95bFM: The Wire

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto speak to him about Simeon Brown’s Health Infrastructure Plan, the downgrading of climate change in the new Defence Capability Plan and the recently announced extension of military assistance to Ukraine.

He spoke to Amanda Larsson - Senior Campaign manager for Greenpeace Aotearoa, about Greenpeace’s investigation into meat processing corporation JBS and their role in the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

And he spoke to Sue Coutts, an advocate for the Zero Waste Network about their take on the government’s proposal to update the waste minimisation act.

Max spoke to the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa co-chair, John Minto, about the PSNA appeal to New Zealand Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, in which they requested that New Zealand initiate the call for an internationally enforced “no-fly” zone over Gaza.

Greenpeace recently conducted an investigation into the meat processing corporation, JBS, which concluded that the company had failed to meet its deforestation-free commitment.

The Brazilian multinational is the largest meat processing enterprise in the world and largely operates in the Amazon Rainforest, where they have been accused of contributing to illegal deforestation, mistreating their livestock and even spreading zoonotic diseases.

In 2020, JBS announced their plan for zero deforestation by this year, which included a monitoring system for their suppliers. However, the Greenpeace investigation found that the company had made little progress on their commitment and was continuing to contribute to the Amazon’s deforestation.

Oto spoke to Amanda Larsson - Senior Campaign manager for Greenpeace Aotearoa, about their investigation into JBS and how they plan to hold them accountable for their deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science our expert Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about dimethyl sulphide found on the exoplanet k2-18b, plants farming nickel, and turning rain into electricity. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about reserve bank budget cuts and new classroom developments in Auckland. 

They also spoke to Senior Lecturer in theological and religious studies, Dr. Nick Thompson from the University of Auckland about the passing of Pope Francis and its implications. 

Producer Amani spoke with the Environmental Protection Authority’s Shaun Prescow about the manufacture of tattoo inks in New Zealand. 

And News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Great Place to Work New Zealand and Australia’s Rebecca Moulynox about a new study showing poorer working conditions in Australia compared to New Zealand.

Yesterday, at the age of 88, Pope Francis passed away from stroke and heart failure. As head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was also known for being outspoken on various rights issues, including around immigration, refugees, climate change, and the occupation of Palestine.

The next pope is expected to be decided over the coming weeks, with multiple people seen as frontrunners for the position. 

To discuss the life, accomplishments, and death of Pope Francis, Wire host Castor spoke to senior lecturer of theological and religious studies, Dr. Nick Thompson.

The Environmental Protection Authority is gathering information on how tattoo inks are manufactured, distributed, and used in Aotearoa to determine whether existing regulations are appropriate and effective. 

In 2020, the European Union restricted and banned several substances commonly found in tattoo inks due to the potential risk of adverse effects. 

Although such effects are very rare, the Environmental Protection Authority Te Mana Rauhī Taiao wants to examine whether their regulations should better align with international standards.

Producer Amani spoke with Manager of Hazardous Substances Reassessments at the Environmental Protection Authority, Shaun Presow, to find out more on this.

A recent study of 156,000 has shown that New Zealanders should be aware of the differences between Australian work culture, before considering crossing the ditch.

The study has found that Australia pales in comparison to New Zealand regarding a workplace being fair regardless of race, age, and sexual orientation, with only 51% of those saying they consider their workplace as a psychologically and emotionally healthy environment to work in.

This comes as there has been a surge in New Zealanders leaving to Australia, with Stats NZ findings from 2023 showing a net migration loss of 44,500. 

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the general manager of Great Place to Work New Zealand & Australia; a global human resources research and certification organisation, Rebecca Moulynox, about these findings, and what New Zealanders should consider before working in Australia.

Kāhui Ako is a government programme providing funding to teachers and schools identified by the government as having greater educational quality. Recent government leaks have revealed that the programme may be cut. 

While the programme did provide funding for the education sector, its implementation was inconsistent. 

To discuss the programme, why it's being cut, and what the government could do for education, Wire host Castor spoke to Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Education at the University of Auckland, Camilla Highfield.

As artificial intelligence systems including the likes of chatbots and art generators become more advanced, their use has begun to pervade the political arena. 

Across the world, political leaders and parties including Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and now New Zealand’s own ACT Party, have used AI images to promote a certain political agenda or message. 

In the case of the ACT Party, an artificial stock image from Adobe AI titled “happy Māori couple sitting in a living room” was featured in a social media post underneath the tagline “Kiwis are saving over $150 per week on their mortgages since ACT entered government”.

Producer Sara spoke with University of Otago Media, Film and Communications Professor, Dr Olivier Jutel about this new era of AI political content. 

To begin, she asked him to discuss why ACTs recent social media post was so problematic.

Kilmar Ábrego García, a man legally in the United States, was wrongly deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador earlier this month. 

The Trump administration refuses to bring Ábrego García back to the United States despite a Supreme Court ruling stating that Trump must “facilitate” this process.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Associate Professor Jean Lantz Reisz from the Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California about Ábrego García's removal from the US and what this means for the rule of law.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has directed Te Whatu Ora to say “women” instead of “pregnant people” in all communications.

The government has opened consultation on the new relationships and sexuality education (RSE) draft framework.

And last week, the divisive and controversial Treaty Principles Bill was voted down at second reading.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these issues.