Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

So, in what should be a surprise to absolutely no one, we are taking back an alleged ISIS terror suspect and her children. Why? Because we snoozed, and we lost. ScoMo snookered us. Australia was first out of the blocks in revoking this woman’s citizenship – she had both Australian and NZ citizenship, but she hadn’t lived here since she was 6. When she was captured on the Syrian border and detained...

The true impact of the Sydney lockdown protest won’t be known for days, with one medical expert warning the thousands of people who attended could plunge all of NSW into lockdown. Greater Sydney is already preparing for another lockdown extension announcement this week, with editor of the Medical Journal of Australia, Professor Nick Talley, saying there is a high chance demonstrators who travelled...

Suhayra Aden and her two children are coming back to New Zealand. Aden was identified as an Islamic State terrorist by Turkey, when she was caught crossing the border from Syria in February. She's the woman who had Australian-New Zealand dual citizenship, which Australia revoked. Given there are two children involved with this case, Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft told Kate Hawkesby we have...

There are calls for more help for young people living on the streets. A new report estimates an additional 18,000 children have been pushed into poverty since the first lockdown, with Maori and Pasifika worst hit. The number of homeless young people is especially concerning. Lifewise youth housing team leader Aaron Hendry told Kate Hawkesby young people need therapeutic interventions and we need t...

I think the trans-Tasman bubble being popped is no surprise to anyone. This government was always going to act with its standard ‘abundance of caution’ and with the backing still of the majority of New Zealanders loving being a hermit kingdom, it’s a win-win. Caution and safety.. check. Political points.. check. Protect ourselves from any potential border cock ups creating a fiasco with a Delta ou...

Little surprise at a new report highlighting the housing sector's increasing impact on the economy. Analysis commissioned by the Property Council shows the industry makes up 15 percent of our GDP. It also reveals the sector has grown by $19.6 billion between 2009 and 2019. Infometrics Senior Economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby the growth is in line with other data. “The general economy in New...

The Tokyo Olympics could be a good chance to get more young people interested in sport. New Zealand athletes will be back in action today in the triathlon, shooting, rugby sevens, tennis, cycling and hockey. They'll also be out on the water in the surfing, rowing, swimming and sailing. Sport New Zealand National Sport Development Manager Alex Chiet told Kate Hawkesby it's a good time for sport. “K...

All the action from the second day of the Tokyo Olympics that you may have missed late last night. Stunning swim 17-year-old Erika Fairweather last night swam the race of her young life in the 400m freestyle heats in Tokyo, qualifying with the fourth-fastest time for this afternoon's Olympic final. Fairweather set a new national record with a rapid effort from lane eight at the Olympic Aquatics Ce...

There is an old maxim that goes back to pre-Christian times, divide and rule. Julius Caesar modified it to divide and conquer. Fast forward a couple of thousand years, and to this current discussion about White Privilege, which is very significant in a country like New Zealand. According to emails released under the Official Information Act, the Education Ministry has spent $700,000 dollars teachi...

New Zealand’s home of rugby, Eden Park, is branching out, into the world of art. This weekend, the stadium hosts its first ever art show, featuring more than 100 New Zealand artists. Art in the Park is what they’re calling it and director Cary Cochrane told Tim Dower with the amount of work on display, there is something for everyone. “We have 105 fantastic artists and incredibly, nearly 2000 artw...

We're expecting to find out today what cabinet has decided on the quarantine-free travel bubble. Ministers have been considering their options, with clusters in Australia still out of control. The tourism sector can only sit, and wait. Cardrona and Treble Cone Ski Area general manager, Bridget Legnavsky told Tim Dower she is preparing to have no Australian tourists this season and will have to rel...

The comments made by the Police Minister in her interview with Mike Yardley have to an extent obscured the important discussion. Poto Williams told Mike she does not support general arming of police; and I don't like it much myself. But the Minister shot herself in the foot with her reasoning, and the comments she went on to make about what she said were the communities she represents. Now Nationa...

