Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

At least 50 properties have been damaged in Mangawhai following the tornado that ripped through the Northland town over the weekend.  Two people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.  MP for Northland Grant McCallum has been in Mangawhai witnessing the damage and joins the show to give an update on the situation.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Europe's busiest airport may be adding a new wing, as the Chancellor suggests the possibility of a third runway at Heathrow.  An announcement is expected next week for the London airport, as part of plans to boost the UK economy.  Clean up is underway across the UK and Ireland after storms left millions of people without power. Two people died in separate incidents when their cars were hit by falling trees. UK and Europe Correspondent Gail Downey joins the show to discuss these issues and the second storm heading their way.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Open finals saw the women's world number one beaten, and Italian Jannik Sinner take home the men's division prize.  Auckland FC have secured yet another win, this time against Western Sydney.  ZB sports editor Elliott Smith joins the show to discuss the major sports news over the weekend.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Monday the 27th of January. Northland MP Grant McCallum has the latest on the Mangawhai tornado. The start of 80 hours of hearings on the Treaty Principles Bill starts today. Lady Tureiti Moxon shares her views ahead of giving an oral submission later today. The Australian open has wrapped up and Auckland FC win against Western Sydney. Elliott Smith has your weekend sport wrap. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oral hearings for the treaty principles bill get underway today, marking the start of 80 hours worth of hearings over the course of a month. Author of the bill and Act party leader David Seymour will be the first to give his submission later this morning. A total of 50 oral submissions will be heard on day one. Managing Director of Te Kōhao Health Lady Tureiti Moxon says she thinks the bill should be rejected and opposed by the select committee. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although the school holidays are still in full swing, that doesn’t mean that the country’s children are getting the food they need at home. New Zealand children are still going hungry at school and that means that they’re ending up years behind other children in key subjects. The data that shows this ongoing issue for us all and also ranks New Zealand poorly for food poverty. The health researchers behind the just-published analysis argue the government needs to double the number of children served by its newly revamped lunches in schools scheme. It’s no surprise that hungry students struggle to learn: food poverty has been cited as a big barrier in New Zealand’s scoring under the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment. A comparison between that and two other global datasets has allowed a team of researchers to look at the link in greater depth. After analysing food insecurity levels with subject-specific scores, the team revealed a stark trend. Any degree of food insecurity was associated with

There’s scepticism over the Government's major changes to the science sector.  Seven crown research institutes be merged into three public research organisations and another is also being created to focus on AI and advanced technology.  Callaghan Innovation will close, with 355 jobs impacted.  The moves follow a months-long review of the science sector led by Sir Peter Gluckman.  New Zealand Association of Scientists Co-President Lucy Stewart told Francesca Rudkin that the science sector has been desperately underfunded for 30 or 40 years, which is emphasised in the report.  She says the idea they’re going to have champagne science on a beer budget just by merging some organisations is not particularly realistic.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of our largest hotspots backs efforts to bring in more visitors – on one condition.  Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis is hoping to attract more tourists, with potential visa changes on the cards.  It's as international visitor arrivals remain at 86% of pre-pandemic figures.  Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers told Francesca Rudkin visitor numbers in his patch rebounded hard and fast, post-Covid.  He says he'd welcome more, on the proviso that additional infrastructure to support the growth is accounted for.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 18-year-old killer of three UK girls at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport last year is unlikely to ever be released from prison.   Axel Rudakubana's been sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in court.   He was convicted on 16 charges including murdering the girls and attempting to kill 10 others.   UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Francesca Rudkin he changed his plea to guilty earlier in the week.   He says Rudakubana acted out in court this morning, yelling that he was unwell, and had to be taken out for the disruption.   McAviney says it was felt he couldn't be brought back for the reading of the sentences.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 24 January. 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.

If you didn’t pick up on Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nations speech yesterday, the Prime Minister is looking to grow the economy, because the country desperately needs economic growth.  I am being a little facetious. Actually, I thought the Prime Ministers' performance yesterday was good – both the speech and afterwards during the press conference.   Sure, he still stuck to his message like a self-help guru trying to manifest an outcome. But after taking a while to look comfortable or natural as a politician, yesterday he sounded more authentic, like he’s found his groove.  He’s confident in the direction he’s taking the country, and he’s not trying to appeal to everyone.   For a speech designed to set the tone for the year – he did a good job.  Last year we saw the coalition government repeal and reform everything from education to water, and health to grey hound racing. While there is still a way to go with some of these, this year the Prime Minister has made it clear it’s abou

