Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Newstalk ZB
  • 0.0 (0)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED DAILY

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

  1. Full Show Podcast: 16 February 2026

    14 MIN AGO

    Full Show Podcast: 16 February 2026

    On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Monday 16th of Feburary 2025, The Government's allowing Eden Park to host 22 concerts a year, on any day, without the need for resource consent, Heart of the City CEO Viv Beck shares her thoughts.  Labour’s laying down conditions on the FTA with India, Beef and Lamb Chair Kate Acland tells Ryan what it will take to get the deal across the line.  Andrew Alderson has the latest on the weekend's sport.  Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on the UK and Europe accusing the Kremlin of assassinating Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and a water leak at the Louvre that caused damage to 19th century painting.  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.

    34 min

  2. 21 MIN AGO

    Ryan Bridge: Yes, sport is dangerous

    Full credit to Tom Slingsby at the Aussies on their victory over the weekend. It obviously didn’t hurt that the Black Foils and Burling, and the French, crashed out.  It was brutal to watch. I was at the racing on Saturday in the grandstand and up close, you get a sense of how fast they’re going and how close they are to one another. And that’s what makes it such a thrill. You’re not meant to say that, but everybody there on Saturday was as hyped about the near-misses and close calls as they were about the results and actual racing. That's human nature. You can’t look away from a car crash.  It’s the same reason UFC is nipping at the heels of boxing and Run If Straight is now a thing people watch and get paid for. We like the excitement of somebody possibly getting hurt or injured. Throw in the fact athletes take the risks, hopefully calculated ones, and come out victorious… and you have yourself an afternoon of entertainment. There’s skill and talent and technology involved, no doubt. But you wouldn’t turn up to watch a Sail GP boat race itself.  The question is whether people will still be thrilled by a split-fleet format with fewer boats jostling for position, which is a move that was apparently on the cards anyway. And if this is the first of many safety improvements, how different will the competition look and feel? Look at what happened to rugby union when safety overtook entertainment.  If you don’t give people action, they go find it elsewhere.  Now, don't get me wrong. I’m not saying I want crashes galore and let’s throw caution to the wind and create the equivalent of bumper cars on water, but it must surely be something organiser will be thinking about.  And as for Burling, did he push it too far? If he executed the exact same race and won without crashing, nobody would be complaining. But that’s the thing about this competition, it’s fractions of technology, weather and conditions that make a difference. There's talk his rudder failed him. Was that driver-inducted failure or just bad luck? Nobody wins playing safe. And people don’t watch sport for its safety features. At the same time, to win a race you’ve got to finish it. And that lesson, more than any change to the rules, might be what slows drivers like Burling down a touch in future.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 min
  3. Full Show Podcast: 13 February 2026

    3 DAYS AGO

    Full Show Podcast: 13 February 2026

    On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday the 13th of Feburary 2025, The Government says Kainga Ora has exceeded savings targets, delivering $211 million in operating cost reductions, Associate Minister of Housing tells Ryan how they've made savings. New Zealand First's announced they'll be campaigning for a referendum to put an end to Māori electorate seats, former Te Pati Māori co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell shares his thoughts.  The Sail GP is back in Auckland, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited CEO Nick Hill tells Ryan how big of a boost this will be for the city.  Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Vincent McAviney has the latest on Sir Jim Ratcliffe apologising for saying the UK is 'colonised by immigrants' and US President Donald Trump's multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the BBC has been scheduled to go to trial in February 2027, according to court documents.  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.

    34 min

  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    Nick Hill: Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Chief Executive on Sail GP returning to Auckland's waterfront

    All eyes are on Auckland's waterfront this weekend - as Sail GP returns.  Thirteen teams on foiling catamarans will race around the Waitematā Harbour tomorrow and Sunday. Last year's Sail GP drew in more than 25-thousand spectators - for Auckland's first time hosting.  Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Chief Executive Nick Hill tells Ryan what they're doing to prepare.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 min

  5. 3 DAYS AGO

    Ryan Bridge: Don't go to the movies with the lights on

    You know how everyone complains the lights at supermarkets are too bright? People reckon they do it on purpose.... it's a trick to make you awake and alert, no matter the time of day, so you keep shopping and buy more stuff.  Well, the opposite is true of movie theatres, right.  You go there and they dim the lights because it makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. The screen is a sensory overload - that's what you're paying for the. The lighting enhances that. Well, can I just say that you shouldn't never go the movies early, before they've dimmed the lights.  I went to the movies the other day in the afternoon. My usual cinema was not showing anything at te time I wanted.  Off I go.. down to... wait for it... Queen Street.  $17 for parking. That's on me.  $40 for the ticket and coke... which went down smoothly after I choked on the price.  Anyway, the cinema's empty but the lights are on. Like flood lights. Like Supermarket lights.  There is precisely zero glamour about a Queen Street movie theatre in full glare.  It's like when they turn the lights on at a nightclub.  The seat was so worn in the backside and shoulders there was no tread left on the thing.  Then there were the stains...and I don't really want to go into those.  The carpet was all worn and tatty and under the seats - popcorn for Africa. It's like somebody vacuumed the bits you walk on and everything else they forgot.  Now. I'm not complaining about this. Believe it or, I just don't really complain about bad experiences at restaurants and stuff because I always think, if you don't like something, just don't go.  And I like going to the movies. Even though I knew it was a bit gross and tatty, I sat down and pretended I was at the Silky Otter.  All I'm saying to you this morning, dear listener, is you wouldn't shop in the dark, so don't visit the movies in the light.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 min

  6. 3 DAYS AGO

    Tim Ward: Abandoned Brewery Founder and Director on the call to freeze the draught beer excise tax

    Draught beer excise tax has been frozen in Australia and there are calls for the same to be done here.   The goal is to relieve some pressure on local pubs.  It rises in New Zealand automatically every year, while beer consumption has fallen to the lowest on record.   Founder and Director at Abandoned Brewery Tim Ward told Ryan Bridge he questions what the tax is trying to achieve.  He says it's meant to offset alcohol harm and discourage consumption, but it's a blunt instrument.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    5 min

  7. 3 DAYS AGO

    Kelvin Davidson: Cotality Chief Property Economist on stabilising property profits and

    New Zealand homeowners are holding onto their properties for the longest period yet.  A report by Cotality NZ reveals the median hold period for profitable re-sales hit a record 10.1 years for the fourth quarter of last year.  Resale profits have also stabilised, with 88% of homes selling for more than their purchase price.  Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Ryan Bridge the housing market is pretty flat, so if you want to make some kind of gain you have to hold on for longer than in the past.  He says there’s a stark difference between those who hold on 10-20 years and have a higher chance of making a profit, versus those who sell after only three or four years, who have a higher chance of making a loss.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 min

  8. 3 DAYS AGO

    Claire Matthews: Massey University business professor on RBNZ Covid response inquiry

    Signs of fatigue with another review of the country's Covid-19 response now in the works.  Finance Minister Nicola Willis new inquiry looks at the Reserve Bank's monetary policy decisions, including printing $55 billion.  Findings are to be released just weeks before Election Day.  Massey University business professor Claire Matthews says there's potentially some value in it, but the timing feels like an election ploy.  She told Ryan Bridge we're also now six years past the start of Covid. Matthews says the Reserve Bank has also already done a review and taken lessons from it, so how much more are we going to learn.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 min
See All (2.1K)

About

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

Information

More From Newstalk ZB

You Might Also Like