Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Every government is thinking ahead to when they next need to be re-elected.  There's a risk here that the government is taking when it goes for sanctions on beneficiaries, when it goes for tougher requirements and criteria when it comes to social housing, for example, and you're starting to see some kick back already in response to some of these changes.  If you're a centrist voter you might think those are reasonable expectations to put on social housing providers, to put on emergency accommodation criteria, to put on beneficiaries through sanctions or obligations.  You might think those things are reasonable.  On the other hand, you might think that seems a bit cruel. And actually, in an economy like this where jobs are hard to come by, I might find myself in that position. I don't want to have those types of obligations; I don't understand what those obligations are.  So, there is a political risk to doing it stuff, but it's bread and butter for National and it's bread and butter for ACT, this is exactly w

It's a waiting game for the construction sector as the economic downturn continues to bite.  The latest EBOSS Builder Sentiment Report shows 67% of builders are seeing less demand for their services.  70% feel industry conditions will continue to decline in the next 12 months.  Construction Industry Council Executive Director Tommy Honey told Ryan Bridge everyone is waiting for economic conditions to pick up again.  He says people are holding off selling their homes, which has resulted in fewer people renovating or building new homes.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 13th of August 2024, new requirements and a traffic light sanction system have been introduced for beneficiaries, but what does it mean for our jobless youth?  Congestion charging is on the way for our busiest roads. AA Policy Director Martin Glynn talks to Ryan about what it means for you.  Construction confidence is down, and builders believe the slowdown in jobs will continue for at least another year. The Construction Industry Council's Tommy Honey speaks to Ryan.  Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift's upcoming London shows will go ahead after a foiled plot to attack her now-cancelled Vienna concerts. A 19-year-old with Islamic State ties has been arrested and confirmed they planned a terror attack involving explosives and knives. Two other teen suspects have also been arrested. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Ryan Bridge there's major security concerns for Swift's five Wembley Stadium shows, which kick off Thursday. “Naturally as you can imagine, high alert here in London as those teenagers are being questioned in Austria.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who are we to believe when it comes to kids in motels? It’s undeniably a disaster. At its worst, we had 4000 kids living in motels and emergency accommodation in New Zealand. And the last lot who said it was a complex problem that required complex solutions, they said it would take time, and we sort of bought that argument because it does seem incredibly complex. And then yesterday, the Government comes along and claims to have cut the number of households living in emergency housing by a third in six months. What’s more, they said in Auckland, they’ve almost halved the number of people living in emergency housing in three months. How can you halve the number of people in emergency housing in three months? Does that make sense to you? In Christchurch, it's gone from 285 to 183 in three months. They said they’d used intensive work to cut the numbers. I don’t know whether I’m just cynical but, do you believe that? Or do you think there’s some trick, some fudging of the numbers here or the categories that they'r

By Kris Shannon in Paris Ellesse Andrews has confirmed what this week already seemed clear – she is the world’s fastest woman on two wheels. The Kiwi claimed a second gold medal on the final day of the Paris Olympics, her victory in the individual sprint even more commanding than an earlier triumph in the keirin. Andrews won all nine sprint races she contested inside Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome. The 24-year-old eliminated the reigning Olympic champion, two former world champions and a rider who last year proved superior in the discipline. And Andrews accomplished it all with a level of ease rarely seen at the top level. That’s not to suggest there was anything simple about her achievements. But right now, Andrews is simply too fast, too strong and too self-assured to be beaten. That was the case in the keirin final earlier in the week, when Andrews led from start to finish and was never seriously threatened by any potential attack. The same was true in the individual sprint, whether riding from the fr

