Shoppers are travelling from around the country to witness today's Ikea launch.

The mega-retailer will start trading at 11am but the car park will open at 8:30am.

Heavy traffic's anticipated, including 40-minute queues to exit the motorway at Mount Wellington.

It could take punters up to an hour just to enter the carpark.

First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson told Ryan Bridge it's the most anticipated retail opening New Zealand has seen.

He says everyone knows about Ikea, but we haven't had it within reach.

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All the stars have aligned for the first concert at Christchurch's new stadium.

Six60 and Synthony will open the music calendar at One NZ Stadium at Te Kaha next May - following Super Rugby’s Super Round a month earlier.

It’s backed by the Government’s 70-million-dollar Major Events fund.

Duco Events Promoter David Higgins told Ryan Bridge Synthony wouldn’t be part of the lineup without that funding.

He says these events are very expensive to run, and organisers have to make a risk-return judgement if it's their own neck on the line.

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On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Thursday the 4th of December 2025, Andrew Coster's resigned with immediate effect employment lawyer Gareth Abdinor shares his thoughts on why he was placed on leave for so long.

Ikea opens in Auckland today, First Retail Group Managing Director tells Ryan whether the hype will last.

Six60 and Synthony will play the first ever live show at Christchurch stadium, funded by the government's events fund, Duco Events promoter David Higgins tells Ryan what concert-goers can expect.

Plus, US Correspondent Mitch McCann has the latest on the US and Venezuela and the Kremlin saying it's wrong to suggest Putin rejected US proposals for peace in Ukraine.

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Andrew Coster's three weeks of silence and negotiating speaks volumes about the sincerity of the apology delivered yesterday.

If you really felt that way. If you hadn't until yesterday, realised what had gone on, which he had, of course, but he saw the report long before any of us did, then surely, you'd have come straight out starting blocks with an apology to Ms Z.

Wouldn't that be a bit more credible?

As for the government. They've obviously been trying to get him out without paying him too much.

The bill is three months paid out. Essentially gardening leave.

And, crucially, an statement from the government that thee was no cover-up.

That's despite the IPCA report having the strong whiff of one, or as Judith Collins put it, the walk, talk and quack of one.

Coster's obviously done the calls in his head. The longer you stay on and fight, the messier it gets, reputation-wise.

He'll be thinking about the next job, whatever and wherever that may be.

He strikes me as the sort of guy with a plan to maybe one day get into politics.

Local cop boss. Top cop boss. New 'modern' approach to policing. A champion of progressive policing.

That sort of resume would get you pretty close to the top of a left-leaning party pretty quickly, I would have thought.

He's not stupid. But this scandal will rule him out of politics and pretty much all top public sector jobs in New Zealand, pretty much for life.

As the Police Association boss told us yesterday on this programme, front-line officers are being taunted over this.

Association with that sort of damage doesn't evaporate quickly. And the media culpa, the sorry, wasn't quick enough.

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A pivotal year ahead for Liam Lawson after confirmation his seat is safe in Formula 1 in 2026.

Red Bull has confirmed Lawson will retain his spot in Racing Bulls and be joined by 18-year-old debutant Arvid Lindblad.

Herald motorsport correspondent Eric Thompson says Lawson will have plenty to race for.

He told Ryan Bridge that 2026 will be the year for him to cement his position on the Formula 1 grid.

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The Police Association says when it comes to new policing targets, the devil will be in yet-to-be-confirmed detail.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has announced four new targets, including raising New Zealanders trust and confidence from 69 to 80-percent.

It follows the force taking a major hit in the wake of the McSkimming scandal.

Association President Steve Watt told Ryan Bridge it's good to have goals, but information is scarce.

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This story should shock everybody, but it won't. Sadly.

The headline? Former Covid response lead Alister Thorby stole $1.8 million from DHBs.

From us, taxpayers.

This guy was 25 and yet somehow in charge of the DHBs’ response to the Covid pandemic in the Lower North Island.

He stole almost $2m over five months.

He bought cars, holiday a house.

He was an MIQ boss.

He submitted invoices for work that never happened. One invoice was for $300k.

Two of the companies he invoiced for didn't even exist.

Now. This is bad for two reasons.

1. How on earth does some 25-year-old who's been in the job just five months, bill $1.8m and get those invoices paid? That's criminal. Who signed off on the cheques? Who was in charge? It's outrageous.

2. The timing. The Judge in this case points out the money went out the door at a time when the government was scrambling to deal with Covid. Except this guy was employed October 2021 to June 2022.

We were letting DJs through the broader Rhythm and Vines by then. The wiggles were performing at Spark Arena.

So that doesn't add up, in my mind.

It wasn't panic stations. It was BAU by then. So, who was writing these cheques on our behalf?

Something tells me this guy probably wasn't alone in taking the piss and taking us for a ride.

Give fraudsters an inch, they'll take a mile.

This was, after all, peak Ardern/Hipkins money tap era. We were throwing money out the window like there was no tomorrow.

Was this the tip of the iceberg and will anyone, other than the guy to duped us, be held responsible for the fact it was allowed to happen in the first place?

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On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday the 3rd of December 2025, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has set new 2026 targets to lift public trust, Police Association President tells Ryan how he can lead the Police to doing so.

Liam Lawson will keep his Racing Bulls seat for 2026, former, motorcycle racer and Herald motorsport Journalist Eric Thompson tells Ryan what Lawson will need to prove next year.

New data shows one in five school principals quit within their first year, Darfield High school Principal Andy England tells Ryan why so many principals are quitting.

Plus. Uk/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on jury trials in England and Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years will be heard by a judge only and the UK government admits 12 prisoners have been accidentally released in the past three weeks.

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