending 20 years of British military involvement in Afghanistan. In a video message, Johnson praised the "colossal exertions" of British troops engaged in "a mission unlike anything we've seen in our lifetimes." But his gove...

National says scrutiny of the Government, in person, is critical. The Prime Minister suspended parliament last week, on advice from the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield. But, it will now resume tomorrow, after National and ACT rejected a proposal to hold it virtually. National Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop told Kate Hawkesby the select committees on Zoom were pretty inadequate. “W...

Isn’t it interesting how much lower the bar is for bureaucrats than the private sector?  Even our sports teams get more scrutiny. Imagine if Ashley Bloomfield was an All Black coach.  Bear in mind, this guy is our number one, head and shoulders above the next best suitable candidate.  That’s the worryingly low benchmark we’re setting and accepting across the state service for where performance exp...

Great news overnight with New Zealand winning our first medal in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.  Sophie Pascoe won her 16th overall medal, getting silver in the 100m breaststroke.  This will be a great Paralympic watching weekend while we are all stuck at home.  What are the ones to watch out for?  Sports broadcaster and commentator John Mcbeth joined Kate Hawkesby.  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com...

While the South Island might feel some relief today if they head into Level Three, for teachers, Level Three can be bit of a headache.   Level Three is where schools are open for kids of essential workers, so enough teachers to cover that go into work.    That means some teachers are stretched between the kids at school and the kids at home learning online.   Perry Rush from the Principal's Federa...

Some parts of the country could be about to move from one form of lockdown, to another.  Cabinet will meet today to discuss whether to move most of the country out of Alert Level Four from midnight tonight.   Auckland, the epicentre of the outbreak -- will remain at Level Four until at least Tuesday night.  Otago University infectious diseases expert David Murdoch told Kate Hawkesby other parts of...

The thing that should be scaring us all more than the virus right now is the information vacuum.  Now laid stark before us, for anyone that was ever in any doubt, with the saline scandal.  And this critical piece of information was not even offered up by the Government or the Ministry of Health, but instead revealed by the media.  The disingenuousness of this not remotely open, honest or transpare...

Spencer Elden, who appeared as a naked baby on the cover of Nirvana's 1991 album "Nevermind," has claimed the record's iconic artwork is child pornography and is suing the band over alleged "child sexual exploitation."  The rock album's cover features Elden, then an infant, swimming underwater while undressed, his eyes fixated on a one dollar bill. It became one of the most enduring images in rock...

You may have heard about ‘netiquette’.  The tips and tricks so your emails in lockdown don't start accidentally offending or disrespecting colleagues.  A new study shows, no matter how much you try avoid sounding ruder than you'd like, the recipient's likely to find something to be offended by.   It's a real thing - called negative intensification bias.   Professor of Communication at Massey Unive...

Calls for the Government to learn the lessons of previous lockdowns when they make their decisions around this one.   The transport industry is frustrated at road-blocks holding up freight, and dates for expired warrants of fitness not being automatically extended. Road Transport Forum Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Kate Hawkesby the decision-makers aren't helping.  "It seems as though they're...

Much discussion has been taking place around the difficulty that some students, parents, as well as teachers are facing with remote learning.  Several principals are said to be frustrated that some kids don't have the digital devices to do remote learning.  But it's been over a year since most schools were last in lockdown, so have Kiwi schools gotten better this time round, when it comes to onlin...

I’m feeling for the teachers this lockdown.  For everyone to be honest, not just the teachers, and also while we’re at it, those of us parents having to juggle work and home schooling while also keeping households calm, well stocked, as well as walking the dog. What a time.   Feeling slightly jealous of the people able to just sit back and watch Netflix this lockdown!  But the teachers have been t...

Fears a concerning pattern of healthcare inequity is once again being repeated.   The Director-General of Health's confirmed more than half of the cases in New Zealand's Delta cluster are Pacific people.   A health expert says it's depressingly familiar - with Pasifika making up 60 per cent of cases in the August 2020 outbreak.   Consultancy firm Pacific Perspectives' director Debbie Ryan says inf...

Get off the screen and stretch your legs.  That's the message from an expert in mental wellbeing after new research showing a marked increase in device-time during lockdown.   Neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis told Kate Hawkesby exercise is crucial.  "People go on about it, but it makes a huge difference to your mental health. Kick-start the hormones that are in your brain and you can get that f...

It seems the Taliban holds the cards, in terms of the security situation and the military balance in Afghanistan.  G7 leaders have met virtually overnight, as the Islamist militant group warns the US to leave by next Tuesday.  It's understood European leaders urged US President Joe Biden to push for an extension.  Rand Corporation political scientist Andrew Radin told Kate Hawkesby the Taliban is...

I’m feeling for the South Island this morning, who really shouldn’t be here, but here we all are.   They have a right to be more frustrated than anyone. And even though we had suspicions short and sharp would be no such thing, this seems a stretch for the South Island with zero cases.  And every week this goes on, it’s more dire for us economically. Which makes me wonder what the handful of commen...

A steady hand is calling for calm amid Parliament being suspended for a week due to Covid-19 restrictions.  Select committees will still go ahead online.  However, there have been calls for the Epidemic Response Committee to be reinstated in order to ensure the Government is being held to account.  But Wellington Barrister Graeme Edgeler told Kate Hawkesby it’s not the end of the world.  "They can...

A call for employers to cut their staff some slack as they juggle their responsibilities.  Under Alert Level 4, the majority of kiwis are working from home.   Working parent advocate Emma McLean told Kate Hawkesby employers need to have realistic expectations.  "They wouldn't expect us to turn up to work with our three children, yet they're expecting us to work just like we do we don't have them w...

Some South Island businesses have been left frustrated. Auckland will stay in Alert Level Four until at least next Tuesday while the rest of the country will stay in lockdown until at least this Friday. That's despite no community cases being detected in any South Island towns or cities. Business South Chief Executive Mike Collins Kate Hawkesby says there are businesses still feeling the pinch fro...

The Australian Prime Minister's plan to reopen the country at a 70-80 per cent vaccination rate and treat the Delta variant "like the flu" has been slammed as dangerous and reckless by some of the nation's top health and economic researchers. According to modelling from the Australian National University, if Scott Morrison's current coronavirus plan proceeds, tens of thousands Australians will lik...

The one thing this government needs to start doing real quick is getting honest.  Fewer and fewer people are tolerating the smoke and mirrors, the spin, the fudging.  The best example of this was Friday’s press conference where Ashley Bloomfield admitted he’d advised Cabinet that Auckland should in fact stay in Level 4 until August 31st.  The PM equivocating on this only does us, and her, a disser...