Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The ACT Party's laying into the former Ministers who lead our Covid-19 response for refusing to front public hearings. 

Labour leader Chris Hipkins, and former Ministers Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall have declined to appear as part of the Royal Commission's Inquiry. 

Commissioners are confident it won't hamper efforts.

Act's Brooke van Velden, who's in charge of the inquiry, told Ryan Bridge these Mi...

Yesterday they wheeled out three excuses for not fronting up and answering questions about why they went so hard on lockdowns and mandates which they then papered over with $66-billion in spending - second in the world only to the US - thereby helping fuel the inflation we're all now paying the price for taming. 

1. First we heard they wouldn't attend the public hearing and give public evidence because they were worried about ...

More heat pumps in households could cut energy bills by a total of $1.5 billion a year. 

A report by the New Zealand Green Building Council has found replacing gas and electric heaters with heat pumps could save 40% of gas produced, each year. 

It's also revealed this could protect thousands of  jobs, with three mills closing in the last year due to soaring energy prices. 

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Auth...

The Vocational Education Minister assures its Te Pukenga de-merger is responsible, despite Treasury raising concerns.

Newstalk ZB can reveal it urged the Government to seek reassurance that allowing polytechs to go back to governing themselves would help their finances.

The mid-March paper warned the financial situation would be the same, if not worse, than before the merger.

Penny Simmonds told Ryan Bridge if they did nothing, Tre...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday 13th of August 2025, Treasury warned the Government that breaking up Te Pukenga could leave polytechs worse off, Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds tells Ryan Bridge why they decided to go ahead anyway. 

A report from the Green Building Council shows Kiwis could save up to $1.5 billion on their annual energy bill if we moved to full heat pump adoption....

People aren't telling pollsters they'd vote for Labour because they'd actually vote for Labour.

Labour hasn't got any policies - they're an empty vessel. 

It's captain is still, according to most recent polling, less popular than the current Prime Minister. 

It's a protest vote. They're telling the PM to hurry up and do something else to rescue the economy the last lot, and a trade war, have suppressed. 

You don't th...

Major gas users are looking to the Government for help, with many struggling with high prices. 

A survey by energy management company Optima and Business NZ reveals gas prices have risen by more than 100% on average in the past five years. 

Nearly half of industrial and commercial users have had to make cuts as a result. 

Resources Minister Shane Jones is seeking advice whether rationing gas supplies is possible.&nbs...

It’s believed our trans-Tasman friends are keeping tourism strong in Queenstown.  

Skyline Operators, who run the luge and gondolas, have seen international luge rides increase by 32.6% from 7.46 million in the last year to close to 10 million.  

Gondola rides have also risen more than 21%.  

Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers told Andrew Dickens they're crossing the ditch in numbers. 

He says the latest stat from the...

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast 2025 Tuesday 12th of August, the government's deciding whether to formally recognise Palestine as a state, Massey University's John Battersby tells Andrew the difference it will make. 

Queenstown tourism is booming; Mayor Glyn Lewers shares his thoughts. 

There's a call for the Government to take immediate action in the gas sector as supplies reach a crisis point,...

The world's eyes will be on New Zealand over the next month as it weighs up a decision to recognise Palestinian statehood. 

Australia's declared it will recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. 

It's following suit behind other Western countries including the UK, France, and Canada. 

Massey University defence and security studies professor John Battersby told Andrew Dickens there's widespread publ...

So the big question of today is whether New Zealand should join other nations in recognising a Palestinian state. 

Now this is a much bigger question than it seems. For some it's easy - call Palestine a state and then they have a legal foothold to fight for some land I guess.

And in a way, we already have done that by calling publicly for a two state solution to the conflict in the Middle East.

But it's easy to confuse nations...

Federated Farmers says two new visas provide a clear pathway for seasonal international workers.

Experienced workers like rural contractors can apply for the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa, which is available for up to three years and allows them to return on the same visa.

The Peak Seasonal Visa will be for up to seven months. 

Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Karl Dean told Ryan Bridge it's a welcome change.

He says normally th...

You've got to feel for Zelensky on weeks like this. 

Friday's the big day. Putin will fly to Alaska and meet Trump for cup of tea and biscuit. 

They'll negotiate the terms of ceasefire for what the Russians are calling a 'Ukraine crisis', rather than a bloody war they started. 

The body count is as astonishing as the fact there's a war raging in Europe in 2025. 

One million Russian soldiers killed or injured. 40...

On the Early Edition with Full Show Podcast Monday 11th of August 2025, two new work Visas are on the way, Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Karl Dean tells Ryan about the difference it'll make. 

The Green party wants to lead the next government, Former Green MP Catherine Delahunty shares her thoughts. 

Andrew Alderson has the latest on the weekend's sport. 

Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on a jo...

Time will tell if Vladimir Putin will postpone a meeting with Donald Trump, as he has done in the past.  

The Kremlin says the US President and his Russian counterpart have agreed to meet in the "coming days".  

The Trump administration has indicated, for the pair to meet, Putin must meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.  

BBC Russia Correspondent Olga Ivshina told Ryan Bridge Putin's made progress toward...

A US company is building the world's largest aircraft without having ever built a plane before.  

The WindRunner is being constructed to transport large wind turbines and will be operating by the end of this decade.

It's eight times as big as the largest military aircraft, with a cockpit as tall as a five storey building. 

Radia CEO Mark Lundstrom told Ryan Bridge it's capable of moving gigantic things to hard to reach pl...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday 8th of August 2025, the Ardern government was warned that the spending spree during Covid would have dire consequences, Finance Minister Nicola Willis explains the impact it's had.

There's been confirmation from the Kremlin overnight that a meeting between Trump and Putin will take place as early as next week, BBC Russia correspondent Olga Ivshina tells Ryan whether it ...

The Government says it won't make the same mistakes as the last if hit with an event similar to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A Treasury report has calculated the total cost of the pandemic at $66 billion. 

It puts New Zealand among the highest spenders as a proportion of GDP on the Covid response in advanced economies.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Ryan Bridge nearly half of the spending was on unnecessary initiatives.&n...