Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff has quit - claiming he's responsible for advising Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.  Morgan McSweeney's position had been in doubt - after emails revealed Mandelson’s relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson's facing a criminal investigation - into claims he'd passed sensitive information to Epstein.  UK correspondent Mike Pearse told Ryan Bridge the scandal has Starmer's popularity waning.  He says a new poll reveals Starmer has the support of fewer than one in five people in the UK - with some of his own MPs saying it's a matter of time before he pays the price. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was having a good old debate with a mate at the weekend about interest rates.  We're of the age where, mortgages are a thing.  In Auckland, quote a bog and annoying thing.  Paying them down is the aim of the game.  Now this mate of mine knows a bit more about this stuff than I do and watches the markets closely. He's worried about the middle of the year - potentially this recovery if that's what we can official call it yet - coming to a bit a standstill/abrupt halt.  We've spoken before about elections putting the kaibosh on growth. We've spoken about Bill English's comments about our recovery, unlike across the ditch, coming isn't spite of a rebound in house prices.  In Australia, everything's how. The weather. House prices. Inflation. Growth. Employment.  It's like they're on a different hemisphere to us.  There was a good podcast talking about some of this, Of Interest, with a Westpac economist.  The RBA'S rate is now 3.85%. Ours is 2.25%. It's been about 15 y

Westport’s only air link could be cut within months.  Originair won’t guarantee its Westport-Wellington service beyond May after failing to secure Government and local funding.  NZ Airports Association CEO Billie Moore says Westport is one of the last remaining airports still co-owned by the taxpayer.  She told Ryan Bridge taxpayers already cover half the airport’s annual shortfall, just to keep essential services running.  Moore says the public contribution needs to be beneficial.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington City Councillor says he's frustrated to see yet another example of the capital's water infrastructure failing.  Heavy rain flooded the city's wastewater treatment plant's lower floors, causing sewage to leak into Tarakena Bay, writing off equipment and forcing the plant to shut down.  Untreated wastewater is currently flowing into the southern coast, with Wellington Water saying it could take days to fix.  Wellington Eastern Ward Councillor Sam O'Brien told Ryan Bridge it's an ongoing issue, and this isn't an isolated thing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Thursday the 5th of Feburary 2025, unemployment’s jumped to a 10-year high of 5.4%, EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald tells Ryan what the outlook is for the rest of the year.  Wellington's water is contaminated after an equipment failure flooded multiple floors of the moa point wastewater treatment plant, Eastern Ward Councillor Sam O'Brien tells Ryan what's being down to stop the contamination.  In less than 18 months in, Originair could be axing its Westport to Wellington route, NZ Airports CEO tells Ryan why the airline can't stay afloat.  Plus US Correspondent Mitch McCann has the latest on Trump's "border tsar" saying he will reduce the number federal immigration and border patrol agents in Minneapolis and Bill Gates interview on Epstein allegations.  Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener

New Zealand's economic recovery could be more of a crawl, or a climb, than a bounce.  The job market remains tough, with unemployment now at a ten-year high.  EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald told Ryan Bridge it's going to take a while for improved conditions and Government policy changes to flow through to the job market.  ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith says while jobs are being created, we're still about 30-thousand jobs shy of where we were three years ago.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ll probably see and hear a bit of argy-bargy up North today as the politicians get welcomed onto the Treaty Grounds. If you’ve never been up there, it’s easily one of the best ‘Kiwi’ weekends you’ll experience. The sunshine’s guaranteed. People are friendly. The grub’s good and there’s plenty of watering holes filled with political chats flowing long into the night. Protest is an important part of democracy, it lances society’s boils and keeps powerful people in check. But it must be peaceful. The minute you start throwing fists, pushing cops, and shoving people round, you lose the room. I’ve seen that happen at Waitangi several times. I’ve seen that happen at many protests about a whole bunch of different issues. I hope it doesn’t happen this year. There’s a group of twenty online who apparently say they’re ready to be arrested in the name of protest. What a shame that would be. If there’s one thing we’ve shown each other as a country over the last fortnight, with the storms, flooding, landslides, and th

