Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Banks around the world are meeting this week to discuss interest rates.   Financial conditions are tightening, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East causing inflationary pressures.  They’re broadly expected to keep policy unchanged, opting to remain in wait-and-see mode as the length of the conflict is still unknown.  Business Correspondent Vicky Pryce told Ryan Bridge there’s a lot of real uncertainty at the moment.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand may not have a large enough working population in the future to support government spending.  A new Koi Tū report shows the fertility rate is at a record low and the population is ageing very quickly.  It found immigration is increasingly becoming the major source of talent and population growth.   PwC Partner and tax issue specialist Sandy Lau told Ryan Bridge that artificial intelligence can't help us either.  She says New Zealand's tax base is unique in that in relies on taxes on labour and on consumption, which is tax paid by people.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 28 April. 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 freight carriers advocacy group is pleased its concerns are being heard but worries change will come too late.   The Government is preparing options in case the country moves to Phase Two of the fuel response plan.  It includes increasing load limits for trucks and changing the time of day freight can move.  Transporting New Zealand's Chief Executive Dom Kalasih believes it's irrational to hold off on the changes.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judging by the coverage out of New Delhi overnight, the Indian press appears optimistic about the trade deal with New Zealand.  As optimistic as our Government and industry, and as of last week, Labour, are about it here.  Their trade department points out the thing excludes dairy, so that's safe, along with other sensitive markets.  They like the fact we conceded 100% duty-free access in key manufacturing and labour-intensive industries - the Mint news site name checks textiles, leather, footwear, engineering goods, plastics, and processed foods. Here, our primary industries are celebrating their wins.  And that's the point that I think was somewhat lost in the last few months; both sides win from trade deals.  You make some concessions but you get some gains. Like any deal.  It's not all one-way traffic.  India is set to overtake Germany as the world's third largest economy.  It's a behemoth.  To not jump onboard would have meant missing the boat.  Most Kiwi

Christchurch bars, restaurants and retailers are preparing for a bumper weekend with the city's new stadium playing host to its first crowds.  One NZ Stadium hosts Super Rugby’s Super Round over the next three days, with the Crusaders taking on the Waratahs in the opening match tonight.  Recent alcohol law changes mean hospitality venues can now open past midnight and sell alcohol without serving meals.  Business Canterbury Chief Executive Leeann Watson told Ryan Bridge that the stadium will bring people into the city and have them spend locally, which is exactly what they want.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More New Zealand lamb could soon be making its way to India under our soon-to-be-signed free trade agreement.  Labour's now backing the deal, which will reduce or eliminate tariffs on 95% of exports to the world's largest country.  Beef + Lamb New Zealand says the Indian market has been largely unavailable until now due to a 33% tariff.  Chair Kate Acland told Ryan Bridge India consumes a huge amount of sheep meat.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some challenging Budget decisions ahead for the Government due to the ongoing war in Iran.  Treasury officials are revisiting their economic forecasts for next month's Budget, just weeks before it's due to be delivered.  International credit agency Moody's has downgraded New Zealand's economic outlook from stable to negative, noting the Government's later-than-expected return to surplus.  Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Ryan Bridge the Government's finances weren't in great shape, even before the war.  He says the Government wasn't projected to be back in surplus until the end of the decade.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see ACT is flying a kite on free money for school kids.  Which sounds odd given the party's aversion to free lunches.  Seymour's talking about giving each Year 11 student, 5th form, $500 each to invest. It'd cost $30 million a year and could be funded via the KiwiSaver subsidy.  They'd be able to invest in a term deposit, managed fund, and equities. It'd be a controlled fund so they couldn't go nuts or withdraw, but they might learn something.  Trump's done something similar in the US, though with the help of private capital.  This is a great way to get young people interested in investing and learning about investing.  But isn't there an inherent problem with this? Giving them free money doesn't teach them the value of earning it in the first place, which I would have thought was central to ACT's philosophy on life.  I spoke to Fraser Whineray, former Mercury boss, a few months back about his idea for KiwiSaver 2.0.  He reckons we should overhaul KiwiSaver and give e

