Duane Emeny: Air Chathams CEO calls for government support as jet fuel prices rise

The Government's under pressure to act to ensure airlines can continue operating.  Air New Zealand's raised fares due to rising jet fuel costs, increasing domestic fares by $10, short-haul fares by $20, and long-haul fares by $90.  Air Chathams has also raised its standard fare by $20.  Chief Ex…

Matthew Hague: Lawyer who represented vaccine mandate opponents on the outcome of the Covid Inquiry

A lawyer who represented opponents of vaccine mandates says the real test of the Covid inquiry is whether the country learns from its mistakes.  The second phase of the inquiry has found New Zealand's overall response was effective.  But it's found some mandates lasted too long, and the Governmen…

Full Show Podcast: 11 March 2026

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 11 March. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Matt Ball: Property Investors Federation Advocacy Manager on house prices the most affordable they've been in a decade, outside of Covid

Movement in housing affordability could spell good news for first home buyers.  Cotality NZ's Housing Affordability report for Quarter 4 2025 shows the national value-to-income ratio fell to 7.2.  This is the lowest level since a brief period in 2019 and before that 2016 The Property Investors F…

Ryan Bridge: Where in the world is Nikhil Ravishankar?

You've got to feel a bit for the Air New Zealand boss.  If ever there was a poisoned chalice, he's drinking from it. He's glugging it back. Drowning in it. They've suspended their guidance after the gas price went nuts. Doubled on Iran. That's after announcing a loss of $60 million for the half y…

Chris Roberts: Private Surgical Hospitals Association CEO on the report finding the private health sector has the capacity to ease the burden on public health

New research highlights a need to send more public health procedures to the private system.  Westpac's latest healthcare report shows New Zealand currently spends about 10% of GDP on healthcare, split between 7% on public care and just 3% on private.  It argues the private sector is nimbler, with…

Sharon Zollner: ANZ Chief Economist on the economic fallout from the conflict in the Middle East

“Enormous” swings in the price of oil are making it very difficult to gauge the severity of the shock to markets from the Iran war, ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner says. Oil hit $120 per barrel yesterday but dropped back below $100 after the G7 nations signalled they could release strategic oil…

Andrew England: Financial Times Middle East Editor explains who Mojtaba Khamenei is

Little is known about Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, but he’s likely to continue his father’s “hardline, hostile attitude” toward the US, Israel and the West more generally, one expert says. Andrew England, the Financial Times’ Middle East editor, told Newstalk ZB’s Ryan Bridge that h…

Full Show Podcast: 10 March 2026

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025, ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner shares her thoughts on how the New Zealand economy will react to the war in Iran.  A new Westpac report says we need to send more public health procedures to the private system, NZ Private Surgical Hos…

Ryan Bridge: On oil shock, people want more self-reliance

The war in Iran is not a shocking event in the sense that we knew it was coming. Trump has been not so much hinting, but sounding a fog horn for months. As we’ve been covering on this show, he’s been amassing military assets in the region since the end of January.  So not surprising. What has sur…