New Zealand is benefiting from other countries' visa crackdowns - as international students look elsewhere.

More than 92-thousand students were enrolled last year, up 11 percent on the year prior, but still well down on pre-Covid numbers.

Waikato University Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley told Ryan Bridge it's not just politics in the United States that are leading people here.

He says visa policies in Canada, Australia and the UK are changing too.

New Zealand is benefiting from other countries' visa crackdowns - as international students look elsewhere.
More than 92-thousand students were enrolled last year, up 11 percent on the year prior, but still well down on pre-Covid numbers.
Waikato University Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley told Ryan Bridge it's not just politics in the United States that are leading people here.
He says visa policies in Canada, Australia and the UK are changing too.

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.

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.

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Neil Quigley: Waikato University Vice-Chancellor on more than 92 thousand international students were enrolled last year

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/6aa97b81-b80c-45e0-b5fd-b44f012eb77f/transcript

We got the inevitable Grinch headlines from the media yesterday, powered by union panic. 

The public service knew this was coming. Or should have. Judith Collins, Nicola Willis and Sir Brian Roche have been talking about this since they all got into office. 

So it's not shocking. 

It's also not a done deal, yet. 

All that's really happened, in the final leg of this government's current term, is a few letters have been posted to some chief executives. 

They've been asked to mood-board some cuts to staffing. 

The savings will be banked, but there's no guarantee any of this will actually happen. 

Winston Peters was right about that yesterday. 

That's for the election to decide. 

Back to the unions and opposition complaints. 

Two basic questions.

If these proposed cuts are so bad, so evil, so destructive, so armageddon, why was a workforce equivalent to about 1% of the population allowed under Helen Clark? 

Was she an evil Grinch, too? 

And how can you say the public will suffer, the sky will fall in, the clouds will gather, when you know not what jobs are actually being cut yet?

How are you to know there aren't reasonable back-office savings to be made? 

We're told the money will instead go towards the frontline in health and education.

To be fair, the same argument could be tipped on its head. Without knowing what's being cut, how can the government claim no services will be impacted? 

The proof of that pudding will be in the eating but remember the job of figuring out which jobs to axe, without affecting us, the taxpayers, is in the hands of the very people whose jobs are on the line in the first place. 

If we are to trust them, as the unions and opposition clearly do, should we not trust they'll know how to be surgical and only trim the fat and not the bone? 

We got the inevitable Grinch headlines from the media yesterday, powered by union panic.&nbsp;
The public service knew this was coming. Or should have. Judith Collins, Nicola Willis and Sir Brian Roche have been talking about this since they all got into office.&nbsp;
So it's not shocking.&nbsp;
It's also not a done deal, yet.&nbsp;
All that's really happened, in the final leg of this government's current term, is a few letters have been posted to some chief executives.&nbsp;
They've been asked to mood-board some cuts to staffing.&nbsp;
The savings will be banked, but there's no guarantee any of this will actually happen.&nbsp;
Winston Peters was right about that yesterday.&nbsp;
That's for the election to decide.&nbsp;
Back to the unions and opposition complaints.&nbsp;
Two basic questions.
If these proposed cuts are so bad, so evil, so destructive, so armageddon, why was a workforce equivalent to about 1% of the population allowed under Helen Clark?&nbsp;
Was she an evil Grinch, too?&nbsp;
And how can you say the public will suffer, the sky will fall in, the clouds will gather, when you know not what jobs are actually being cut yet?
How are you to know there aren't reasonable back-office savings to be made?&nbsp;
We're told the money will instead go towards the frontline in health and education.
To be fair, the same argument could be tipped on its head. Without knowing what's being cut, how can the government claim no services will be impacted?&nbsp;
The proof of that pudding will be in the eating but remember the job of figuring out which jobs to axe, without affecting us, the taxpayers, is in the hands of the very people whose jobs are on the line in the first place.&nbsp;
If we are to trust them, as the unions and opposition clearly do, should we not trust they'll know how to be surgical and only trim the fat and not the bone?&nbsp;

Ryan Bridge: The public service cuts didn't come out of nowhere

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/148a08a0-711d-457c-8eba-b44f012d1ca2/transcript

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2026, the Government’s cutting jobs in the public sector, Labour Spokesperson for Public Services Camilla Belich shares her thoughts. 

International student numbers are bouncing back, up 14 percent on last year, University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley shares his thoughts. 

Card spend data in April was down 1.3% for the month, equal to $89 million Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young tells Ryan how big of an impact the Iran war has had on spending.

Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on Police in London saying up to 57 individuals and 20 companies could face criminal charges over the Grenfell Tower fire disaster.

Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.          

LISTEN ABOVE  

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2026, the Government’s cutting jobs in the public sector, Labour Spokesperson for Public Services Camilla Belich shares her thoughts.&nbsp;
International student numbers are bouncing back, up 14 percent on last year, University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley shares his thoughts.&nbsp;
Card spend data in April was down 1.3% for the month, equal to $89 million Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young tells Ryan how big of an impact the Iran war has had on spending.
Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on Police in London saying up to 57 individuals and 20 companies could face criminal charges over the Grenfell Tower fire disaster.
Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Full Show Podcast: 20 May 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/b531392f-5272-4025-8884-b44f012ac6b9/transcript

Farmers across Southland have been granted an 18-month extension to submit freshwater plans.  

The Government's pushed the deadline from the end of the month to November next year.   

The plans are a key tool for managing risks to freshwater and quality in catchments. 

Associate Minister for Agriculture Andrew Hoggard told Ryan Bridge it's important all farmers in the region submit their plans. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Farmers across Southland have been granted an 18-month extension to submit freshwater plans. &nbsp;
The Government's pushed the deadline from the end of the month to November next year. &nbsp;&nbsp;
The plans are a key tool for managing risks to freshwater and quality in catchments.&nbsp;
Associate Minister for Agriculture Andrew Hoggard told Ryan Bridge it's important all farmers in the region submit their plans.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Andrew Hoggard: Associate Minister for Agriculture on Southland farmers receiving an extension for their freshwater plans

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/bfeac597-0c26-4add-ab94-b44e018a906d/transcript

Neil Quigley: Waikato University Vice-Chancellor on more than 92 thousand international students were enrolled last year

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