Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

This rates cap is popular politics, no doubt, and local government needs a good kick in the pants.  But does a 2-4% band simply mean we're going to pay more in other fees?  Rates aren't the only way these guys make money off us, we also pay for specific things like resource and building consents, LIM requests, dog registrations, and campgrounds.  Will hairdressers have to pay more to register under the Health Act? Yes, this is a thing, and in Kaipara, for example, it'll cost your business $423 bucks, thank you very much.  Will we pay more for a burial plot at the local cemetery? That's another fee.  Will we pay more to register out dogs?  The options are endless.  Waikato District Council has a document setting out the fees it whacks ratepayers with. It's 45 pages long. The government may take a revenue lever away from councils with one hand, but councils will no doubt get creative and hit us up from another angle.  Actually, this is exactly what the Government itself h

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025, the government's announced a rates cap for councils, Wellington City Council Mayor Andrew Little shares his thoughts.  More renters reckon they have a shot at buying a home of their own, David Cunningham from Squirrel Mortgages tells Ryan why the housing market is improving for first home buyers.  We finally have an opening day for the new International Convention Centre, General Manager tells Ryan what we can expect from the opening.  Plus, four people have been arrested in Sydney, accused of being involved in a satanic child sex abuse ring, Australia Correspondent Lesley Yeomans has the latest.  Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Monday 2025, Labour’s pledging to offer low-interest loans for doctors and nurse practitioners to set up or buy into GP practices next year, GenPro Chair Dr Angus Chambers shares his thoughts.  The government says Local Water done well reforms will cost $48 billion over the next decade, Porirua Mayor Anita Baker tells Ryan if the money will be well spent.  Adam Cooper has the latest on the weekend's sport.  Plus UK/ Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on dozens of protesters arrested under the Terrorism Act and three Austrian nuns in their 80s who ran away from the old people's home where they were placed have been told they can stay in their former convent "until further notice". Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doubts ratepayers will be any better off under the Government's Local Water Done Well plan. The Department of Internal Affairs says councils face nearly 48-billion dollars in water infrastructure costs over the next decade. By comparison, the former Government’s reforms were projected to cost at least 120-billion over 30 years. Porirua Mayor Anita Baker told Ryan Bridge the price tag will likely end up similar to Labour’s model. She says it's still 30 percent of council's debt moving over the new water entity, with the ratepayer footing the bill due the under-investment in water previously.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The housing market is once again in the driver's seat for the economy, but it's not heading in the direction we're used to.  Yes, a recovery is underway.  But the brutal truth of 2025 was summed up rather well, I thought, by Sir Bill English in an interview about the current state of play.  Basically, this protracted downturn - which for anyone living outside Queenstown or living on dairy farm has felt as drawn out and depressing as a Covid lockdown - has been made worse by the housing market. It's not firing back into life like it usually would at this stage of the cycle.  The wealth effect hasn't kicked in. The recovery's taken longer.  In the long run, English argues, this is a good thing. Because supply has been coming on, planning laws are being changed, intensification will keep prices low or in some cases, see them fall.  Does this make it any easier to stomach? No? Is he right? Probably.  If it's happening, this structural shift is going to create headaches for anyon

A retail frenzy is expected today as shoppers take advantage of Black Friday sales.   Data from PriceMe shows nearly 40% of Kiwis are planning to take advantage of Black Friday to do their Christmas shopping.   The day now outpaces Boxing Day in terms of sales volumes and popularity.  Oyster Property Group’s Jennifer Andrews told Ryan Bridge that they’re preparing for a very busy day today.  She says they have discounts all through the weekend, but particularly today as it’s when most people like to come out to find the discounts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A youth protection advocate says it's entirely appropriate to look deeper into Tom Phillips' children's four years on the run.  The saga ended when he died in a Police shootout in September.  The Government will explore whether agencies did everything possible for the children's safety and welfare.  Child Matters Chief Executive Jane Searle told Ryan Bridge she’s hopeful it will be a constructive process.  She says they want is the system to be strengthened as a result of the review.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday 28th of November 2025, Judith Collins has ordered a public inquiry into the Tom Phillips case, Child Matters CEO Jane Searle tells Ryan what she hopes to see from it. Jennifer Andrews from Oyster Property Group which manages Dress Mart shares what retailers are hoping for this Black Friday.  The Government's considering moving escooters into cycle lanes as injury costs soar, Cycling Action Spokesperson Patrick Morgan shares his thoughts.  Plus, UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney has the latest on Labour's budget and a limited form of military service being re-introduced in France. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A push to get more bike lanes as the Government eyes up moving e-scooters onto them from pathways. ACC statistics show there were more than 2,100 claims for e-scooter related injuries in the first half of this year.  Payouts for e-scooter injuries this year are close to surpassing $14 million.  Cycling Action Spokesperson Patrick Morgan told Ryan Bridge e-scooters are here to stay, so councils need to build more bike lanes to meet demand. He says we don't need a bike lane on every street, just on main thoroughfares where people want to go. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The RBNZ update this week again made the point that yes, the economy's in bounce back mode. We'll grow 2.5% next year, they reckon.  But this country needs more than that. It deserves more than that. The problem for us is, and has been for about the past 30 years, productivity.  How much we get out for what we put in. We went sideways and it's now falling.  As you know, this is a bad thing. It's taking us more people and resources to make less stuff.  It puts a ceiling on success. It's a wealth killer. Some reckon it's the canary in the coalmine - the thing we should care about most because we're basically sleepwalking into third world status.  Like falling asleep on a plane and waking up in a different country, we'll one day wake up outside the OECD. The solution, in part, is AI.  The World Economic Forum had some numbers showing it can boost labour productivity in developed countries by up to 40% over the next 15 years. The richer your country, the more you gain, which sta

