Hopes new pathways for global trade can be created as officials from small countries around the world meet in Auckland.

Trade Minister Todd McClay's chairing the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership meeting tomorrow – bringing together delegates from 21 countries.

It includes Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Panama, Rwanda, and Singapore.

International Business Forum Executive Director Felicity Roxburgh told Ryan Bridge this group can tackle issues together.

She says they can navigate tariff barriers and help create common certification.

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No surprises bird flu has reached our shores, as New Zealanders are asked to keep an eye out for transmission escalation.

A sub-Antarctic seabird found on Wellington's Petone Beach last week has tested positive for the H5N1 strain.

Officials say symptoms to look out for in birds include paralysis, shaking, respiratory issues, or diarrhoea.

Otago University evolutionary virologist Jemma Geoghegan told Ryan Bridge there's no evidence of widespread transmission yet.

She says once it starts spreading between birds on the mainland, that's when there's a risk the virus could get into poultry sheds and concerns would grow.

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Belief sluggish retail spending is a reminder retailers need to stick to the basics.

Stats NZ says core retail spending last month was only 0.4 percent higher year on year.

Spending on clothes fell most - at 4.2-percent - its fourth straight decrease.

First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson told Ryan Bridge retailers have to be hungry in the market, with strong retail disciplines - but he understands it's tough.

He says rising costs and distribution has made things challenging for retailers.

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On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Thursday 16th of July 2026, Bird flu has landed in New Zealand, University of Otago Professor, Evolutionary Virologist, Jemma Geoghegan tells Ryan how concerned we should be.

Official Stats NZ Spending data shows a seasonally adjusted decrease of 1.4% card spending in June compared with May, First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson shares his thoughts.

Trade Minister Todd McClay is hosting global officials for a big trade meeting on Friday, International Business Forum Executive Director Felicity Roxburgh shares her thoughts.

Plus, US correspondent Katie Fisher has the latest on Iran developments and Donald Trump’s Attorney General pick.

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Is banning smart phones for kids a dumb idea?

That would leave them with dumb phones, sans apps and the internet, just texts and phone calls.

Remember the old Nokia? Or Alcatels? They came in that weird light orangey-peachy colour and a purpley-blue.

David Seymour's talking about this after a blog post suggesting it'd be easier, and less restrictive for everyone else, if we banned the hardware not the software.

Make smartphones like cigarettes or beer – if you saw a 12-year-old with one, you'd judge the parents, wouldn't you?

At present, parents hand them out like candy, caving by osmosis to the their kid's peer pressure to own one.

The social media bans don't seem to work very well —as we've spoken about before— half the Aussie kids get around theirs.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

Banning the actual device itself does, on the face of it, make more sense.

You can still communicate, but not with the entire world. And not with the entire sum of human knowledge —good and bad— at your unsupervised fingertips.

This way, adults can keep using social media and not have to use some ID or date of birth test to log in.

Which all sounds great. Except the real problem here is parents themselves.

They're often the ones on their phones and ignoring their kids in the first place.

If you were a child, wouldn't you want to be doing whatever your parents are doing too?

It doesn't really matter what the law says, and changing it won't change everything, it's ultimately up to adults raising those kids to teach them right from wrong, good from bad, and whether 8 hours a day doom scrolling is a behaviour that's acceptable – for them or their kids.

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This autumn's been positive for farmers, with less debt and an improved relationship with banks.

Agricultural lending dropped $1.4 billion to $61.2 billion in the year to April.

A Federated Farmers survey also reveals record satisfaction with bank communication, with fewer farmers feeling undue pressure.

Banking Spokesperson Mark Hooper told Ryan Bridge that banks are currently competing quite strongly for a share of the rural market, which in turn drives good service.

He says a good relationship tends to override a lot of other outcomes – there may be variations in interest rates, but if they have good communication and a good relationship, people tend to be more satisfied.

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Paul Henry's profile is expected to provide ACT with the exposure it may need going into the election.

The former broadcaster's running as a party list candidate but is gunning for a ministerial role if elected.

He's best known for hosting TVNZ's Breakfast in the early 2000s, where he famously mocked an Indian politician's name on air.

Political commentator Brigitte Morten told Ryan Bridge people like Henry can change the dial.

She says ACT's stagnated in the polls and is in need of attention in a crowded market, which Paul Henry has the power to bring.

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On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday 15th of July 2026, former broadcaster Paul Henry's the next big name making the jump to parliament, Political Commentator Brigitte Morten tells Ryan what this will mean for the Act Party.

The Reserve Bank says farmer lending dropped nearly one and a half billion in the year to April, Federated Farmers Banking Spokesperson Mark Hooper shares his thoughts.

NZ Certified Builders CEO Malcolm Fleming shares his thoughts on Cotality data which shows residential construction costs up 1.1% in the three months to June.

Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on UK Counter-terror police say the murder of the former Prisons Minister was a planned and targeted attack and several people have died in a fire at a building under construction in Brussels.

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