Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

More interest rate cuts are on the horizon.  The Reserve Bank expected to cut the Official Cash Rate again this afternoon.  ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner is tipping a 50 basis point cut to 4.75%,.   She says it's what the market and most economists are predicting, and it’s become the default.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The marine life around Samoa is likely in danger in the wake of Manawanui sinking.  The $100 million naval ship struck a reef off the south coast of Upolu on Saturday, before sinking Sunday morning.   About 950 tonnes of oil is onboard.   Diesel leaked out of the vessel when it capsized and has coated the surface of the water.   Waikato University ecology expert Nick Ling told Ryan Bridge much of the material released would have evaporated, leaving behind these heavier components we can see.   He says marine animals interacting with the surface —like turtles coming to the surface to breathe— will have to interact with it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health New Zealand's pointed to nursing recruitment to explain its ballooning deficit, but health experts aren't buying it.   Newly released documents show the agency went from expecting a half a billion dollar surplus to a $1.4 billion deficit in April.   That's now expected to blow out to $1.76 billion.   Patient Voice Aotearoa chair Malcolm Mulholland told Ryan Bridge there's no way we have too many nurses in New Zealand.   He says everywhere he goes in the community, people are saying we need more nurses and doctors.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Complaints, backlash, outrage, divisive, sad, there's been strong reaction to the Tui billboards poking fun at old Polkinghorne – who’s not guilty of killing his wife, by the way.  The billboards read, if you haven't seen them: "Back to being a respectable meth smoking, sex worker loving doctor then. Yeah right.”  It's quite good. It's not breaking any rules, and I say good on them for getting back to this.  We need good humour to cut through the crap that seems to proliferate our society at the moment.  Kiwis are straight talkers, we love taking the micky out of people, we're not mean generally.  I think we've lost our ability to laugh together and these billboards, while pitched by some as divisive, I think will actually do the opposite. They should bring us closer together.  I was heartened to hear the DB Marketing Director's statement which he gave to the papers. He said: “While we haven't set out to offend anyone, we are happy to push the boundaries and say the things that w

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 9th of October, it's OCR day, and all of our big banks are forecasting a 50 basis points drop, bringing the rate down to 4.75%. ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner talks to Ryan about what to expect at today's announcement, and where to from here for the economy.  Te Whatu Ora has released over 400 pages of financial documents, laying out exactly the situation the agency is currently in. It comes as the lower South Island is voicing its concerns about regional health. Patient Voice Aotearoa Chair Malcolm Mulholland joins the show.  A big cleanup is getting underway off the coast of Samoa following the sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui. What could he potential environmental impacts be, and is it similar to the Rena disaster? Waikato University's Nick Ling analyses the situation.  Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omn

A media commentator says TVNZ appears to be doubling down on what it's good at.   The state broadcaster's latest business proposal will see its website shut down in February while more investment will be put towards news on its streaming platform TVNZ+.   The company is hoping to save $30 million.   Spinoff founder Duncan Grieve told Ryan Bridge it could work, but it’s not guaranteed by any means.   He said that individual clips from the news can already be accessed from the TVNZ+ homepage, and it’s clearly where they’ll be focusing their energy in terms of digitising their news offering.   The plan will go through two weeks of consultation before a final decision is made.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a tale of two islands when it comes to the economy.   The Westpac Regional Roundup shows many businesses and households are suffering from the slow economy.   Westpac Senior Economist Satish Ranchhod says feedback from the North Island was more downbeat, with Wellington being the worst off because of a shrinking public service.   He says there was a rosier picture in the South Island.   Ranchhod told Ryan Bridge they’ve got a mix of tourism and agriculture among other industries helping to support a positive sentiment in the South.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation is still the dominant force in global politics, no doubt about it.  We've got the United States election next month, the Aussies are going to the polls by midway through next year, so are the Canadians, we just had the UK, we've just had France, and inflation rules the roost.  Bad news for ol' Albanese in Australia. There's a new poll out this morning that has him neck and neck with Dutton and the coalition.  But here's the really bad part: 44% of Aussies think the economy will worsen in the next six months.  What's more, Dutton and the coalition are favoured on the economy 38% to 26%. And more people blame the Government for causing inflation, rather than global issues.  So he has an uphill battle, doesn't he?  For New Zealand, inflation should be a distant memory by the time we hit 2026 in our next election – it's expected to be inside the target range by Christmas.  GDP should have picked up, unemployment should have fallen, tourism, agriculture, we've already h

