Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

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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.

4 h fa

Liam Hehir: Lawyer and political commentator on PM's interest in a MMP referendum

The Prime Minister's interest in an MMP referendum's being labelled as a potential blunder. Chris Luxon's revealed on Newstalk ZB he's open to another vote on the 1996 Mixed Member Proportional system, if re-elected. It provides a party and an electoral vote - and was reaffirmed in a 2011 referendum. Lawyer and political commentator Liam Hehir told Ryan Bridge no one's able to say if this is a policy announcement, or just a view. He says this makes it more likely it wasn't pre-planned; it just came off the cuff and blew up into something larger than Luxon wanted. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4 h fa

Full Show Podcast: 07 August 2026

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday the 7th of August 2026, Christopher Luxon floats the idea of a referendum on MMP, Liam Heir Political commentator shares his thoughts on Luxon's bold statement. The All Blacks kick off their tour of South Africa Saturday when they take on the Stormers, NZ Herald rugby correspondent Liam Napier tells Ryan what we can expect. Labour wants to scrap National's investment boost scheme and replace it with a $1.56 billion package; Business Canterbury CEO Leeann Watson shares her thoughts on if the policy is better for small businesses. Plus, UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney has the latest on UEFA doubling down on its threat to boycott Fifa-run competitions and the sister of Meredith Kercher criticising a solo comedy show by Amanda Knox, who was convicted and later acquitted of murdering the British student in Italy in 2007. 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.
4 h fa

Ryan Bridge: Buckle up Luxon's going rogue

Christopher Luxon's going rogue. The risk when making constitutional policy pronouncements 92 days out from an election, blindsiding your colleagues and diverting attention from your key messaging, is that you look erratic. At best, voters might see this as a distraction play. They might see this as a means to regain the oxygen. But it's not something anyone's actually asking for. The top seven things' voters care about, in the latest Ipsos poll, are as follows. In order. Inflation - 62%.Health 38%Economy 34%Housing, unemployment, poverty, petrol. Guess what's NOT in the top 20? MMP. The twentieth line item is defence/foreign affairs/terrorism at 2%. So, two-fifths of bugger all people want him to be talking about the electoral system. It's like somebody putting Creed on the jukebox and wondering why everyone stops dancing. It's a big call. It's risky business. The problems are two-fold. One. It'll never happen because It's not even National's policy and even it if it was, won't get support from other parties to pass. Not being able to do what you say want to do, when you're the Prime Minister, could be seen as weakness. Two. And most importantly. You risk pissing off your co-workers. They looked a mix of confused, bewildered and frustrated yesterday. They've now spent an entire week walking back and explaining things their boss is saying in public. There are 2mre weeks till advance voting opens. The polling companies will be on the blower today and if there's no MMP bump, or a dip, the rogue agent may yet be put out on the cold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
21 h fa

Chris Small: ABC Business Sales CEO on the unemployment rate rising to 5.6%, impact of AI

AI might be contributing to our rising unemployment rate. Stats NZ data shows unemployment jumped to 5.6% in the June quarter, up from 5.3% in March. It's the highest rate in 11 years and higher than most economists had been picking. ABC Business Sales’ Chris Small told Ryan Bridge when you compare the South Island’s rate of 3.7% to the North Island’s 6%, it seems like more of a white-collar problem than a blue-collar one. He says AI is filling a bit of a void for some business owners, which means they’re not hiring as many people. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
21 h fa

Jordan Williams: Taxpayers Union Executive Director on the investigation into the Ministry of Justice for Russell Harrison pay saga

The Ministry of Justice is being accused of turning a blind eye to some internal issues after a staffer facing money laundering charges stayed on its payroll for five years. Former Lotto host Russell Harrison was arrested days after starting at the ministry in 2021, admitting guilt in June. Documents obtained by the Taxpayers Union reveal four other ministry employees are on leave while facing charges or misconduct investigations. Union executive director Jordan Williams told Ryan Bridge the HR department would surely know. He believes there's a culture within the public service, where they don't worry as taxpayers are footing the bill. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Ryan Bridge: Unemployment isn't as bad as it seems

A couple of things on the unemployment number that came out yesterday. It looks worse than actually it is because a bunch of people decided they would start looking for work in the second quarter rather than the one before it. So, there are a bunch of reasons for this happening, but basically you don't really know. You don't know what you don't know. It's anyone's guess. It could be that people go, oh, the job market is on the up, so it's actually worth me trying to look for work now, which would be a good thing. But also, the net rate is better than it was in March. There are a couple of reasons, a couple of good takeaways from yesterday's number. The net rate better than it was in the March quarter. That's young people, so ages 15 to 24 who are not in employment, not in education, or not in training. So you want fewer of them. It was 14.4%, it's now 13.8%. Sure, definitely room for improvement, but there is a slight improvement. Young people who couldn't find work have gone into education to upskill, which is exactly what you want them to do at a time like this. The numbers still higher than you want, of course. They both are actually on the whole, but with context, not as bad as they look at first glance and with some promising signs under the hood. And every economist and his dog right now will tell you, don't let this put you off. Unemployment is the lagging indicator, so it's the last one that will turn in an economic turnaround. And gee, this thing's been a titanic of a turnaround job. But there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic despite the headline number that came out yesterday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Gwenda Kendrew: Aviva General Manager on delays in protection orders

There are concerns family violence victims are waiting too long for protection orders to be served. Data released under the Official Information Act reveals nearly half of temporary protection orders served by Police in 2025 took four days or longer to reach respondents. Northland recorded the longest average delay at 16 days. Aviva's Gwenda Kendrew told Ryan Bridge their concern is the state of limbo the process leaves them in, unsure of their safety, rights, and the protection they have around them. She says it is a piece of paper, but it says a whole lot about how they can live their life safely from then on. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Full Show Podcast: 06 August 2026

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Thursday the 6th of August 2026, unemployment's climbed to highest level in nearly 11 years, ABC Business Sales CEO Chris Small tells Ryan why the rate is so high currently. The Taxpayers Union has revealed four more employees at the Ministry of Justice are on leave while facing criminal charges or serious misconduct investigations, Executive Director Jordan Williams has the latest. Domestic violence advocates are concerned by how long it takes to get a protection order, Aviva General Manager Gwenda Kendrew tells Ryan how concerning the issue is for victims. Plus, US Correspondent Mitch McCann has the latest on the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan and Trump saying a deal on the Strait of Hormuz could come as early as today. 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.

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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.