Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Auckland FC have officially claimed the Premier's Plate after Melbourne City drew with Adelaide United.  The Auckland team beat Perth Glory 1-0 at home yesterday.  Newstalk ZB sports editor Elliott Smith joins the show for a weekend sports wrap.  LISTEN ABOVE.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's planning to build thousands of EV chargers by 2030.  Using a concessionary loan scheme to do it, the Government will use a private-public funding model to build the charging model.  Currently New Zealand has about 1400 EV charging stations.  Chair of Drive Electric Kirsten Corson tells Ryan Bridge she isn't sure their plan will work.  LISTEN ABOVE.  See om...

Discussions around the next Pope are heating up. Eighty-eight year old Pope Francis has been laid to rest after a funeral in front of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Saturday night. One hundred and 35 cardinals will soon be locked in the Sistine Chapel to vote on his successor in secret - the candidates must be aged under 80. Newstalk ZB's Jo McKenna, who's at St Peters' Square, told Ryan Br...

On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Monday 28 April 2025, Rome Correspondent Jo McKenna talks Ryan Bridge through what to expect as the Vatican prepares to elect a new Pope.  The government is making moves to try and boost the number of public EV chargers - but Drive Electric's Kirstin Corson explains why she doesn't think the plan is a silver bullet.  ZB Sport's Elliott Smith tal...

There was a  priest on the news last night talking about homeless people the cost of buying a house in New Zealand.  This priest, who was all dressed up in his garb, then mentioned the fact there were marina berths down at the waterfront bursting at the seams with super yachts.  I thought that was such an odd thing to say.  I know the church's role is to help the poor. And they...

New Zealand workers seem to be embracing Gen AI in the workplace.  New research from Robert Half finds 91% of workers are using AI tools to help with their day to day tasks.  93% of workers say they’re transparent about their use with their managers and employers.   Tech Commentator Oskar Howell told Francesca Rudkin it’s becoming a real staple of a lot of desk jobs, as it allows pe...

It comes as no surprise to some the Government got the number of families eligible for the full FamilyBoost payment wrong.  New data shows 249 families have received the maximum payment of $975 dollars a quarter since the scheme came into effect last year.   Finance Minister Nicola Willis says IRD got the modelling wrong, as 21,000 families were thought to be eligible.  Early Childh...

Sometimes being the grown up in the room is deeply unfulfilling, pragmatic, sensible. Considering consequences, taking a long-term view, they're all good, admirable words, and we should take some solace in them. But sometimes I think we'd rather just throw a plate at the wall. And so, it is. Was the government's response yesterday to the Trump tariffs essentially to roll over and take it understan...

On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Thursday 24 April 2025, Early Childhood CEO Kathy Wolfe joins Francesca Rudkin to discuss concern the sector reform could put business over children.  Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Scott Simpson explains new protections that require banks to reimburse fraud victims up to $500,000. Increasing numbers of people are openly using AI at work....

A 24/7 reporting channel is just one of the new anti-scamming measures banks are implementing. The suite of consumer protections will be rolled out this year. Banks will also now reimburse victims up to $500,000 if they fail to adequately warn and protect consumers. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson tells Francesca Rudkin telco companies and digital platforms should follow suit....

Christopher Luxon and Sir Keir Starmer have reaffirmed the close ties between New Zealand and the UK.  Luxon says the relationship between the two countries is strong, and he'd like to deepen ties around defence and security.  The pair discussed their support for Ukraine, with Starmer announcing a multi-million dollar deal to buy Kiwi-made drones.  Geopolitical Analyst Geoffrey Mill...

One of the first locally listed companies is seeing the impact of Trump’s tariffs.  Tourism Holdings Limited has seen a dramatic slowdown in bookings by its US division and is anticipating a “significantly” lower net profit than previously expected.   Its share price fell more than 10% after announcing it was downgrading its earnings outlook.  CEO Grant Webster told Francesca Rudkin...

