Michael Gordon: Westpac Senior Economist on the unemployment rate
Figures, due out this morning, are expected to show unemployment's hit a nine-year high. Stats NZ is releasing its latest unemployment update at 10.45am. Economists expect the rate to have reached 5.3% in the June quarter, up from 5.1% for the March quarter. Westpac Senior Economist Michael Gordon told Ryan Bridge they expect the peak unemployment rate to be around 5.3% or slightly higher. He says that the labour market tends to be one of the more lagging parts of the economic cycle. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Harry Clatworthy: Te Mata Law Barrister on the changes to the Marine and Coastal Area Act
A lawyer says people shouldn't fear Māori being given customary marine titles. The Government will tighten criteria so that groups will have to prove continuous and uninterrupted occupation since 1840. Te Mata Law barrister Harry Clatworthy says there are about 200 outstanding claims, and he expects around 50 to be particularly affected. He told Ryan Bridge concerns that Māori will close down beaches are a misunderstanding of what the titles actually grant. Clatworthy says they do grant the right to turn down private resource consents, but don't affect most other activities. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Full Show Podcast: 06 August 2025
On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday 6th of August 2025, unemployment is expected to hit a nine year high, Westpac Senior Economist Michael Gordon provides some analysis. The government is forging ahead with plans to change the law governing New Zealand's foreshore and seabed, despite a Supreme Court ruling last year that appeared to undercut the rationale for the change. Should Artificial intelligence be used to mark your kids school work? Learning, development and AI specialist Danny Bedingfield shares his thoughts. Plus UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on the ‘one in one out’ migrant deal between the UK and France beginning tomorrow. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Danny Bedingfield: AI in education expert on teachers using AI to mark school work
A learning development specialist fears artificial intelligence won't have cultural considerations when marking student work. Education Minister Erica Stanford says AI is already partly in use for marking - and expects it could do almost all assessments by 2028. It comes as the Government plans to scrap NCEA for an entirely new qualification. Cyclone Computer Company's Danny Bedingfield told Ryan Bridge current AI models aren't trained on the uniqueness of New Zealand. He says newer, more specific models, would have to be developed LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Ryan Bridge: Are we taking it too far with AI?
The future's here. AI is taking over. A team of robots kept alive in some giant warehouse with tonnes of electricity are right now whirring away, beavering away on the world's problems. AI will soon be marking our students' exams. The Swedish Prime Minister overnight admitted he uses AI for a second opinion on running the country. AI architects are in high demand - they're being snapped up like hotcakes. Meta recently offered AI researcher Matt Deitke $250 million over four years - AI engineers are apparently paid upwards of $2.5 million a year. The big tech companies are investing billions. The efficiencies are real. AI is changing the world, one data centre at a time. So the question is: what do we do about it? Some of the teachers are upset because they don't trust AI to mark exams. But really, we shouldn't trust the teachers. According to the Minister of Education, AI is at least as good as if not better than teachers at getting it right. There's some stuff so nuanced you need human eyes across it, but that would be the exception, not the rule. As for the Swedish Prime Minister, he's copping flak for not being able to do his job without the help of a robot. But you still need to use judgement, don't you? You can't just punch in "should I go to war tomorrow" and the blindly follow the answer. Is AI not the mental equivalent of a forklift? A tool, a machine, doing the heavy lifting for our brains? The reality is, it doesn't actually matter how we feel about AI and the moral dilemmas it raises. Like mobile phones, the internet, smart phones and social media, it's one of those phenomenon that's taking over our lives, whether we like it or not. The best we can probably do is just get used to it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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.
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