Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

The Government's moving into its next quarterly plan - with infrastructure the focus. It achieved 39 of its 40 goals in the third quarter - largely targeting law and order. This quarter's 43 actions include passing the first Resource Management Amendment Bill and introducing the second RMA reform Bill as well as a National Infrastructure Agency. Under Secretary to the Minister for RMA reform, Simon Court told Ryan Bridge that he doesn't know how much the agency will cost - but it's needed. Court says it's vital that there's an agency that can coordinate funding from the private sector needed for the public private partnership projects. He shares that there's a number of parties lining up to make submissions when the agency is open. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's refusing to say if it will designate Hezbollah's political wing as a terrorist entity.  In a statement to Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, our Terrorism Designations Working Group says the Iran-backed group's military wing was declared a terrorist entity in 2010.  "Designations are considered based on recommendations from the National Security Board, on the basis of advice from the Terrorist Designations Working Group. The Working Group considers a variety of entities regularly, through a long-standing and well-established inter-departmental process."  It basically says they won't talk publicly about whether they're considering going further with Hezbollah.  "To maintain the integrity of the process it is not standard practice to confirm publicly which entities are under consideration."  This all comes of course after Israel killed Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah. The United States called his death "justice".  The group itself actually makes no distinction bet

There's a debate over who should be responsible for the consequences of building in high-risk areas.  The Insurance Council is asking the Government to ensure natural hazard changes to the Resource Management Act mean people don't build in what it's calling "dumb places". Urban designer Bruce Weir told Ryan Bridge if building on a risky site comes down to personal responsibility, there needs to be a paying factor holding people accountable.  Weir says if someone drives drunk they lose their licence and know they aren't insured.  He questions why people should be bailed out when it comes to knowingly doing stupid things when it comes to property.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's direct flight between Wellington and Invercargill will soon be no more.  It's being scrapped, with its last service in mid-January.   Great South chief executive Chami Abeysinghe says customers are still able to fly to Wellington via Christchurch, and the airline's adding more flights between Christchurch and Invercargill.  She told Ryan Bridge there's multiple factors for the decision including softening domestic demand and engine issues.  Abeysinghe says one of the key factors is ensuring accessible flights between the main centres.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grumbling and discontent in regional New Zealand is growing louder and louder, and Wellington ought to pay attention. The latest was in Dunedin. 35,0000 locals turned in protest, waving signs with Nicola Willis swinging atop a wrecking ball. The wrecking ball was Luxon's head. The reason the government should heed and listen is because of the size of the protest. 35,000 is huge - and it wasn't just your usual mob of rent-a-crowds and serial protesters. Dunedin normally votes red so do you bother listening if you're the government? Problem here is it's not just Dunedin, It's everywhere. Give me a region and I'll give you a grievance. Central North Island: Plant closures. Marlborough: Ferry cancellations. Tararua: the Manawatu Gorge. West Coast: uprising over health cuts Now I think the government will compromise on Dunedin, but for most of the rest of regions waving placards and marching the message will be simple - Blame Labour. They spent with gay abandon during and after covid. Inflation ran rampant and now

