/on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/rss ¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ Start your day informed. Early Edition with Ryan Bridge is a fast-paced news programme. Setting the agenda for the day, Early Edition with Ryan Bridge is Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:14:19 Z en /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/kara-biggs-campaign-for-wool-general-manager-on-kainga-ora-revising-their-ban-on-wool-carpets/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/kara-biggs-campaign-for-wool-general-manager-on-kainga-ora-revising-their-ban-on-wool-carpets/ There's confidence from the wool sector that Kainga Ora will learn the value of wool carpets.  The social housing agency's back-tracking on a previous ban after using synthetic carpets for more than a decade.  It will now allow wool carpet providers to tender for carpet and underlay contracts.  Campaign for Wool general manager Kara Biggs told Andrew Dickens there's an opportunity to show Kainga Ora how wool can compete on price and value now.  She says that wool is natural, flame resistant, warmer, and more absorbent, which means it's a better and healthier alternative for those in community housing. LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 30 Jan 2025 20:36:27 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/catherine-beard-business-nz-advocacy-director-on-the-potential-impact-of-us-tariffs-on-nz-exporters/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/catherine-beard-business-nz-advocacy-director-on-the-potential-impact-of-us-tariffs-on-nz-exporters/ New Zealand remains in the dark about Donald Trump's tariff plan, as new data shows the US has overtaken Australia as our second largest destination for exported goods.  Business NZ Advocacy Director Catherine Beard told Andrew Dickens blanket tariffs wouldn't have the same impact as targeted tariffs.  She says it would mean the cost will be passed on to the US consumer rather than having to be absorbed by exporters, and we would still be competitive against other markets.  LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 30 Jan 2025 20:31:06 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-31-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-31-january-2025/ Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 31 January. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 17:08:21 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/matt-reid-barnardos-chief-executive-on-helpline-funding-reversal/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/matt-reid-barnardos-chief-executive-on-helpline-funding-reversal/ Children's Minister Karen Chhour has reversed an Oranga Tamariki decision to pull funding from the Barnardos helpline. It comes after Oranga Tamariki providers were given little notice their funding would end last year, a process the Auditor General is looking into. The Minister has told Oranga Tamariki to pause it's review of funding and extend existing contracts with providers until the end of the year. Barnardos Chief Executive Matt Reid has welcomed the reversal. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:55:30 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/andrew-dickens-the-cautious-political-answer-christopher-luxon-gave-on-privatisation/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/andrew-dickens-the-cautious-political-answer-christopher-luxon-gave-on-privatisation/ So the word of the week was privatisation. It became a debate because David Seymour said we should do it now in his state of the nation speech on Monday. So obviously the media asked the Prime Minister want  he thinks of the junior coalition partner’s thoughts. And Christopher Luxon vacillated, he gave the cautious political answer trying not to upset anyone. It's something we might look at, but not without a mandate, so we might campaign on it in 2 years time. So it won’t happen for two years, or maybe more,  so don’t worry about. We’re cool. It was an answer so convoluted that obviously the media asked more questions. And then of course the people said bloody media, trying to stir up trouble with their leftist bias.  But it was the Prime Minister's fault for faffing about trying not to upset anyone or more specifically the centre left and nationalists who hate it. Well that didn't work. Why couldn’t he just say good idea, we agree, next time.  Because we all know he agrees with the idea, and we all know his supporters agree.  But he didn’t, because he’s like every other politician who’s values blow in whichever wind they think the electorate is blowing. Politicians who don't just say yes but nor do they say no. They say maybe which is even worse. They all do it, ask Chris Hipkins about capital gains tax.  Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:55:28 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/parul-sood-auckland-council-deputy-director-of-resilience-and-infrastructure-on-e-waste-in-rubbish-bins/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/parul-sood-auckland-council-deputy-director-of-resilience-and-infrastructure-on-e-waste-in-rubbish-bins/ Auckland Council's sounding the alarm over a spike in rubbish-truck fires this month.  It says more and more risky batteries and battery-powered devices are being illegally dumped in bins.  In December alone, nearly 600 laptops and more than 300 12-volt batteries ended up in Auckland’s regional recycling facility.  Parul Sood, Auckland Council’s Deputy Director of Resilience and Infrastructure, told Andrew Dickens that the council website has a list of places you can take e-waste, and many retailers actually offer to take it back for free.  She says it’s a community responsibility to do the right thing, so people just need to spend a little more time thinking before automatically tossing something in the rubbish bin.  LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 29 Jan 2025 21:55:18 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/richard-mcintyre-federated-farmers-banking-spokesperson-on-banks-climate-informed-decisions/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/richard-mcintyre-federated-farmers-banking-spokesperson-on-banks-climate-informed-decisions/ Competition is being touted as a possible answer to banks' climate informed decisions.   NZ First Minister Shane Jones has spoken out against several banks' attempts to reduce lending and services to fossil fuel businesses - decisions he says are driven by "unelected climate apostles".   Federated Farmers banking spokesperson Richard McIntyre told Andrew Dickens that if new legislation came forward, he would like businesses to have other options.   He says that if banks decide they're the moral police of the country, there needs to be enough competition so that those they decline can get lending elsewhere.   LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 29 Jan 2025 21:38:38 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-30-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-30-january-2025/ On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Thursday the 30th of January. The government is lowering speed limits across the country. Viastrada's Glenn Koorey says it makes sense in some places, but does go against the evidence that roads with lower speeds are safer. Shane Jones has fired off at banks for their attempts to reduce lending and services to fossil fuel business and is understood to have a members bill in the works. Auckland has seen nine rubbish truck fires in just the first months of the year. Are Aucklanders putting the right things in the bin? Get the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 29 Jan 2025 17:08:23 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/glenn-koorey-viastrada-certified-safe-system-assessor-on-government-increasing-speed-limits/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/glenn-koorey-viastrada-certified-safe-system-assessor-on-government-increasing-speed-limits/ The Government has announced the reversal of speed limit reductions on a large number of New Zealand roads, including many in the northern regions of the country. The move will result in speed limits being increased on 38 sections of key routes, including parts of State Highway 1 in Northland, SH16 near Auckland and SH3 in Hamilton. Also on the list are changes to SH2 between Featherston and Masterton, and SH3 Whanganui. Making the announcement in Wairarapa, where the speed limit increase will save drivers around three minutes on their journey, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said: “It all adds up - that is productivity and growth.” Viastrada Certified Safe System Assessor and Level Crossing Safety Impact Assessor Glenn Koorey says the move goes against evidence that lower speeds make for safer roads, but there are some areas where putting the limit up can be justified. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:54:48 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/andrew-dickens-why-the-plan-for-a-new-waikato-medical-school-might-not-work/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/andrew-dickens-why-the-plan-for-a-new-waikato-medical-school-might-not-work/ It's beggars belief these days when we report that it's hard to make money in a GP practice and that we don't have enough doctors. Primary medical care is the most important care, forget your fancy specialists and rock star surgeons. If your GP can spot and fix a problem as it begins then you can save your life and save the nation a ton on costs down the line so the health of our primary health sector should be of primary importance. But it hasn't been. We've added a million people through immigration over the past 10 years and we've also been creating new New Zealanders ourselves while our numbers of doctors per head of population has plummeted. There's two ways to get new doctors. One way to find them is to import them but that's necessarily difficult because not every Tom Dick and Harry who say they're doctors are in fact doctors. The other way is to train them ourselves and in that area we've been woefully short on numbers. I don't know why, you'd think our doctor training would increase in line with population but it hasn't. And what about the University of Waikato’s new medical school? This was an election policy. It was pushed by the university and supported by the government. Well we’re a year into a new administration and where is it?  The medical unions are saying this is taking too long. The Prime Minister says work is continuing on the business case and it will go to cabinet in the future. But unofficially it is understood that the project has been dogged with problems and is increasingly seen as an unnecessary, costly, and bad idea.  I’m sorry, a bad idea? From well paid consultants? From Steven Joyce? Steven Joyce has many good ideas but this is proof that like everyone not all of them are gold.  Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:50:25 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/gail-downey-uk-correspondent-on-the-uks-population-being-expected-to-increase-over-next-7-years/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/gail-downey-uk-correspondent-on-the-uks-population-being-expected-to-increase-over-next-7-years/ The UK’s population is set to skyrocket.  Net migration is expected to increase the population to 72.5 million in the next seven years – an addition of almost ten million people.  UK Correspondent Gail Downey told Andrew Dickens the statistics also reveal that almost 5 million people are leaving the country to live elsewhere.  She says the government wants to bring down the high migration levels, but won't put an arbitrary cap on the number of people coming in.  LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 28 Jan 2025 22:03:16 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/brad-olsen-infometrics-principal-economist-on-deepseek-and-its-impact-on-the-stock-market/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/brad-olsen-infometrics-principal-economist-on-deepseek-and-its-impact-on-the-stock-market/ Tech stocks have been taking a hammering after the debut of DeepSeek.  The Chinese tech firm has created a budget AI model said to be cheaper and more efficient than the other models on the market.  It sent the stocks of Nasdaq and NVIDIA tumbling – Nasdaq falling about 3% and NVIDIA plummeting more than 16%.  Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Andrew Dickens that the market has already recovered about half the drop.  He says everyone is now trying to get a handle on how big AI is and the amount of money they want to invest in it.  LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 28 Jan 2025 21:28:45 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/roger-gray-port-of-auckland-ceo-on-the-shipping-collaboration-between-hapag-lloyd-and-maersk-gemini/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/roger-gray-port-of-auckland-ceo-on-the-shipping-collaboration-between-hapag-lloyd-and-maersk-gemini/ Wondering when a shipment will turn up in New Zealand may hopefully be a thing of the past.   A collaboration has been announced between two of the world's largest shipping companies - Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk Gemini Cooperation.  Port of Auckland Chief Executive Roger Gray told Andrew Dickens the initiative may mean delivery takes longer across multiple ships, but it will also see cargo moved more reliably on a better schedule.  He says importers and exporters will benefit from the schedule reliability, adding not knowing when cargo will arrive has been one of their biggest complaints.   It's also expected to drive down freight prices.  LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 28 Jan 2025 20:08:58 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-29-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-29-january-2025/ On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 28th of January. People on the visitor visa will be allowed to work remotely while in New Zealand in an aim to increase time and money spent in the country. Tourism Export Council Chief Executive Lynda Keene joins the show to discuss how it will work. A new study says less than $500,000 is needed on top of superannuation to live comfortably as a retiree - is it really enough? Superannuation expert Jonathan Eriksen speaks to Roman. Students will be heading back to the classroom this week, but Kidscan say thousands will start the new school year without the essentials. Get the Early Edition with Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 28 Jan 2025 17:08:21 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/andrew-dickens-why-new-zealanders-love-and-loathe-donald-trump/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/andrew-dickens-why-new-zealanders-love-and-loathe-donald-trump/ I’ve been watching a lot of the late night shows this week from America on YouTube.  Fallon, Kimmel and Colbert, all of them have used the same joke - “oh my god... it’s only been a week”  And then the audience cheers or laughs or boos or cries, or more likely all of that, all at once because what a week it's been. The second golden era of Trump kicked off and he started doing things, brilliant things. Colombia won’t take deportees, so hit them with killer tariffs and economic sanctions that take hold in a week.  