A stereophonic soaking and a right proper ear spanking

Rosetta catches up with Charlie and owner of Pink Neon Sign on High Street, Rosie, to chat all things kawhe! Whakarongo mai nei.

Thanks to eighthirty coffee roasters!

Last week saw the National Party go through a period of suspected internal conflict, after a leadership challenge was mounted against Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Following a multi-hour long caucus meeting, Luxon spoke to media, claiming he has the full support of his caucus. National MP and former minister Chris Penk was subsequently stripped of his portfolios. The incident has raised concerns over Luxon’s ability to lead both his party and the country, especially as this is not the first leadership vote this year. 

Also last week, the ACT Party proposed two new policies they would campaign on in the leadup to this year’s election. First, thanks to calls for a bed levy in Auckland, ACT has instead posed a local tourism dividend that would come directly out of central government funding. They say this dividend would be better suited to address the problem of local government funds for tourism and arts/culture, though some have been sceptical. 

The second ACT party proposal is to make student services fees at universities voluntary, so that students can choose the services they’d like to pay for from a checklist. 

To discuss each of these issues News Director Castor spoke with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, beginning with the National Party leadership. 

An RNZ analysis of election-year Facebook and Instagram advertising has found a clear gender divide in who is seeing different parties’ ads, with National and ACT reaching more men and the Greens reaching more women.

But political parties do not have complete control over those audiences, with Meta’s algorithms also deciding who is most likely to see and engage with particular messages.

Producer Pranuja spoke to University of Auckland marketing lecturer Katherine Jensen about how AI and platform algorithms are shaping political advertising, whether voters are being shown increasingly different versions of the same campaign, and whether New Zealand’s election rules are keeping up.

Ata mārie e te whānau! Rosetta has your Monday morning covered with a sunny Breakfast show filled with tunes, prizes, Whakataukī o Tēnei Wiki, This Is How We Brew It, Loose Reads, and more! Whakarongo mai nei. 

Thanks to eighthirty coffee roasters!

A recent New Zealand case report has highlighted the potential consequences of medical misinformation, after a nine-year-old developed serious complications when prescribed antibiotics were not used as directed.

But the case may point to something broader than a single false claim online, with distrust in doctors, the health system and government institutions also shaping how people make decisions about treatment.

Producer Pranuja spoke to University of Otago public health researcher Dr John Kerr about how medical mistrust develops, the role social media plays in amplifying it, and how health professionals can respond without pushing hesitant patients further away. She started by asking about the case and how medical misinformation played a role in it.

Last week saw the National Party go through a period of suspected internal conflict, after a leadership challenge was mounted against Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Following a multi-hour long caucus meeting, Luxon spoke to media, claiming he has the full support of his caucus. National MP and former minister Chris Penk was subsequently stripped of his portfolios. The incident has raised concerns over Luxon’s ability to lead both his party and the country, especially as this is not the first leadership vote this year. 

Also last week, the ACT Party proposed two new policies they would campaign on in the leadup to this year’s election. First, thanks to calls for a bed levy in Auckland, ACT has instead posed a local tourism dividend that would come directly out of central government funding. They say this dividend would be better suited to address the problem of local government funds for tourism and arts/culture, though some have been sceptical. 

The second ACT party proposal is to make student services fees at universities voluntary, so that students can choose the services they’d like to pay for from a checklist. 

To discuss each of these issues News Director Castor spoke with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, beginning with the National Party leadership. 

The ACT Party has announced plans to campaign on a policy of making student service fees voluntary. These fees contribute to student events, student media, and various other services across campus. The ACT Party believes it is unfair to charge students for services they may not use, instead offering a tickbox system so that people can opt to pay for the services they prefer. The policy is one ACT says would benefit students, though multiple student organisations across the country have pushed back. 

To discuss their concerns, News Director Castor spoke to President of VUWSA, Aidan Donoghue, about how making these fees voluntary could impact student life on campus.

Oto interviews Singaporean Rapper Mary Sue about their brand new album 'Rapihaler' and the scene experiences across Asia and Europe 

This week on the Monday Wire...

For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about tensions in the National Party leadership, and ACT Party proposals for a local tourism dividend and voluntary student services fees.

Also on voluntary student services fees, Castor spoke to president of the Victoria University of Wellington’s Students Association, Aidan Donoghue, about what such a policy could do to student life on campus. 

This week, Producer Pranuja spoke to University of Otago public health researcher Dr John Kerr about medical misinformation, distrust in the health system, and how social media and generative AI can shape treatment decisions.

She also spoke to University of Auckland marketing lecturer Katherine Jensen about how AI and platform algorithms influence who sees political advertising, and what that could mean for voters heading into the election.