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On the night of the 21st of June, the Aratere Interislander ferry was grounded due to a steering issue. The interislander currently operates as an informal part of State Highway One, and as such is crucial to freight deliveries in the South Island.

The previous Labour government had planned investments in a further two ferries and terminals, which were cancelled under the current government, with finance minister Nicola Willis calling the proposal a search for “Ferraris” instead of using the trusty “Toyota Corolla”, in this case the grounded Aratere. The government was met with criticism for this decision, and has been called on to provide an alternative during their term. 

The government also recently increased the alcohol levy for the first time since 2009. The alcohol levy funds measures to reduce alcohol related harm, and as of the changes will sit at $16.6 million.

An independent review recommended that the fund be increased to $37 million, with a minimum increase to $21.5 Million to account for inflation. For context, this would translate to a 1.1 cent increase to an average can of beer and an 8 cent increase to the average bottle of wine. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Hamish Campbell about the future of the interislander ferry and increases to the alcohol levy.

For the Tuesday Wire this week...

For Dear Science this week, we chatted with Doctor Cushla McGoverin about rifleman making new noises, Antarctic ice melting, and news in quantum computing.

For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Hamish Campbell about the future of the Interislander ferry following the crash of the Aratere and the recently increased alcohol levy.

And producer Elle spoke to Senior Lecturer of Urban Planning Dr Timothy Welch about the long term planning implications of the axed regional fuel tax.

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

~ Universal Harmony ~

Oozing a grateful ora, massaging the creative mind.

Jenna reviews Caledonian Road by Andrew O'Hagan on Loose Reads. Whakarongo mai nei!

ex-Drive captain Jonny is in to host Breakfast.

For their weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, Wire host Sofia speaks to ACT MP Laura Trask about public sector job cuts, military-style academies for youth offenders, and the Māori wards bill. 

She also speaks to Dr Ella Cullen, the Director of Wellbeing System Leadership at Te Hiringa Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, about recent data on the state of youth mental wellbeing in Aotearoa

She also speaks to Professor Michael Baker from the University of Otago about forming a global pandemic agreement and New Zealand’s current COVID response system. 

And she speaks to the Chair of the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children, Leonie Morris, about the government introducing a bill to make stalking illegal in Aotearoa. 

For this week’s Get Action! producer Oto speaks to Dinithi Bowatte from Massey University about a petition of hers calling for the university to divest it’s investments from the State of Israel.

He also speaks to Rachel Mackintosh from E Tu Union to discuss the nationwide rallies for care and support workers this week.

Whakarongo mai!

Care and Support workers, many of whom are working disability and elderly care, will be rallying across the Motu to call on the Government to fund a pay equity settlement for the sector.

Oto to Rachel Mackintosh from E Tu Union, representing care and support workers and organising the rally with PSA and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, to talk about the upcoming rallies and the demands of workers in the sector.

Mikey Majestic presents Roots & Culture

Last week, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced he would introduce a bill to parliament that would officially make stalking illegal by the end of the year. 

The announcement comes after an open letter and petition with more than 21,000 signatures called for the government to introduce anti-stalking legislation.

The movement to criminalise stalking was ignited after the murder of 21-year old Farzana Yaqubi in 2022, who was stalked for several weeks leading up to her death, and was effectively ignored by New Zealand police as there are currently no laws criminalising stalking. 

Wire host Sofia Roger Williams spoke to the Chair of the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children, Leonie Morris, to discuss why the government has brought the introduction of the bill forward, prevention measures, and indications of what the bill might look like.

Driven by a need to ensure the world is better prepared for future pandemics, for the past two years the World Health Organization’s 194 member states have been negotiating an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. 

While it initially aimed to have reached an agreement by last month, talks have been extended.

Wire host Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Professor Michael Baker from the department of Public Health at the University of Otago about what a global pandemic treaty might look like, as well as asking him about New Zealand’s current response systems to COVID-19.