The chief executive of Ngati Toa agrees a robust debate is needed on the Treaty of Waitangi.  Helmut Modlik will debate ACT leader David Seymour tonight, two months after Modlik called him out.  A draft of Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill will be ready for public release and discussion next month, but National says it will support the bill no further than the first reading only.  Modlik told Ryan Bridge the country needs a national conversation about the treaty, which is why he agreed to debate Seymour.  He says the country was only getting curated sound bite versions of one position.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 8th of October, Ngati Toa's Helmut Modlik is set to face David Seymour in a much anticipated debate on the Treaty of Waitangi. Modlik speaks to Ryan ahead of the debate.  A mixed bag in Westpac's Regional Roundup, but things are looking good heading towards the New Year and Wednesday's OCR decision. Westpac Senior Economist Satish Ranchhod joins the show.  TVNZ has proposed closing the 1News website from early next year as the state broadcaster tries to find $30 million in savings. Media Commentator and Spinoff Founder Duncan Grieve speaks to Ryan.  Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the French President's demands for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza is a "disgrace". He says "Israel will win with or without their support".  UK and Europe correspondent Gavin Grey says it came as a surprise since France is known to be a supporter of Israel.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why? It's the question we all want answered this morning. But what we'll get is a bunch of speculation. The first most important question has been answered. Is the crew safe? Yes. Thankfully. And by the sounds of it, it's thanks in large part to help from others, the decision to abandon ship and a dose of good luck. Some of the crew spent five hours in life rafts battling the conditions to make it to shore. One capsized before getting there. But we have so many questions. How come? We've just lost our first Navy vessel since WWII worth $100 million. Up in smoke. Why did the Manawanui hit a reef? Was it human error? Was it mechanical failure? What happened on the bridge in the moments leading up to the collision? Where was the officer of the watch? Were there no alarms sounding? Was it the weather? Why was it surveying so close to a known reef at night? Why did it catch fire? We so far have zero answers. We know the sea was rough and the wind was strong, but that's about it.

Belief the Government's fast-track list will reap more benefits than environmental problems. The Government's listed 149 projects for its Fast Track Approvals Bill - including nine mining projects. The Bill still needs to go before the Environment Committee, then each project will be assessed by an expert panel. Straterra chief executive Josie Vidal told Ryan Bridge the previous system fixated on the environment — but now it considers the economic effects as well. She says New Zealand needs to rely on science, technology and facts — not emotion. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cameron Munster has vehemently denied biting Penrith’s Paul Alamoti as the Melbourne five-eighth nervously awaits the outcome of the NRL’s match review committee. Munster will find out on Monday morning if he has been charged by the NRL after he was accused of biting Alamoti in the final 10 minutes of the Storm’s 14-6 grand final defeat on Sunday. The Melbourne five-eighth was tackled by Alamoti as he attempted to lead his team upfield and the Penrith centre’s arm came across Munster’s face. Replays were unclear if Munster bit down on Alamoti’s arm. Referee Ashley Klein initially let play continue before halting the game and placing Munster on report. “It can’t be certain, it’s on report,” Klein said. “They [the match review committee] will deal with it later ... I just saw saliva.” On the field, Munster was insistent he did not bite Alamoti and told reporters after the match “there was nothing in it”. “I spoke to Ash about the allegation and he pretty much just told me that if someone alleges a cer

A search for answers over the sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui - off Samoa's southern coast. The $100 million naval ship was running a survey off the area when it hit a reef on Saturday night. All 75 people onboard were rescued - it caught fire and sank yesterday morning Former Defence Minister Ron Mark told Ryan Bridge he's gutted as his team fought hard to bring the refurbished ship from Norway in 2019. He expects the Court of Inquiry to be very quick. “They’ll want to ascertain exactly how and why the ship ended up in peril and sinking the way it did.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Monday 7 October. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The British government announced it will hand sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in a settlement that ends decades of disputes over Britain’s last African colony, while maintaining a key US-British military base in the archipelago. Europe correspondent Vincent McAviney says the UK keeping its military base for another 99 years marks a landmark deal for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's new government. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's several possible reasons behind a rise in the number of homes empty on Census night.  The latest data shows just more than 110 thousand homes were empty, up from just under 100 thousand in 2018.  Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says part of that could be due to Cyclone Gabrielle flood levels, and high levels of construction.   He told Ryan Bridge that some of the biggest areas with the largest increase in “ghost homes” were Auckland, Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flooding and landslips are keeping officials busy in Otago.   The area is in a State of Emergency due to heavy rain, with downpours expected to continue into the afternoon.  Fire and Emergency NZ have responded to 31 calls between 6pm last night and 5.30am, with around 70 people evacuating to welfare centres.  Dunedin Civil Defence Manager Scott MacLean told Ryan Bridge their advice is for people to stay home and stay safe.  He said that people should avoid going out driving unless they absolutely have to, as it causes problems for emergency responders.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kudos to Qantas for introducing a wellbeing zone on the cattle class of the aircraft.  Airlines are cramming us in like sardines, anyone who's travelled will know this.  They serve you booze, you recline your seat, the planes dry you out and then as a natural consequence, people go nuts.  Unruly passengers ripping open the emergency doors, running up and down the aisles screaming like mad people.  Globally, physical assaults on aircrafts are up 60% post-pandemic. Air New Zealand alone deals with 200 reports a month of abusive behaviour.  People are responsible for their behaviour, yes, but the airlines are responsible for the environment which you travel in. The world is full of nutty people, and you have to cater for nutty people on aircraft, don't you?  So good on Qantas. From 2026 they will have a dedicated wellbeing area at the front of economy, they've got sculpted wall, integrated handles for exercise, stabilising you in doing some squats or whatever you want to do.  T