Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The black market of e-bikes is heating up. E-bike insurance claims have doubled in value over the past year, to $225,000. E bikes are worth up to $10,000, and currently included in your content insurance. But at this rate, surely that's set to change. E-bike retailer, who actually once stole back his own stolen e-bike, Maurice Wells, spoke to Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener...

I extend thoughts and prayers for cyclists this morning. It looks like their precious bridge crossing may be confined to the scrap heap. As is was predicted moments after it was announced, and got an almost unanimous negative response – gosh even some cyclists thought it was a dumb idea, it’s likely now it’ll never happen. Grant Robertson yesterday wouldn't confirm or deny the cycle bridge, only t...

There is a common feeling when you complete two interviews for a job, just to be told they'll let you know if you've made it to a third? A LinkedIn post of a job-hunter talking about how multiple interviews for a job drives talent away has gone viral, with one company asking him for nine interviews. 4 or 5 rounds of interviews can be common in New Zealand. Director of HR and recruitment company Ra...

Reviewing the use of formal police warnings, may be just one small piece in a very large puzzle of justice reform. New Zealand Police will review its Formal Warning policy after the High Court found the warnings have no basis in law and are a breach of the Bill of Rights. Warnings can affect a person's employment prospects, without them actually being found guilty of a crime. But victims' advocate...

Online scams are becoming more slick and sophisticated. But when we think of those more likely to get caught up in scams, we mainly think of elderly people. But that's not always the case. A new study from the UK says nine in ten parents are concerned about their kids falling victim to online scams. Online safety operations manager at Netsafe Sean Lyons told Kate Hawkesby scammers will tailor thei...

So, a poll comes out which sees Labour drop 10 points, and voila, seasonal workers are on their way back in. I'm not sure how much detail of what's in those polls gets given to the parties in advance, but we can assume based on what happened next, that Labour had the tip off on one particular question. The poll included a question about what more the Government could do. The answer to which was: l...

A lot of evidence has pointed to how successful a four day working week is in increasing productivity, as well as avoiding burnout. Well there's been a massive development in the United States. California congressman Mark Takano has submitted a bill for Congress to introduce the four day work week for California. Congressman Takano told Kate Hawkesby imporoving employee wellbeing has benefits for...

A move to allow more seasonal workers into the country, is being seen as an important piece of the puzzle for kiwifruit growers. From next month, seasonal workers from Covid-free Samoa, Vanuatu and Tonga can come to New Zealand without quarantine. Kiwifruit Growers chief executive Colin Bond told Kate Hawkesby even with the change, they may still be six to seven thousand people short next season....

The Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into housing is to clarify for central and local government and local iwi what the right to a decent home means in New Zealand. They say successive governments have failed when it comes to housing. Deputy CEO of Community Housing Aotearoa Chris Glaudel told Kate Hawkesby his expectations of the review will help them look at what isn’t working well in the curre...

I was incredulous at the news we’d had a breach in protocols during the transfer of the Covid patient from Fiji. I shouldn’t have been, it was always a possibility, and perhaps one of the reasons the medics were so against the transfer in the first place. But to hear that a “PPE protocol incident” had occurred and ended up lumping a health worker into Jet Park for two weeks in MIQ, left me aghast....

Frustration from senior doctors about the Government's ongoing pay freeze for high-income public sector workers. Members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists will begin stopwork meetings today, to discuss their pay and working conditions. It comes as nurses prepare for strike action this month after rejecting their latest pay offer. Executive Director Sarah Dalton told Kate Hawkesby...

Kiwi high jumper Hamish Kerr has given a strong account in his Olympic Games debut, jumping 1cm below his personal best to finish 10th in a competition that will be remembered for its unique ending. In a rare turn of events, Qatari star Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italian Gianmarco Tamberi shared the gold medal, clearing a height of 2.37m. Neither of the two had failed a jump until the bar was raised t...

Wildfires raged Sunday near Turkey's holiday beach destinations of Antalya and Mugla as the discovery of more bodies caused the death toll to rise to eight. Residents and tourists fled the danger in small boats while the coast guard and two navy ships waited out at sea in case a bigger evacuation was needed. Authorities warned tourists and residents to keep evacuating Turunc, a town in the seaside...