The Finance Minister believes the country is in a position to grow.   The Reserve Bank believes the economy has now turned a corner after last month's 50-basis-point cut to the OCR.  It's cut the cash rate a further 25-basis-points to 2.25%, but is signalling further cuts are unlikely.  Nicola Willis told Ryan Bridge that while the data lags make things difficult, there is enough other information to give them a sense of where the economy is at.   She says it’s allowed the Reserve Bank to be confident in their forecast that the economy is growing and that growth will strengthen next year, and inflation will come down.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Encouragement for any Northlander who feels hard done by from the region-wide power outages last year to explore legal avenues.  Local businesses are taking class action against Transpower and its lines maintenance contractor over the outages caused from a pylon collapsing in Glorit, north of Helensville.  An investigation found a relatively inexperienced and inadequately supervised Omexom worker removed nuts from three of the pylon's four legs.   Northland MP Grant McCallum told Ryan Bridge he's backing the local businesses seeking legal action.  He says we all know what happened which still beggars belief, but we will have to wait for the legal process to be completed.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Auckland Business Chamber believes a a surcharge cap is a reasonable compromise to an otherwise unfair rule.  In July, the Government announced its plan to ban surcharges for shoppers on methods like Paywave, forcing merchants to front the cost instead.   The business chamber says this will just force businesses to increase costs, which will be unfair for other customers.   CEO Simon Bridges told Ryan Bridge a cap will give a balanced and more practical alternative.  He says retailers like hospitality and tourism can recuperate some of their costs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Thursday the 27th of October 2025, Finance Minister Nicola Willis joins Ryan to talk on the final OCR cut of the year. The Northland pylon fiasco is heading to court, Northland MP Grant McCallum shares his thoughts.  Business groups have come up with an alternative plan for the surcharge ban, Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges tells Ryan what they're asking of the Government.  Plus US Correspondent Mitch McCann has the latest on Steve Witkoff appearing to coach a Russian official on how to win Trump over and Black Friday sales for the American economy.  Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So what do we know today that we didn't know yesterday after the big show from the Reserve Bank?  Well not much, really.  The cut was expected - it was already priced in. They're a bit more rosy on growth, it looks like the end of the cycle for cuts.  But beyond that, it really is guesswork.  The central outlook was 'balanced'. Meaning closed wallets could could hurt the outlook, higher housing prices and export prices could help it.  We put a lot of faith in the OCR to get us out of the rut. Even though it hasn't really worked thus far, even after six rounds of slashing. At one point in the presser the Chief Economist was almost repeating this like a mantra, as if by saying it over and over again, he'd will it to happen.  There are two problems here: First, we've heard it all before and not seen the results. Second, by their own admission, the GDP numbers we've been relying on aren't reliable.  There's a bunch of seasonality in the numbers - especially for that shocker in J

Another cut to the Official Cash Rate is expected today but it could be the last for a long time.  The Reserve Bank's reviewing the OCR at 2pm.  Most economists expect the cash rate to be cut 25-basis-points to 2.5%.  ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge they expect the Reserve Bank to keep the door wide open to taking further action next year if needed.   He says it will be wanting to use the three-month closedown period to really gauge whether it’s needed.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of roles could be facing the axe as the Government looks to scrap regional councils.  The Government's proposing replacing them with boards made up of Mayors in a particular region.  The proposal aims to reduce duplication and put downward pressure on rates.  Boards would be required to put plans in place around re-organising services and infrastructure, which will be checked over and ticked off for financial sustainability.  Otago Regional Council Chair Hilary Calvert told Ryan Bridge says they employ a lot of staff.   She says they have around 368 roles, which is twice as many as there were six years ago.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hopes a nationwide maths pilot can continue to deliver results. The $40 million Government programme targeted 1,500 Year 7 and 8 students needing extra support, through small-group tutoring up to four times a week.  New data shows students averaged one to two years progress in 12 weeks. PPTA President Chris Abercrombie told Ryan Bridge the focus on core skills like maths never stopped, but this is a new way of doing it. He says one of the issues with intense focus is that it's resource-heavy, which is fine as long as it can continue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm part of the generation that grew up pre-cell phones.  Gifts were usually clothing you needed. Toys were chatter rings, marbles, maybe a skate board.  There was no 'picky eating', as we've heard about this week. If you didn't finish what was on your plate at dinner, you didn't get a treat afterwards.  Sweet treats were fruit. Or Raro sachets (sugar rush) if you managed to sneak one out the pantry. There were no snacks - if you were hungry before dinner, mum would tell you to drink a glass of water.  School was basics. Maths, reading, writing. A bit of everything else.  What we're learning, as a society, is that we've collectively taken our eye off the ball. We've taken parenting to a level beyond usefulness.  Do we need cheap imported asbestos sand to engage toddlers?  Do we need a thousand fun school subjects in place of decent time on basic ones? Do we need to tip-toe around kids not eating their veggies, as was suggested yesterday, for fear our kids may develop some ea

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday the 26th of November 2025, The Government's committed to abolishing all 11 regional councils, Otago Regional Council Chair Hilary Calvert says she thinks this is a good idea.  Students forced to do an hour of maths a day made a full year's progress in just 12 weeks, PPTA President Chris Abercrombie shares his thoughts.  It's the final OCR day of the year, ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley tells Ryan what we can expect from the Reserve Bank.  Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on the potential of a Zelensky/Trump meeting and the UK government's sugar tax.  Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.