Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Travel agents are feeling encouraged by the Government's roadmap to reopening our borders. It's introducing three-tiered risk pathways to get into New Zealand, from early next year. They will range from vaccinated travellers from low risk countries getting to skip isolation, to the unvaccinated or visitors from high risk countries having a 14-day stint in MIQ. Travel Agents Association president B...

While New Zealand is looking to close its door to Fiji -- Fiji is looking to open its door to the world. All travel from Fiji and Indonesia to New Zealand will be banned from Monday morning, with an exception for New Zealand citizens and their parents, children and siblings. Fiji remains in the midst of a major outbreak -- with almost 40,000 cases and almost 350 deaths. But Tourism Fiji Chief Exec...

A mismatch in the workload, structure and staffing numbers of the country's Emergency Departments. They're revealed in a study published in today's New Zealand Medical Journal. The problems differ between bigger and smaller hospitals. Staffing is the main issue at larger urban hospitals - having enough doctors on at any one time; while at regional ones - space and ED beds are the biggest problem -...

So yesterday we got a bit of blah blah basic arm waving around a potential roadmap out of Covid, but no hard and fast plan, no detail, no specifics. And that’s what business needs desperately, some surety, some certainty, some specifics. But details are not this Government’s forte, and they won't want to set a vaccination target they can't reach and then get politically punished for. So is the bus...

The ball is truly in the job seekers court. Job ads are up 88 per cent compared to this time last year. And it looks like job seekers are starting to make the most of this, with nearly two-thirds of job seekers wanting flexible hours, and half wanting flexibility over location. Jarrod Haar, professor of management at AUT, told Kate Hawkesby while job seekers are definitely in a strong position, th...

Business New Zealand says the Government has plenty of work to do, to prepare the country for gradually reopening borders. Chief Executive Kirk Hope told Kate Hawkesby at the moment, we're extremely vulnerable. “I don’t think we’d have the capacity, if an outbreak occurred, to manage it particularly quickly, particularly if it’s Delta, because we haven’t advanced contact tracing.” LISTEN ABOVE See...

Christchurch city councillors are set to go head to head today, over the city's planned multi-use arena. Some councillors have called for a U-turn on the decision to proceed with a 25,000 seat stadium – a reduction from the initial concept of 30-thousand seats. Christchurch Employers' Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson told Kate Hawkesby 30,000 seats would benefit the city the most....

An Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Immunologist is warning Australians to take lockdown more seriously. I’m watching Australia closely at the moment with this Delta outbreak, because I can’t help thinking we are just one border mishap away from Delta being our problem here too. And like Australia, we’ll have no choice but to lock down immediately. Thankfully, we have form here on taking lockdow...

Some very exciting fashion news for those interested in the rise in athleisure clothing. It's when people wear activewear in casual settings, at home, supermarket, even work. Well it's a booming industry, and JD Sports has been a market leader overseas. This month they're opening their first store in New Zealand at Sylvia Park. JD Sports ANZ CEO Hilton Seskin told Kate Hawkesby they are attempting...

It has been suggested that labour shortages aren't as easy of a fix as the Government would like. It seems bringing in more automation is the Government's plan to resolve current labour shortages in the meat industry. But those in the industry say it's not that simple. Meat Industry Association CEO, Sirma Karapeeva told Kate Hawkesby a robot or computer can’t fill every role that a human can do. “...

The Government's been told any travel bubble the Government chooses to open, should only be for the fully vaccinated. An independent panel of experts, led by Sir David Skegg, has released advice about reconnecting New Zealand. It says border restrictions must remain in place until the majority of us are vaccinated, but doesn't give a target. Bubble travel should be restricted to the fully immunise...

New figures show we might be plugging the brain drain. A report from the Helen Clark Foundation revealed the first net gain of New Zealanders in 20 years. The pandemic saw fewer Kiwis leaving the country and more returning home. Economic consultancy group Infometrics says the reversal is mostly based on people not wanting to leave. Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby it may not last...

The National Party's idea to keep Marsden Point oil refinery in an operational state in case we need it in the future, is being seen as a little too late. Shareholders have voted to drastically scale back operations at the Whangarei refinery - and switch to distributing pre-refined fuels. Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai says the deal's already been done. She told Kate Hawkesby shareholders are the fuel...

