Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

The Paris Olympics is coming to a close. Dame Lisa Carrington and Finn Butcher are leading out Kiwi athletes as the flagbearers for the closing ceremony, getting underway now. New Zealand now has 20 medals, including ten gold after a Bronze for Ally Wollaston and another Gold for Ellesse Andrews in the velodrome overnight. New Zealand Chef de Mission Nigel Avery told Ryan Bridge it's one of our best Olympic campaigns ever. “45 of our team will walk around with a piece of tin around their neck to get back to New Zealand. That’s huge — that’s about 20 percent of our total competing body, and so, it’s awesome.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Council-controlled water organisations will be able to leverage up to 500% of their operating revenues through the local government funding agency. The Commerce Commission will oversee it to make sure there is appropriate investment, maintenance, and delivery of water infrastructure for consumers long-term.  Auckland Councillor Daniel Newman joins Ryan Bridge on Early Edition to discuss.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region of Russia, as a rare cross-border attack by Ukrainian troops continued on Wednesday.  Taylor Swift has been forced to cancel three concerts in Vienne, Austria, after a bomb and knife attack plot by a teenager who had pledged allegiance to ISIS.  More marches across the United Kingdom has led to more arrests for disturbances, with tough sentences handed out.  UK and Europe correspondent Vincent McAviney joins Ryan Bridge on Early Edition to discuss all this and more.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday the 9th of August, The Government's plan to replace Three Waters is out, it will allow council controlled organisations to borrow and invest in their local water infrastructure. Auckland Councillor Daniel Newman joins the show. New instructions for Oranga Tamariki - but is it going to make a difference? Charity BlueLight speak to Ryan. Would Government intervention make a difference to our struggling energy sector? Energy Resources Aotearoa have some suggestions and Chief Executive John Carnegie shares with Ryan. 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.

Electricity prices in New Zealand are about six times higher than Australia, this week sitting at around $700 per megawatt; while in late 2021 they were $100 per megawatt. Multiple large scale businesses are proposing the idea of shutting down as a result of the high prices, and the Government is now looking at possible intervention. Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive John Carnegie joins Ryan Bridge on Early Edition to discuss what that may look like.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Children's Minister Karen Chhour has handed Oranga Tamariki a new set of instructions to keep the agency accountable and transparent.  Chhour has outlined five new measures she expects to be reported on every quarter, including the number of children able to to access a social worker. Bluelight Operations Manager Rod Bell joins Ryan Bridge on Early Edition to discuss.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in a world that is seemingly spilling over with hate and division at the moment. You don't have to look far to find it.  Just in the past few days, you've got this 19-year-old Isis inspired terror suspect, planning to kill himself and as many Taylor Swift fans as possible.  There's rioting and division on the streets of the UK. Australia has raised it's terror threat level.  Remember that 16-year-old teenager who stabbed a religious cleric in Australia, suspected religious extremism behind it.  You've got Trump's assassination attempt, remember this was only last month.  It's almost like we've forgotten about that, because there's so much going on.  They all have one thing in common - The internet.  This 19-year-old is I would be mass murderer, he and his two alleged teenage accomplices, they were serious. They had chemical explosives, detonators allegedly, they were radicalised online.  The UK riots, fuelled by false information about that stabbing suspect.  They were all racked up, fired up by being

It seems like it's virtually impossible for families on a benefit to afford healthy food.  Research shows two-children families receiving financial assistance would be 200-dollars short if they bought low-cost nutritional kai.  Health Coalition Aotearoa spokesperson Sally Mackay told Ryan Bridge it's clear low-income families are doing it tough, with drastic increases in food parcel demands.  She says they're most concerned about the impacts on children's learning when they arrive to school hungry.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a belief the US Democrats have a renewed sense of momentum and energy in the lead up to the Presidential election.  It follows Democratic nominee Kamala Harris confirming Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Ryan Bridge thousands of supporters have packed out a Philadelphia auditorium to hear from the pair jointly for the first time.  He says those in the crowd described the atmosphere as electric and compared it to Barack Obama's 2008 campaign.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's police spokesperson is calling out the Police Minister for refusing her request to meet with an Auckland police inspector.   Ginny Andersen asked to visit the Albany police station, but Mark Mitchell's office said no.   In a statement, Mitchell says he cannot support a generic request to visit a station, with no context, with a week’s notice.   Andersen told Ryan Bridge she followed what she considers a well-established practice, which Mitchell himself has followed before.   She says she and Chris Hipkins never made any attempt to block Mitchell's visits when he was in opposition.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been an increase in businesses asking for advice around redundancy and resizing is being seen by the Employers and Manufacturers Association.  Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in the June quarter, up from 4.4% the previous.   It's one factor the Reserve Bank considers when weighing up whether to cut the Official Cash Rate.  The EMA's Alan McDonald told Ryan Bridge businesses are asking them the right way to downsize because they don't have the work for employees.   He says he'd expected it to start heading the other way, but they just hit a record 163 calls in the month of July.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Thursday the 8th of August, the number of people who lost their jobs in the June quarter are up. Ryan speaks to the Employers and Manufacturers Association to see how businesses are feeling on the ground.  A dispute between Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Labour's Police spokesperson Ginny Anderson - why won't National let Labour visit an Auckland police station? Ginny Anderson joins the show.  The cost of groceries has risen at historically high rates over the past six years, and the cost of healthy food even more so. Health Coalition Aotearoa explain the research, and its impact on Kiwi kids.  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.

