Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

A children's rights advocate says calls for changes to New Zealand's child safety systems go well beyond the 2021 death of Tauranga five-year-old Malachi Subecz.   The Independent Children's Monitor has found recommendations made following Malachi's death haven't happened, and tamariki are no safer today than when he died.  But, Save the Children's Child Rights Advocacy Director Jacqui Southey told Ryan Bridge, the problems —and calls for changes— are decades old.   She says a recommendation for agencies to cross-share information and concerns is more than 20 years old, and yet we still fail to do it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you see the reaction to Donald Trump's comments yesterday?  This is what he said about Kamala Harris' race: "She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a black person."  What?  The media rightly ran the story, and it was a big deal.  Isn't questioning someone's race exactly what Rawiri Waititi did to Karen Chhour?  Isn't that exactly what he did the other day in parliament when he asked what blood quantum are you? Couldn't the same be said of Kelvin Davis saying that Karen Chhour lives in a Pakeha world?  She's Māori by the way. And what about Te Pāti Māori? They said Karen Shaw should have been raised by Māori caregivers instead of Pakeha ones. And claimed that she had disdain for Māori, for her people. This week they said she's just a puppet of her party and she was basically left in tears in the hallway to ThreeNews.  "I'm still a person. I'm still a person and I feel like I'm getting that stripped away from me day by day in this place, I've had enough.”  No apol

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 2nd of August, Gold, Silver, and Bronze for our rowers in Paris! Ryan speaks to medallist Keri Williams.  Transpower says compensation is off the table for those impacted the major outage, which was caused by workers removing too many nuts of an Auckland power pylon. How are Northland businesses feeling about the news?  Our child protection system hasn't changed enough since the death of Malachi Subecz in 2021, what does Save The Children think about the report?  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.

Kamala Harris is set to reveal her running mate in the coming days.  The current Vice President will be holding her first rally with her new vice presidential nominee on Tuesday, August 6th US time.  The rally will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the campaign saying it will launch a four day “battleground tour”.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Ryan Bridge that the top contenders in this race are the Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.  He said that while the rally is taking place in Pennsylvania, the campaign is telling people not to buy into that when it comes to the pick.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s confidence the new regional roles at Health New Zealand will offer something new.  The Government's appointed four Deputy Chief Executives to run different regions from next month.   It comes after its board was sacked and replaced by a sole commissioner.   Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Sarah Dalton told Ryan Bridge that these appointments will replace existing regional directors.   She says they've got a different set of responsibilities, including bringing parts of the funded health sector back under their oversight.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a belief New Zealand's building sector is still many months away from a rebound, as consents plummet.  Stats NZ data shows fewer than 34,000 new homes were consented in the year to June.  That's a 24% annual drop, and five-year low.  Construction Industry Council Executive Director Tommy Honey told Ryan Bridge it's a continuation of a trend that began mid-2022  He says they've been waiting for that to reverse —or at least plateau— but numbers are still seemingly sinking.  Annual building consents of apartments have also plummeted, with a 51% drop in the year to June.   Honey told Bridge apartments are seen as a risk for builders, developers, and investors.  He says it's also related to inflation running high, and while that's turning a corner, there's a lag at the Reserve Bank.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Middle East politics expert says the assassination of a Hamas political leader will have reverberating effects.   Iran's vowing to avenge the killing of Ismail Haniyeh after his reported death in an air strike in Tehran.  It's declared three days of mourning and is promising what it calls "harsh punishment" against Israel.  It follows an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.   Otago University's Leon Goldsmith told Ryan Bridge it takes a ceasefire deal off the table for now.   He says Israel's probably sending a strong message that no one is safe with the two leaders killed inside one day.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is not the most important story that you will hear today, but it grinds my gears.  It's a small, seemingly insignificant event, but I think it speaks to two things that I absolutely hate about the world that we live in right now.  It took place at cinema three in Pukekohe. You might have seen the video on the Herald website.  So, two women and a child go to the movies, they sneak food in, which I know is not the biggest thing happening in the world right now.  We've all done it too, haven't we?  These guys, these entitled prats, let's just call them what they are, they had food, they had drinks, they had snacks, they had hot food, they snuck hot food into the cinema. That's brazen.  The guy working at the cinema goes over them and says, you're not allowed to bring your own food in.  And these guys just are having none of it. First of all, the worker that comes over has an Asian accent, they mock him for, for his race. They sit there and they start berating him: “Oh, you've made my daughter cry. You've ma

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Thursday 1st of August, it's a throwback to the days of regional DHBs - Health NZ has announced four new regional directors.  Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in Iran, so where could the conflict go to from here? Ryan speaks to a Middle East expert.  Building consents are down - is it a sign of the struggling economy? The Construction Industry Council breaks down the reasons for the drop.  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.