Within 12 hours Colombia folded. Crisis over, back to work, business as usual. That was just one day. A short crisis is so much better than a long festering one where nothing happens. Or take the ceasefire in Gaza. Trump said call a ceasefire, rebuild Gaza.    Well you know that’s what everyone wants. Jewish, Arab and American construction tycoons - because there’s peace and money there.  Gaza may be rebuilt as Israeli condos or Palestinian homes with or without Arab money. But who cares, there’s a ceasefire. Now this may have long term consequences, but again who cares! There’s a ceasefire. Thank God something finally happened. It’s been a week of rapid and effective decisions and that’s what you can do with executive power and every level of government behind you. I talked earlier about how MMP causes indecisive leadership in New Zealand.  Well, Donald Trump is the antithesis of MMP, and that’s probably why so many Kiwis loathe him while so many New Zealanders love him. Tue, 28 Jan 2025 16:54:38 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/nick-leggett-infrastructure-nz-chief-executive-on-asset-sales/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/nick-leggett-infrastructure-nz-chief-executive-on-asset-sales/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has suggested National may take asset sales to the next election but denies there are any immediate plans for a sell-off. Act’s David Seymour says it’s time to debate whether some government assets should be sold off if they aren’t delivering returns. Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis on Monday said Treasury had identified some areas where entities were not delivering “as well as it should” and more would be said in the future. Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett says New Zealand is falling behind on infrastructure and asset sales are needed to bring us back in line with other countries and improve assets we currently have. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 28 Jan 2025 16:54:36 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/jonathan-eriksen-superannuation-and-super-fund-expert-on-the-recommended-savings-for-retirees/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/jonathan-eriksen-superannuation-and-super-fund-expert-on-the-recommended-savings-for-retirees/ An expert is backing a recent recommendation that retirees need a decent amount of money to top up their superannuation.  New Expenditure Guidelines have found less than $500 thousand in savings is enough for most over-65s.   Superannuation and Super Fund expert Jonathan Eriksen told Roman Travers a nest egg is required to top up superannuation.  He says Massey University's half a million dollar figure is right, adding if people want a bit more luxury for holidays, a million is probably needed.  LISTEN ABOVE  Mon, 27 Jan 2025 21:32:38 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/julie-chapman-kidscan-ceo-on-the-increasing-number-of-schools-requesting-financial-assistance-for-families/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/julie-chapman-kidscan-ceo-on-the-increasing-number-of-schools-requesting-financial-assistance-for-families/ The leader of a kids charity says it's a bleak situation for some families heading into the school year.   KidsCan, which offers schools help with uniforms and food, has 70 schools on its wait list.   Chief executive Dame Julie Chapman told Roman Travers that 20 of those have applied since the middle of last year. She says they're already supporting kids in more than 1,100 schools and early learning centres.  LISTEN ABOVE  Mon, 27 Jan 2025 19:40:40 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-28-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-28-january-2025/ On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 28th of January. People on the visitor visa will be allowed to work remotely while in New Zealand in an aim to increase time and money spent in the country. Tourism Export Council Chief Executive Lynda Keene joins the show to discuss how it will work and when we will see an increase in tourists. A new study says less than $500,000 is needed on top of superannuation to live comfortably as a retiree - is it really enough? Superannuation expert Jonathan Eriksen speaks to Roman. Students will be heading back to the classroom this week, but Kidscan say thousands will start the new school year without the essentials. Get the Early Edition with Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 27 Jan 2025 17:08:19 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/roman-travers-schmoosing-the-hollywood-executives-should-be-a-higher-priority-than-fiddling-with-our-immigration-policies/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/roman-travers-schmoosing-the-hollywood-executives-should-be-a-higher-priority-than-fiddling-with-our-immigration-policies/ It’s great to see the coalition government looking at every way possible in order to maximize the New Zealand economy.    Yesterday, a bunch of important government ministers stood near the arrival gates of Wellington Airport, to reinforce the news regarding the loosening of visa requirements for overseas visitors, who want to tour New Zealand while working remotely for their employer at home.   This is a copy and paste of what other countries have successfully implemented. Essentially, what are known as ’digital nomads’, will include visitors like IT specialists, as long as they are not receiving any income from New Zealand sources.   It would also extend to social media influencers — provided they were being paid by overseas companies.   These changes will apply to all visitor visas, including tourists and people visiting family.   Visitor visas can be extended for up to nine months, although the ministers warned that working in New Zealand for more than 90 days could require them to declare themselves as a New Zealand tax resident.   This may well indeed help in a range of ways to ensure that more and more overseas residents spend more time and money here – or indeed – eventually decide to make New Zealand home.   However; the ongoing influence of massive companies like Netflix may prove to be more of a success story for New Zealand than any policy invoked by any government.   Over the past weekend, parts of Dunedin were turned into an 1800s-style Californian town, with Hollywood heavyweights filming a new Netflix drama.   Academy Award nominee Florence Pugh is one of the actresses starring in a new adaptation of the 1952 novel, ‘East of Eden’, being filmed around New Zealand.   Auckland actress Jess Hong is just one of many New Zealand stars hitting the big time with Netflix, in a range of movies and Netflix series watched by millions globally.   Then there’s Luciane Buchanan in the current super smash series on Netflix, ‘The Night Agent’.   This is currently the number one show around the world for Netflix, with the ongoing potential to not only print money for Netflix and those that invest in the company – but also for New Zealand.   There’s a very long list of actors, doing amazing things on the big and small screens of the world, and this list is only fortified and embellished by the even longer list of producers, directors and other behind the scenes talent, who enhance the image, perception and geographical recognition of New Zealand, each and every time they land a gig.   