Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

A view the Government's proposed changes to alcohol laws is a needed re-balance for licence-holders.
The Bill would only let people object to a premise's licence application, if they live or work in the same council area or live within one kilometre.
It also gives applicants a right of reply to objections.
Hospitality New Zealand Head of Advocacy told Ryan Bridge the current licensing process has led to some vexatious objections from those outside of the area.
He says applications aren’t often declined because of objections, but it does add unnecessary time and cost to the process.
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Treasury has released numbers on the potential fallout for the New Zealand economy from the Iran war.
It estimates that under a worst‑case scenario — a conflict lasting until the end of the year with elevated oil prices — inflation would rise from 3.1 percent to 3.7 percent.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says that number is too high - but is lower than Australia's current inflation - which is sitting at 3.8 percent.
ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge forecasting in this climate is difficult.
He says other spikes in oil prices have led to higher inflation - but this will all depend on how long the conflict lasts.
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On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 17th of March 2025, ASB's Chief Economist Nick Tuffley talks the "worst case scenario" for the New Zealand economy from the Iran war.
And Ryan explains why he agrees with Nicola Willis' call to not splash the cash in response to the Iran crisis.
Hospitality NZ want the government's liquor law changes to go further - they tell Ryan what exactly they want.
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A 1pm presser and Covid‑style alert levels.
This fuel price spike is bringing back bad memories from those dark days of lockdown.
But a few facts help put things in perspective.
There are a lot of scenarios and best guesses floating around, but the reality is we’re not yet short on fuel. That’s at least weeks away, we’re told.
The economy is in recovery, and even the worst‑case scenarios still have us growing at a little under 3% — about half a percent off pre‑war predictions.
The other big difference is the response. Interest rates, even if inflation hits the high 3s, aren’t expected to shoot up dramatically or immediately, because demand falls as people put less petrol in the Honda.
If you live rurally, or don’t have a Grey Lynn tractor — a.k.a. a Tesla — the price of fuel will sting.
But it won’t cause the sort of catastrophic, long‑term damage that lockdowns and Covid supply disruptions did.
Nicola Willis, who fronted yesterday’s 1pm media event, made it pretty clear that excise cuts and other expensive relief (think cost‑of‑living payments) aren’t off the table — but they’re not top of the list either.
This government is a different beast from the one that came before it. They’ve learned the lesson — one we’re currently paying for — about splashing the cash to stay popular.
They’ve resisted demands for stimulus despite two bitter years of recession.
Spending big when inflation is about to spike would completely undermine their political credibility.
Which means that when something bad happens — which it is, or is about to — we’ll feel the effects in real time.
And that’s no bad thing.
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In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump called on the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and others to send ships to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open - but his request has been met with little response.
Washington Bureau Chief for the Guardian, David Smith, told Ryan Bridge, "there's been some reporting suggesting that Donald Trump was warned this is a possibility by his military planners, and his response was it'll be okay."
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