95bFM: The Wire

The Government has announced some new secondary school subjects and changes to current ones, which will be a part of the proposed new curriculum.

Some of the subjects include: earth and space sciences, civics, politics, and philosophy, media, journalism and communications, and te mātai i te ao Māori

However, art history as a subject is set to be axed, instead being integrated into other visual art subjects such as design, painting, and photography. In addition to this, outdoor education as a subject is set to become fully vocational.

Those in these sectors have criticised these moves, with Auckland Art Gallery’s head of curatorial and exhibitions Sarah Farrar, saying the move will close doors for young people, with Claire Amos, principal at Albany Senior High School, saying that making outdoor education vocational will result in a loss of funding for the subject.

For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host spoke to him about these topics.

Last Week, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices met to review childhood vaccination recommendations in the US. The committee, whose members were appointed by anti-vaccination US Secretary of Health Robert F Kennedy Jr, have voted on a variety of recommendations for child vaccinations and restrictions of vaccinations from COVID-19 to Measles and Mumps immunisations. 

This move has been met with concern, both over the implications for the health and wellbeing of children and the public, and what it means for one of the most prominent countries and advisory bodies to make such a move. In particular, the move itself was rife with confusion, with the advisory committee being ill-equipped to review the recommendations.

Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, Helen Petousis-Harris, about the confused and muddled recommendations, what they mean for public health, and what this says about the state of vaccine regulation.

The University of Auckland’s Maori and Pacific Academic Engagement Advisor for Students and Scholarly Services Mia-Mae Taitimu-Stevens talked to Thursday Wire Producer Sanat today about how social media is enabling higher engagement with Māori political Kaupapa. 

Recently Te Pāti Māori won the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, with candidate Oriini Kaipara using social media to far greater effect than Labour candidate Peeni Henare who relied on more tried and true campaigning tactics. 

Mia-Mae walked Producer Sanat through how social media has been a transformative tool for Maori, as they rise to the political challenges of the day. Furthermore she walked Sanat through some of the aspects of kaupapa Maori that work particularly well in a social media model.

Last week, thousands of young people began mass protests in Nepal, sparked by a social media ban but over larger frustrations with government corruption.

The protests have led to Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, especially in the wake of public outrage over the killing of 22 people during the police crackdown on protestors. 

For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to University of Queensland Lecturer in Political Science Dr DB Subedi about the circumstances behind these protests, how they fit into the wider region, and the misinformation surrounding them.

Bike Auckland, a pro-cycling advocacy group recently sent out their pledge for candidates which says 

“I believe people of all ages should feel able to bike safely to get around. Auckland needs more climate-friendly transport to ensure a sustainable and resilient Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, protecting our environment and communities for future generations. If elected, I commit to making a safe, connected cycle network a priority.” 

Several candidates have pledged their support for the bike pledge, so Thursday Wire Producer Sanat wanted to get some more insight from Councilor Shane Henderson into how cycling will play a role in the future of Auckland’s transport network.

Thursday Wire Producer Sanat also asked him about what he has to say to opponents of cycleways that argue the increased cost and congestion is part of a larger “war on cas”

In other Local Government news, an ACT candidate in Whangerei has had their hoarding shot at several times recently. This follows an increase in abuse and vitriol towards local government candidates, particularly from marginalised communities. Producer Sanat asked Shane what he thinks this means for the state of our local democracy.

This week is the 50-year milestone of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. The theme for this week is “ake ake ake - a forever language.”

Last week, the government unveiled a series of new secondary school subjects as part of its curriculum refresh.

And the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll shows Labour ahead of National, but neither party is able to govern on its own. 

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

This week marks 50 years since the establishment of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, following the 1972 Māori Language Petition. As part of this week everyone across Aotearoa is encouraged to use and learn te reo Māori, fostering its revival and integrating it into their daily life.

However, even 50 years on, the revitalisation of Te Reo still faces a number of issues, with the current coalition Government facing criticism over its policies relating to te reo, such as the removal of te reo on the New Zealand passport, government offices and even in some school books.

Wednesday Wire Host Oto spoke with Professor Māori studies at the University of Auckland, Margaret Mutu, about Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, and the milestones in te reo revitalisation that have been achieved since it began.

This morning, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry officially announced they had found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. To count as genocide under the 1948 UN genocide convention, at least one of five acts must have occurred, of which the commission accuses Israel of committing four. The Commission of Inquiry does not speak on behalf of the UN, however they have called on member countries to punish those responsible for it.

To this date, the New Zealand government has not issued any type of sanction against Israel or officially recognised a Palestinian state. However, Saturday’s Pro-Palestine protest – which attracted around 25,000 people to the streets of Auckland – has only increased pressure on the government to act.

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa co-chair John Minto believes that recent protests are an accurate measure of where the Aotearoa public stand on this issue and that it’s time for the government to abandon what he describes as “pro-Israel policies”. To discuss this, as well as the UN commission of inquiry declaring genocide in Gaza, Producer Max spoke with John Minto.

The profiles of candidates standing in several Māori ward elections were missing from booklets given to enrolled voters intended to inform their votes.

In response to the missing candidate profiles, Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi The Public Service Association (PSA) — representing public servants — has called on the government to move the responsibility for running these elections out of the hands of private companies and back to the Electoral Commission. 

Wednesday Wire Producer Emmanuel spoke to the PSA’s acting Kaihautū Māori, Marcia Puru, to discuss the PSA's view on the missing candidate information and its implications.

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about The Greens renewed call for the government to recognise Palestinian statehood, The Greens call for an extension on Māori wards referendum, The most recent failed ETS auction.

Max spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair John Minto, to discuss the United Nations officially declaring a genocide in Gaza and how the New Zealand Government should respond.

And Manny spoke to the PSA’s Mar-Sia Puru to discuss the missing candidate profiles in several Māori ward electorates and what they think can be done about it.