What we’ve seen with the transfer of this Covid patient from Fiji is very simple. It's not a medical decision, it's a political one. The medical decision was made by the DHBs, the Director of Health, the Ministry of Health. The medical decision was no. But then politics got involved. Helen Clark, it's widely asserted, (and she hasn't denied it), stepped in, the UN stepped in, pressure was applied,...

HBO Max has just released a 12 episode series parodying the life of Prince George, yes, the eight year old. It navigates the trials and tribulations of being a royal child But critics are accusing HBO of taking cheap shots at a child. Royal family commentator Victoria Arbiter joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand may be taking on extra risks -- by allowing a Covid-19 patient to be transferred from Fiji to New Zealand for treatment. The woman arrived at Auckland Airport last night, before being transferred to Middlemore Hospital. She's understood to be a high-profile World Health Organisation staffer, medevaced under a UN agreement. Auckland University public health expert Colin Tukuitonga told...

Tramways Union drivers in Wellington have accepted a fourth pay offer from NZ Bus, bringing an end to months of wrangling over their collective agreement. The long-running saga has resulted in stop-work meetings, a strike, and a lockout. This afternoon NZ Bus confirmed in a statement a new collective employment agreement has been settled on with its Wellington drivers. Chief Operating Officer Jay...

We're seeing a lot of raw emotion and huge pressure unfolding at the Olympics aren’t we? Which isn’t necessarily new, elite sport at that top level is hugely competitive and nothing but pressure. You're carrying the weight of the world, or at the very least your whole country, on your shoulders. There are tears, collapses, enormous highs, catastrophic lows. That’s elite sport, and most athletes at...

A plan to close the Milford Sound airstrip has been met with outrage by local tourism operators who use the runway. The Milford Opportunities Project Masterplan has been unveiled in Te Anau today, aimed at addressing visitor pressures and safety. It includes proposed changes to the way we access the UNESCO World Heritage site, including a plan for carbon neutral buses, charging international visit...

New Zealand will get the clearest look at the inner workings of the supermarket giants on Thursday when the Commerce Commission releases its draft report into the level of competition across a $22 billion sector. Shortly after the election, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark announced the competition watchdog would undertake a market study into supermarkets to determine "whether th...

Fiji 27New Zealand 12 Five years after sevens made its Olympics debut, the world was treated to a dream final in the event. But unfortunately for New Zealand, it wasn't quite a dream result. The All Blacks Sevens had to content themselves with the silver medal after being overpowered by great rivals Fiji 27-12 at Tokyo Stadium tonight. It was New Zealand's second sevens silver after the women's si...

My kids and my husband think I’ve gone mad; it wouldn’t be the first time. But I can't help this sense of foreboding at the moment, that we just won't and can't escape Delta coming here. I’m not scaremongering; I’m not saying this to cause alarm. I’m just incredulous as to how we’ve escaped it thus far. Because we are virtually the only country to do so. Yes our geography and isolation helps, yes...

The Olympics are now in full swing, with wall to wall coverage, yet it seems not as many people are watching them overseas. Over in the all-important US market, ratings for the opening ceremony dropped by 36 percent compared to Rio 2016. There are several factors thought to be behind this, but should Olympic officials be concerned? Senior TV editor at Variety Brian Steinberg joined Kate Hawkesby f...

A suggestion more should be done to remove barriers for people wanting to get the Covid jab. It comes as the Group 4 rollout begins today, with people aged 60 plus, now able to book an appointment. That's despite many in Group 3 who say they still haven't received their jabs. Auckland University vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris says Kate Hawkesby vaccination centres need to be more approachable...

Scientists say they care about animals and there are strict rules about how they experiment on them. Twenty-one science organisations have signed an agreement to be more open about their use of animals in testing, teaching and research. Auckland University education lecturer Sally Birdsall was involved in developing it. She told Kate Hawkesby scientists are keen for more people to understand how t...