Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Another dairy sector shake-up. 

Infant formula and dairy company a2 Milk is buying the Yashili plant in Pokeno and selling its majority stake in the Mataura Valley plant in Gore to Open Country Dairy. 

A2 Milk's announcement comes as it reports a 21% rise in profit, off the back of a 9.3% rise in revenue. 

Forsyth Barr Senior Analyst Matt Montgomerie told Ryan Bridge a2 has stood out over the last couple of years, co...

Praise for new building consenting rules.  

The Government will change liabilities, holding parties responsible for their share of work.  

Certified Builders Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming says the building guarantee or building system should be mandated.  

He told Ryan Bridge that will add cost to the price of building, but it's minuscule in the scale of things.  

Fleming says on a $500,000 project, a guarante...

A reasonable chance of the Russia-Ukraine war ending if a trilateral meeting with both country's leaders occurs.

This comes from Donald Trump ahead of today's big meeting at the White House.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived, along with several European leaders. 

Russia's President Vladimir Putin met with Trump on Saturday, and Trump says he'll have a phone call with him after today's talks. 

Trump says ...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Tuesday 19th of August 2025, Trump is meeting Zelensky and EU leaders at the White house to discuss peace talks, US Correspondent Nick Harper has the latest. 

Forsyth Barr analyst Matt Montgomerie shares his thoughts on A2 Milk posting a $200 million profit and purchasing Yashii NZ's plant in Pokeno. 

The Government's made some changes to building consents, Certified...

In the last week we’ve had a smorgasbord of small, seemingly minor stories hitting the headlines.

Helmets or no helmets for cyclists. Which name comes first on the cover of our passports. A ban then reversal on marshmallows in hot chocolates from the coffee machine at hospitals. 

Not a single one of these stories is significant on their own. 

But they’re the kind of stories people remember because they either simply make ...

Following the food inflation figures from Friday, Foodstuffs has challenged StatsNZ’s numbers. 

On Friday, StatsNZ reported a 5.0% rise in the year to July. 

But Foodstuffs is reporting a 3.4% year on year increase – arguing they have a clearer measure of grocery prices. 

Sue Chetwin from Grocery Action Group told Ryan Bridge that StatsNZ is including restaurants and takeaways in their reporting, which is throwing of...

Europe's leaders are rallying together to discuss Ukrainian security with Donald Trump.  

Over the weekend Vladimir Putin met with the US President in Alaska, which concluded without any movement.  

Now, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France's Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky are some of the leaders meeting in Washington tomorrow to continue discussions.   

European Correspondent Gavin Grey told...

We are well on our way to a collective one trillion dollars in debt.

In the year to the end of May, New Zealand hit just over 870-billion in gross debt - up 5.4 percent from almost 830-billion last year.

It represents an average of just over 160-thousand dollars in raw debt for every person in the country.

At the current rate of growth, New Zealand will hit the trillion dollar landmark,  inside the next three years.

That rate ...

I went out for lunch to a cafe the other day and our table was served by a couple of waiters who all seemed to have a similar vibe about them.

They just. Did. Not. Seem. To. Care.

No smiling. No banter. No small talk or polite conversation. 

Just this blank look on their faces.

You sit there and think “did they hear me”?

You ever so politely repeat yourself in case they didn’t. 

But they did. They got it. There’s just no ...

A reversion to a largely first-choice team for the All Blacks as they open the Rugby Championship against Argentina on Sunday morning in Cordoba. 

The return of captain Scott Barrett from a calf injury headlines the side, while Du'Plessis Kirifi gets his second straight test start at openside flanker. 

Although the New Zealand side has never lost to the Argentinian team at their home, former All Black Josh Kronfeld told R...

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are gearing up for tomorrow's highly anticipated talks in Alaska.  

The US and Russian presidents will discuss ending the war in Ukraine, with suggestions a second meeting could follow if it goes well.  

The Kremlin's already dangling financial incentives, saying there's untapped potential in US-Russian relations. 

US Correspondent Toni Waterman told Ryan Bridge there are reports Trump...

The country's red meat sector may struggle to reach a goal set by the Government to double exports by 2034.

Data from NZ Beef + Lamb's found breeding ewe numbers have dropped by nearly two-percent, while beef cattle numbers were up 4.4-percent.

It reveals 2.6 million units of sheep and beef stock have been lost due to afforestation over the past eight years. 

Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Chair Richard Dawkins told Ryan Brid...

What's the point in us having more affordable property prices for first home buyers if young workers are jetting off to Australia in search of a better tomorrow? 

There's a perverse logic to this, but across the Tasman right now, where our flying Kiwis are headed, they're experiencing something of a property boom. 

It's the opposite of the stagnant or falling prices we're seeing here, where homes in most regions are now c...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday 15th of August 2025, All eyes are on Alaska ahead of a crucial meeting between Trump and Putin, US Correspondent Toni Waterman is in Alaska and has the latest. 

The All Blacks are taking on Argentina in Córdoba, former All Black Josh Kronfeld shares his thoughts ahead of the game. 
Sheep and beef cattle numbers are improving, Federated Farmers Meat and Wool...

Times are tough for property owners as they see the lowest resale profits in over a decade. 

Cotality’s latest Pain & Gain Report shows 89.4% of homes sold above their purchase price last quarter – the lowest since 2014. 

Christchurch was the most resilient of the main centres, with 4.9% of Q2 resales made at a loss, well below the national average of 10.6%, while Auckland recorded the highest proportion of loss-makin...

NCEA Level 1 achievement's dropped to its lowest level in a decade, while all qualifications saw improvement. 

In 2024, achievement in Levels 2, 3, and University Entrance went up for the first time since 2020.  

Student's completing Level 1 continued to drop, and Māori also fell further behind. 

Darfield High School Principal Andy England told Ryan Bridge there've been problems with the qualification since its intro...

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Thursday 14th of August 2025, Jacinda Arden and Chris Hipkins won't show face at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19, Minister responsible Brooke Van Velden shares her thoughts. 

Property owners are seeing the lowest resale profits in over a decade, Matt Ball from the NZ Property Investors Federation tells Ryan why. 

New NCEA achievement data shows mixed re...

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...