Ryan Bridge: Budget spending must be careful and calculated

The Budget is always a fizzer in the sense that most of it is announced days in advance.

There are a few sweeteners on the day, but this time, unless there's a rabbit about to be yanked from a hat, even they might be more Werther's Original than chocolate cake.

Ryan Bridge: Something's not adding up with business investment in this country

If the Post is to believed this morning, the Government is considering a business growth fund whereby some crown agency would pick winners and probably a few losers with financial backing.

Chalmers did this in Australia.

Ryan Bridge: What's cruel versus fair in the social housing debate

Nicola Willis' Lotto comment yesterday was clumsy, but in the end, much ado about nothing.

The politics of this housing thing are pretty simple. You've got 80,000 social housing tenants who probably weren't going to vote National, who now definitely won't vote National.

Ryan Bridge: The AI takeover isn't coming, it's here

The AI and robot takeover isn't coming, it's here. Well, sort of.

A bunch of data's come out on this over the past few days.

Seek says job ads mentioning AI have doubled in the past year, up 4.1% from March to April.

Ryan Bridge: The public service cuts didn't come out of nowhere

We got the inevitable Grinch headlines from the media yesterday, powered by union panic.

The public service knew this was coming. Or should have. Judith Collins, Nicola Willis and Sir Brian Roche have been talking about this since they all got into office.

Ryan Bridge: A clean up of cabinet is overdue

In February last year I wrote a piece for the Herald about government department and Ministerial overload.

It was partly informed by observation and partly by New Zealand Initiative paper on the subject.

Ryan Bridge: Old school is the best school

In education, old school is the best kind of school.

Secondary students will be forced to learn science, as well as maths and English, in the fifth form.

They'll be graded, not on merit or achieved or whatever, but A+ to E.

Ryan Bridge: We need more positivity

It's Friday huddle, pep talk time.

New Zealand, we're going to need our number-8 wire, positive, can-do, problem solver attitude now more than ever.

Air New Zealand's in the doldrums, Trump's at war in the Middle East, oil's chocked up, Xi's talking about Taiwan again.

Ryan Bridge: Wellington's endless spending on pen-pushers and reviews

You can't escape bureaucrats in Wellington; it's an occupational hazard.

Despite the bad press they get, they're not all useless.

But it depends on how you use them, and how often.

Take the Golden Mile disaster in Wellington, as just one example.

Ryan Bridge: Jim Chalmers Budget hardly a recipe for affordable housing

Give them an inch and they'll take a mile.

That's basically the message to anyone worried about a capital gains tax in New Zealand.

In Canberra last night Jim Chalmers budget was pitched as a 're-balancing' of 'intergenerational inequality'.

Ryan Bridge: The real message in the Government's fuel plan

The most interesting thing about the fuel ration plan has nothing to do with fuel rationing.

Read the Q & A script the Minister's office provided and you quickly realise this thing will probably never see the light of day in any practical sense.

Trump would probably need to drop a nuke for us to get there.

Ryan Bridge: NZ's isolation is a blessing and a curse

It'd be easy to draw comparisons and parallels between our upcoming election and the local and federal upsets in Australia and the UK at the weekend.

But New Zealand is a totally different kettle of fish. In part, because, unlike the Brits and the Aussies, we run an MMP system.

Ryan Bridge: The OECD's report needs to be taken with a grain of salt

It's somewhat ironic the latest lecture we're getting from an office of global boffins is headquartered in Paris.

No offence to the French, but they're screaming out for lesson in basic economics.

Their debt-to-GDP ratio is 118%. Their debt is 60% above the EU limit.

Ryan Bridge: The Nats stand a chance this election

The Coalition is failing on two numbers that matter most to us voters.

Inflation is up over 3% - not as bad as the Aussies but not helped by Trump.

But wage growth is 2%.

Ryan Bridge: Governments should control spending and stability

There are basically two big things governments control that affect the economy and therefore all of us; spending and stability.

They're not to be taken for granted but too often they are.

Ryan Bridge: Things are about to get a whole lot more expensive

I have good news and bad news for you this morning.

The good news, I was out shopping on the weekend, which means I didn't actually buy anything but drove halfway across town looking for a bed-head, couldn't find one that fit, and went home empty-handed.

Ryan Bridge: We need less fighting, more long term thinking in Wellington

There's no reason parties on left and right in New Zealand politics can't work together to get stuff done.

This week we've seen it with the India FTA. It's essentially just deal-making.

Ryan Bridge: Winston was always going to turn on Luxon

This was always going to happen - the closer you get to the election, the more your friends become your enemies under MMP.

Winston's office released OIA docs showing Luxon's people wanted to go further in supporting Trump's war in Iran.

Ryan Bridge: Why are young women doing the job of cops?

Did you hear the story about these three young flatmates who hunted down their own burglars, busted them and took back their stuff?

Sarah, Anna and Charlotte... all in their 20s... got home from work in Christchurch, and some mug, or mugs, had broken in and stolen their stuff.

Ryan Bridge: The India FTA is up to businesses now

Judging by the coverage out of New Delhi overnight, the Indian press appears optimistic about the trade deal with New Zealand.

As optimistic as our government and industry, and as of last week Labour, are about it here.