Trade Minister Todd McClay is visiting India this week for the fifth time in nine months. He’ll meet with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, for talks around forestry, agriculture and trade between the two countries. It follows Indian President Droupadi Murmu’s visit here last week. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls joined Ryan Bridge. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Paris Olympics is coming to a close. Dame Lisa Carrington and Finn Butcher are leading out Kiwi athletes as the flagbearers for the closing ceremony, getting underway now. New Zealand now has 20 medals, including ten gold after a Bronze for Ally Wollaston and another Gold for Ellesse Andrews in the velodrome overnight. New Zealand Chef de Mission Nigel Avery told Ryan Bridge it's one of our best Olympic campaigns ever. “45 of our team will walk around with a piece of tin around their neck to get back to New Zealand. That’s huge — that’s about 20 percent of our total competing body, and so, it’s awesome.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Council-controlled water organisations will be able to leverage up to 500% of their operating revenues through the local government funding agency. The Commerce Commission will oversee it to make sure there is appropriate investment, maintenance, and delivery of water infrastructure for consumers long-term.  Auckland Councillor Daniel Newman joins Ryan Bridge on Early Edition to discuss.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region of Russia, as a rare cross-border attack by Ukrainian troops continued on Wednesday.  Taylor Swift has been forced to cancel three concerts in Vienne, Austria, after a bomb and knife attack plot by a teenager who had pledged allegiance to ISIS.  More marches across the United Kingdom has led to more arrests for disturbances, with tough sentences handed out.  UK and Europe correspondent Vincent McAviney joins Ryan Bridge on Early Edition to discuss all this and more.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday the 9th of August, The Government's plan to replace Three Waters is out, it will allow council controlled organisations to borrow and invest in their local water infrastructure. Auckland Councillor Daniel Newman joins the show. New instructions for Oranga Tamariki - but is it going to make a difference? Charity BlueLight speak to Ryan. Would Government intervention make a difference to our struggling energy sector? Energy Resources Aotearoa have some suggestions and Chief Executive John Carnegie shares with Ryan. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electricity prices in New Zealand are about six times higher than Australia, this week sitting at around $700 per megawatt; while in late 2021 they were $100 per megawatt. Multiple large scale businesses are proposing the idea of shutting down as a result of the high prices, and the Government is now looking at possible intervention. Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive John Carnegie joins Ryan Bridge on Early Edition to discuss what that may look like.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Children's Minister Karen Chhour has handed Oranga Tamariki a new set of instructions to keep the agency accountable and transparent.  Chhour has outlined five new measures she expects to be reported on every quarter, including the number of children able to to access a social worker. Bluelight Operations Manager Rod Bell joins Ryan Bridge on Early Edition to discuss.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in a world that is seemingly spilling over with hate and division at the moment. You don't have to look far to find it.  Just in the past few days, you've got this 19-year-old Isis inspired terror suspect, planning to kill himself and as many Taylor Swift fans as possible.  There's rioting and division on the streets of the UK. Australia has raised it's terror threat level.  Remember that 16-year-old teenager who stabbed a religious cleric in Australia, suspected religious extremism behind it.  You've got Trump's assassination attempt, remember this was only last month.  It's almost like we've forgotten about that, because there's so much going on.  They all have one thing in common - The internet.  This 19-year-old is I would be mass murderer, he and his two alleged teenage accomplices, they were serious. They had chemical explosives, detonators allegedly, they were radicalised online.  The UK riots, fuelled by false information about that stabbing suspect.  They were all racked up, fired up by being

It seems like it's virtually impossible for families on a benefit to afford healthy food.  Research shows two-children families receiving financial assistance would be 200-dollars short if they bought low-cost nutritional kai.  Health Coalition Aotearoa spokesperson Sally Mackay told Ryan Bridge it's clear low-income families are doing it tough, with drastic increases in food parcel demands.  She says they're most concerned about the impacts on children's learning when they arrive to school hungry.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a belief the US Democrats have a renewed sense of momentum and energy in the lead up to the Presidential election.  It follows Democratic nominee Kamala Harris confirming Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Ryan Bridge thousands of supporters have packed out a Philadelphia auditorium to hear from the pair jointly for the first time.  He says those in the crowd described the atmosphere as electric and compared it to Barack Obama's 2008 campaign.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's police spokesperson is calling out the Police Minister for refusing her request to meet with an Auckland police inspector.   Ginny Andersen asked to visit the Albany police station, but Mark Mitchell's office said no.   In a statement, Mitchell says he cannot support a generic request to visit a station, with no context, with a week’s notice.   Andersen told Ryan Bridge she followed what she considers a well-established practice, which Mitchell himself has followed before.   She says she and Chris Hipkins never made any attempt to block Mitchell's visits when he was in opposition.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been an increase in businesses asking for advice around redundancy and resizing is being seen by the Employers and Manufacturers Association.  Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in the June quarter, up from 4.4% the previous.   It's one factor the Reserve Bank considers when weighing up whether to cut the Official Cash Rate.  The EMA's Alan McDonald told Ryan Bridge businesses are asking them the right way to downsize because they don't have the work for employees.   He says he'd expected it to start heading the other way, but they just hit a record 163 calls in the month of July.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Thursday the 8th of August, the number of people who lost their jobs in the June quarter are up. Ryan speaks to the Employers and Manufacturers Association to see how businesses are feeling on the ground.  A dispute between Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Labour's Police spokesperson Ginny Anderson - why won't National let Labour visit an Auckland police station? Ginny Anderson joins the show.  The cost of groceries has risen at historically high rates over the past six years, and the cost of healthy food even more so. Health Coalition Aotearoa explain the research, and its impact on Kiwi kids.  Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are calls for the Government to reconsider privacy laws when it comes to retail crime.  The Motor Trade Association is asking for bold changes after a rise in smash-and-grabs and drive off fuel theft.  First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson told Ryan Bridge retailers should be allowed to publish CCTV video of thieves on social media to deter the crime.  He says currently it's against the law, and thieves are hiding behind it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.