Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025 Wednesday 28th of May, It's OCR day today, Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold shares his thoughts on what the Reserve Bank will do.  A 19 year old has died from a 'run-it-straight' style game with his friends, AUT Human Performance Professor Patria Hume warns about the risk of letting these events continue.  Auckland's port is hiking its access fees once again, National Road Carriers Association Chief Executive Justin Tighe-umbers tells Ryan Bridge about the impacts it'll have. Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on the car that drove through closed off streets at the celebration parade for Liverpool Football Club.  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.

The Reserve Bank's expected to cut interest rates again this afternoon, to aid economic recovery.  Economists are projecting a 25 basis point OCR cut to 3.25% - the lowest cash rate since September 2022.  Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold says beyond that, there's a bit more debate.  He says told Ryan Bridge Westpac is forecasting they'll stop at three percent.  Eckhold says next year if the global environment looks weak, then inflation could fall back quite rapidly - so some commentators are suggesting rates could get to 2.5%.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happened in Palmerston North with the death of this young man was an absolute tragedy. We don't know exactly what happened here, other than it was linked to another viral challenge.  The sad reality is stuff like this will happen again. And again. And again.  The campaigners and professionals will warn about the dangers.  And then kids will be kids, and another craze will come along and somebody else will get hurt or worse. Ten years ago… remember planking? The came skin art, where young people paint sunscreen on some parts of their bodies and burn the rest in the sun.  An American family lost their son to the infamous blackout challenge, where kids choke themselves or their friends for fun. For ages teenagers, especially boys, have played bullrush, drank to excess, and driven cars way too fast. Frontal lobes don’t develop properly until age 25. That’s when reason overtakes risk in the brain. Behaviour changes. If you ask me honestly if society can ever prevent these tragedies from ha

New Zealand's greyhound racers aren't going without a fight.  Greyhound Racing NZ is applying for a judicial review of Racing Minister Winston Peters giving the industry 20 months to wind down, from last November.  Trainer Craig Roberts told Ryan Bridge he believes people have been fed misinformation about the industry.  He says about 95% of greyhound injuries aren't serious, and just prevent them racing for a short period of time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are sounding the alarm, warning the sheep industry is collapsing.  Numbers in flocks have declined from 70 million just over 40 years ago to 25 million today.   Farmers say carbon farming is the main factor, with 260 thousand hectares of land converted into forestry between 2017 and 2024.  They say the farms harbour pests like stoats, feral pigs, and deer, which come onto their land and harm their livestock.  Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard told Ryan Bridge the problem has grown in the last three or four years – a lack of hunting during the Covid lockdowns seemingly allowing pests to breed.  He says as they redo the Biosecurity Act, they’ll be looking at the clause dictating a landowner must maintain and control pests within their boundary, to see if it needs tightening.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 43-year-old Australian man arrested in Bali for smuggling cocaine, could face the death penalty.  Lamar Aaron Ahchee was picked up by Police at the location where the drugs were allegedly delivered.  More than 200 small packages of cocaine were confiscated, weighing almost two kilograms.  Australian correspondent Donna Demaio told Ryan Bridge Ahchee has yet to be charged, but has been presented to media at a press conference wearing an orange jumpsuit and black balaclava.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retail NZ is calling for an urgent meeting with the police minister. RNZ reports staff have been directed to not investigate shoplifting below $500 and online fraud below $1000.  Police say they may not take look further into crime below the threshold and lacking evidence.  Retail NZ Advocacy Manager Ann-Marie Johnson told Ryan Bridge they know officers aren't going to turn up at every small incident. She says they just want to know Police are taking these crimes seriously and arresting where they can. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Winston has definitively ruled out working with Chris Hipkins. Not Labour, but Hipkins.  He had of course already pretty much done this earlier in the year after his State of Nation address, in which called the Labour leadership a bunch of liars and unreformed losers.  But this is crystal clear now. He’s spoken to Thomas Coughlin at the Herald - it’s a firm no, thank you. This is interesting for two reasons. 1) Winston is a political wizard and knows how to read the room and play the game. This is not a random outburst. This is a calculated decision based on the path he thinks will get New Zealand First back to the Treasury benches. By virtue of ruling out Hipkins, assuming he doesn’t get rolled and replaced, Winston has reduced his bargaining power. Which is not an outcome a kingmaker takes lightly.  The key to his success on the campaign trail has always been as much about what he stands against as what he stands for - immigration and Treaty issues spring to mind. He’s decided that in 202