A view more practical training for drivers will be essential, with the full licence test in the rear-view mirror.  After passing the restricted licence test, drivers under the age of 25 will have to wait out a mandatory 12-month period before they can apply for a full licence.   Those aged over 25 will have to wait six months.   Institute of Driver Educators President Mark Revill-Johnson told Ryan Bridge it's important to get training all the way to a full licence.  He says lots of people fail that test for things like speeding and failing to follow stop and give way signs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growers are counting the cost as drinking habits change.  Around 100 thousand tonnes of grapes —a fifth of the crop— were left on the vine last year after exports couldn’t keep up.   Soljans Estate vineyard manager Tai Nelson told Ryan Bridge they just haven't been able to sell their product.  He says demand generally has dropped.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The economy appears to be turning a corner, and we'll learn today whether the unemployment rate will follow suit.  Stats NZ is providing its latest employment update at 10.45am.  Economists are divided on whether the unemployment rate will remain unchanged at the historically high 5.3%, or will dip slightly to 5.2%.  Westpac Senior Economist Michael Gordon told Ryan Bridge jobs have started to trickle through, but it’s just enough to stabilise the rate, rather than bring it down.   He says they’re expecting things to turn towards the middle of the year, improving over the course of the next year or so.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The British Prime Minster says Lord Mandelson has let the country down as he quits the House of Lords.  UK Police are now investigating allegations that Mandelson shared internal government information with convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.  The latest release of Epstein files also show pictures of Mandelson in his underwear with an unidentified woman.  UK correspondent Mike Pearse told Ryan Bridge the Government told him if he didn't resign, they would've introduced legal powers to sack him. He says it's turning out to be one of the biggest political scandals in the UK in recent years.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday the 4th of February 2025, the government's scrapping full drivers license tests, Mark Revill-Johnson, President of the New Zealand Institute of Driver Educators shares his thoughts.  The first job market statistics of the year come out today, Westpac Senior Economist Michael Gordon tells Ryan where he thinks the unemployment rate will sit. The wine industry’s nursing a bit of an oversupply hangover, Soljans Winery Vineyard Manager Tai Nelson tells Ryan how it's been impacting their winery. Plus UK/Europe Correspondent Mike Pearse has the latest on Peter Mandelson stepping down as a lord.  Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The inflation thief might be gone but it lurks in the corner and if you’re not careful, it happily leaps out and steals your wages. Last week we spoke about the fact their inflation’s running hot - almost 4%.  They’re now world leaders, with the highest rate in the developed world. More than the UK, US, Germany, Japan, Canada, Spain, and France. Not something Albo or anyone in Canberra should be proud of. So yesterday the Reserve Bank of Australia did what central banks do when things are getting too spicy - they hike rates.  They’ve just done a quarter of a percent. They’re likely to do another one next month. Labor has a very generous system that gets Aussies into houses. First home buyers can get in with 10%, there’s cash at the ready.  Housing costs are partly driving this inflation. No such thing as a free lunch. The subsidies are also helping to drive house prices, which in places like Sydney, Melbourne, and even Brisbane are completely out of reach and not even comparable to our big citi

Canterbury farmers are being urged to plan ahead amid concerns over winter feed supplies.  A series of significant hailstorms, combined with persistently wet conditions, has made it a tough season for arable farmers across the region.  Federated Farmers is encouraging early discussions between arable and dairy farmers, warning crop damage could reduce feed available for winter-grazed dairy cows.  Mid Canterbury President David Acland told Ryan Bridge it’s not panic stations just yet, it’s a push for people to check in and secure the feed they need.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nelson's Mayor has kicked off a conversation about whether alcohol licensing laws are too strict.  Nick Smith was unable to buy a bottle of wine at the Ready to Roll concert on Sunday, at Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson.   It was being sold by the cup – the rule in place thought to be an effort to stop intoxication.  New Zealand Winegrowers Chair Fabian Yukich told Ryan Bridge there should be a little common sense.   He says you can try to cut out every possibility of everything going wrong, but in the end that becomes impractical.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Principals are looking to see more detail on the Government's new standardised school reports. The nationally consistent assessments in reading, writing, and maths will roll out this year, with students from Years 0 to 10 ranked against one of five progress indicators twice a year. Reports are also planned to give advice to parents on how they can help out at home. Secondary Principals' Council Chair Steve McCracken told Ryan Bridge some subjects have a lot more nuance for marking, especially in Years 9 and 10 He says there's a lot more in the English curriculum than just putting things into five categories. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Tuesday the 3rd of Feburary 2025, school report cards are getting a government makeover, Secondary Principals Council Chair Steve McCracken tells Ryan how big  if a difference this will make.  Nelson Mayor's taking a swipe at what he calls “over-zealous” alcohol licensing laws, New Zealand Winegrowers Chair Fabian Yukich shares his thoughts. Agribusiness had a cracker 2025 but farmers are being warned don’t pop the champagne just yet, mid Canterbury Federated Farmers President David Acland tells Ryan what farmers need to look out for.  Plus, Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio has the latest on a meeting which failed to re-unite the Australian government coalition which remains split ahead of parliament today and a new search for alleged fugitive cop killer Dezi Freeman has begun. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVE  S

The same crowd who moan and complain when we don't have enough cash to upgrade schools or pay teachers and nurses more are the same lot who throw eggs at Crown cars and chant 'shame' at ribbon cuttings for mining operations.  The latest whinge is about Otago Council giving road access to some Aussie gold miners to mine gold in an area that was basically founded on doing just that.  You don't get wealthy sitting on your hands or waving banners.  That's not how you create communities people want to live in, in which teachers earn a decent wage, and nurses don't work 16-hour shifts.  A country that looks a bit more like, oh I don't know, Australia - you know, the place all our kids are moving too.  You can't have your cake and eat it too.  Critical minerals, another example. Why wouldn't we do a deal and pull it out of the ground?  Everyone else is doing it. By the way, a lot of this stuff goes into electric cars and electronic tech, like the cell phones and computers the Green

The families of the six victims caught in the Mount Maunganui landslide will begin heading home - with all bodies now recovered from the site. They'll have one last visit to the former campsite before it's handed back to the Tauranga City Council with clearing taking place when it's safe.  The council's meeting today to decide what type of investigation into the incident will be conducted.  Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell told Ryan Bridge it's going to be tough for families.  He says they have to now leave the support and go back to their own home for funerals, so making sure they're supported is critical.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Monday the 2nd of February 2025, changes to ADHD prescriptions have officially kicked in, Gen Pro Chair Dr Angus Chambers shares his thoughts.  Police have officially ended all recovery operations at Mount Maunganui, Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell tells Ryan what happens from here.  Andrew Alderson has the latest on the weekend's sport.  Plus UK/Europe Correspondent Mike Pearse has the latest on the US Department of Justice releasing more than three million pages from the Epstein files and ICE protests at Olympics. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.