Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

More students now think it's important to attend school everyday.

A new Education Review Office report shows students are taking school more seriously than three years ago, with six in ten attending regularly - back to pre-Covid levels.

It also found that 80 percent think education is important for their futures, and 75 percent think attending every day is important.

PPTA president Chris Abercrombie told Ryan Bridge having the gove...

Economists say a 25 basis point cut to the Official Cash Rate could be the Reserve Bank's most strategic option. 

The central bank will announce its latest review of monetary policy at 2pm. 

It's largely expected we'll see a cut from the current rate of 3%, but the size of the reduction isn't clear. 

ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Ryan Bridge we're just getting into the spring period for the housing market, ...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday October 8th 2025, ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner shares her thoughts on what will happen with the OCR. 

The Government letting NZ Post cut back to just two delivery days a week in towns John Maynard co-president of the Postal Workers Union tells Ryan about the impacts it'll have on the workforce. 

School attendance is back up to pre-covid levels, PPTA P...

Regular listeners will know, when it comes to free speech, I'm into it. 

How else do we get smarter but to debate ideas, put them through the ringer, shout and scream and reason and argue?

We've been doing it since we could talk - which is, well, a long time. 

When the MAGA mob came for Jimmy Kimmel, I defended him. On this programme. 

Many of you agreed. Some of you did not, which is what we call an argument, and th...

Satisfaction on both sides over the Commerce Commission's decision regarding Air New Zealand's airport cost concerns.  

The Commission's announced it won't investigate airport regulation but will look into how much information airports should give airlines on major upgrades.  

Air New Zealand says it's pleasantly surprised by the outcome.  

Airports Association Chief Executive Billie Moore told Ryan Bridge it's const...

It's thought the roll out of David Seymour's new attendance services will make a difference.  

The Associate Education Minister's putting $140 million towards improving attendance over four years, promising to reach twice the number of students. 

Extra support is going to 170 schools with chronic absence. 

Manurewa Attendance Service Lead Principal Cathy Chalmers told Ryan Bridge it's a much fairer way of distributin...

Australia's mushroom murder case will be heading back to court. 

Prosecutors have launched an appeal over the length of Erin Patterson's sentence. 

This follows her triple convictions – convictions her lawyer confirmed last week he intends to appeal. 

Melbourne correspondent Donna Demaio told Ryan Bridge the Crown intends to argue her sentence is "manifestly inadequate". 

Patterson was spared the harshest penalt...

A boost for the vaping industry as the Government asks for tenders for devices for long-time smokers.

Health New Zealand's provided three thousand of the devices since January, under a pilot programme.

But Newstalk ZB can reveal it plans to order more - including flavours like cinnamon and blueberry at the maximum legal nicotine level. 

Health NZ is talking up the PR benefits to suppliers, saying it will increase their health ...

Just when you thought local council couldn’t get more absurd and extravagant, they’ve dreamt up a new way to not make decisions. To do less, with more.

Citizens assemblies. A crackpot idea the Romans once used. But Romans did lots of weird stuff we stopped doing, and this should be one of them.

They’ve got one on the boil in Whanganui. 

In Napier, 40 unelected locals have just finished sitting around talking about where to put...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Tuesday 7th of October 2025 David Seymour's hitting the gas on school attendance targets, lead Principal of the Manurewa attendance service, Cathy Chalmers shares her thoughts on the new plan. 

Health NZ is ordering thousands more vapes to help smokers quit, General Practitioners Aotearoa Chair Dr Buzz Burrell tells Ryan what GPs think of it. 

The Commerce Commission...

There are questions over how the Government will tackle the benefit serving multiple family members under one roof. 

From November next year, parents who earn more than $65,500 must support their 18 and 19-year-olds, rather than them going on the benefit - with a few exceptions.

Former Welfare Expert Advisory Group member, Phil O'Reilly told Ryan Bridge those on $65,000, tend to be on some sort of benefit themselves. 

He ...

Belief attitudes towards bail is a reflection of a global decline in law and order.

Convictions for crimes carried out by someone on bail rose by almost 12-thousand between 2015 and 2024. 

Amongst these, homicide and related convictions more than doubled to 25.

Criminal lawyer Steve Cullen told Ryan Bridge a law-and-order decline stems from social media and leads to some not taking bail as seriously.

However, he says 80-percen...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Monday 6th of October 2025, The Government’s cracking down on youth benefits, Former Welfare expert Phil O'Reily shares his thoughts. 

Andrew Alderson has the latest from weekend sport. 

Criminal lawyer, Steve Cullen shares his thoughts on new numbers on crime while on bail. 

Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on UK police forces being grant...

Freedom is the thing I think we love the most about living in our country like ours: democratic, pretty liberal.

We fight, to protest, we argue, we debate. But unlike it seems most of the rest of the world, we don't get physical.

We don't kill each other for our beliefs. 

We express ourselves and then we try find a solution. 

Look around the world section of your newspaper this morning. From the Middle East, to Africa, to...

It’s the final round of the Rugby Championship this weekend. 

The All Blacks are taking on the Wallabies on Saturday night, in a sold-out Optus Stadium in Perth. 

Seven changes have been made to the side and Scott Barrett is back in the captaincy. 

Newstalk ZB Rugby Commentator Elliott Smith told Ryan Bridge inconsistency is likely the focus for the All Blacks. 

He says there are still so many questions around t...

Producers want pork from abroad plated up with transparency. 

The Government's raising minimum spacing requirements to 13% while time in farrowing crates drops from 33 days to just seven. 

Farmers need to implement the changes by 2035. 

NZ Pork Chief Executive Brent Kleiss told Ryan Bridge 60% of Kiwis eat imported pork, so it would be ideal to introduce standards for them too. 

He says if consumers were able to...

One of Māoridom's biggest movements has split with Te Pati Māori.  

Toitu Te Tiriti —which led the hikoi on Parliament last year— has voted to distance itself from the party.

Leader Eru Kapa-King is the Party's former vice President and son of one of its current MPs - has told Te Ao Māori news the party has a dictat...

At what point do you say this local government election's a failure, a flop, not worth the paper it's written on?

I think we're fast approaching that point now. 

Even in Auckland - our biggest city. Super-City. With the most responsibility, the biggest burden to shoulder after amalgamation, the turnout with two weeks left to go is 9.2%. Last year it was 35%.

That's not a mandate. It's a vote of no confidence in the entire syst...