A nine-year-old girl has become the third child to die after a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the UK.  Two other girls, aged six and seven, died in the attack in northwest England on Monday.  A 17-year-old boy remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder following the incident in Southport.  Eight other children suffered stab wounds and five are in critical condition, alongside two adults who were critically injured.  UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Ryan Bridge that there is a vigil going on at the sites, with hundreds if not thousands of people attending.  Taylor Swift herself has also commented on the situation, saying she is in total shock over the loss of life and innocence.  Grey said that her fans have raised more than $400 thousand for the families of the victims.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The changing whims of different governments are putting financial pressure on councils.   A report from NZIER has found central government underestimates what its reforms cost councils to implement.   Local Government New Zealand is calling for more assistance from Government to help them carry the cost.   Vice President and Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry says the speed limit increases under the previous Government cost $570 thousand for his council to implement.   He says the Government's new directive to reverse speed limit increases will cost another $570 thousand.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moves to improve online gambling regulation will allow overseas online casinos to advertise in New Zealand from early 2026.   The Minister of Internal Affairs says it will only apply to licensed operators and come with strict limits.  The Problem Gambling Foundation says the advertising is a concern.  Director of Advocacy and Public Health for the Problem Gambling Foundation, Andree Froude told Ryan Bridge that they’d love to see the advertising of gambling banned completely, but if that’s not going to happen they want to see strict measures in place.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The River Seine fell short yesterday, leading to a last minute cancellation.  The Men’s Triathlon was postponed due to the poor water quality in the river, after the cancellation of two prior training sessions.  They’ve moved the event from 6pm last night to 8:45pm tomorrow, after the Women’s Triathlon.  Michael Burgess, NZ Herald Sports Reporter, told Ryan Bridge that Friday is, as far as they know, the last day they could hold the men’s triathlon in the river, and if they can’t, they’ll have to skip that portion.  He said that one of our athletes, Hayden Wilde, has expressed that there’d be a funny feeling about competing and perhaps medalling at an incomplete Olympic triathlon.  “There’d sort of always be an asterisk attached to that.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Income tax cuts kick in for us today and 94% of us will get a few extra bucks.  Will it be swallowed up by your mortgage, or your insurance going up, or your rates? Probably, but better we get the money and decide what to do with it than the politicians, right?  Also today, MPs get their first pay rise since 2017, and watch closely, watch those particularly who shout the loudest about equality, and fairness, and justice, and all those good things.  Do they put their money where their mouth is today?  Chris Luxon, for his sins —and I assume it's to stave off the inevitable media storm about he's rich, he's white, he's got seven houses— he has promised to donate his full tax cut 20 bucks a week to charity, also the increase in his pay to charity.  Hipkins, what's happening over at Labour HQ?  Well, Labour has apparently emailed their supporters asking for the tax cut to be donated.  It sounds good. Not to Women's Refuge or Kids Can, but to Labour.  Yes. Take your tax cut and give it to Labour.  But what about t

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 31st of July, Local Government NZ say central government policies are costing councils and ratepayers more - LGNZ Vice President Campbell Barry speaks to Ryan.  New licensing rules are on the way for online casinos, but do they go far enough? The Problem Gambling Foundation has concerns.  The women's sevens have won New Zealand our first medal in the Olympics! We have all the action. But there's a lack of action in the River Seine - water quality issues have pushed the triathlon schedule back  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.

New Zealand is still looking to secure their first medal in this year’s Olympic Games.  They had a busy morning on Day Three, with multiple equestrian events, cycling, swimming, and the Black Ferns Sevens moving through to the semifinals.  Kiwi Tom Saunders, one of the top laser sailors in the world, is in Paris for his first Olympics.  He told Ryan Bridge that since they’re all racing with identical supplied equipment, it’s a lot more pure sailing, and comes down to the individual sailor’s skill as opposed to what sort of gear they have.  They’re not short on competition, Saunders said, with Australia and Britain setting the benchmark the last two years, but there’s also strong competition from Germany, Norway, and Cyprus.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers still feel there are tough times ahead.  The latest Farm Confidence report from Federated Farmers shows confidence has fallen over this year, with debt, interest rates, and banks the greatest concern.  More than half of farmers are expecting conditions to deteriorate in the year ahead.  Federated Farmers President Wayne Langford told Ryan Bridge they’re questioning why their interest rates and margins are significantly higher than others. He said that they’ve asked for a banking inquiry as the banks and the Reserve Bank are just pointing the finger at each other.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s concerns a crackdown on gangs could go too far.  Proposed Firearm Prohibition Order laws would expand bans on holding a firearms licence to people committing lower-level offences, and allow warrantless police searches of suspects.  The Justice Select Committee is asking for it to be scaled back, concerned it gives police too much power.   Labour's Justice Spokesperson Ginny Andersen told Ryan Bridge the proposal is still too broad.  She says it's designed to look tough, but it's not clear what problem it's actually fixing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I love watching the Olympics. I'm still watching, I'm still excited, but there are just a few little niggly things that are putting a slight dampener on it for me.  The river Seine is dirty again. That's the second day with no practice.  You've got to do a triathlon, you want to practice swimming in the river that you're going to compete in, but you can't because it's dirty.  It's filled with E Coli and it rained in the weekend, still affecting the water quality.  So, that's the second day in a row with no practice. And you won't know whether you're going to swim in the Seine until four hours before the race is due to start.  Could this have been avoided? Could you have picked another river to swim in?  I would have thought.  The opening ceremony, that's another thing. I mean, obviously Celine Dion was amazing, but there was the weird meandering lead up to Celine.   The athletes themselves are actually complaining a lot about the beds being uncomfortable, the rooms being too hot, the food is bad, and they say

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 30th of July, changes could be on the way for the Firearms Prohibition Order following recommendations from the Justice Select Committee. Committee Member and Labour MP Ginny Anderson talks to Ryan.  Federated Farmers say farmer confidence remains at a historic low. Wayne Langford runs Ryan though their latest survey.  Live in Paris - We're still waiting for the first NZ medal. Kiwi Olympic sailor Tom Saunders chats about his first Olympic games.  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.