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

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · May 10, 2026 · 2m · transcript

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.

The smaller parties that have traditionally been overlooked, like One Nation and Reform, are doing well because the major parties have failed on immigration and the economy.

Our system is designed to allow these smaller parties more say, with fewer wasted votes.

But most importantly, mass-migration is not the…