Big changes to consenting processes could be on the way. Currently, 67 building consent authorities receive and approve consents – with each one taking a slightly different approach to the rules. Building and construction minister Chris Penk has proposed creating larger regional authorities to help standardise the process and reduce costs for builders. New Zealand Certified Builders Chief Executive Malcom Fleming tells Ryan Bridge there is a lot of pressure on the system right now and moves towards quickening building consent processes are supported. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Austria’s general election could see the far-right opposition Freedom Party (FPÖ) top the polls for the first time as voters head out to cast their ballot. The party’s leader describes himself as Volkskanzler (people's chancellor), which was used to describe Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. UK & Europe correspondent Gavin Grey tells Ryan Bridge the party has promised to build a fortress to restore security, prosperity and peace. And, a former Russian spy and his daughter, who were victims of the Salisbury poisonings, will not be called to give evidence at a UK public inquiry out of fears for their safety. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ZB Sports Adam Cooper joins Ryan Bridge to recap the weekend in sport. The Silver Ferns faced a series-opening 59-58 loss to the England Roses. The Taini Jamison Trophy series got underway in Auckland on Sunday and the teams will meet again on Wednesday in Porirua. The Black Caps suffered a heavy defeat in their test series in Sri Lanka. And, the All Blacks managed to go the full 90 minutes to beat Australia 33-13 in the final match of the Rugby Championship. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears of major escalation in the Middle East are high after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Otago University Professor for Middle Eastern and Comparative Politics, Dr Leon Goldsmith tells Ryan Bridge the leader is rarely seen in public and it is clear killing was planned for a long time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Monday the 30th of September. Big changes could be on the way for the building industry with an overhaul of the consenting process proposed by the government. Could it help the industry lower costs? NZ Certified Builders Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming joins the show. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, among other senior leaders from the group. New Zealand has only declared Hezbollah's military wing a terrorist organisation, but not he political wing - so where do we stand on the issue? Dr Leon Goldsmith from the University of Otago speaks to Ryan. Grumbling and discontent in regional New Zealand is growing louder and louder with possible cut backs coming for the new Dunedin hospital. Why Wellington need to listen. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A weather expert says creating one state weather forecasting system is the right decision.  The Government's announced it's agreed in-principle to NIWA acquiring MetService - merging the two.   Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says streamlining the two will make it easier to access information from a single trusted source and improve response to severe weather events.  WeatherWatch head forecaster Phillip Duncan told Ryan Bridge that it’s been a bit of a weird journey to get to this point, but it’s definitely the right thing.  He said that a government having two opposing agencies doing weather forecasts and saying different things is a recipe for disaster.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks kept their grip on the Bledisloe Cup last week, beating the Wallabies 31-28 in Sydney. However, they still have another test to play, the second Bledisloe Cup test being the All Blacks’ final home test for the year. Elliott Smith, Newstalk ZB’s voice of rugby, told Ryan Bridge that the team needs to get their “20 minute jinx” sorted out as it’s becoming a real problem for the team. He said they were still good enough to get the win against Australia last week, but they need to sort that out, and find some points in the last twenty minutes of the game. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland principal says teaching isn't a job, it's a service. The Government's instructing schools to have Stepped Attendance Response plans by 2026. It's also instructed them not to take teacher-only days in term time, unless authorised by the Minister. May Road Primary School principal Lynda Stuart told Ryan Bridge that it’s a complex situation because she knows that in her school, teachers are basically just limping towards the end of the term. She says that teachers need time in the holidays to recuperate before they’re back in their classrooms preparing for next term, and they don't have as long of holidays as some people think. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank God the UN General Assembly is underway in New York. Nothing solves global conflict like a good UNGA session.  I've been to one of these before, back when John Key was the Prime Minister – there was a resolution on Iran.  A lot of sitting around talking and listening, which as Winston Peters pointed out yesterday, is quite important!  Netanyahu's enroute. Zelensky's there. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Putin the Pariah obviously won't be, but does anybody hold out any hope that the UN will fix the big issues? Magically solve the wars and conflict?  As we reported to you on Thursday's show, China's launching missiles into the South Pacific for the first time since the 1980s. A Japanese warship’s just sailed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time overnight. Israel's hammering Lebanon - today they said "no thanks” to a peace deal.  Putin's lowering the threshold for nuclear weapons. Trump says Ukraine is dead, and delegates are talking over the top of Winston Peters at

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 27th of September, David Seymour is cracking down on school attendance as new numbers show it's improving. But will the new moves, which could see parents prosecuted, work? May Road Principal Lynda Stuard joins the show. The two government owned weather forecasters NIWA and MetService could soon be one, with an agreement in-principal signed for NIWA to acquireMetService. Weatherwatch Head Analyst Philip Duncan speaks to Ryan about what the move means for our forecasting. The All Blacks will face Australia in Wellington this weekend their final home test this year. Can they make it the full 90 minutes? Newstalk ZB's voice of rugby Elliott Smith joins the show. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

{"markup":"New Zealand is being recommended to find a long-term vision for its infrastructure.\nThe Infrastructure Commission's released a new report on long-term spending demands ahead of next year's National Infrastructure Plan. \nInfrastructure New Zealand CEO Nick Leggett says we need to better understand the wide benefits of infrastructure if we're to succeed long-term. \nHe told Ryan Bridge that when compared with the rest of the OECD, the quality of our spending is letting us down. \nLeggett says we're in the bottom four in the efficiency we get from infrastructure, and how we manage our assets is also poor. \nLISTEN ABOVE ","blocks":{"contentData":[],"settingsData":[]}}See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump says an attack on a former President is a death wish for the attacker.  The former president's campaign team claims he's been briefed on a suspected Iranian assassination plot.  It follows a man being formally charged for an assassination attempt near Trump's Florida golf course and a shooting in July.  Correspondent Mitch McCann told Ryan Bridge that Trump's campaign sees the Iranian threats as real and specific.  He says these are different from other attempts on his life.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s been a push for New Zealand to follow England's lead in combating obesity rates.  NHS figures suggest England's turned the tide on rising obesity rates for the first time in two decades.  Obesity rates in adults have remained stable for the past five years.  Auckland University nutrition expert Boyd Swinburn told Ryan Bridge rates will keep going up in New Zealand until something changes.  He says we've been told by WHO and panels across the world on what to implement - but the country hasn't listened.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins is doubling down on the idea of a shake-up to the tax system.  ANZ boss Antonia Watson says the "time has arrived" for a capital gains tax.  Both Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis rejected the call, joking that the boss of a big Australian bank just wants to take more money off Kiwis.  The Labour leader told Ryan Bridge New Zealand's tax system's loaded against working people because we're not taxing other forms of income.  He says salary and wage earners end up paying a disproportionate share of tax.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Thursday 26th of September, Chris Hipkins joins the show from the UK where he met the new Labour government and attended their annual conference.  Obesity rates in in England have stabilised for the first time in two decades. How do we use their numbers and lessons as an example to improve our shocking obesity rates here?  How do we make sure our long term infrastructure is up to scratch? Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett gives his thoughts 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.