There are calls for the Government to reconsider privacy laws when it comes to retail crime.  The Motor Trade Association is asking for bold changes after a rise in smash-and-grabs and drive off fuel theft.  First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson told Ryan Bridge retailers should be allowed to publish CCTV video of thieves on social media to deter the crime.  He says currently it's against the law, and thieves are hiding behind it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank will be keeping a close eye on this morning's employment data as it mulls over next week's Official Cash Rate decision.  Most economists expect the unemployment rate will rise.  But they're now divided on whether the central bank will cut the OCR next week, next month, or in November.  ASB senior economist Mark Smith told Ryan Bridge this morning's data should give them a steer on how inflation is tracking.  He says as the unemployment rate rises and wage growth slows, inflation is likely to come down, meaning interest rates need to come down as well.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Prime Minister is in a war of words with Elon Musk as far-right protests continue across the country.  Almost 400 people have been arrested following last week's stabbings at a dance class that killed three girls and left several wounded.  The tech billionaire posted on his social media platform X saying civil war is inevitable, to which the Prime Minister's spokesperson says there's no justification for the comments.  UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Ryan Bridge that Elon Musk has continued with his criticism of Sir Keir Starmer and his government.  He says Musk posted a video of someone reportedly getting arrested for offensive comments online, asking if it's Britain or the Soviet Union.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Smith and Caughey's has found a way to stay afloat.   The long-running Auckland department store has revealed new measures to remain open, despite announcing a closure in May.   It plans to reduce staff and pull back its operations to the Queen Street ground level store and online offering only.   Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck says it's a real sign of confidence in the future of Auckland's city centre.  She says the area is evolving as we speak, and it will help people to see the confidence and investment.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The power was cut to my place last night.  Don't worry, it was expected. It was a maintenance thing from one in the morning or midnight through till 5 a.m. The heating was off, it was chilly. I think it was six degrees in Auckland last night, not as bad as your zero in Christchurch, granted.  But boy, does it make you think how important electricity is.  You don't know what you've got till it's gone, you wake up, you know, freezing, you've got a cold foot hanging out the bed, you're fumbling around in your undies, trying to find undies because it's dark.  It's quite important to have electricity, and you don't know how good it is till it's gone.  So too for major Kiwi industries who are feeling the cold, hard reality at the moment of life without energy, without gas.  There are two stories in the last couple of days that caught my attention.  One was Methanex, which produces Methanol. They've got 270 staff, $640 million is what they're worth to the Taranaki economy, and closer to a billion to the national eco

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 7th of August 2024, labour market data is out today. All of our major banks are expecting a rise, but by how much? ASB's Mark Smith joins Ryan.  The Motor Trade Association thinks they have a plan to help the Government to reduce retail crime - but are they asking for too much? Ryan speaks to First Retail Group.  Iconic Kiwi brand Smith and Caughey's has backtracked on its plan to shut down all operations next year, what does its future look like?  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.

The US Presidential Election is less than 100 days away.  Kamala Harris is expected to announce her pick for Vice President today ahead of their first public appearance together in Pennsylvania tomorrow.  Presidential Historian Allan Lichtman has correctly predicted almost every US Election since the 1980s through a process called ‘The 13 Keys to the White House’.  He told Ryan Bridge that while he hasn’t made a final prediction yet, a lot would have to go wrong for the Democrats to lose the election.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lift in the terror threat level in Australia is in response to an increase in extremism, fuelled by conspiracy theories and anti-authority ideologies.   Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the level is lifting from ‘possible’ to ‘probable’ - meaning there's now a greater than 50% chance of an onshore attack in the next twelve months.  Australian correspondent Donna Demaio told Ryan Bridge the Prime Minister is adamant there's no intelligence of an imminent attack, but there is a need for a higher level of preparedness and alertness for agencies and the public.   The Security Intelligence Service says New Zealand's threat level is low.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.