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Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump. 

The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.

The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.

Statistics Minister Shane Reti has announced that the Census form will be scrapped and instead replaced with smaller surveys and administrative data.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed openness to reducing sick leave entitlements.

And tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate as Israel’s war on Gaza continues, threatening global security.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these topics.

Statistics Minister Shane Reti has announced that the Census form will be scrapped and instead replaced with smaller surveys and administrative data.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed openness to reducing sick leave entitlements.

And tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate as Israel’s war on Gaza continues, threatening global security.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these topics.

Last friday, Israel launched a series of missile strikes on Iranian soil, aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear research facilities and assassinating their top generals and scientists.

In response Iran fired a series of their own missile strikes into Israeli territory, striking areas like Tel Aviv and the Israeli port city of Haifa.

Both countries have attacked civilian areas in this round of fighting, with Israel strikes into Iran hitting Iran’s state broadcaster in Tehran as well as the Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah, killing at least 200 people, with Iran’s strikes targeting a number of residential areas in urban Israel similarly.

Oto spoke to an Iranian New Zealander who is currently in Iran, going under the alias of ‘Maryam’ for her safety and security, who talked us about her experiences trying to flee Iran and contacting the New Zealand for assistance.

Content warning: this story deals with discussions of eating disorders

Recently, RNZ published an article about a young person who passed away in 2023 in emergency accommodation due to his battle with his eating disorder.

However, the article has faced backlash for its portrayal of the young person. 

Despite the young person in question; Alex, who identified as trans, the article, at his parents request, referred to him by his deadname and did not use his preferred pronouns. The article mixed in non-gender specific pronouns and the name ‘V,’ depending on an individual's relationship to Alex that was not his parents.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the President of the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa’s Jennifer Shields, about RNZ’s coverage and how this may impact trans rangatahi in the country.

The coverage of this story has also raised the question of what responsible coverage should look like, for a story like this.

According to RNZ’s Rainbow Communities Reporting and Content Guidelines, as Alex could not communicate his wishes, RNZ opted to cover the story the way they did through his parents.

Joel also spoke to the Academic Advisor to Journalism at AUT, Greg Treadwell, about the coverage of this story, and if he believes the coverage is adequate.

LGBTQIA+ organisations to contact for support and resources:

Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa

InsideOUT Kōaro

RainbowYOUTH

Gender Minorities Aotearoa

NZ Parents and Guardians of Transgender and Gender Diverse Children

Be There 

OUTLine Aotearoa: 0800 688 5463 (6pm-9pm) for specialist, 24/7, confidential, mental health support, that also provides specialist counselling for LGBTQIA+ individuals and whānau.

This Friday, the Matariki stars will be observed in the Northeastern skies, marking the beginning of the Māori new year and Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar.

However, earlier this year, the Puanga star rose in the Western skies, which some Iwi, especially those in Te Tai Tokerau, look to to mark the beginning of the Maramataka.

With this year’s theme for Matariki being Matariki mā Puanga: Celebrating Together, Oto spoke to Te Kahuratai Moko-Painting, a professional teaching fellow at Te Pūtahi o Pūtaiao - the centre for Pūtaiao at the University of Auckland, about why some Iwi look to Puanga instead of Matariki.

Admist the ongoing rounds of missile strikes being traded between Israel and Iran, Oto spoke to Professor Stephen Hoadley, a retired Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Auckland who gave us a wider contextual understanding of the situation.

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