Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Another Reserve Bank rate cut.  It was largely as expected - 25 basis points. The rest of the press conference and much of the Monetary Policy Statement itself was focused on the ‘unpredictable’ global environment.  We can’t say this because we don’t know what Trump will do. We can’t be certain about that because XYZ. Trade war, etc, etc. But at what point does unpredictability beco...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Thursday the 29th of May 2025,  The Reserve Bank cut the OCR by 25 basis points, ASB bank Chief Economist Nick Tuffley shares his thoughts.  International student numbers are down in Secondary schools and for vocational training, Minister for vocational education Penny Simmonds tells Ryan Bridge what the Government's doing to help.&...

Renewed warnings that people are 'rolling the dice with their life' when partaking in 'run it straight' style games.  Ryan Satterthwaite has died after a private version of the game in Palmerston North.   The 19-year-old suffered a serious brain injury on Sunday and died in hospital on Monday.   AUT Human Performance Professor Patria Hume told Ryan Bridge Police can intervene in the...

Major questions about how a man was able to drive his car into a massive crowd in Liverpool yesterday, injuring 50.  Eleven people remain in hospital, all in a stable condition and recovering.  A 53-year-old British man has been arrested for attempted murder.  Fans of Liverpool Football Club had flooded the city's streets to celebrate its Premier League title win.  Corresponden...

Port of Auckland's fee hikes are a bitter pill to swallow for transport operators.  The port has announced a 77% increase for trucks entering the Fergusson Container Terminal during peak times – going from $130 to $230 by July next year.   National Road Carriers Chief Executive Justin Tighe-Umbers told Ryan Bridge it's not so simple to work off peak, as they don't have the workforce to c...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025 Wednesday 28th of May, It's OCR day today, Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold shares his thoughts on what the Reserve Bank will do.  A 19 year old has died from a 'run-it-straight' style game with his friends, AUT Human Performance Professor Patria Hume warns about the risk of letting these events continue.  Auckland's port...

The Reserve Bank's expected to cut interest rates again this afternoon, to aid economic recovery.  Economists are projecting a 25 basis point OCR cut to 3.25% - the lowest cash rate since September 2022.  Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold says beyond that, there's a bit more debate.  He says told Ryan Bridge Westpac is forecasting they'll stop at three percent.  Eckhold say...

What happened in Palmerston North with the death of this young man was an absolute tragedy. We don't know exactly what happened here, other than it was linked to another viral challenge.  The sad reality is stuff like this will happen again. And again. And again.  The campaigners and professionals will warn about the dangers.  And then kids will be kids, and another craze will come...

New Zealand's greyhound racers aren't going without a fight.  Greyhound Racing NZ is applying for a judicial review of Racing Minister Winston Peters giving the industry 20 months to wind down, from last November.  Trainer Craig Roberts told Ryan Bridge he believes people have been fed misinformation about the industry.  He says about 95% of greyhound injuries aren't serious, and ju...

Farmers are sounding the alarm, warning the sheep industry is collapsing.  Numbers in flocks have declined from 70 million just over 40 years ago to 25 million today.   Farmers say carbon farming is the main factor, with 260 thousand hectares of land converted into forestry between 2017 and 2024.  They say the farms harbour pests like stoats, feral pigs, and deer, which come onto th...

A 43-year-old Australian man arrested in Bali for smuggling cocaine, could face the death penalty.  Lamar Aaron Ahchee was picked up by Police at the location where the drugs were allegedly delivered.  More than 200 small packages of cocaine were confiscated, weighing almost two kilograms.  Australian correspondent Donna Demaio told Ryan Bridge Ahchee has yet to be charged, but has...

Retail NZ is calling for an urgent meeting with the police minister. RNZ reports staff have been directed to not investigate shoplifting below $500 and online fraud below $1000.  Police say they may not take look further into crime below the threshold and lacking evidence.  Retail NZ Advocacy Manager Ann-Marie Johnson told Ryan Bridge they know officers aren't going to turn up at every s...