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 24 April. 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 warning the Government's $12 billion defence plan won't work without an overhaul of the defence service.  New research by the New Zealand Initiative business think tank has found equipment purchases currently still move through a long approval processes.  It's found digital systems, intelligence tools, and skilled workforce are being treated as secondary.  Massey University Centre for Defence and Security Studies’ John Battersby told Ryan Bridge the world is changing, so we need to question whether were set up to make the best of limited funding.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taking daily multi-vitamins may not have the benefits we think.  British GP James Le Fanu has sparked a debate after suggesting even tiny amounts of added vitamins exceed what most people require.  Nutritionist Nikki Hart says taking copious amounts of vitamins could actually do more harm than good.  She told Ryan Bridge people think they need to up their intake over winter, but a balanced diet on its own is usually enough.  Hart says instead of remembering to take lots of supplements, often the answer is just having an orange.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Infrastructure New Zealand hopes a change in process will lead to New Zealand getting better value from infrastructure projects.  The Government's shifting responsibility for analysing projects from Treasury to the Infrastructure Commission.  It hopes the change will result in better value for money.  Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Ryan Bridge New Zealand ranks in the bottom 10% globally for value-per-dollar-spent.  He says changing that situation starts with the people making the decisions.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You heard the news about this AI hacking beast called Mythos?  It's a bit scary to be honest. And what's reported to have happened with it in the last seven hours is even scarier.  It's basically a big AI-powered cyber-hacking machine. It can spot flaws in operating systems – in some tests, it is better at doing this than human hackers.  Central banks are worried. Retail banks are worried. Governments are worried. We should be, too.  Even Anthropic, which owns it, is worried. They haven't released it to the public.  In the wrong hands, it's that dangerous.  But what they did do was release it to a small group of big companies, including Google and Goldman Sachs, for testing.  The problem? Bloomberg is reporting that a small number of unauthorised users have gained access to it.  I know... ding ding ding... alarm bell time.  Hello, you had one job – keep this thing under wraps. If it's a good as they say it is, it's bad for the world.  It could mean more 'asymm

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Thursday 23 April. 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 Reserve Bank may have to hike the OCR sooner than expected, with inflation tracking higher than forecast.  Inflation remains at 3.1% – unchanged on three months ago.  ASB economists say the central bank could be facing a "nightmare scenario" of soaring inflation, against the backdrop of a fragile economy.  Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge it’s increasingly likely the Reserve Bank will start lifting the OCR around July.  He says they believe it will wind up around 3.25% – a more neutral level for the rate.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Demand for health workers is leading more people to take up health courses.  Ministry of Education data shows 52 thousand people were studying some form of health course last year – the most since records began a decade ago.  That includes 17,800 people studying nursing.  Auckland University Dean of Medical and Health Sciences Warwick Bagg told Ryan Bridge more people are highly motivated to join the industry.   He says health is the largest employer in the country, and it's a great opportunity for people to contribute to a diverse workforce.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former National cabinet minister says the party needs to move on from internal wrangling to the more pressing issues at hand. Christopher Luxon passed a vote of confidence at yesterday's caucus meeting. MPs aren't revealing details of the vote, including how many of them supported Luxon. Former minister Chris Finlayson told Ryan Bridge the path forward for National is simple. He says they need to deliver a good Budget, pass RMA reforms, sign the India free trade agreement, and start speaking highly of each other and campaigning in a unified way. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday 22nd of April 2026, Christopher Luxon’s survived a confidence vote, shutting down talk he’s lost the support of MPS. Record number of Kiwis are deciding to go into the health workforce, Auckland University dean of Medical and Health Sciences Warwick Bagg shares his thoughts.  Inflation's come in hotter than expected at 3.1% for Q1, ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley shares his thoughts.  Plus UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on former top official at the UK Foreign Office, saying Keir Starmer had a "dismissive approach" to Lord Mandelson's vetting and Elon Musk snubbing a request to appear for an interview with French prosecutors in Paris.  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.

People hate the media, so hating on the media is not a bad strategy.  It's worked for Winston over many decades, although the bloke only needs 10% of people to like his style - most find it a bit abrasive.  As I've said previously, ministers are the de-facto top brass in the caucus. When all the ministers line up behind their man, no vote is going to topple him. The backbenchers fall into line.  The group calling for a coup looks a bit shambolic, like a bunch of disgruntled employees - your Andrew Bayly's and Tim Van de Molens.  The only real threat to Luxon is if polling gets so bad, his cabinet comes under threat.  You need a trend to prove that, not one poll.  If a trend emerges where the left-bloc can govern, he's toast. And he'd probably fall on his sword at that point anyway.  I had loads of texts from people on the right yesterday raving about Luxon finally standing up for himself and doing something, anything, that looked decisive. He performed to the base, yesterday