Skip to content
Ryan Bridge: The issues we care about episode artwork

Mar 1, 2026 1 min

Ryan Bridge: The issues we care about

from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Hosted by Newstalk ZB

We have a new issues poll out this morning. It's from IPSOS. 1000 people. Was taken after Waitangi weekend. The numbers are bad for National, because they should be winning on more issues. But Luxon won't hate the numbers because they're going in the right direction of a few key issues. A significant increase on Cost of Living - after a period of trending in the wrong direction. Another 'significant' increase on healthcare/hospitals- closing the gap from 19 to 12 points since October. After being overtaken on the economy, they've come back to draw with the reds. Interestingly, concern from voters about poverty and inequality is trending down - despite the big push in the media last week. The reality is that Labour is still ahead on three of the five issues. But no election is won or lost on a single issue, is it? Although Covid in 2020 and cost of living in 2023 were dominant. What the election will come down to, as I've always said, and everyone already knows, is Winston Peters. He has told me that he will not form a government with Labour if 1. Hipkins is in charge. And 2. it needs propping up by the Greens or TPM. He says they're nuts. So, as long as the polls, stay roughly where they are, the National party strategists will stick largely to the same script and wait for Winston at the alter. Barring, of course, nay campaign snaffus that might get any of the above into trouble and offside with us, the voters.

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Ryan Bridge: The issues we care about

0:00 1:57

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Early Edition with Ryan Bridge?

This episode is 1 minute long.

When was this Early Edition with Ryan Bridge episode published?

This episode was published on March 1, 2026.

Is there a transcript available for this episode?

Yes, a full transcript is available for this episode. You can read the complete transcript on the episode page.

Can I download this Early Edition with Ryan Bridge episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.