During his state of the nation speech Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a new foreign investment agency with the aim of driving more overseas revenue to our shores and boost local economy and productivity. It's a model based on Ireland and Singapore and will see Invest New Zealand become part of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, which itself is set to become an autonomous crown entity. Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative Oliver Hartwich has been advocating for a model like this for more than a decade and says he took Luxon on a trip to Ireland to show how a model like theirs could work locally. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Internal migration is driving a boom in Canterbury housing construction.  The region's councils consented around 6,500 homes in the past year – a fifth of the country's new builds.  Construction Analyst Mike Blackburn told Francesca Rudkin that it largely down to comparative house price values.  He says people can buy a brand new home in Selwyn or other parts of Canterbury for substantially less than Auckland and Wellington equivalents.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A political commentator says people shouldn't expect any big ticket policy announcements from the Prime Minister's State of the Nation address this afternoon.  Christopher Luxon is preparing to deliver the set-piece speech to business leaders at a lunch in Auckland today.  Former National ministerial advisor Brigitte Morten told Francesca Rudkin it's expected to be about economic growth, but says State of the Nation speeches typically don't have any key announcements.  She says people usually aren't paying attention to the detail of political speeches, especially at the start of the year.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump is once again facing legal action, this time over his immigration plans.  The US President is wanting to stop issuing citizenship documents for US-born children, whose mothers are in the country illegally and temporarily, and whose father isn't a US citizen or resident.  But more than 20 states have since sued Trump over the scheme.  US correspondent Mitch McCann told Francesca Rudkin they argue it's illegal under the 14th Amendment that guarantees birthright citizenship.  He says it's due to take effect in around four weeks but will probably be delayed as it's held up in court.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Thursday the 23rd of January. Inflation has settled at 2.2% for the year to December, matching the previous increase in the September quarter. Westpac's Satish Ranchhod speaks to Francesca about what it means.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will give his state of the nation speech today. Former National Ministerial Advisor Brigitte Morten joins the show. Construction in Christchurch is booming with one in five new builds being constructed in the South. So what's with the increase? Construction Analyst Mike Blackburn speaks to Francesca. Get the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Annual inflation has remained at 2.2% for the year to December according to the latest update from Stats NZ. It's slightly above what the Reserve Bank had forecast but economists say it shouldn't impact the potential of a February OCR cut. Rent was the largest driver of the annual increase, rising 4.2% in the past year. Westpac Senior Economist Satish Ranchhod says inflation pressures should continue to ease over the coming year. "Importantly, measures of core inflation (which track the underlying trend in consumer prices) have continued to trend down towards the RBNZ’s target range," LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am so pleased to see NZ Herald Business Journalist Kate McNamara continue to write about the woes in the Ruapehu District.   Why? Because the Ruapehu region has been hit hard with indecision around the two ski fields, the sudden closure of the Chateau two years ago; followed by the loss of over 200 jobs when Winstone’s pulp and timber mills shut down late last year.  This region has taken a beating through no fault of their own!   Yesterday McNamara focused on the issues surrounding the majestic Chateau Tongariro Hotel, which has been sitting in a derelict state for two years. It's a sad sight at the base of Ruapehu. A desolate Chateau, the golf course overgrown, and empty buildings surrounding it. The area feels quietly paused in time, with no sense of if and when it may spring back to life.  Whakapapa Holdings Ltd, the company in the process of buying the Whakapapa Ski Field, is keen to discuss the future of the Chateau with government officials. They are interested in taking on the hi

Almost 70 people have been killed in a fire at a Turkish ski resort.  The 12 storey Grand Karla hotel in Bolo was engulfed in flames in the early hours of the morning and took 12 hours to be extinguished.  UK and Europe correspondent Gail Downey told Francesca Rudkin the scenes from Bolo have been harrowing.  She says footage circulating on Turkish social media shows people using bed sheets to hang from windows in an attempt to escape.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's sweeping changes to US policy are already garnering pushback.   Trump's immediately begun wielding his new presidential powers, signing off 26 orders and backtracking 78 of Joe Biden's after being sworn in His withdrawals from the World Health Organisation and the Paris Climate Agreement have prompted global concern. US Correspondent Nick Harper told Francesca Rudkin the new Department of Government Efficiency is already facing three lawsuits. He says the decision to end birthright citizenship is also being challenged, with claimants coming forward saying he has no authority to redefine American citizenship. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.