You’ve seen what the Lord of the Rings movies and subsequent TV series has done for New Zealand. But we’ve changed how we want to be entertained since Sir Peter Jackson got stuck into the ring thing.   Government policy like we saw being announced yesterday is gold for the country, but ensuring we do everything possible to keep New Zealand high on the locations list for the abundance of movies and TV series yet to be made is crucial.    For the desperately needed growth of the economy, and the ongoing careers of all those who continue to tread the boards and feel the pull of the limelight.    Schmoosing the pay to view and movie company executives is of greater importance than the fiddling about of immigration policies. Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:53:42 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/lynda-keene-tourism-export-council-chief-executive-on-changes-to-the-visitor-visa-allowing-people-to-work-remotely-while-on-holiday/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/lynda-keene-tourism-export-council-chief-executive-on-changes-to-the-visitor-visa-allowing-people-to-work-remotely-while-on-holiday/ Tourists in Aotearoa on the visitor visa will soon be able to work remotely while here. The change is targeting 'digital nomads', people employed by overseas companies here to holiday and work at the same time, in the hope they will spend more time and money in the country. Tourism is currently New Zealand's second largest export and the latest visitor numbers from Stats NZ show in November 2024 we reached 86% of pre-Covid levels. Chief Executive of the Tourism Export Council Lynda Keene welcomes the move, saying it will help get us closer to pre-Covid numbers, but more should have been done sooner. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:53:38 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/grant-mccallum-northland-mp-on-the-mangawhai-tornado-clean-up-effort/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/grant-mccallum-northland-mp-on-the-mangawhai-tornado-clean-up-effort/ At least 50 properties have been damaged in Mangawhai following the tornado that ripped through the Northland town over the weekend.  Two people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.  MP for Northland Grant McCallum has been in Mangawhai witnessing the damage and joins the show to give an update on the situation.  LISTEN ABOVE.  Sun, 26 Jan 2025 18:36:35 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/gail-downey-uk-correspondent-on-heathrows-new-runway-and-the-storm-that-continues-to-threaten-the-uk-and-ireland/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/gail-downey-uk-correspondent-on-heathrows-new-runway-and-the-storm-that-continues-to-threaten-the-uk-and-ireland/ Europe's busiest airport may be adding a new wing, as the Chancellor suggests the possibility of a third runway at Heathrow.  An announcement is expected next week for the London airport, as part of plans to boost the UK economy.  Clean up is underway across the UK and Ireland after storms left millions of people without power. Two people died in separate incidents when their cars were hit by falling trees. UK and Europe Correspondent Gail Downey joins the show to discuss these issues and the second storm heading their way.  LISTEN ABOVE.  Sun, 26 Jan 2025 18:26:36 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/elliott-smith-sports-editor-on-the-australian-open-finals-auckland-fc-win-and-the-breakers-out-of-playoff-contention/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/elliott-smith-sports-editor-on-the-australian-open-finals-auckland-fc-win-and-the-breakers-out-of-playoff-contention/ The Australian Open finals saw the women's world number one beaten, and Italian Jannik Sinner take home the men's division prize.  Auckland FC have secured yet another win, this time against Western Sydney.  ZB sports editor Elliott Smith joins the show to discuss the major sports news over the weekend.  LISTEN ABOVE.  Sun, 26 Jan 2025 18:17:41 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-27-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-27-january-2025/ On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Monday the 27th of January. Northland MP Grant McCallum has the latest on the Mangawhai tornado. The start of 80 hours of hearings on the Treaty Principles Bill starts today. Lady Tureiti Moxon shares her views ahead of giving an oral submission later today. The Australian open has wrapped up and Auckland FC win against Western Sydney. Elliott Smith has your weekend sport wrap. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sun, 26 Jan 2025 17:08:25 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/lady-tureiti-moxon-managing-director-of-te-k%C5%8Dhao-health-on-treaty-principles-bill-hearing/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/lady-tureiti-moxon-managing-director-of-te-k%C5%8Dhao-health-on-treaty-principles-bill-hearing/ Oral hearings for the treaty principles bill get underway today, marking the start of 80 hours worth of hearings over the course of a month. Author of the bill and Act party leader David Seymour will be the first to give his submission later this morning. A total of 50 oral submissions will be heard on day one. Managing Director of Te Kōhao Health Lady Tureiti Moxon says she thinks the bill should be rejected and opposed by the select committee. LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 26 Jan 2025 16:55:09 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/roman-travers-hungry-kids-falling-behind-at-school-maybe-we-need-to-stop-blaming-our-curriculum/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/roman-travers-hungry-kids-falling-behind-at-school-maybe-we-need-to-stop-blaming-our-curriculum/ Although the school holidays are still in full swing, that doesn’t mean that the country’s children are getting the food they need at home. New Zealand children are still going hungry at school and that means that they’re ending up years behind other children in key subjects. The data that shows this ongoing issue for us all and also ranks New Zealand poorly for food poverty. The health researchers behind the just-published analysis argue the government needs to double the number of children served by its newly revamped lunches in schools scheme. It’s no surprise that hungry students struggle to learn: food poverty has been cited as a big barrier in New Zealand’s scoring under the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment. A comparison between that and two other global datasets has allowed a team of researchers to look at the link in greater depth. After analysing food insecurity levels with subject-specific scores, the team revealed a stark trend. Any degree of food insecurity was associated with much lower academic performance - a pattern that held across all subjects, age groups, and surveys. Professor Boyd Swinburn from Auckland University is a co-author of the study I’m referring to, and he says he didn’t expect the effect size to be so large. In all, it equated to a learning gap equivalent to hungry students trailing two to four years behind in subjects like maths and reading by age 15 – even after adjusting for socio-economic indicators. Something else born from this study is that there’s also a gradient effect. The more severe the food insecurity, the greater the gap in scores compared to kids with no food insecurity. The problem doesn’t just reflect hungry children finding it harder to concentrate in class, but other factors including parents keeping their kids home rather than face stigma at school. It’s all very well blaming the state of the New Zealand curriculum, or the size of the classrooms confronting our teachers, but when you may well address some of the demonstrably poor outcomes shown in this study – by simply ensuring that our children are well fed and literally well catered for at school, what on earth are we waiting for? Sun, 26 Jan 2025 16:55:06 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/lucy-stewart-new-zealand-association-of-scientists-co-president-on-the-changes-to-the-science-sector/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/lucy-stewart-new-zealand-association-of-scientists-co-president-on-the-changes-to-the-science-sector/ There’s scepticism over the Government's major changes to the science sector.  