Cam from Southbound Records brings in a collection of new musical releases to impress us all, every Friday at 9:30am. Thanks to Southbound Records!

Ethnomusicologist Dr Kirsten Zemke leads us around the world on a new musical exploration each week. This week, Kirsten chats about the history of hyperpop!

Since its establishment in 1974, the Chartwell Project has championed the importance of creative visual thinking, shaping an expansive collection of contemporary art and an enduring programme of philanthropic and educational support.

Being, Seeing, Making, Thinking is a new book celebrating 50 years of the project, featuring a preface by Chartwell’s founder, Rob Gardiner, an essay by Chartwell’s chair, Sue Gardiner, a Timeline by co-editor Megan Shaw, and 50 accompanying texts on artworks. 

The book aligns with a new archival exhibition of the same name at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki curated by Megan Shaw with Freya Elmer and Philippa Robinson from the Gallery to celebrate the anniversary period until the 4th May. 

Sofia spoke to co-director of the Chartwell Collection, Sue Gardiner, and Chartwell Anniversary Project Manager, Megan Shaw, about the book and the history of Chartwell.

National MP Joseph Mooney has introduced a members bill that would remove people’s right to take legal action against companies for their impact on the climate.

The most prominent case this would impact is Mike Smith’s (Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahu) Smith v Fonterra. 

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Smith about this proposed legislation and the potential impact on his case, which remains ongoing.

New findings have shown that vaping has not lowered smoking habits in young people in Aotearoa.

The study, published in The Lancet, looked at the daily smoking rates of 14 to 15 year olds, from 1999 to 2023, and shows that the introduction of vaping and subsequent popularity of the smoking device has not helped in lower daily smoking rates in Aotearoa.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Chief Executive of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand, Letitia Harding, about this study, and how the organisation hopes the government will react to these findings.

They started off by asking if the findings in the study were surprising to her.

Public submissions regarding Auckland Council’s annual plan from 2025/2026 are set to close tomorrow at 11:59pm, with the plan set to take place from the 1st of July.

These submissions give the public the opportunity to provide feedback on proposals from the coming year.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about this, and the council’s ‘bed tax’.

They also spoke about the recent discussions regarding ensuring fair and equal representation in the upcoming 2025 local election.

Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat with top United States security officials who were discussing military plans for strikes on Yemen.

The group chat discussed operational details, and officials, including the Vice President JD Vance, seemed unaware of Goldberg’s presence. 

Jeffrey Goldberg initially left out some of these sensitive details in his article on the group chat but has released more specific information after the Trump administration downplayed the situation and said no classified information was shared.

For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about this issue.

Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat with top United States security officials who were discussing military plans for strikes on Yemen.

The group chat discussed operational details, and officials, including the Vice President JD Vance, seemed unaware of Goldberg’s presence. 

Jeffrey Goldberg initially left out some of these sensitive details in his article on the group chat but has released more specific information after the Trump administration downplayed the situation and said no classified information was shared.

For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about this issue.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters gave a “State of the Nation” speech last weekend where he strongly criticised Labour and announced his party was declaring a “war on woke.”

The government has announced a new replacement for the Resource Management Act, looking to pass it before the next election.

And Labour Foreign Affairs spokesperson David Parker has criticised the government for not condemning Israel in the context of recent military action and the blocking of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

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