Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The All Blacks are coming up to a big test this weekend, facing off against Australia in the first match of the Bledisloe Cup.  

It’s been almost two weeks since their back-to-back losses against South Africa, so what went wrong and do they have the time to fix it? 

Former All Blacks captain Ian Fitzpatrick told Ryan Bridge that if the All Blacks can start like they did against the Springboks in Joha...

There are expectations that cuts to the Official Cash Rate are now going to keep on coming. 

Yesterday's Stats NZ figures show our GDP contracted 0.2% in the three months to June. 

In the March quarter, 0.1% growth was recorded. 

ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley says the numbers show inflation's falling within the Reserve Banks expectations. 

He told Ryan Bridge they're now ...

A barrister has doubts about increasing the threshold for the right to a jury trial.  

Currently a defendant can choose between a jury or a judge-alone trial in cases where the maximum penalty is two or more years in jail.  

The Government's seeking feedback on increasing this to three, five, or seven years, in a bid to address court delays.  

Philip Morgan KC told Ryan Bridge he questio...

I've not seen Luxon this tetchy and brassed off before. 

"Guys, no disrespect, but it's not about the frickin targets, it's actually about the outcomes, and the outcomes here are actually reducing violent crime." 

He was being asked about the national gang list which the cops have been sanitising. Hygienically cleaning it apparently to remove the dead and those who've said goodbye to thug life.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 20th of September. New Zealand's GDP has dropped, but it's not quite as bad as the forecasts. So where to from here and when will we start to see growth? ASB's Chief Economist Nick Tuffley joins the show. 

A new solution to tackle backlog in the count system - the Government wants to reduce the number of jury trials to save time. KC Phillip Morgan...

Technology is at the forefront of priorities for the new Retail Crime Advisory Group.  

The group will offer the Government ideas on law and order legislation.  

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has appointed four sector leaders alongside dairy and business owner group leader, Sunny Kaushal.  

They include Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young. 

She says enabling facial recognition tec...

An economist says another GDP contraction today would be in-line with the idea we've been in a rolling recession for almost two years.  

The March 2024 quarter showed just 0.2% growth.  

BNZ is picking a 0.4% contraction in the second quarter.  

Chief Economist Mike Jones told Ryan Bridge the Reserve Bank's anticipating a 0.5% contraction, so it would take a real clanger to throw it off ...

The White House says it wasn't aware of the simultaneous pager explosions across Lebanon before the attacks. 

Thousands were injured and at least 12 killed when pagers, used by political group Hezbollah, detonated yesterday.  

Today —a day later— at least nine people are dead and 300 injured after walkie talkies exploded.  

Hezbollah believes Israel is responsible  

US corre...

The eight week murder trial of Philip Polkinghorne is nearing a verdict, with the jury beginning deliberations this morning. 

The judge summed up the case yesterday. 

The Auckland eye surgeon's accused of killing his wife, Pauline Hanna; his defence argues she took her own life.  

Herald reporter Craig Kapitan told Ryan Bridge the jury only has two decisions - if it was murder or suicide...

Tory Whanau's admission she sold her car to help keep on top of the bills is ironic, given she's the mayor of a city now famous for its double-digit rate hikes. 

Wellington City Council saw an 18.5% rise this year and 13% the year before. Wellington Regional Council is up 25% this year. 

They reckon over the next four years many will be paying an extra $3000 a year. 

I hope the Mayor's g...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Thursday 19th of September, GDP data is coming out today, and the forecasts aren't good. Ryan speaks to BNZ's Chief Economist Mike Jones. 

The jury is out on the Polkinghorne murder trial. When could we see a verdict, and what are the chances of a hung jury? NZ Herald Court Reporter Craig Kapitan joins the show to explain. 

The new Ministeri...

There's an urgent need to promote resilience among Aotearoa's youth.  

A new paper from Auckland University's think tank Koi Tū reveals 21% of 15 to 24 year olds are experiencing high levels of psychological distress.  

It highlights suicide as the leading cause of death among youth and notes our suicide rate is one of the highest in the developed world.  

Researcher Seungyeon Kim says w...

There’s a belief the economic climate is to blame for more youths fronting court over criminal charges. 

The Ministry of Justice's annual criminal convictions and sentencing statistics reveal more than 1,700 youths between 10 and 17 years of age had charges finalised in court. 

It found theft was the most common offence type. 

Youth Development worker Aaron Hendry told Ryan Bridge a key ...

A new report has found Government vastly overestimated the cost of new home insulation standards. 

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk is considering rolling back the H1 insulation requirements brought in last year amid reports they add up to $40 thousand to build costs. 

But research by New Zealand Certified Builders and others, shows the requirements can add as little as $2,200 to the cos...

Here's why we should care about what sounds like a bit of an obscure trip from some U.S. officials to Beijing this week. 

They are going to meet to talk to their counterparts about a wave of Chinese goods flooding world markets. 

China, obviously, has enormous manufacturing capacity and enormous machine behind it, and the output has gotten too large for the world to absorb. 

The strategy...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 18th of September, Kiwi youth are facing more criminal charges according to the latest justice figures. Youth development worker Aaron Hendry joins the show to discuss the findings. 

New insulation standards could cost as little as $2,200 extra for a new build 3-bedroom house, but why is that so much lower than the $40,000 to $50,000 the buildi...

It’s not just New Zealand who’s been experiencing an icy start to Spring. 

Australia has seen record low temperatures across the southeast, with an icy blast catching several states unaware.  

Canberra marked its coldest September morning on record, with Monday hitting –6.9C, and many regions were hitting below 0. 

Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio told Ryan Bridge that the system has...

More children in this country are being hospitalised for preventable diseases.  

A new Cure Kids report reveals hospital admissions for respiratory, skin and rheumatic conditions, mental health issues and dental diseases, remain unacceptably high.  

It identifies social factors —like child poverty, housing conditions and inequitable access to care— as key drivers, and notes Māori and Pasifika childre...

More profit appears to be on the horizon for dairy farmers, with conditions faring better than expected.

Dairy NZ's lifted its revenue forecast to $8.84 per kilogram of milk solids, with a break even of $8.09.

Head of Economics Mark Storey says the combination of improved farmgate milk prices and declining interest rates show a healthier situation for the sector.

But he says the costs of...