Seven crown research institutes be merged into three public research organisations and another is also being created to focus on AI and advanced technology.  Callaghan Innovation will close, with 355 jobs impacted.  The moves follow a months-long review of the science sector led by Sir Peter Gluckman.  New Zealand Association of Scientists Co-President Lucy Stewart told Francesca Rudkin that the science sector has been desperately underfunded for 30 or 40 years, which is emphasised in the report.  She says the idea they’re going to have champagne science on a beer budget just by merging some organisations is not particularly realistic.   LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:46:00 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/glyn-lewers-queenstown-mayor-on-the-governments-ambitions-to-attract-more-tourists/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/glyn-lewers-queenstown-mayor-on-the-governments-ambitions-to-attract-more-tourists/ One of our largest hotspots backs efforts to bring in more visitors – on one condition.  Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis is hoping to attract more tourists, with potential visa changes on the cards.  It's as international visitor arrivals remain at 86% of pre-pandemic figures.  Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers told Francesca Rudkin visitor numbers in his patch rebounded hard and fast, post-Covid.  He says he'd welcome more, on the proviso that additional infrastructure to support the growth is accounted for.  LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:34:35 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/vincent-mcaviney-uk-correspondent-on-the-sentencing-of-axel-rudakubana-for-the-killing-of-three-children-at-a-taylor-swift-themed-dance-class/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/vincent-mcaviney-uk-correspondent-on-the-sentencing-of-axel-rudakubana-for-the-killing-of-three-children-at-a-taylor-swift-themed-dance-class/ The 18-year-old killer of three UK girls at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport last year is unlikely to ever be released from prison.   Axel Rudakubana's been sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in court.   He was convicted on 16 charges including murdering the girls and attempting to kill 10 others.   UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Francesca Rudkin he changed his plea to guilty earlier in the week.   He says Rudakubana acted out in court this morning, yelling that he was unwell, and had to be taken out for the disruption.   McAviney says it was felt he couldn't be brought back for the reading of the sentences.   LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 23 Jan 2025 19:36:44 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-24-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-24-january-2025/ Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 24 January. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:08:21 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/francesca-rudkin-luxons-state-of-the-nation-speech-sounded-like-he-s-found-his-groove/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/francesca-rudkin-luxons-state-of-the-nation-speech-sounded-like-he-s-found-his-groove/ If you didn’t pick up on Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nations speech yesterday, the Prime Minister is looking to grow the economy, because the country desperately needs economic growth.  I am being a little facetious. Actually, I thought the Prime Ministers' performance yesterday was good – both the speech and afterwards during the press conference.   Sure, he still stuck to his message like a self-help guru trying to manifest an outcome. But after taking a while to look comfortable or natural as a politician, yesterday he sounded more authentic, like he’s found his groove.  He’s confident in the direction he’s taking the country, and he’s not trying to appeal to everyone.   For a speech designed to set the tone for the year – he did a good job.  Last year we saw the coalition government repeal and reform everything from education to water, and health to grey hound racing. While there is still a way to go with some of these, this year the Prime Minister has made it clear it’s about dialing up the volume on creating competition, allowing more foreign investment, and pushing for government organisations to be more future focused.   The Prime Minister also suggested we need to grow up and shake off our culture of saying ‘no’ and start saying ‘yes’ – to things like expanding the Port of Tauranga and more concerts at Eden Park.   Luxon also used the speech to make some announcements - the creation of Invest NZ – an agency to attract foreign investment, major reforms to Crown Research Institutes, and the disestablishment of the Callaghan Innovation, which Judith Collins bluntly said at the post speech press conference “had had it’s day”   The new announcements are needed. National Party MPs have been sounding very well media trained recently - sticking to their messaging, avoiding answering questions with detail, you know the drill - and as a result they’ve been sounding a bit empty.   When there is a lot of talking but nothing is really been said it’s easy to lose interest. But what struck me yesterday was how well the Prime Minster was across questions thrown at him. Instead of reverting back to the big picture bland key messages he can often fall back on, he threw out details and examples.   There will be push-back to some of his ideas, such as mining and gene technology. Making money is one thing, but many New Zealanders will still want the government to balance their pragmatic approach with consideration and respect for affected communities, the environment, and the Treaty.   There is also a perhaps wishful sense from the Prime Minister that tax cuts, lower inflation and a falling OCR mean New Zealanders can move on from focusing on the cost of living. I doubt he’ll be let off the hook that easily, rises in rent, rates, insurances, and other costs are still impacting household budgets.   Making New Zealand a great place to live in years to come is important – love me some vision - but that doesn’t mean we should lose sight of today.   But hey, if the state of the nation speech is about getting out the message it’s all about economic growth so we can all have better lives – then got it, loud and clear. Job done.     Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:58:00 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/oliver-hartwich-nz-initiative-executive-director-on-luxons-new-foreign-investment-agency/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/oliver-hartwich-nz-initiative-executive-director-on-luxons-new-foreign-investment-agency/ During his state of the nation speech Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a new foreign investment agency with the aim of driving more overseas revenue to our shores and boost local economy and productivity. It's a model based on Ireland and Singapore and will see Invest New Zealand become part of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, which itself is set to become an autonomous crown entity. Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative Oliver Hartwich has been advocating for a model like this for more than a decade and says he took Luxon on a trip to Ireland to show how a model like theirs could work locally. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:57:58 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/mike-blackburn-construction-analyst-on-the-boom-in-housing-consents-and-construction-in-canterbury/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/mike-blackburn-construction-analyst-on-the-boom-in-housing-consents-and-construction-in-canterbury/ Internal migration is driving a boom in Canterbury housing construction.  The region's councils consented around 6,500 homes in the past year – a fifth of the country's new builds.  Construction Analyst Mike Blackburn told Francesca Rudkin that it largely down to comparative house price values.  He says people can buy a brand new home in Selwyn or other parts of Canterbury for substantially less than Auckland and Wellington equivalents.  LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:45:08 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/brigitte-morten-political-commentator-ahead-of-the-state-of-the-nation-address/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/brigitte-morten-political-commentator-ahead-of-the-state-of-the-nation-address/ A political commentator says people shouldn't expect any big ticket policy announcements from the Prime Minister's State of the Nation address this afternoon.  Christopher Luxon is preparing to deliver the set-piece speech to business leaders at a lunch in Auckland today.  Former National ministerial advisor Brigitte Morten told Francesca Rudkin it's expected to be about economic growth, but says State of the Nation speeches typically don't have any key announcements.  She says people usually aren't paying attention to the detail of political speeches, especially at the start of the year.  LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:30:26 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/mitch-mccann-us-correspondent-on-the-legal-action-against-donald-trump-for-his-order-blocking-birthright-citizenship/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/mitch-mccann-us-correspondent-on-the-legal-action-against-donald-trump-for-his-order-blocking-birthright-citizenship/ Donald Trump is once again facing legal action, this time over his immigration plans.  The US President is wanting to stop issuing citizenship documents for US-born children, whose mothers are in the country illegally and temporarily, and whose father isn't a US citizen or resident.  But more than 20 states have since sued Trump over the scheme.  US correspondent Mitch McCann told Francesca Rudkin they argue it's illegal under the 14th Amendment that guarantees birthright citizenship.  He says it's due to take effect in around four weeks but will probably be delayed as it's held up in court.  LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 19:22:14 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-23-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-23-january-2025/ On the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Thursday the 23rd of January. Inflation has settled at 2.2% for the year to December, matching the previous increase in the September quarter. Westpac's Satish Ranchhod speaks to Francesca about what it means.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will give his state of the nation speech today. Former National Ministerial Advisor Brigitte Morten joins the show. Construction in Christchurch is booming with one in five new builds being constructed in the South. So what's with the increase? Construction Analyst Mike Blackburn speaks to Francesca. Get the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 22 Jan 2025 17:08:18 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/satish-ranchhod-westpac-senior-economist-on-inflation-remaining-flat/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/satish-ranchhod-westpac-senior-economist-on-inflation-remaining-flat/ Annual inflation has remained at 2.2% for the year to December according to the latest update from Stats NZ. It's slightly above what the Reserve Bank had forecast but economists say it shouldn't impact the potential of a February OCR cut. Rent was the largest driver of the annual increase, rising 4.2% in the past year. Westpac Senior Economist Satish Ranchhod says inflation pressures should continue to ease over the coming year. "Importantly, measures of core inflation (which track the underlying trend in consumer prices) have continued to trend down towards the RBNZ’s target range," LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:57:47 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/francesca-rudkin-the-ruapehu-district-needs-the-chateau-to-be-saved/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/francesca-rudkin-the-ruapehu-district-needs-the-chateau-to-be-saved/ I am so pleased to see NZ Herald Business Journalist Kate McNamara continue to write about the woes in the Ruapehu District.   Why? Because the Ruapehu region has been hit hard with indecision around the two ski fields, the sudden closure of the Chateau two years ago; followed by the loss of over 200 jobs when Winstone’s pulp and timber mills shut down late last year.  This region has taken a beating through no fault of their own!   Yesterday McNamara focused on the issues surrounding the majestic Chateau Tongariro Hotel, which has been sitting in a derelict state for two years. It's a sad sight at the base of Ruapehu. A desolate Chateau, the golf course overgrown, and empty buildings surrounding it. The area feels quietly paused in time, with no sense of if and when it may spring back to life.  Whakapapa Holdings Ltd, the company in the process of buying the Whakapapa Ski Field, is keen to discuss the future of the Chateau with government officials. They are interested in taking on the historic chateau, reviving it, providing employment, an increase in tourism, and offering some economic stability for the region.   The problem is – no one is really interested in talking to them.  As we learnt with the ski fields, this is a complicated region that requires sensitive conversations between government, the Department of Conservation, iwi and other stakeholders. It was a struggle to find a consensus over the ski fields – with some preferring the continuation of a not-for-profit organisation such as previous operators RAL, others’ preferring to hand things over to private operators.   Along the way, a lot of government money was put into keeping the ski fields afloat, until it got to the point where the fields were too expensive to fail, as was the prospect of closing them down, removing all structures from the mountain and returning it to its natural state.    Getting the Chateau up and running again will cost many millions of dollars – but on the right terms, such as a 30 year lease and a peppercorn rent, WHL would be willing to make the investment. They have also done research into the earthquake strengthening which needs to be done and believe it’s not as extensive as previously suggested.   