This week Penelope Noir chats about Zoot Suits! Whakarongo mai nei!

True School Hip Hop Show: July 9, 2026

The Government’s energy strategy is back in focus this week, after new moves around petroleum exploration and the launch of New Zealand’s strategic diesel reserve. Ministers say this is about strengthening energy security and making sure the country is better prepared for global fuel shocks. Labour, meanwhile, has been promoting its solar policy, arguing that household solar and batteries could help lower power bills, reduce emissions, and make New Zealand less dependent on fossil fuels.

Also this week, NZ First has announced it wants to restrict voting rights to New Zealand citizens only, which would change the current system that allows some permanent residents to vote. And in health policy, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello is looking at a review of tobacco excise, raising concerns from public health experts that cheaper tobacco could undermine progress on reducing smoking harm.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about energy security, Labour’s solar policy, NZ First’s proposal on voting rights, and the tobacco excise review.

A controversial clause in the Conservation Amendment Bill that would allow more conservation land to be sold has been removed. However, environmental advocates are still calling for the Bill to be scrapped.

Submissions on the Bill to the Environment Select Committee have also been extended, and are open until midday on Monday 13 July.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Professor Jacqueline Beggs from the University of Auckland School of Biological Sciences, who has English, Scottish, Irish, and Ngāti Awa ancestry, about why the Bill still poses a threat to the interests of Māori and to conservation land.

Health New Zealand has announced temporary beds and extra staffing to help hospitals cope with winter pressure, but health policy experts say the response is still too reactive. Winter demand happens every year, yet hospitals continue to face pressure from respiratory illnesses, staff shortages, and underfunding. Producer Pranuja spoke with Professor Tim Tenbensel from the University of Auckland about why the health system struggles to plan for winter, and what a more sustainable response could look like.

Recent months have seen some anti-immigration narratives cast into the spotlight in Aotearoa, with policies such as stop-search announced by the government and others such as voting rights restrictions proposed by New Zealand First.

One of the big catalyst points for the issue has been the India Free Trade Agreement, which NZ First have raised some commotion over, claiming it will cause a major influx of Indian immigrants. While the rest of the government disagrees, the claims have led to some protests and derogatory language used by officials. 

While these debates are not too common in Aotearoa, they’re fairly frequent in some of our overseas counterparts, particularly the United States and United Kingdom. To discuss the politics behind anti-immigrant sentiments and how they’ve developed here, News Director Castor spoke to Professor of Sociology, Francis Collins.

Survivors of historic abuse in care seeking redress and accountability have faced a long battle, often against the State as it repeatedly delayed action and attempted to deny responsibility.

Although a system of redress is in place, survivors have often been left in the dark by confusing processes, including whether they are eligible for redress, alongside inconsistent experiences and offers of settlement with the system.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Social Development was found by the High Court to not have been following its own assessment policy when unlawfully denying survivors seeking to register claims. 

However, a new piece of legislation that passed its third reading late last month, and will come into effect on the 1st of August, may make things even more difficult for survivors seeking redress.

The Redress System for Abuse in Care Act 2026 will establish the legal presumption that survivors who have been convicted of serious violent and sexual offences will not be eligible for financial redress. It will also mean that apologies given to a survivor of abuse in care cannot be used as evidence for fault or liability for that abuse.

To understand the implications of this legislation, and the possible motivations behind it, Producer Theo spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Professor of Social Sciences, Stephen Winter.

Mōrena e te whānau! E whai ake nei, coming up on the show today: What's Up with Carmel Sepuloni from The Labour Party, a kōrero with the team behind Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant, From The Crate with Cam from Southbound, and a whole bunch of awesome prizes, music, yarns, and more! Whakarongo mai nei!

Thanks to eighthirty coffee roasters!

Rosetta and Milly have a kōrero with Sean and Jordan of THUNDERLIPS - the director duo behind soon-to-be smash hit film Mum. I'm Alien Pregnant. The horror-comedy is set to have it's Aotearoa debut at Whānau Marama NZIFF on August 7, with a special screening at the Civic presented by 95bFM! Pre-sale tickets for multi-pass holders are available now, and general on-sale begins āpōpō! Whakarongo mai nei.

This week on the Wednesday Wire...

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Wire host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party's drinking, swimming and fishing policy released this week.

News Director Castor spoke to Professor of Sociology Francis Collins about the politics behind anti-immigrant sentiment. 

Producer Toby spoke to the ecologist Dr. Dianne Brunton about the threat that a particularly virulent strain of avian influenza poses to New Zealand’s birds.

And Producer Theo spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Professor Stephen Winter, on the implications of the recent passing of the Redress System for Abuse in Care Act.