Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Growing calls for more learning support staff as teachers increasingly resort to physically restraining students with high needs.  The Ministry of Education has recorded almost 9,400 restraint incidents since 2023.  Auckland Primary Principals' Association President Lucy Naylor told Francesca Rudkin last year's $750 million learning support boost is only just reaching schools.  She...

The country's recorded its deadliest King's Birthday Weekend on the roads in a decade.  Three people were killed in a two-car collision on the Desert Road early yesterday morning, following two crashes in Taupō, a crash on Waiheke Island, and a crash in Dunedin.  That brings the total number of deaths to at least seven.  AA Road Safety Spokesperson Dylan Thomsen told Francesca Rudki...

So, some good news this morning. If in the weekend you noticed the kids have developed conjunctivitis, or you had an unexpectedly good time over the weekend and now need the emergency pill or help with a UTI.  Today is the day that changes to the services which pharmacists can provide kicks in, meaning pharmacists will be able to provide funded medicines for pain and fever management for chil...

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 2 June. 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.

Farmers are wary of the opening milk price forecast.    Fonterra's latest financial update puts the current season's midpoint payout forecast at $9.70.   It's up slightly next season at $9.75, but signals it could end up as low as $8 or as high as $11, depending on global events.   Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Karl Dean told Andrew Dickens farmers are optimistic, but cautious...

Mixed feelings over the Government’s shift from university study toward trades training.  The Budget doubles Trades Academy places to 20,000 over four years, giving more secondary students access to vocational training while at school.  It's being funded by scrapping Fees Free.  Canterbury's Darfield High School Principal Andy England told Andrew Dickens students who were undecided...

A former Finance Minister has praised the direction of the Budget, but says there are some “heroic assumptions” about getting back to surplus in 2028/29.  It comes sooner than previously forecast, the date based on the OBEGALx measure, which excludes ACC.    Ruth Richardson told Andrew Dickens that the economy is resting on the shifting sands of what may happen in the Middle East, s...

The Budget is out, and the Government’s done what it can with the pickle we’re in.  Put simply, we don’t collect enough tax to pay for the services we run and the people we employ.  There are only two fixes: either collect more tax — the left’s answer, though the last left Government didn’t have the guts to raise taxes, even while increasing spending. Or cut services and staff — which is...

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 29 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.

The ACT Party is defending voting in favour of homeschooling legislation before it was scrapped after pushback from families.  The amendments announced last week would've increased checks on children taught at home.  Education Minister Erica Stanford now concedes homeschooling is more complex than first thought.  ACT's Laura McClure told Ryan Bridge they were rushed into voting for...

ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley says the window for low mortgage rates has closed, with multiple Official Cash Rate hikes expected later this year following the Reserve Bank’s decision to hold the rate at 2.25% yesterday.  The RBNZ's Monetary Policy Statement said Official Cash Rate (OCR) increases would likely be required this year, predicting inflation would peak at 4.3% in the September q...

Very few frills or surprises are expected to be in today’s Budget.   Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges predicts a “sensible, prudent, boring, Presbyterian” Budget, with only a few goodies coming from reprioritised spending.  He told Ryan Bridge he was more interested in the "nuggets" that pointed to the Government's future policy direction.  He wanted Finance Minister Nico...

The Budget is always a fizzer in the sense that most of it is announced days in advance.  There are a few sweeteners on the day, but this time, unless there's a rabbit about to be yanked from a hat, even they might be more Werther's Original than chocolate cake.  The best time to read about the Budget is always the following Monday – that's when you get the real juice.  All the cuts...

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Thursday 28 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.

Banks and economists expect the Official Cash Rate to hold at 2.25% despite global uncertainty.   It's the first OCR announcement since conflict erupted in the Middle East, with September the hot pick for when the rate will next lift.  Co-operative Bank CEO Mark Wilshire told Ryan Bridge he expects a cautious approach by both the Reserve Bank and the Government in the coming days.  ...

Health NZ is apologising for the Manage My Health cyber-attack.   The Privacy Commissioner has found both failed to protect sensitive patient information.  Over 90% of the 100 thousand patients affected late last year were Northlanders.  Health NZ says it's working on a response plan after commissioning its own report from Deloitte.   Chief Financial Officer Bevan McKenzie told...

There's a belief we'll have to wait and see to understand why remand numbers are shifting. The numbers of remand prisoners fell for three consecutive quarters last year. It peaked last March at just over 45 hundred, before falling by the end of the year.  Over the same period, the total prison population grew by 275. Criminal lawyer Steve Cullen told Ryan Bridge it could be previous delays in...

Belief we'll have to wait and see to understand why remand numbers are shifting. The numbers of remand prisoners fell for three consecutive quarters last year. It peaked last March at just over 45 hundred, before falling by the end of the year.  Over the same period, the total prison population grew by 275. Criminal lawyer Steve Cullen told Ryan Bridge it could be previous delays in the court...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday the 27th of May 2026, Co-operative Bank CEO Mark Wilkshire tells Ryan what we can expect from the OCR ahead of Thursday's Budget.  Remand numbers dropped in 2025 as prisoner numbers reached record high and no one knows why, criminal lawyer Steve Cullen shares his thoughts.  The Privacy Commissioner says Health NZ and Manag...

If the Post is to believed this morning, the Government is considering a business growth fund whereby some Crown agency would pick winners and probably a few losers with financial backing.  Chalmers did this in Australia.  There was apparently a meeting in April between Willis and Chalmers to talk about us joining his fund.  We're talking about minnows, with revenue between one and...

Conferences on our shores are driving up international delegation numbers, which have surged more than 50% annually.   According to Stats NZ, arrivals are near pre-Covid levels, with more than 16 thousand people coming in the first quarter.   International delegates contributed more than $54 million to the economy, with visitors spending an average $500 per day.   Business Canterbur...

Business NZ says a new loan scheme to help businesses ditch gas is a necessary step.    This year's Budget funds up to $1.2 billion in guaranteed bank loans to help businesses transition to renewables.  Potential losses are accounted for with $48 million set aside.  Business NZ Advocacy Director Catherine Beard told Ryan Bridge it's still a loan business will need to pay back,...

Glimmers of hope for Wellington despite another drop in cruise visits.  Preliminary data released to Newstalk ZB shows a 3% drop in port visits compared to last season. The North Island fell 41, and the South Island gained 23.  The capital was the worst hit, losing 24% of port calls.  WellingtonNZ General Manager Destination and Marketing Todd Barberel told Ryan Bridge visitor numbe...

Some guy won a million bucks for swimming 50m in a pool with a wetsuit on. I know. Awesome, right? Should be stoked for the guy. He's Greek. He's an athlete. He broke a world record.  Problem is, he was taking performance enhancing drugs and the wetsuit was not legit. You wouldn't get away with that at the Olympics.  But what I can understand is the backlash, the tut-tutting, from the me...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Tuesday 26th of May 2026, The Government’s stepping in guarantor banks loans to get profitable businesses off gas, Business NZ Advocacy Director Catherine Beard shares her thoughts. International business events are bouncing back, almost at pre-Covid levels, Chief Executive Officer at Business Canterbury Leeann Watson shares her thoughts.&nbs...