Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

A new Government action plan for preventing family and sexual violence pushes for deeper collaboration across government agencies.  It's the second action plan as part of a 25-year national strategy.  Focus areas include improvements to protect children and young people, strengthening the workforce, taking action on sexual violence, and expanding prevention.  Minister for the Preven...

Anyone who thought the ferry debate was over for summer was very wrong.  The weekend papers were full of reckons and I reckon it’s because it’s a bigger piece of infrastructure than many realise. Sure a lot of tourists and locals travel on it, heading on adventures or heading home, but $30 billion dollars worth of freight between the North and South Island depends on it too. So the reckons we...

An employment expert says the Government's new directive against public servants working from home makes sense.  The Public Service Commission has issued new guidance confirming all flexible work arrangements should be monitored and workers are not entitled to work from home.  It's sparked legal action from a major public sector union.  Employment expert Jennifer Mills told Andrew D...

Health New Zealand is meeting its targets, but a doctors' union says that doesn't mean Kiwis are getting better care.  New figures show cancer treatment is getting faster and child immunisation rates are improving.  People are also spending less time, on average, in emergency departments.  Resident Doctors' Association National Secretary Deborah Powell told Andrew Dickens that despi...

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 13 December. 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.

Don’t you hate it when the kids fight.  The quiet war between David Seymour and Winston Peters has kicked up a little lately with both the boys playing games in court to win the hearts of the public.  That's the problem when you’re a minor party, you need to make noise to be noticed.  The big noise for a while has been David Seymour who has taken conversations by the throat with his...

The ACC Minister has announced a independent review into ACC because of concerns about its performance.  Matt Doocey says rehabilitation rates are down and weekly compensation costs and average costs per claim were up. “This review will have a particular focus on claims management. It will look at whether ACC has the right interventions and settings in place to support accident claimants to r...

The potential buyers of Whakapapa skifield are optimistic it'll be open for business come next ski season.   Cabinet's agreed to give a $5 million loan to Whakapapa Holdings to support its bid to buy the ski field, but only if it gets a concession from the Conservation Minister.  If granted, the sale's expected to be completed next April so it can open by July for the 2025 season. ...

An employment expert says there's a balance between free speech and unprofessionalism when dismissing staff for making inappropriate comments.  16 Immigration NZ staff have been disciplined for derogatory messages about visa applicants on Teams.  10 workers have been either dismissed or issued a formal warning already.  Max Whitehead told Andrew Dickens employers need to be careful...

There’s a match on fingerprints found at the assassination scene of a major US health insurance boss in Manhattan.   New York prosecutors have charged 26-year-old Luigi Mangione with murdering Brian Thompson.   Police have told CNN that fingerprints found at the crime scene match Mangione's.  Correspondent Kate Fisher told Andrew Dickens that development followed his extradition hea...

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Thursday the 12th of December. The government has a new plan for the Cook Strait ferries - but there was a noticeable lack of detail. Labour's Tangi Utikere reacts.  A new multi million dollar loan to purchase Mount Ruapehu's liquidated Whakapapa ski field. Dave Mazey is heading the new venture and joins the show to talk about his...

The long awaited ferry announcement from the government came yesterday, however there's still plenty unanswered questions. We'll get two new ferries, but the government hasn't said how much they will cost, or whether they will be rail-enabled. It comes more than a year after the Finance Minister cancelled the previous governments plan to purchase two new ships for $550 million. Labour's transport...

Well that was confusing. When Nicola Willis blew up Kiwirail’s plan for new ferries she promised a better plan, and yesterday we got that plan.  They're going to form a new company to buy some ferries. No news about which ferries and what format they’re in.  Nothing about what’s happening portside. There was also an invitation to private industry to come up with a better solution. ...

Germany is tightening its laws to make it harder to help smuggle migrants to the UK.  Facilitating people-smuggling is not technically illegal in Germany if it’s to another country outside of the EU – which now includes the UK.  A plan has been made between the two countries that sees Germany tighten their laws and make it easier to prosecute those involved.  Europe Correspondent Ga...

The Government's emissions plan's being described as sensible and practical.   Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has released the second Emissions Reduction Plan.  Key policies include more renewable energy projects and introducing both a network of 10,000 EV charging points and agricultural emissions pricing by 2030.  Victoria University Climate Change Adjunct Professor Adrian Ma...

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Wednesday the 11th of December. Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced greyhound racing will be banned from 2026. The SPCA says it's the best Christmas present they could have been given. The government has released it's new Emissions Reduction Plan, could we reach net zero six years than the target? Dr Adrian Macey joins the sho...

Animal rights advocates say the government's announcement on greyhound racing is "the best christmas present ever."  Racing Minister Winston Peters announced the ban, with the legislation passed under urgency yesterday.  The racing dogs will not be allowed to be euthanised and will have to be rehomed.  The SPCA's Chief Scientific Officer welcomed the move. "We're absolutely thrilled...

The job of being a politician is always harder than you expect. We learned today that Mark Mitchell will not be introducing legislation against boy racers this year even though he has said he would. In June when it as all going off in Levin he was promising laws to enable the cops to seize vehicles and keep them. A return to the good old days of Crusher Collins But it's never happened because it i...

The PPTA says letting each school set its own sex education standards has been a failed model.   Education Review Office research has found inconsistencies in how the subject is taught between schools.   PPTA President Chris Abercrombie says it will be hard to impress everyone as there are a variety of views.   He told Andrew Dickens a standardised national curriculum would be a goo...

The Building and Construction Minister's confident changes to insulation rules will give builders and designers more flexibility.  Chris Penk's proposed changes to reduce building costs, including examining the whole building instead of individual components.  Penk told Andrew Dickens he believes there's currently too many regulations.  He says when you add up the extra costs, it do...

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 10th December. The government is looking to inject Kiwibank with $500 million in capital to "disrupt the status quo" and take on the big Australian owned banks. Massey University Banking Expert Claire Matthews joins the show. The Education Review Office says our relationship and sex ed in schools is not up to standard and i...

The government is looking to inject Kiwibank with $500 million in capital to "disrupt the status quo" and take on the big Australian owned banks.  Kiwibank's parent company Kiwi Group Capital along with Treasury have been instructed to talk to potential investors, which could include Kiwisaver funds.  For now an initial public offering is off the table with the government has ruling out...

This weekend Sunday Star-Times published a think piece on why Christopher Luxon is not popular.  And he’s not. Monday's polls showed that Christopher Luxon and his National Party is not as popular as maybe they should be.  Interviewing university professors and their typewriters, the article came up with answers like no-one likes anyone who demands to be called Christopher and one profes...

Rebel forces in Syria say they have ended Bashar Al-Assad's rule as the government's troops withdraw from Damascus. The Assad family has a decades-long reign in Syria. Otago University Professor for Middle Eastern and Comparative Politics Leon Goldsmith joins Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police in the Netherlands fear an explosion at a block of flats which has left 5 dead and 4 injured in the Hague, may have been started deliberately. UK authorities urged people to stay at home over the weekend after a vicious stormswept the country. 150 km/h were recorded on Saturday and again early Sunday morning. UK and Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey joins Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE. See omny...