So there's been a link between a spike in dairy robberies and our tobacco tax hikes. The tobacco tax came into place in 2016. At the same time, reported store robberies went from 41 to 136 in 2016, and to 200 the year after. This is leaving more dairy owners traumatised and injured, as they seem to be taking the hit from the extremes some are going to get tobacco. Sunny Kaushal, from the Crime Pre...

It was an easy hit for the Nats to slam the government’s lack of delivery, at the Party conference this weekend. But it was also very necessary. Hitting the government on its record is about the best thing the opposition can do. The slow vaccine rollout, the MIQ shambles, the Infrastructure projects that have gone belly up, the money for the mob, the fanciful cycle bridge, the Ute tax – this is ab...

Pillars of billowing smoke and ash turned the sky orange and blocked out the sun above Greece's second-largest island Sunday as a days-old wildfire devoured pristine forests and encroached on villages, triggering more evacuation alerts. The fire on Evia, an island of forested mountains and canyons laced with small coves of crystalline water, began Aug. 3 and cut across the popular summer destinati...

It began with a virus and a yearlong pause. It ended with a typhoon blowing through and, still, a virus. In between: just about everything. The Tokyo Olympics, christened with "2020" but held in mid-2021 after being interrupted for a year by the coronavirus, glided to their conclusion in a COVID-emptied stadium Sunday night as an often surreal mixed bag for Japan and for the world. A rollicking cl...

Alcohol. Speed. An overloaded car. Unrestrained passengers. It was a recipe for disaster - and now five Timaru teenagers are dead, their families and community reeling. The five boys died at the scene after the car they were in crashed about 7.30pm on Saturday. Last night two of the boys were named by family - Niko Hill and Javarney Drummond. At least one call had been made to police about boy rac...

As the Olympics wrap up this weekend, I think we can all agree it has been a huge success, and unexpectedly so. I mean, to be honest, I didn’t even think they’d go ahead, but in this case, the IOC’s determination paid off. Despite Japan being a mess with Covid, the Olympics were not. Slick organisation helps, military precision helps, being vigilant helps. Japan seemed to manage all of these athle...

The 2021 Rugby League World Cup has been postponed a year following the withdrawal of Australia and New Zealand a fortnight ago. The tournament was due to kick off on October 23 but has been moved back a year. The New Zealand Rugby League informed tournament organisers two weeks ago that the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns would not be attending the event in England, due to Covid related player welfare and s...

An opportunity has arisen to right a so called unfairness for people in our middle income tax brackets. The ability for property investors to claim loan interest costs as an expense against rental income is being phased out. Budget documents show the full removal of that would have given the government another $800 million or more in tax. Deloitte tax partner, Robyn Walker, told Kate Hawkesby this...

Judith Collins says she'll agree to disagree with her party's youth wing on almost everything, including the ban on conversion therapy. A bill that would outlaw the practice has passed its first reading in Parliament. National voted against the bill, despite pleas from the Young Nats for the party to support it at first reading and seek changes at select committee. Collins told Kate Hawkesby  the...

Lisa Carrington is a key cog in the machine that's driving New Zealand to its most successful Olympics yet. This country now has 19 medals, seven of them gold, pushing our tally ahead of the previous best ever five years ago at Rio. The champion kayaker has six medals all up, three of them in Tokyo, all gold. Carrington's strength and conditioning coach, Adam Storey told Kate Hawkesby her training...

As the UK asks people working from home to get back to the office, a new survey out here shows that office workers are actually “more satisfied in their jobs than non-office workers”. 'Skills Consulting Group's Work Wellbeing survey', it's been reported, looked at '1600 staff and human resources managers' and in terms of dissatisfaction in the workplace it had 'health workers, teachers and tradies...

ANZ is predicting 3 OCR hikes by the end of the year, and 5 by this time next year. This is off the back of our unemployment rate dropping from 4.7 per cent to 4 per cent yesterday. Kate Hawkesby asked Rival Wealth financial advisor, Tim Fairbrother if the Reserve Bank has messed this up? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.