Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025 Thursday 24th of July, the Government’s told Sport NZ to scrap its transgender guidelines, Save Women's Sport Australasia NZ Spokeswoman Ro Edge, tells Ryan she's happy with the news.  The Government's released a report on homelessness, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell shares her thoughts. DOC summer booking have brought $13 million, President of federated mountain clubs, Megan Dimozantos tells Ryan why we've seen such a surge in domestic travellers.  Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Vincent McAviney has the latest reaction to Ozzy Osbourne's death and the situation in Gaza.  Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.           LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's expected the Sky TV and TV3 deal will be mutually beneficial.   Sky TV's bought the channel for a dollar from Warner Brothers Discovery.   Spinoff founder and media commentator Duncan Grieve says Sky will have more options to roll out its content on TV3's free to air platforms.   He told Ryan Bridge it will be a relief for TV3, as they’ve had a reluctant owner for a while now.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Green Party says the Government needs to follow up its words on Gaza with action.   A group of nations, including New Zealand, have signed on to a declaration calling for a ceasefire and condemning Israeli attacks on Palestinians seeking aid.   Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick says we should sanction Israel to the same degree as Russia.   She told Ryan Bridge words are not enough.   Swarbrick says there's large scale starvation and Palestinians can't eat words.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday 23rd of July 2025 opposition parties are saying we need to take a harsher stance against israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza gets worse, Green's co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick tells Ryan what we can do as a nation. A new report from MPI and Beef and Lamb NZ estimates non-tariff trade barriers are costing us over $1 billion every year, Beef and Lamb NZ chair, Kate Acland explains what needs to be done.  Sky TV is buying TV three for one dollar from Warner Brothers Discovery, Spinoff founder and media commentator Duncan Grieve shares his thoughts.  Plus UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on a number of French cities imposing night-time curfews on young people following a spate of violence linked to drug trafficking.  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 info

A push to minimise barriers on our red meat export industry.  The Meat Industry Association and Beef and Lamb New Zealand have revealed non-tariff trade barriers are costing the industry an estimated $1.5 billion every year. Beef + Lamb Chair Kate Ackland told Ryan Bridge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is working on 194 different non-tariff barriers the sector's facing. She says the red meat industry is worth $10.4 billion, so $1.5 billion is significant.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This business with the supermarkets and their pricing...  Consumer NZ has launched a petition. They want change to stop prices being incorrectly labelled.  So you go to checkout and scan receipts, something's different to what you expected. Then we would get a refund on the product, and the product for free.  The idea is that if you make the punishment more than fit the crime, they'll stop doing it.  Which I get. But the supermarkets reckon —and Consumer NZ calls this spin— that there's just too many products and they honestly make mistakes.  More often than not the prices are out by a few cents - so $5.99 instead $5.95. The key question here is whether we think the supermarkets are doing this on purpose, or whether they're just large organisation that occasionally get small things wrong.  And correct the errors when spotted. Refunds where necessary.  If we're saying they are deliberately doing this, that's a whole other thing.  I'm not saying the supermarkets

Netball NZ is opening the door to overseas-based Silver Ferns.  They’ve updated their eligibility criteria, which means overseas players can be considered for national selection through a formal exemption process.   Former Silver Fern Margaret Foster told Ryan Bridge that to represent your country on a national level, regardless of where they’re playing in the world.  She says the best competition is currently in Australia, so playing overseas allows athletes to improve before bringing back their new skills to represent their country.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation is coming dangerously close to the top end of the Reserve Bank’s target band.  It’s reached 2.7% year-on-year – the main drivers being council rates, increased rents, electricity prices, and food prices.  Independent economist Cameron Bagrie told Ryan Bridge that there’s not only cyclical damage to the economy from the Reserve Bank’s efforts to curb inflation, but also significant structural issues.  He says that productivity used to be, on average, 1.4% per year, but it’s now down to 0.3%.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A belief the Government's claim a new medical school in Hamilton will provide more rural doctors and GPs is yet to be proven.  Cabinet's putting almost $83 million into the $230 million new University of Waikato Medical School, opening in 2028. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Sarah Dalton told Ryan Bridge no doctor out of university has any specialty, and it takes years of experience to get to this point.  Dalton says everyone might hope that more people going to medical school will be GPs and rural hospital medical specialists, but this isn't guaranteed.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's insistence that the Waikato University doctors school cost was out of whack and based on a poor quality business case seems to have been proven correct.  Why else would the cost to the taxpayer has shrunk by $200 million? He says it was going to cost us $280 million.  If he was right, and he's one guy at the cabinet table, how many other business cases don't stack up? There's an entire lucrative business case industry in Wellington. Some of this work is done in-house by government departments, but much of it is outsourced to the private sector.  Can we trust these reports?  MBIE had a business case train wreck a few years back when calculating the benefits of hosting events like the World Dance championships.  After questions from the media, they realised they'd been incorrectly calculating the cost-benefit analyses of events for two years - more than a dozen applications had to be fixed.  We've recently had scraps over the benefits of four-laneing to Whangarei.  This

