Kia ora, and welcome to The Wire for Rāpare Thursday!

Spike speaks to:

- Labour MP Andrew Little about his visit to the Shangri-La Indo-Pacific defense summit, and the Taumaru review of intelligence laws and services

- TEU organiser Ben Schmidt about the proposed job cuts at Massey University

- Natalie Vincent from Good Shepherd about the prevalance of Buy Now Pay Later debt

Simon speaks to:

- City Councillor Lotu Fuli on the budget negotiations starting today, abusive emails from Mayor Brown and the much contested sale of airport shares

- Associate Professor Grant Duncan on the new independent electoral review and its recommendations around term limits, prisoner voting rights and the "coattails" rule

- Professor John Townend about the risk of a major earthquake along the Alpine Fault over the next 50 years  

This week, a review into the electoral system in Aotearoa was released. The report, titled Independent Electoral Review seeks to make the electoral system clearer, fairer, and more accessible for current and future generations. Associate Professor Grant Duncan teaches politics at Massey University, and he highlighted the major changes the review is suggesting. Simon began by asking him to discuss the recommendation to change the election from every three years to every four.

It has been revealed that the Alpine Fault, which runs down the south island, has a 75% chance of creating a magnitude 8 or stronger earthquake in the next 50 years. Professor John Townend has spent many years studying the fault line to gain a greater understanding of the risks. He began by discussing what he has discovered recently.

The Auckland Council budget is holding public services hostage - that was what PSA had to say about Mayor Brown’s Auckland Council budget proposal. On the chopping board in Brown’s budget is the selling of Auckland Council’s stake in Auckland Airport, which has been a consistent revenue stream for the council since Auckland’s district councils merged into the Supercity in 2010. 

Tomorrow, Council members will vote on Mayor Brown’s budget proposal including whether to sell-off Auckland Councils Airport shares. To talk more about what implications the share sell-off could have for public services in Auckland, Andre Fa’aoso spoke with Ian Gordon, PSA National Sector leader for local government. 

On the show for Rāapa: 

We have our monthly catch up with the Auckland University Students’ Association, today we speak to Engagement Vice President Folau Tu'inukuafe. 

Andre Fa’aoso speaks to Ian Gordon, from PSA about Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s council budget, and PSAs statement saying that Brown’s budget proposal is holding public services hostage. 

On the Green Desk Jack Marshall speaks to Amanda Thomas, lecturer in environmental studies at the University of Wellington about stopping oil and gas exploration in Aotearoa. 

Alex speaks with Simon Oddie from Eke Panuku and Matt Wheeler from BECA about the proposal for a digital twin of Auckland.

Arno speaks with epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker to provide a COVID-19 update.

Michael Baker, University of Otago professor and epidemiologist, joins us today from Oslo, Norway, to talk about the latest updates on Covid in New Zealand, following an article published in the New Zealand Herald on Sunday. 

Although New Zealand has done comparatively well in managing the health crisis, hospital admissions are still high and a number of people are expected to die from Covid this year. 

Arno started the interview by asking Michael if people still needed to be worried by Covid.

Auckland Council urban regeneration agency Eke Panuku, Beca, Koi Tu: the Centre for Informed Futures, the NZ Infrastructure Commission Te Waihanga and Ngati Whatua Orakei are making the case for digital twin pilot in Auckland’s city centre. Digital twins already exist in Singapore, London, Wellington and Christchurch. I spoke to Simon Oddie of Eke Panuku and Matt Wheeler about what digital twins are and what opportunities they provide  for productivity, resilience and engagement.

Welcome to the Tuesday Wire! This week on the show: 

The Government has released a report in response to the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation's petition to raise the age of free access to mammogram screening from 69 to 74. After originally committing to raising the age in 2017, the Government has now backtracked on the promise due to ICT issues at Breast Screening Aotearoa and a shortage of radiologists.

A recent report from the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation says a woman willl lose her life every month because of the decision. Tuesday Wire producer Rosetta Stone spoke to Adele Gautier, New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation's Research and Strategic Programmes Manager, about the consequences of the Government's decision.

This week for thier weekly catch up, Milly speaks to Dr Shane Reti about the Waikato Hospital that is struggling and not a part of the winter preparedness plan, as well as National's proposed increase to the breast screening cutoff age.