Look, this might not be the deal which makes everyone happy, but frankly I don’t see anyone else queuing up to give it a go. Leaving the chateau empty and decaying for years, possibly decades - at the cost of around $150 - $200,000 a month for maintenance – when a possible solution sits on the table is simply depressing.   The government needs to deal with the lease termination agreement and payment to the previous operators, reopen expressions of interest, and have some conversations. Talking is almost always a good place to start, so please take the call.   Ruapehu is an incredible part of our country, and one that deserves to be thriving.  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:57:43 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/gail-downey-europe-correspondent-on-the-blaze-at-the-grand-karla-hotel-in-bolo-turkey/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/gail-downey-europe-correspondent-on-the-blaze-at-the-grand-karla-hotel-in-bolo-turkey/ Almost 70 people have been killed in a fire at a Turkish ski resort.  The 12 storey Grand Karla hotel in Bolo was engulfed in flames in the early hours of the morning and took 12 hours to be extinguished.  UK and Europe correspondent Gail Downey told Francesca Rudkin the scenes from Bolo have been harrowing.  She says footage circulating on Turkish social media shows people using bed sheets to hang from windows in an attempt to escape.  LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 21 Jan 2025 21:33:43 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/nick-harper-us-correspondent-on-the-response-to-donald-trumps-policy-changes/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/nick-harper-us-correspondent-on-the-response-to-donald-trumps-policy-changes/ Donald Trump's sweeping changes to US policy are already garnering pushback.   Trump's immediately begun wielding his new presidential powers, signing off 26 orders and backtracking 78 of Joe Biden's after being sworn in His withdrawals from the World Health Organisation and the Paris Climate Agreement have prompted global concern. US Correspondent Nick Harper told Francesca Rudkin the new Department of Government Efficiency is already facing three lawsuits. He says the decision to end birthright citizenship is also being challenged, with claimants coming forward saying he has no authority to redefine American citizenship. LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 21 Jan 2025 21:18:17 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/pete-wilkinson-lumsdens-northern-southland-college-principal-on-the-nationwide-shortage-of-secondary-school-teachers/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/pete-wilkinson-lumsdens-northern-southland-college-principal-on-the-nationwide-shortage-of-secondary-school-teachers/ A principal says schools across the country are struggling to fill teaching roles.   More than 400 principal and teaching roles are currently being advertised in the Education Gazette.   In 2024 there were almost 1600 vacancies - a similar number to recent comparable years.   Lumsden's Northern Southland College Principal Pete Wilkinson told Francesca Rudkin that traditionally, it's always been difficult to attract teachers to rural areas.  But he says it's a nationwide problem now.  Wilkinson says it's exceptionally hard to attract people into teaching and they have vacancies going unfilled for months, if not years.  LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 21 Jan 2025 20:26:43 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-22-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-22-january-2025/ On the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 21st of January. Donald Trump has been ssworn in as President for his second term - the first non-consecutive second term since the 1800's. Election expert Sean Trende joins us from the U.S. Water New Zealand's Chief Executive reacts to a new report which has found our water infrastructure is leaking at a very high rate. Auckland Council is considering big changes to dog walking. What does it mean for you and professional dog walkers? Get the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 21 Jan 2025 17:08:20 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/francesca-rudkin-love-it-or-hate-it-ai-is-going-to-be-part-of-our-lives/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/francesca-rudkin-love-it-or-hate-it-ai-is-going-to-be-part-of-our-lives/ There is a lot going on in the world this week.   This Friday The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences provides some lighthearted relief from the world's challenges by announcing the Oscar nominees for the 2025 Academy Awards.   The nominees were due to be announced on January 18th, then January 20th, before being delayed again, giving those impacted by the fires still raging in Southern California more time to vote.   But as filmmakers, actors and the masterful craftspeople responsible for making some of the best films of the year wait patiently to see whether they get the nomination nod from their peers, a prickly conversation is brewing about AI.   The latest controversy in film is around the use of AI in two potential nominees, The Brutalist and Emila Perez, which both won at the Golden Globes. These two Oscar front runners are dealing with a backlash after it was revealed they used voice-cloning to enhance actors’ performances.  In The Brutalist, Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones play Jewish Hungarians who survive the Nazi camps and escape to the US. The actors spent 2 months working with a dialect coach to perfect their accents, but the filmmakers wanted their Hungarian to sound perfect so added individual sounds and letters to both Brody and Jones’s Hungarian-language dialogue to perfect it.   This has caused quite an uproar and The Brutalist director Brady Corbet was forced to issue a statement to Hollywood trade publications saying “Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own.” He went on to say, “The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity’s performances in another language, not to replace or alter them and done with the utmost respect for the craft.”  Their performances are extraordinary, the film stunning, ambitious and audacious – and if a tool was used to tweak their Hungarian along the way, well, Hungarians are probably grateful.   With Emila Perez, it has emerged AI cloning was used to enhance the singing voice of Emilia Pérez’s Karla Sofía Gascón, to increase the range of Gascón’s vocal register. Their singing was then blended with that of Camille, the French pop star who co-wrote the film’s score.  People are upset. Really? In the film Elvis, Austin Butler’s voice is mixed with Elvis’s. Marilyn Monroe didn’t hit her own high notes. Zac Efron had a ghost singer in High School Musical. Films have been tricking us for years. But suddenly, because it’s AI, everyone is up in arms about it.   And it’s not just correcting accents and singing voices where AI is used. Its already embedded in everything from production to writing to visual effects – just don’t expect anyone to shout it from the rooftops.   Some say it’s more of a PR problem than a tech problem, and that it’s just another tool like CGI to be used to make a better film.   Obviously, there are concerns about the prolific use of AI – no one wants to see whole sectors of the industry replaced, such as writers, graphic artists or background actors. It's often the lowest paid on the call sheet who suffer. So, it’s up to the industry to draw the line and work towards safeguards and regulation so the industry can find a way to use AI for good.   