What is it about true crime documentaries that draws so many people in? TV, film makers; and according to ABC Australia nearly half of all podcast users have a taste for it. Research also shows that more women are listening to true crime podcasts than men. Tim Dower asked Associate Psychology Professor and crime psychology expert Amanda Vicary if a fascination with true crime is healthy. LISTEN AB...

Extreme heat and dry conditions are fueling raging wildfires in the western US, charring more than a million acres, requiring evacuations and creating smoky conditions visible from space. Smoke stretched early Wednesday all the way to the East Coast, including New York City, because high-level winds carried them thousands of miles from the West. The smoke mixed down to the surface in New York City...

It is hard to imagine a time when the real estate sector has had it so good. With the huge price increases we've seen, agents' percentages are steady, so they too are banking big pay increases. On a sale of $900,000, around $30,000 will go to the agent. The question therefore remains, in a sellers' market; does it make sense to cut out the middle man? Graham Squires is with Massey University's sch...

Makers of the film about the Christchurch mosque attacks are expecting taxpayers to subsidise the venture. The director Andrew Nicoll has been looking to cover 40 percent of production costs by way of the film subsidy. Nothing is confirmed yet, but if the movie does go ahead, it would likely qualify for that. A question to come out of this is whether taxpayers should fund a movie depicting current...

The America's Cup post-mortem report has revealed a lot of juicy gossipy stuff about what went on during the event. And to me it raises questions about who was calling the shots, and who ought to have been calling them, given that it was the sorry old taxpayer that funded the whole thing. But the headline take-out from it all is of course, the spectacular financial failure. All up NZ Inc is almost...

The 7.5 billion dollar trip to the edge of space by Jeff Bezos [ bay zoss]  is being seen as bad timing. The world's richest man has soared more than 100 kilometres above the Texas desert, with three others, and returned safely. Fellow billionaire Sir Richard Branson took a similar flight earlier this month. Oxfam New Zealand's Jo Spratt told Tim Dower the coronavirus is sweeping the world, with s...

Disney is widely regarded as the very symbol of childhood innocence. Disney and Disneyland have apparently fallen victim to cancel culture. The Jungle Cruise ride has needed a facelift, after being criticised for its depiction of indigenous Africans. But it's not the only part of the organisation under scrutiny. Architectural historian and author of "Walt Disney's Disneyland" Chris Nichols told Ti...

Covid-19 has left its mark on the balance sheet of New Zealand's hosting of this year's America's Cup. Analysis found that financially, New Zealand was almost $293 million worse, but when net benefits are considered, the loss shrinks to $156 million. The impacts of the pandemic, having fewer challengers and high public investment contributed to significant deficits. AUT sailing professor Mark Oram...

The Act Party, as part of their Law and Order Policy, want gang members to receive their benefits on a card, which would restrict spending on alcohol, gambling and tobacco. However, it doesn't address why young people are still being drawn into gang life. Patched member of the Mongrel Mob Aotearoa Wairoa chapter and youth worker Bronson Tither, is trying to redefine what it means to be in a gang....

Wouldn't New Zealand be the perfect place if it weren't for the gangs? Over the years you've probably heard dozens of politicians promise gang crackdowns, tough policies to curb them, rein them in, or just lock 'em up. Electronic Income Management is new terminology to me, but the idea itself has been around a fair while. The Act Party says it wants to impose it on gang members when they're receiv...

A man who was brought up in a gang, says education will benefit gang members' children more, rather than controlling benefit spending. The Act Party wants gang members to receive their dole on an electronic card that would restrict spending on alcohol, gambling and tobacco. Dave Letele, who also runs the Manukau food bank, told Tim Dower you're much better off educating and empowering people, rath...

The pause on quarantine-free travel with Victoria's been extended until at least tomorrow. The Health Ministry says it needs a better understanding of the developing situation in the Australian state - including the number and pattern of Covid-19 cases. Correspondent Lesley Yeomans says Victoria was supposed to come out of lockdown tonight, but that's been delayed. "The Premier Daniel Andrews indi...

The Biden administration and Western allies formally blamed China on Monday for a massive hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software and asserted that criminal hackers associated with the Chinese government have carried out ransomware and other illicit cyber operations. The announcements, though not accompanied by sanctions against the Chinese government, were intended as a forceful condemna...