So, Winston has definitively ruled out working with Chris Hipkins. Not Labour, but Hipkins.  He had of course already pretty much done this earlier in the year after his State of Nation address, in which called the Labour leadership a bunch of liars and unreformed losers.  But this is crystal clear now. He’s spoken to Thomas Coughlin at the Herald - it’s a firm no, thank you. This is int...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, Full Show Podcast Tuesday the 27th of May 2025, Retail NZ's Ann Marie Johnson tells Ryan Bridge why they've has called for an urgent meeting with Police Minister Mark Mitchell after Police were told to no longer investigate allegations of shop lifting below $500.  Greyhound racing New Zealand are calling for a judicial review into the Government's decisi...

It wasn’t a good weekend for Warriors or Auckland FC fans, with both teams losing to Australian rivals. Auckland FC lost To Melbourne Victory, destroying their A-League debut double dream. Meanwhile the Warriors winning streak came to an end when they lost 16-10 to the Raiders. Newstalk ZB’s Andrew Alderson talks to Ryan Bridge about the weekend that was in sport. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/...

Half of the children on the dental surgery waitlist have been waiting for more than four months.  Health New Zealand data shows nearly three-thousand kids have been waiting for more than 120 days.  Otago dentistry Senior Lecturer Samuel Carrington tells Ryan Bridge waiting patients have complex issues with their teeth.  "By the time Tamariki reach hospital care, they're usually in a...

The European Union's trade chief said the 27-member bloc is committed to securing a trade deal with the US based on "respect" not "threats". It comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap a 50% tariff on all goods sent to the US from the EU. UK Correspondent Gavin Grey talks to Ryan Bridge about the message, and the scientists turning their attention to dolphins.  LISTEN ABOVE.&n...

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Monday 26 May. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A view that new sanctions for beneficiaries failing to meet jobseeker obligations, are "sensible." The changes, as part of the Government's traffic light system, are being rolled out today. It includes money management - which puts half of someone's benefit onto a payment card, that can only be used at approved stores for four weeks. Former Welfare Expert Advisory Panel Member, Phil O'Reilly told...

KiwiSaver.  I was thinking about this at the weekend. I get why the government is doing the old switcharoo. I get it. Means test the government sweet we, halve it for everyone else… save some money.  Then we workers… and our employers… will slowly put more into the scheme… So that when it all comes out in the wash, we’re at least no worse off than before budget day.  Except that we...

Auckland FC are looking to book their spot in the A-League Grand Final. The club has the second leg of their A-League semi-final clash against Melbourne Victory tomorrow night. It’s the home leg for AFC – with Go Media Mount Smart Stadium expected to be a sellout with 28-thousand fans. Football Commentator and Newstalk ZB's Weekend Sport host Jason Pine told Ryan Bridge with Auckland up 1-0, he ab...

Labour's defending its claim the Government's Kiwisaver changes steal 66-thousand dollars from a young person's retirement savings. The Government's halving its yearly contributions, and bringing in a cap at incomes of 180-thousand. Default employer and employee contributions will also rise to four percent. The party's finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds told Ryan Bridge halving the Government's...

Good morning and guess what? Things are looking up. The future's looking pretty good. Not from budget announcements themselves, necessarily, but the Treasury forecasts. We'll hit just shy of 3% growth next year. It'll average 2.9% across the next four years. Unemployment gets back below 5%. Inflation is beaten at 2%. Wages grow faster than costs at 2.7%. These are the best forecasts we have, and t...

Kiwisaver changes in this year's budget are expected to have long term benefits, but it might be a tough road for some to get there. While the Government's halving its contribution,  its also gradually increasing the default rate from 3 to 4 percent. Analysis from the Retirement Commission says the vast majority of salary and wage earners will eventually have higher retirement savings. Simpli...

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 23 May. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.