95bFM: The Wire

This week on the Monday Wire...

For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to ACT MP Simon Court about selling conservation land, youth unemployment, and arts and culture funding for Auckland’s CBD. 

Producer Thomas spoke to University of Auckland Professor of conservation biology James Russell, about the Conservation Amendment Bill.

He also talked to University of Auckland Professor Dr Sally Mackay about making food health star ratings mandatory.

And Producer Jude spoke to Auckland University senior research fellow, Dr Sarah-Jane Guild about the development of wireless brain sensors.

Te Hiringa Mahara, the mental health and wellbeing commission, released a system report on Tuesday this week. The report looks into the state of mental health services in Aotearoa - whether they adequately provide for everyone, who falls through the cracks, and what kind of improvements could be made. 

To discuss the findings from the report, News Director Castor spoke to Director of Wellbeing, System Leadership, Data, and Insights at Te Hiringa Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Dr Ella Cullen, about the state of Mental Health services in Aotearoa.

This week on the Thursday Wire...

For City Counselling, News Director Castor spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about Labour’s $20 fare cap policy, proposed scenarios for changes to PC 120, and Council’s plans for Matariki. 

They also spoke to Director of Wellbeing, System Leadership, Data, and Insights at Te Hiringa Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Dr Ella Cullen, about the state of Mental Health services in Aotearoa.

And they spoke to the Children’s Commissioner, Claire Achmad, about a recent Aroturuki Tamariki report on Māori outcomes in the care and protection system. 

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about the Government’s Jobseeker target, and the fallout from the Immigration New Zealand controversy.  

She also spoke with Professor Bruce Arroll from the University of Auckland about the proposed prescribing powers for paramedics and the safeguards needed to protect public health.

Last week, the Independent Childrens Monitor Aroturuki Tamariki released its second annual report on outcomes for Māori in the care and protection system.

The report looks at the existing context of Māori children and young people’s struggles in state care systems, and assesses current outcomes. It examines what is currently being done to support Māori within the system, and what more could be done to remediate the current inequities. 

To discuss the report, and what more New Zealand’s protection and care systems could be doing to support our tamariki Māori, News Director Castor spoke to the Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad.

The Government is considering expanding prescribing powers for emergency paramedics, allowing them to prescribe certain medicines, including antibiotics, for conditions such as respiratory and ear infections. 

Supporters say the move could improve access to healthcare, particularly in underserved communities, but some experts are warning that stronger safeguards are needed to prevent unnecessary antibiotic use and growing antimicrobial resistance. 

Producer Pranuja spoke with Professor Bruce Arroll from the University of Auckland about the safeguards needed with this policy to protect public health.

We’re well into the election year, with spats across the political aisle - and even within the government - on the up. Similarly rising are the political donations received by these parties. So far, the ACT party is leading the pack with over $1.35 million in donations exceeding $20,000, well above the National Party, which follows at just over $720,000.

However, concerns have continued to be raised at the lack of regulation and transparency for political donations in Aotearoa New Zealand. Transparency International New Zealand have called our laws around political donations some of the weakest  in the world, with the threshold for reporting donations far higher than many comparable OECD nations, and with no limiting cap on donations.

So, to learn more about the state of our regulation of political donations in NZ, producer Theo spoke to the Executive Director of Transparency International New Zealand, Julie Haggie.

While the election is still over four months away, parties are already deploying what has become an election period staple, the budget hole. The idea that a party vying for government may have bungled the numbers is quite the attack, but without every kiwi trying to break down the numbers themselves, we often have to be taking at least someone at their word. The Green party is among a number of voices proposing a fix to this - a parliamentary budget office that would vet the costs of party policies and be able to answer that age old question, how big is their hole.

And ahead of the release of their own tax policy the Greens have highlighted that The richest 150 New Zealand individuals and family dynasties now own as much as half of the country between them. These numbers, from the National Business Review, show that this small group of kiwis grew their collective wealth from  $102b to $129b last year, that’s a 26% increase in just one year. As the current government gives tax breaks to landlords, and cuts to social services, the Green party says they should be looking at this growth instead, but how do they propose we claw that wealth back?

For our weekly catch-up with the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the call for an independent parliamentary budgetary office, the growing wealth disparity, and gig workers rights.

Seven years ago, New Zealand suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history, when an Australian white nationalist entered two different mosques in the city of Christchurch and shot 51 muslim worshippers to death, injuring 89 others.

Last week a new book was published entitled ‘He Told Us’, co-written by Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski. The book documents the life of the terrorist and the lead-up to the attack, the ideologies and online communities that influenced him, the atrocities he committed on the day, and the aftermath, with a focus on the royal commission and its limitations.

Dr. Chris Wilson is an associate professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland, and Michal Dziwulski is a researcher currently studying a Master’s degree in Conflict and Terrorism Studies, also at the University of Auckland. They joined producer Toby in the studio to discuss what we’ve learned and what we’ve failed to learn from this horrendous attack.

This week on the Wednesday Wire...

Producer Theo spoke to the Executive Director of Transparency International New Zealand, Julie Haggie, on the regulation of political donations in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Then, for this week’s Get Action, Theo spoke to the Sudan Advocacy Network Aotearoa’s Fatima Sanussi, on their petition to urgently establish a Sudan Special Humanitarian Visa Pathway.

Finally, Producer Toby spoke to Dr. Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski about their new book ‘He Told Us,’ examining the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack.

Sudan has been suffering under a war between its army and the paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (or, RSF) for over three years now, with outside nations fueling the conflict.  

The nation is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with over 33.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Widespread violence against civilians is ongoing - including systematic sexual violence against women and girls. The United Nations has identified hallmarks and indicators consistent with genocide, such as ethnically targeted violence and atrocity crimes.

However, advocates have pointed to a conspicuous absence of international attention to this crisis. In New Zealand, the Sudan Advocacy Network Aotearoa is petitioning the New Zealand Government to accept more refugees, both through the existing quota system and through the establishment of a Sudan Special Humanitarian Visa Pathway for Sudanese communities in Aotearoa who have direct or extended family members displaced and affected by the ongoing war in Sudan.

To learn more, producer Theo spoke with the Sudan Advocacy Network Aotearoa’s Fatima Sanussi.

If you’d like to sign this petition, you can find it on the ActionStation website, or through this link.