Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The property market's remaining subdued with a suggestion it'll be a while until there's real growth in prices. 

Cotality data shows values on average fell by 0.4% over August, marking the fifth declining month in a row. 

It notes global geopolitical tensions, the OCR lifting, and the upcoming general election is contributing to market uncertainty. 

Real Estate Agent Rawdon Christie told Ryan Bridge the high amount o...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday the 4th of September 2026 the All Blacks take on the Springboks for their third test in Johannesburg, former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick tells Ryan what we can expect. 

House prices continuing to fall for the fifth month in a row, real estate agent Rawdon Christie shares her thoughts. 

The ACT Party is calling for an end to race-specific placements at m...

ACT's plan to campaign on scrapping Māori and Pacific med school places is being seen by some as electioneering.

A review into Auckland and Otago university admission programmes is part of the ACT-National coalition agreement, but its findings haven't been made public.

An ACT spokesperson claims the scheme shows unjustified discrimination.

Auckland University Medical Dean Warwick Bagg told Ryan Bridge the findings should be release...

Look don't mind confessing you, dear listener, that I don't read many books. 

I do listen to them on audio, I do read on holiday, but who has the time to actually sit down and get stuck into hundreds of pages? 

People don't even watch full movies anymore.   

You can't do much when you're checking your phone on average one billion times per hour. 

But I did happen to stumble across one of the best reads I've...

Banks aren't expected to increase fixed rates after the latest OCR hike. 

The Reserve Bank raised the Official Cash Rate another 25 basis points yesterday, bringing it to 2.75%. 

Governor Anna Breman says they are moving it towards a neutral level of around 3%. 

Co-operative Bank CEO Mark Wilkshire told Ryan Bridge the hike was largely expected, so those rates were already built in. 

He says the increase will be...

A warning to asset owners across the country to take lessons from Wellington's Moa Point disaster. 

The Government has released the findings of an independent Crown Review into the massive February malfunction at the wastewater plant. 

It doesn't blame a single technical fault, but finds decades worth of significant gaps in accountability and risk management from asset owners. 

Water New Zealand Chief Executive Gilli...

Methanol producer, Methanex, has confirmed it is shutting the Taranaki plant that has run for 40 years. 

It says it's struck a deal to sell most of its natural gas entitlements under current contracts, starting in next year's first quarter. 

The company says continued decline in domestic natural gas, and no clear pathway to meaningful new supply, means continued operations in New Zealand aren't sustainable. 

Carnegie...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Thursday 3rd of September 2026, Co-Operative Bank CEO Mark Wilkshire shares his thoughts on the Reserve Bank hiking the OCR for the second time. 

The country's biggest gas user Methanex announcing its getting out of New Zealand, Energy Resources Aotearoa John Carnegie tells Ryan this is the economic cost the country is paying for a shrinking domestic gas supply.

We've fin...

There's an air of arrogance and butt-covering to the stench that is Moa Point.  

In a nutshell, the council, its water management company, and the contractor were all a bit shit at their jobs.  

And Wellington's South Coast has been shat on – 14 billion litres of raw sewage, to be precise.  

None of them took charge of and ownership of the water treatment plant. And they didn't talk to each other or listen to s...

New Zealand's netball ecosystem is breathing a sigh of relief after confirmation of a privatised domestic league for next season and beyond. 

Rich-lister couple Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams are set to take the licence for the competition and its teams via an initial agreement with the sport's national body. 

Former Silver Fern Marg Foster told Ryan Bridge this is a really good thing, but they can't just rely on philanthr...

Another OCR hike is widely expected today and the Reserve Bank could signal more are coming. 

It announces its decision at 2pm, with the Official Cash Rate expected to rise from 2.5%. 

Economists are picking one or two further hikes. 

Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold told Ryan Bridge the Reserve Bank's view has shifted sharply since the start of the year. 

He says they're pretty locked in for 3% between now...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday 2nd of September 2026 another OCR hike is looking likely from the Reserve Bank, Westpac chief Economist Kelly Eckhold tells Ryan what we can expect.

New Zealand and America are teaming up to build a port for the Cook Islands; international relations professor Robert Patman shares his thoughts.

Netball New Zealand have made the decision to privatise the domestic leagu...

The US appears to be re-engaging with the Pacific as it invests in Cook Islands infrastructure.

New Zealand's pledged to co-invest with the US to build a port on the Penrhyn atoll in the Cooks, a former military base.

China had been interested in seabed mining in the area.

Otago University International Relations expert Robert Patman told Ryan Bridge the Trump administration hasn't shown a lot of interest in the Pacific until now.

...

IP lawyers will be licking their lips with all these AI cases landing on their desks.  

The latest, we spoke about it yesterday, was Sony and Warner going after Anthropic.  

Their argument is basically that Anthropic's AI models, the ones we use to get answers to questions, scrape and bottom trawl the internet for information.  

That information, including song lyrics, is often IP owned and produced by humans or comp...

The Government's being criticised for giving the country the run-around with next year's fuel tax.  

It's cancelled the 12 cent per litre hike and equivalent lift to road user charges that were set to take effect in January.  

The next rise of five cents a litre now kicks in from January 2028.  

AA Fuel Spokesperson Terry Collins told Ryan Bridge the Land Transport Fund has been under stress because it's unable to ge...

ACT's proposing changes to Permanent Resident Visa requirements to make sure holders are actually living here.  

The party wants to increase the initial two-year travel condition for Resident Visa holders to five. 

Residents would be able to travel freely in and out of the country after this period, but would need to spend at least 730 days here during any rolling five-year period. 

Immigration Spokesperson Parmjeet ...

There are concerns Labour's graduate nurse policy could simply shift staffing pressures from hospitals to aged care.

Labour's promising $525 million to give every graduate nurse a job offer after they pass their exams.

But the Aged Care Association says while that could ease pressure on hospitals, it could leave aged care struggling to recruit.

Chief Executive Tracey Martin told Ryan Bridge that's what's happened historically. ...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Tuesday the 1st of September 2026, the Government has agreed not to raise the fuel excise tax next year, AA fuel spokesperson Terry Collins shares his thoughts. 

Act says it wants permanent residents to actually reside in New Zealand, Act Party MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar explains.

Labour’s promising every graduate nurse a job in the public health system if re-elected, Ag...

You know how New Zealanders love it when foreign countries, or media, or even tourists talk about us?  

They're always the most read stories on news sites – it's like a national pastime.  

Oh look! Brad Pitt says New Zealand is beautiful! Oh look, Jason Mamoa did a bungee and Queenstown is beautiful! 

Well, have I got news for you, New Zealand.  

S&P, the global ratings agency, has just done a bungee o...