And love it or hate it, AI is going to be part of our lives - in ways we can already see and ways we can’t imagine. Just don’t let the controversy ruin a good film for you.   Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:58:20 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/christina-leung-nzier-deputy-chief-executive-talks-inflation-forecast-ahead-of-q4-release/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/christina-leung-nzier-deputy-chief-executive-talks-inflation-forecast-ahead-of-q4-release/ Stats NZ will release Consumer Price Index inflation numbers for quarter four on Wednesday, and economists are predicting it will be within the Reserve Banks's target range of 1 - 3% It comes off the back of December card spending numbers which saw retail spending increase by 2% NZ Institute for Economic Research Deputy Chief Executive Christina Leung says they're expecting a rise of 0.6% for the quarter, and put annual inflation at 2.2% She says today's numbers shouldn't change the chances of a rates cut in February, expected to be 0.5% LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:58:18 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/cassie-jefferies-professional-dog-walkers-association-on-auckland-councils-proposed-changes-to-dog-walking-regulations/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/cassie-jefferies-professional-dog-walkers-association-on-auckland-councils-proposed-changes-to-dog-walking-regulations/ Professional dog walkers say proposed Auckland Council changes will impact their services.   The council's looking at limiting the number of dogs people can walk at once to six, with only three of those able to be off a leash.   There are also changes proposed to keep dogs out of places with vulnerable wildlife at parks, and to provide some places that are completely dog free.   Cassie Jefferies from the Professional Dog Walkers' Association told Francesca Rudkin they take large packs of around 14 so it's affordable for people.   She says they take them to the beach or forest, and the cost of petrol is balanced out by taking the numbers they do.  LISTEN ABOVE  Mon, 20 Jan 2025 18:57:20 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/gillian-blythe-water-new-zealand-ceo-on-21-of-piped-water-being-lost-in-the-countrys-water-infrastructure/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/gillian-blythe-water-new-zealand-ceo-on-21-of-piped-water-being-lost-in-the-countrys-water-infrastructure/ There are pleas for more investment in the country's water infrastructure.  Otago University research shows 21% of piped water is being lost – in comparison, the Netherlands loses 5% and Germany 6%.  They're also wasting around $122 million each year.  Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe told Francesca Rudkin different technologies like thermal imagery or acoustic devices need to be utilised.  She says there are leaks throughout the system, not just the ones that show in your house or on the street.  LISTEN ABOVE  Mon, 20 Jan 2025 18:39:48 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-21-january-2025/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/full-show-podcast-21-january-2025/ On the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 21st of January. Donald Trump has been sworn in as President for his second term. Election expert Sean Trende joins us from the U.S. Water New Zealand's Chief Executive reacts to a new report which has found our water infrastructure is leaking at a very high rate compared to other countries. Auckland Council is considering big changes to dog walking. What does it mean for you and professional dog walkers?  Get the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 20 Jan 2025 17:08:17 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/sean-trende-real-clear-politics-senior-election-analyst-talks-what-to-expect-from-donald-trumps-presidency/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/audio/sean-trende-real-clear-politics-senior-election-analyst-talks-what-to-expect-from-donald-trumps-presidency/ Donald Trump has been inaugurated President for the second time. It's the first time since 1893 a president has been sworn in for a second non-consecutive term, the last being Grover Cleveland. Trump has promised to to issue multiple executive orders on day one, with immigration and border protection a big focus. Real Clear Politics Senior Election Analyst Sean Trende says things have changed since his first term. "He won the most votes this time around, unlike 2016. And so I think there's just a general sense of legitimacy about this presidency that there wasn't in 2016." LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 20 Jan 2025 16:57:51 Z /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/francesca-rudkin-washington-dc-has-always-been-about-power-but-now-it-s-just-as-much-about-money/ /on-air/early-edition-with-ryan-bridge/opinion/francesca-rudkin-washington-dc-has-always-been-about-power-but-now-it-s-just-as-much-about-money/ Well, it’s a big day in the United States today - and in Panama, Greenland, Canada, Mexico, and the many countries who are going to feel the weight of President Trump’s return.   Today is a day of ceremony, tradition and balls; but most importantly a day of action as Trump begins to fire off the first of the many executive orders promised on the campaign trail.   What I find most interesting about this Presidential transition is how transactional it has been. The New York Times reports there are at least a dozen billionaires among Trump’s cabinet picks or in line for senior roles in his administration. Another publication worked out that the combined net worth of the wealthiest members of his administration could surpass $460 billion.   Many are his richest donors, such as Elon Musk, who we all know spent a large sum getting Trump elected. Some of the roles these billionaires are taking on will see them become responsible for sectors they’ve been involved with.   Off the back of this, President Biden warned in his farewell address of an oligarchy taking shape in American. With the top 1% of Americans owning around 35% of the wealth and capital in the country and the bottom 50% owning about 1.5%, you could say conditions are certainly ripe.  What’s notable is the unabashed transparency about it all.   Washington D.C. has always been about power, but now it’s just as much about money. If you have enough of it you can get a seat at the table.   Sure, large donors have always expected a quiet word, a game of golf, a visit to Mar-a-Lago. And Washington DC is filled with corporate lobbyists who petition the government and the public to sway them on certain issues. But in the past they’ve always preferred to do so with some discretion. Not now.  The other thing that’s so startling is that President Trump campaigned on doing what’s right for working class America – just one of many demographics Democrats have lost touch with. In exchange for their vote they now have some of the richest men influencing this presidency and protecting their self-interest.  I hate to say it - as some of the consequences of this presidency, such as tariffs and geo-political decisions, may impact New Zealand - but it is going to be fascinating to stand back and watch how this plays out.   Who will remain in President Trumps good graces? Who will see out the term? Who, like so many of the big tech executives, will curry favour, doing whatever it takes to keep their businesses alive and kicking.   It’s going to be a very interesting four years. And yeah, that’s probably an understatement.  Mon, 20 Jan 2025 16:57:35 Z