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Tuesday 22nd of July 2025, the Government finally gave the green light for a new medical school at the University of Waikato, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Sarah Dalton shares her thoughts.  The Netball New Zealand board have voted to update its eligibility criteria for the Silver Ferns, allowing overseas-based athletes.  Inflation came in at 2.7% yesterday, independent economist Cameron Bagrie tells Ryan whether it will impact an OCR cut in August.  Plus Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio has the latest on the Australian parliament resuming for the first time since election. 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.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Monday 21st of July 2025, inflation figures are out today which will help paint a picture of how the economy is doing, ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith tells Ryan where he thinks the figure will land.  Andrew Alderson has the latest on the weekend's sport.  The Government's promised movement for six billion dollars worth of infrastructure projects, Civil Contractors NZ Chief Executive tells Ryan how the industry will react to all the jobs it will create.  Plus UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on thousands of Afghans whose personal details were leaked not expected to receive any compensation.  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.

A warning that a stretched workforce could threaten the future of the country's infrastructure.   Six billion dollars of projects including roads, schools and hospitals will kick off between now and late December. Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Allan Pollard says 15-thousand construction workers have lost their jobs over the past year.  He told Ryan Bridge the next six months will be achievable - but it could be a strain longer term.  Pollard says we need to do some major scaling up of the work force over the next two years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we could mark NCEA level One... would it even get an achieved. let alone a merit or excellence? We heard at the weekend about an ERO report.  Basically, said the whole system is too flexible. Kids are scooping up credits from all corners of the classroom. It's too broad and flexible, they reckon. As a result, students aren't being properly taught core subjects. The government's looking it. But there was a number in this report which should jump out at all parents and teachers.  22%.  In 2024, just 22% of NCEA results came from external assessment. Which means exams.  The bulk of credits come from internal assessments - stuff like essays.  This means kids can use AI and all sorts to do the work for them.  One in four don't bother sitting the exams because they've already got enough internal credits.  I went through the NCEA system and this happened to me too - but I would never dream of skipping an exam and missing out on credits.  Clearly, something has to be done. W

Unlike last week, the All Blacks team for the final clash against France is filled with changes.   Ethan de Groot, Fabian Holland, Patrick Tuipulotu, Ardie Savea and Rieko Ioane are the only players remaining from the last run-on side.  Rugby Commentator Tony Johnson told Andrew Dickens that Scott Robertson and the other selectors certainly fulfilled their promise to be bold with their selection.  However, he says, that comes with a considerable risk against the French team, who still feel that they can take something out of the series.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We may have to get used to paying more for butter.  Kiwi consumers are now consistently paying more than twice as much for butter as they were a decade ago, according to latest Stats NZ figures.  Supermarkets and suppliers have been under pressure to lower prices.  Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Karl Dean told Andrew Dickens there’s been a global trend towards consuming more butter, especially in the last five years, ramping up even further in the last twelve months.  However, he says, what goes up normally comes down, which these bubbles normally do.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK's Labour Party believes allowing the younger generation to vote could have positive ripple effects.  It's lowering the country's voting age to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to have their say.   The change will take effect at the next general election and brings the electorate into line with Scotland and Wales.  UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Andrew Dickens youth want to feel catered for, and Labour's keeping their word.   He says there's some thinking in the party that young people tend to be more left-leaning and could support Labour.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast Friday the 18th of July 2025, jobseeker benefit numbers are continuing to climb, former welfare advisory group member Phil O'Reily shares why.  It's final All Blacks test against the french tomorrow night at FMG stadium in Hamilton, Rugby commentator Tony Johnson shares his thoughts on the line up.  Dairy prices around the globe are soaring and Kiwi's are footing the bill, Federated Farmers dairy chair Karl Dean tells Andrew Dickens why prices have become so high.  Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Vincent McAviney has the latest on the UK lowering the voting age to 16 at the next general election expected in 2029. 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.

A welfare expert's pointing to the lack of jobs being the main reason more people are ending up on the benefit. Ministry of Social Development statistics show almost 8 thousand more were receiving a main benefit in June compared to March.  It follows the Government instating new requirements for beneficiaries in hopes of getting more into the workforce.  Former Welfare Advisory Group member Phil O'Reilly told Andrew Dickens the Government needs to up public spending to help the lagging economy. He says it's about trying to reinvigorate the construction sector, which has seen 17 thousand jobs lost in the last 18 months. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know the Covid Inquiry is looking at MIQ, amongst other things.  And we all know that MIQ had noble aims and notable successes. But we also know the execution was far from perfect, and many people ended up feeling ostracized from the rest of New Zealand.  The idea of the Inquiry is to find out what went wrong so we do better next time.  And yesterday, Les Morgan, the Chief Operating Manager of Sudima Hotels, wrote an exceptional piece in the Herald on the rights and wrongs of MIQ and in the middle of his piece he took my heart away with a stunning piece of writing.  He learnt at a 1pm briefing that his hotel had been requisitioned for an MIQ facility. Except no-one had told him and his team and their first refugees were expected that very day. He wrote this:  "The hotel in question had been closed indefinitely, meaning staff had moved on and there were no consumables or PPE gear on site.  "Once I had run the gauntlet of shock and bad language, our team swung into acti