David Seymour has announced the Government will make it easier for Kiwi businesses to receive international investment.

The Associate Finance Minister said a reform will be made to the Overseas Investment Act.

How is the business world reacting?

Business New Zealand Director of Agency talks to Andrew Dickens.

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Newstalk ZB's Andrew Alderson join the show to update the biggest sporting moments of the weekend.

Auckland FC beat Wellington in an enormous 6-1 win, electrifying their home stadium.

After Daniel Dubois pulled out of his fight against Joseph Parker, the Kiwi instead took on Martin Bakole, and the India v Pakistan ODI is live.

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Christopher Luxon is heading to Vietnam this week for bilateral talks.

This visit comes as the Asia New Zealand foundation put out a report which explores potential ways that we can improve our bilateral relationship with Vietnam.

The report included strengthening trade in fashion and food, and collaborating on defence and security matters.

Chief Executive of the Asia New Zealand Foundation Suzannah Jessep talks to Andrew Dickens.

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On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Monday the 24th of February 2025, The Government's announced an overhaul of the Overseas Investment Act, Business NZ's Catherine Beard shares reaction from businesses.

The Prime Minister is heading to Vietnam this week for bilateral talks, Chief Executive of the NZ Asia Foundation Suzannah Jessep tells Andrew Dickens what she'd like to see from the meeting.

Andrew shares his thoughts around the Chinese Navy planting ships around the Tasman Sea.

The Vatican announces the Pope’s condition has worsened and continues to be "critical" after suffering a "prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis" Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey shares the latest.

Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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So, the weekend has been spent watching the Chinese Navy use the Tasman Sea as a firing range.

They’ve never done this so far south before and you have to wonder why.

Defence commentators call it a power projection.

Sure, but don’t project power round here. Don’t divert Air New Zealand and Qantas planes.

Coincidentally and ironically, it comes at the same time that the Cook Islands have signed a deal which includes wharf construction.

How naive and stupid is Mark Brown. New wharves are lovely until the Chinese Navy start using them as a staging point to invade the Pacific.

But it begs the question. Why New Zealand hasn’t built a deep-water base on the island years ago.

We built the international airport which is the island's lifeline. The airport is also a military base if it needs to be.

So why didn’t we build a port and why isn’t a ship stationed over there semi permanently.

The Cook Islands are a semi-autonomous part of New Zealand and should have been our forward base from the get-go. If we were serious about defence. And have we?

So why didn’t it happen? Oh, the same reason everything else is falling apart. We don’t like spending money. It’s a false economy.

But now China has stolen a march from right under our feet. Or should I say our flippers.

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The first exit polls in Germany's snap election have been released.

Centre-right CDU tops votes so far, with leader Friedrich Merz likely to be the next chancellor.

Alternative for Germany AFD sits at just under 20-percent -- the best showing for a German far-right political party since the end of World War Two.

Correspondent Gavin Grey told Andrew Dickens immigration is a major concern, following multiple terrorist attacks in Germany.

He says recently, the person responsible has either been seeking asylum, or facing deportation.

Grey says there's big question marks about Germany inviting in more than one-million people from Syria and Afghanistan.

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Building costs have gone through the roof.

A new QV CostBuilder survey revealed a significant increase to costs over the last four years.

It looked at the comparative costs of a standard 150m square home over six main centres, and revealed an average increase of 44%.

The biggest increases were seen in Palmerston North, Dunedin, and Wellington.

Blackburn Management’s Mike Blackburn told Andrew Dickens that most of the increase would have occurred during the 2021/22 period when the pandemic was causing problems with the supply chain.

The good news, he says, is that in the last 12 months, the average cost increase on a square metre basis was on 3% across the entirety of New Zealand.

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There’s a sign of heightened tensions as China deploys warships off the coast of Australia.

Three Chinese warships have been seen sailing around 280 kilometres off Sydney, in the Tasman Sea.

Defence Minister Judith Collins says the Chinese Government hasn't told us what they're doing there.

Foreign policy analyst Geoffrey Miller told Andrew Dickens it's significant, and tensions are not getting any better in the Indo-Pacific.

He says we need to be careful not to overreact, as they are quite entitled to be there.

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