95bFM: The Wire

This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin, speaks with us about Tardigrades, Nanofibre drug delivery Implants, and Lengui the one handed gorilla.

For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Alex spoke with MP Ryan Hamilton about the Government’s Budget, and what it means for Health, Students, and other parts of government spending

For Green World this week, producer Liam spoke to Richard Capie from Forest and Bird, about the effects that the government’s latest budget, which includes $38 million dollars of cuts to the department of conservation, will have on the environment. 

And Liam also spoke to Andrew Deutschle from Watercare, about the phasing of Puketutu Island and its biosolids project. 

Auckland rates will increase by 7.9% for the next year, as included in Council’s annual budget, which passed earlier this week. 

And bus passenger numbers in Auckland are back to pre-Covid levels, with a record number of bus trips in March.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics.

After years of campaigning from advocates and victim-survivors, New Zealand has introduced a new anti-stalking law criminalising repeated behaviour intended to cause fear or distress. 

Producer Pranuja spoke with domestic violence researcher Dr Alison Towns from The Coalition for the Safety of Women & Children about the new law and what meaningful protection for victim-survivors should look like.

The Government’s move-on order legislation has given police greater powers to remove people from public spaces, including those begging or rough sleeping. Critics argue the bill risks criminalising homelessness rather than addressing its causes.

Producer Pranuja spoke with Dr Tim Welch about why he believes move-on orders punish poverty and what a more effective response to homelessness could look like.

For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about the 7.9% rates increase and bus passenger numbers reaching a record high. 

For Politics with Māni Dunlop from Te Ao Māori News, they caught up with her ahead of today’s Budget announcement. 

And News Director Castor attended the launch of Auckland Transport’s new hybrid-electric ferry. 

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about the retirement age debate and NZ First’s proposed gender bill.

And she spoke with Dr Tim Welch about New Zealand’s move-on orders and I also spoke with Dr Alison Towns about New Zealand’s new anti-stalking law.

Yesterday, Auckland Transport launched the city’s first electric hybrid ferry, set to be operated by Fullers360. The ferry is one of four electric ferries, which are set to begin service this year on the downtown to Devonport service. News Director Castor and Tuesday Wire producer Liam attended the event, where they spoke to a range of people about what the new development means for Auckland.

Wire Host Caeden caught up with Māni Dunlop from Te Ao Māori News ahead of today’s 2pm Budget announcement. 

For over two centuries, political leaders in the United States of America have been fixated on the idea of bringing the island nation of Cuba into the American sphere of influence. Now, under the leadership of Donald Trump, direct military intervention in Cuba seems more likely that it has since the early ‘60s.

The former Cuban president Raul Castro has recently been indicted by a grand jury in Miami, leading to speculation that the Trump administration may use the same strategy deployed in the indictment and subsequent abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

To discuss the history of US-Cuba relations and the prospect of military intervention by Trump, producer Toby spoke to US history expert Dr. Paul Taillon.

Wilding pines are an ongoing issue for ecosystems across Aotearoa. The ubiquitous conifers crowd out native plantlife, taking up water and nutrients that would otherwise be used to support native ecosystems. The pines also present a fire risk, and shrink the available grazing land of farms.

The pines spread easily and rapidly, requiring intensive eradication efforts to both remove the pines from a region and ensure they do not return.

Earlier this week, the government announced a boost to wilding pine control funding of an additional $79 million over the next three years bringing the total spend to $109 million.

So, to discuss the war on Christmas trees and the destruction these pines wreak on our ecosystems, producer Theo spoke to Dr Justin Nairn, a plant protection scientist at Scion and the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science.

Two Green Party members' bills were drawn recently; the first would ban mining on conservation land. It comes at a time when parties in the government coalition seem to have their hearts set on turbo-charging the mining industry, with a key bill being put forward that would enable a range of new commercial activities on conservation land and potentially allow the sale of over 60% of the land.

The other green party bill aims to protect children leaving care in Oranga Tamariki from finding themselves without a place to live.

Finally, a landmark climate lawsuit against six major companies was stopped in its tracks by the government. The government says that it made the decision to prevent the suit to ensure businesses had legal clarity and certainty. However, it has now been revealed that the government and business lobbyests had been in contact, and knowledge of this contact may have been unduly withheld, prompting critics to raise the alarm that the government may be circumventing core democratic processes to satisfy business interests.

So for our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about their parties members bill, especially mining on conservation land, and what it means for the government to intervene in such as way with this case.