Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The debate over AI marking in schools is back, with secondary teachers warning the tech could eventually replace human judgement.

A paper presented to the PPTA says automated marking is likely to expand under the qualification replacing NCEA, and assessment decisions must remain in human hands.

Canterbury University Associate Professor of Digital Education Kathryn McCallum told Ryan Bridge AI could be useful for simpler assessments, where human judgement isn’t needed, to speed up the process.

But she says the risk is that teachers aren't able to understand learners and give feedback when the tech is used.

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Health is one of those areas where you can churn through cash.  

It's expensive to visit your GP, but also expensive to fund. 

The amount taxpayers spend on health has gone up 100% over the past decade. It was around $15 billion in 2016, it's now up over $30 billion.  

The population has not increased by that much – only roughly 15%.  

But there are always better medicines to buy. Unions to settle pay negotiations with. New equipment to buy. Hospitals to replace.  

It's a money pit.  

Every election we get the same message, which is basically "let's put more money in the pit".  

And both Labour and National are saying they will do this. Hell, even ACT is saying the same.  

But are we missing a trick by always focussing on money in and patients out?  

Diabetes and obesity are massive problems for the health system. As is aging, though we can't do much about that.  

But where is the focus in this campaign, outside of New Zealand First's policy, on the food pyramid and keeping ourselves healthy and fit?  

You are what eat. That's not just an old saying, it's science.  

To his credit, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing this in the States. Why aren't we?  

If we want to keep the status quo and continue funding an ambulance at the bottom off the cliff then we're going the right way about it. 

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The owner of ChatGPT has scrapped its latest AI model after safety concerns.  

OpenAI says its GPT-6.1 Astra model missed the bar, as it would've performed tasks, like browsing the web, by itself.

Debate's intensifying about risks posed by the tech, with Reuters reporting rival AI company Anthropic plans to warn investors of potential existential threats. 

Tech commentator Oskar Howell told Ryan Bridge you can't have rogue AIs off doing what they want.  

He says a recent OpenAI system gained access to a number of Australian government systems, which may've prompted this roll back. 

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ACT Party leader David Seymour says while the PREFU numbers are “hopeful”, they rely on there being further significant reduction in Government spending by the end of the decade. 

Asked how reliable the forecast was, Seymour told Ryan Bridge the 2023 PREFU had promised a $2 billion surplus by the current financial year, with debt at $193 billion, and in reality it was now at $209 billion. 

“So what this document has told us is that the surplus will be two years later than we were promised last election, and debt will be $16 billion higher than we were promised last election,” he said. 

Government spending was currently 32.5% and needed to be below 30% by 2030 for the PREFU figures to be accurate. 

“As the person in the Government who's been saying, 'Guys, we've got to save more money, we've got to save money faster', all of this slippage is in some ways a vindication, but also very bad news,” Seymour said. 

“We’re going to have to work a lot harder if we're going to make the numbers real this time, as they did not become real over the last three years.” 

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On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday the 30th of September 2026, Treasury’s now forecasting a $4 billion surplus in 2028/29, up from $2.6 billion, Act Leader David Seymour shares his thoughts. 

Auckland Council is ditching postal voting, Auckland Councillor Richard Hills explains why he voted to ditch it. 

Open-AI is scrapping the rollout of its new model, tech commentator Oskar Howell tells Ryan if this is a concerning move. 

Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says it is clear a "foreign actor" had been involved in the arrests of five young men near an RAF base in the west of England used by the US Air Force and the UK PM announcing a cut in pensions to pay for social care and a new government body to invest in Britain's electricity grid. 

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The form of democracy used in the country's biggest city is about to change.  

Auckland Council members have voted to shift from postal voting to in-person booth voting, making them the first to do it since 1992. 

The current proposal has been costed at between $31 and $40 million, but the council's asked staff to drive that down to $20 million. 

Councillor Richard Hills told Ryan Bridge they're not saying this would completely change the turnout rate for the election, but it would help with integrity and trust. 

He says nobody uses the post for anything besides local elections nowadays, so it's time to move away from it. 

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How much cash will we get back from tax cuts? 

Nicola Willis will soon make an announcement about their timing and potential value, if they get back to the Treasury benches. 

The good news out of yesterday's PREFU is that the books are out of structural deficit this year. 

That means when the Government borrows new money going forward, it will be for capital spending, not to keep the lights on. 

We've essentially been borrowing money by issuing bonds to pay for day-to-day spending. Fixing potholes with a credit card when the cost of borrowing is heading north is not a particularly smart way to run the books. 

The books are helped by the economy growing. When the economy grows, our wages grow with it. 

Inflation pushes our wages into a higher tax bracket. It's what they call bracket creep. 

You end up paying more tax because the tax brackets don't change, even when our wages do. 

So, the Government's books are improving off the back of Kiwis paying more taxes. 

How much is that worth? 

The PREFU reckons around one third of the extra revenue comes from bracket creep. 

Patrick Smellie at Business Desk estimates $15 billion will be collected over five years. That creates about $3 billion a year in a potential tax cut kitty created by wage inflation. 

So, the question now is when might cuts happen and will Nicola's coalition partners allow them? 

As the old saying goes, to the victor goes the spoils. 

Taxpayers are the real victors here, the real heroes, and more money in the pocket to offset higher prices will surely be a welcome thing. 

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The Government's books are being opened today, giving a financial read of the state of the economy. 

Treasury's Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update will show how Crown debt, expenditure, and revenue are tracking. 

National's Nicola Willis has let some small details slip, saying people will like what they see. 

Infometrics' Brad Olsen told Ryan Bridge they expect a slightly rosier look than what was seen in the Budget, but timing will have an impact. 

He says Treasury would've finalised the numbers towards the end of August, but things like fuel prices and bond rates have lifted quite materially in the weeks since.  

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There's disappointment from a building voice over MBIE's slow response to working on overheating new homes. 

The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment say they're working on the issue, but changes will require more technical work and sector consultation. 

Officials told RNZ hot homes wouldn't be part of the Building Code review in 2028, but instead the next one five years away.  

Green Building Council chief executive Andrew Eagles told Ryan Bridge it's a real shame as homes should be a sanctuary.  

He says instead, people have discomfort and stress living in homes like ovens or saunas. 

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On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2026, Treasury is set to open the government's books for the pre-election economic and fiscal update, Brad Olsen Principal Economist at Infometrics tells Ryan what we can expect.

New research released to Newstalk ZB shows 68% of schools surveyed have accidentally published an image despite parental privacy restrictions, Darfield High SCHOOL Principal Andrew England shares his thoughts.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment isn't review the rules around overheating properties until 2031, Green Building Council CEO Andrew Eagles shares his concerns. 

Plus, Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio has the latest on another rate hike expected today as the treasurer talks up budget savings and plans for a massive data centre in Sydney. 

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