New Zealand’s new bill is finding support from a women’s sport advocacy group.  The new bill wants to codify sex-based language, defining a woman as an “adult human biological female” and a man as an “adult human biological male”.   It comes as Britain’s Highest Court ruled that only biological women —not trans women— meet a definition of a woman under equity laws.  Save Women’s Spo...

Some of the world's most influential people will be making their way to Rome to farewell the late Pope Francis.  The Head of the Catholic Church died aged 88 on Easter Monday - following a stroke and heart failure.   Pope Francis' funeral will take place outside St Peter's Basilica on Saturday evening - and he'll be laid to rest in Rome's Basilica of St Mary Major.   Europe Correspo...

On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 23 April 2025, geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller discusses the overnight meeting between Prime Minister Luxon and his British counterpart Sir Keir Starmer.  NZ spokesperson for Save Women's Sport Australasia, Ro Edge explains a new members bill that aims to legally define men and women.   And, Tourism Holdings Limited has seen a dra...

There has been a clever marketing campaign from 2degrees this week.   The telco has released the results of a study it commissioned into the impact mobile phones are having on our mental health.   It’s not good.   While most telco’s like to concentrate on keeping us connected, 2 Degrees has taken a slightly different approach with this one, acknowledging the elephant in the room by...

The Easter weekend hosted a fair bit of sport, and Elliott Smith joined Francesca Rudkin to delve into the wins, losses, and major players. They discussed the Warriors' win over the Broncos, the Super Rugby results, and the latest out of Formula 1. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Costco is assessing its options for a potential expansion.  The US big box retail chain has seen a sharp rise in membership and revenue since opening in Auckland's Westgate in September 2022.  It launched home delivery to members and non-members across Auckland last week, and is working on expanding to new regions.  Grocery Policy Expert Ernie Newman told Francesca Rudkin that he’s...

On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast Tuesday 22nd of April 2025, Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna has the latest on the death of Pope Francis. Costco is looking to expand to outside of Auckland, Grocery Policy expert Ernie Newman tells Francesca Rudkin what this could mean for the grocery sector. Elliot Smith has the latest on weekend sport. Plus, Australian Correspondent Donna Demaio has the late...

Heavily choreographed proceedings are now in motion, following the death of the Pope.  The leader of the Catholic Church has died overnight at the age of 88 following a battle with double pneumonia.  Later this week, the Pope will lie in state in St Peters Basilica for several days for the public to pay their respects.  Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna is at St Peters' Square, and tol...

According to an article in the NZ Herald this morning, fewer people want to be teachers.    Teacher education is still a popular field of study, but both Canterbury and Otago Universities have seen a decline in teaching student enrolments over the past four years.  Provisional data shows Canterbury has 964 students enrolled in a course in 2025, down from 1281 four years ago.  O...

The education sector's hopeful further investment into school classrooms is on the way.  New data shows 368 state schools had more students enrolled than their official classroom capacity last year – almost 1500 are at capacity.  Education Minister Erica Stanford announced $100 million for school property, with new schools and classrooms in Auckland.  PPTA President Chris Abercrombi...

Our economy could take a knock, with volatility in the global trade environment.   Infometrics has revised its GDP forecast for next year from 2.6% to 1.0% per annum, in anticipation of reduced exports stemming from Donald Trump's tariff policy.  The annual inflation rate is expected to have risen from 2.2% to about 2.4%.  ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge they’re no...

Have you been keeping up with this senior doctor's strike? There's a couple of things that don't add up.   Yesterday we spoke about the average salary for these unionised senior doctors.  Simeon Brown says it's a total package worth $343,500.  The union hit back - they said the number was made up.   Which it's not. It's the total package including superannuation and overti...

A former New Zealand health boss says the Government's new list of health infrastructure priorities adds nothing new. The plan to pump $20 million into infrastructure includes general maintenance and specific projects across the country.  Former Health New Zealand Chair Rob Campbell says there's no meaningful detail in the plan. He says the Ministry of Health is good at producing lists, but n...