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For Dear Science this week our expert Doctor Cushla McGoverin chatted to us about a parasite taking drugs to the brain, tarantulas making friends, and social groups of lions. 

The government recently announced increases to visa application fees across several groups, in some cases more than doubling the cost to applicants. These changes are due to increase revenue for Immigration NZ, and are said to make the organisation 100% self-sufficient. 

On the 12th of August, the New Zealand Police Association released an open letter to the government calling out their exclusion from discussions around firearms legislation reform. The letter spoke to the necessity of existing legislation, and criticised the involvement of former and present gun lobbyists in the process, including the minister in charge Nicole McKee. According to the ACT party website, McKee was formerly the spokesperson for The Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, a gun lobbyist group. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Katie Nimon, Wire host Castor asked about the changes to visa application fees and the involvement of police and gun lobbyists in firearms legislation reform. 

Flame on!

On the Tuesday Wire this week...

For Dear Science this week, we chatted with our expert Dr Cushla McGoverin about a parasite carrying drugs to the brain, tarantulas with lots of friends, and lions changing social groups with age. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about changes to visa fees and police involvement in firearms law reform. 

They also talked to president of the New Zealand Police Association Chris Cahill about the association’s open letter to the government about firearms legislation reform. 

And they spoked to CEO of immigration advice organisation Aims Global and chair of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment, Arunima Dhingra, about the visa fee changes and how they’ll impact immigration to Aotearoa. 

Hosted by PHILLIEE, featuring the Sound of Sydney courtesy of our man Carlos Avilés.

~ Universal Harmony ~

Oozing a grateful ora, massaging the creative mind.

Oto and Jaycee started their second session of WALAO! with a grungy start, before heading into an interview with Singaporean climate activist Phoebe Rae Tan. 

While Oto had to leave halfway through the show, Jaycee entertained listeners with interesting topics such as video game consoles and the Southeast-Asian word of the day "Gising".

For the second episode of WALAO! Oto interviewed Phoebe Rae Tan, a climate activist and creative from Singapore currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau . 

Phoebe compared her experiences with climate activism in Aotearoa with the work she did previously in Singapore.

The New Zealand Police Association yesterday released an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon discussing firearms legislation reform. In the letter, the association called out the government for their exclusion from the policy making process, as the Police Association has been a key group calling for the introduction and continuation of a firearms registry.

The Police Association also called into question the involvement of gun lobby groups in discussions of reform, particularly the history of Associate Minister and minister in charge of the reforms, Nicole McKee. Before becoming an MP, McKee had been the spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, a gun lobby group. This has led some to call into question her impartiality and ability to assess evidence regarding firearms legislation reform. 

Wire host Castor spoke to President of the New Zealand Police Association, Chris Cahill, about the letter, the firearms registry, and involvement of gun lobbyists in firearms legislation decision making. 

The government also announced increased visa application fees, some of them now more than double the previous cost. The government says this change will make Immigration NZ entirely self-sufficient, no longer at any cost to the taxpayer.

However, the projected gain from this fee increase is four times as much as Immigration NZ currently spends annually. While the increased funding is expected to be reinvested in improving services, the actual impact or allocation is currently unknown. 

Additionally, increased fees may deter potential applicants and increase costs to businesses looking to hire employees from overseas. The change may therefore reduce the number of overseas teachers and healthcare professionals, among other jobs. 

Wire host Castor spoke to CEO of immigration advisory group Aims and chair of the New Zealand Association of Migration and Investment, Arunima Dhingra, about the changes and their impact on immigration.