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, Full Show Podcast Tuesday the 27th of May 2025, Retail NZ's Ann Marie Johnson tells Ryan Bridge why they've has called for an urgent meeting with Police Minister Mark Mitchell after Police were told to no longer investigate allegations of shop lifting below $500.  Greyhound racing New Zealand are calling for a judicial review into the Government's decision to ban the sector, Greyhound trainer Craig Roberts shares what the ban will mean for him. Federated Farmers are warning of declining sheep numbers, Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard tells Ryan Bridge what this means from a Government stand point.  Ryan Bridge shares his thoughts on Winston Peters ruling out working with Chris Hipkins.  Plus, Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio has the latest on a snap ban on machetes in Victoria after a violent brawl in a suburban shopping centre. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  

It wasn’t a good weekend for Warriors or Auckland FC fans, with both teams losing to Australian rivals. Auckland FC lost To Melbourne Victory, destroying their A-League debut double dream. Meanwhile the Warriors winning streak came to an end when they lost 16-10 to the Raiders. Newstalk ZB’s Andrew Alderson talks to Ryan Bridge about the weekend that was in sport. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Half of the children on the dental surgery waitlist have been waiting for more than four months.  Health New Zealand data shows nearly three-thousand kids have been waiting for more than 120 days.  Otago dentistry Senior Lecturer Samuel Carrington tells Ryan Bridge waiting patients have complex issues with their teeth.  "By the time Tamariki reach hospital care, they're usually in a lot of significant pain and have multiple infected or abscessed teeth," he says.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The European Union's trade chief said the 27-member bloc is committed to securing a trade deal with the US based on "respect" not "threats". It comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap a 50% tariff on all goods sent to the US from the EU. UK Correspondent Gavin Grey talks to Ryan Bridge about the message, and the scientists turning their attention to dolphins.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Monday 26 May. 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 view that new sanctions for beneficiaries failing to meet jobseeker obligations, are "sensible." The changes, as part of the Government's traffic light system, are being rolled out today. It includes money management - which puts half of someone's benefit onto a payment card, that can only be used at approved stores for four weeks. Former Welfare Expert Advisory Panel Member, Phil O'Reilly told Ryan Bridge sanctions encourage people to get off a benefit. He says they also keep taxpayers' faith in the system too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

KiwiSaver.  I was thinking about this at the weekend. I get why the government is doing the old switcharoo. I get it. Means test the government sweet we, halve it for everyone else… save some money.  Then we workers… and our employers… will slowly put more into the scheme… So that when it all comes out in the wash, we’re at least no worse off than before budget day.  Except that we will be worse off, because it’s us and our employers paying for it. We pay more up front. Our employers pay more up front. That’s added cost. Businesses recover cost by putting up prices, which we end up paying, or by lowering costs, like wages… which is how most of us make a living, right? So the net effect is worse for us and better for the government. Now again, I get why they need to slash spending but the irony with tinkering with KiwiSaver is this. For your average kiwi working hard and saving and planning for retirement… that’s what we’re told to do…. These changes throw all your calculations out of whack. You

Auckland FC are looking to book their spot in the A-League Grand Final. The club has the second leg of their A-League semi-final clash against Melbourne Victory tomorrow night. It’s the home leg for AFC – with Go Media Mount Smart Stadium expected to be a sellout with 28-thousand fans. Football Commentator and Newstalk ZB's Weekend Sport host Jason Pine told Ryan Bridge with Auckland up 1-0, he absolutely backs the team to make the final.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's defending its claim the Government's Kiwisaver changes steal 66-thousand dollars from a young person's retirement savings. The Government's halving its yearly contributions, and bringing in a cap at incomes of 180-thousand. Default employer and employee contributions will also rise to four percent. The party's finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds told Ryan Bridge halving the Government's contribution will have a big impact. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good morning and guess what? Things are looking up. The future's looking pretty good. Not from budget announcements themselves, necessarily, but the Treasury forecasts. We'll hit just shy of 3% growth next year. It'll average 2.9% across the next four years. Unemployment gets back below 5%. Inflation is beaten at 2%. Wages grow faster than costs at 2.7%. These are the best forecasts we have, and they show that even if the global outlook gets worse, we'll still grow by a whisker shy of 3% next year. We've been talking about them all year but thank the Lord for our primary sector exports. They're in high demand. Prices are up. Payouts are up. Tourism is coming back back on, albeit slowly. Finally, after effectively two years of going backwards, and four years of feeling very poor, things look like they're finally turning a corner. The good old days are coming back. But the pain isn't over yet. The forecasts have us actually going backwards 0.8% this year. And you can feel that and see it some of the confidence,

Kiwisaver changes in this year's budget are expected to have long term benefits, but it might be a tough road for some to get there. While the Government's halving its contribution,  its also gradually increasing the default rate from 3 to 4 percent. Analysis from the Retirement Commission says the vast majority of salary and wage earners will eventually have higher retirement savings. Simplicity Chief Economist Shamubeel Eaqub told Ryan Bridge these long term benefits will come with short term pain. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 23 May. 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.