Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Tourism operators are gearing up as the Government moves to overhaul conservation law. 

Its newly announced bill would speed up concessions and give more clarity to those wanting to use conservation land for business, research, or charity. 

International tourists would also be charged to visit certain sites, with the funds to be re-invested into nature. 

Tourism Holdings Limited Chief Executive Grant Webster told Rya...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday 8th of May 2026, a new OECD report's calling for the age of eligibility for NZ super to rise, Informetrics CEO, Brad Olsen shares his thoughts.

The Government's doing a review on why the CRL has cost so much, Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett tells Ryan what we can do to prevent huge cost blow outs of future projects. 
 
It's about to get easier for tou...

City Rail Link cost concerns have uncovered a reoccurring issue with New Zealand infrastructure projects. 

The project's former boss Sean Sweeney has claimed the project could've cost half of its estimated $5.5 billion price.  

This sparked Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop to announce a full review of the project after its open date later this year.   

Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett told Ryan Bridge we'r...

It's somewhat ironic the latest lecture we're getting from an office of global boffins is headquartered in Paris. 

No offence to the French, but they're screaming out for lesson in basic economics.

Their debt-to-GDP ratio is 118%. Their debt is 60% above the EU limit. 

You're used to hearing about the Italians and the Greeks, but the French are up there with them in the top three most indebted nations in the bloc. 

T...

ACT's welcoming the death of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, but wants the Government to move quickly.  

Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith announced the regulator will be disestablished, as it’s unfit for a modern media environment. 

Laura McClure says the decision's long overdue, and the Government needs to pass legislation.  

She told Ryan Bridge that it’s a huge win for freedom of speech in Ne...

The Government's plans to introduce a citizenship test is being labelled as a waste of taxpayer money. 

Applicants would have to answer 20 questions on our history, politics and laws, and get 15 correct to pass.  

The test will be imposed for people seeking New Zealand citizenship from late next year.   

New Zealand Immigration Law Principal Lawyer Aaron Martin told Ryan Bridge the Coalition's just trying to mak...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2026, unemployment’s slightly dipped to 5.3%, ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley shares his thoughts. 

The Government's introducing a new citizenship test for those looking to become Kiwis, Principal lawyer at NZ Immigration Law tells Ryan how big of a difference this will make. 

The Government’s pulling the pin on the Broadcasting Standards Authority, ACT MP Laura McC...

A major bank believes unemployment will remain fairly flat this year, rather than anything catastrophic.

The national rate dipped slightly to 5.3 percent in the first three months of this year.

ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge says he's not overly pessimistic about the next couple of quarters.

But he cautions the next few months are really the danger zone as businesses hunker down and defer some decisions.

Youth un...

The Coalition is failing on two numbers that matter most to us voters. 

Inflation is up over 3% - not as bad as the Aussies but not helped by Trump. 

But wage growth is 2%.

The cost of buying stuff is going up quicker than we can afford to pay for it by working. Our real wages are a bit shite. 

You know when Luxon set the election date in January and said people needed to "feel" the recovery happening?

They're not. T...

A Salvation Army report finds secure housing is a key to reducing reoffending.  

The first of six reports into prisoner reintegration into the community suggests stable accommodation is the foundation for everything that follows.  

It says it helps address mental health and addiction issues and helps reconnect with family and the workforce.  

Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit's Mission Officer Ian Hutson told Ryan...

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale's accepted the Government's three-month challenge in order to control the region's local government destiny.  

Councils have been given a few months to come up with amalgamation plans or face having to do it under the Government's system.  

Drysdale told Ryan Bridge efficiency can be achieved better, and they've been elected by their communities to make decisions, so that's what they'll do. &n...

Finding a job's set to get tougher before it gets easier.

Unemployment reached a near-decade high in the last three months of last year as job growth failed to keep up with the number of people moving to New Zealand.

Stats NZ data due out this morning is expected to show it remained steady or rose slightly in the first three months of this year.

BNZ Chief Economist Mike Jones told Ryan Bridge it's expected to keep rising.

He expect...

There are basically two big things governments control that affect the economy and therefore all of us: spending and stability. 

They're not to be taken for granted, but too often they are. 

Romanians are going to bed right now, unsure of who will run their country. The Government's just lost a confidence vote. 

The socialists have sided with the far-right, of all groups, to collapse the Coalition. 

This is bad ...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday 6th of May 2026, Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale, shares his thoughts on Councils being given a amalgamation ultimatum by the government. 

Unemployment’s expected to hold around 5.4%, Mike Jones, Chief Economist at BNZ tells Ryan what to look out for. 

The Salvation Army wants more done to help people back on their feet after prison, Salvation Army Mission Off...

A union says the taxpayer pays the price for any cost blowout to the Cook Strait ferry replacement programme.  

A Treasury review last year found “back-to-front” planning and decaying port infrastructure's left the project exposed to delays and higher costs.  

Maritime Union Secretary Carl Findlay told Ryan Bridge Ferry Holdings was set up to sort all of this out.  

He says they should've pulled together the Port of ...

The number of New Zealanders choosing to get divorced is outpacing those getting married.  

Stats NZ data shows a 3% drop in marriages and civil unions last year compared to 2024.  

In the same period, divorces were up 5%.  

Family Lawyer Jeremy Sutton told Ryan Bridge marriages are more likely to end in divorce after 25 years.  

He says if you're together for a longer period of time, you'll change and are more ...

Renewed attacks by Iran and the United States threaten to see the war in the Middle East “spiralling out of control”. 

The ceasefire seems to be on shaky ground, but some experts are saying that despite the optics, they are progressing towards a peace deal.  

US Correspondent Toni Waterman told Ryan Bridge that proposals to end the war had been exchanged through the weekend. 

“But certainly this announcement by the P...

What are your chances of getting divorced?

The new Stats NZ numbers are interesting for a couple of reasons. 

1. Fewer people are getting hitched. In 2025, 7.6 marriages per 1000 people. That's half of the rate in 2000 (15.5 per 1000). In 1971, peak marriage, it was 45 per 1000 people. 

So basically, fewer of us are bothering to get married. I've got friends who are single and don't mind being single - that was far less a...