This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science, our expert, Dr. Cushla McGoverin, chats with us about early human subspecies Denisovan, plants having a second set of roots, and sea spiders farming bacteria. 

In our weekly catch-up with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about plans to scrap the nationwide census and concerns from statisticians around the decision. 

They also spoke to Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Victoria, Dr. Lara Greaves, about how the census changes could impact Māori and issues around data sovereignty and surveillance.

Producer Faith spoke to researcher Nusch Herman from the Co-Created Ageing Research Centre about normalising having older adults in the workplace.

Although sixty-five is still New Zealand’s retirement age, there has recently been an increase in over sixty-fives in the workforce, for a number of reasons.

Researchers such as Nusch Herman from the Co-Created Ageing Research Centre believe that having older adults in the workplace should be normalised.

Producer Faith spoke to Nusch about ageism, and breaking the stigma around over sixty-fives still working.

Last week, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced plans to scrap the census moving forward. The changes have raised concerns around gathering data on marginalised groups and communities. Lower sample sizes and differences in the method of data collection can expose the data to biases and could lead to poor representation of marginalised and minority groups. The collection and use of administrative data also raises concerns around data sovereignty and increased state surveillance.

To discuss these concerns, Wire host Castor spoke to Associate Professor of Politics at Victoria University and Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Statistics at the University of Auckland, Dr. Lara Greaves. You can find more information about Te Mana Rauranga here. 

Recently, Statistics Minister, Shane Reti, has announced that Stats NZ will be moving away from the Census to collect data, cancelling the next scheduled Census in 2028.

The move will result in data already collected by government agencies to be used as the primary source of population data.

To ensure minority communities are accurately portrayed in national data, Stats NZ say they will be working with these communities, with plans to implement smaller surveys and targeted data collection.

However, concerns have been raised about whether this is enough.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Liza Bolton, a Professional Teaching Fellow in the Department of Statistics at the University of Auckland, about this move, and her concerns regarding moving away from the Census to collect data.

With Psilocybin set to be more available for those with treatment-resistant depression comes the question of accessibility.

Currently only one specialist will be able to provide psilocybin to patients, with concerns over how much the treatment will cost.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, a Professor in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Auckland, about psilocybin, and what should be expected with allowing psilocybin to treat treatment-resistant depression.

The government is considering changes to the rules surrounding who can ride bikes on the sidewalk and e-scooters in the bike lane. Currently e-scooters are not allowed in the bike line, despite many riders using it, and bikes can only be ridden on the sidewalk by young children.

The government is planning to change this, allowing e-scooters in the bike line legally, and raising the age cap for bike riding on the sidewalk.

Producer Samantha spoke to Tim Jones, President of Living Streets Aotearoa regarding these proposed changes and their implications.

Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump. 

The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.

The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.

Statistics Minister Shane Reti has announced that the Census form will be scrapped and instead replaced with smaller surveys and administrative data.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed openness to reducing sick leave entitlements.

And tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate as Israel’s war on Gaza continues, threatening global security.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these topics.

Concrete is one of the world’s most polluting materials, accounting for between 5 and 8 percent of global CO2 emissions.

For the past several years, University of Auckland Engineering Faculty, Dr Enrique Del Ray Castillo has been researching and developing an alternative which could decrease the environmental impact of concrete by reducing the amount of cement required in its production.

Using a blend of volcanic ash – or pumice – and kaimoana shells, both of which are natural, local and more sustainable materials, Castillo has explored how traditional Roman engineering and mātauranga Māori could work together to make a material that’s built to last

Oto spoke with Maryam, an Iranian New Zealander in Iran at the moment, talking to us about the missile strikes between Israel and Iran from her perspective

He spoke to Stephen Hoadley, a retired associate professor from the University of Auckland talking about the Israeli Iranian conflict from a broader angle

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke with him about the government's consideration to change sick leave payments, the directive to Health NZ to give private hospitals outsourcing contracts for elective surgeries and David Seymour's review into ECE funding.

And he spoke to Te Kahuratai Moko-Painting A professional teaching fellow at the centre for Pūtaiao at the University of Auckland, about why some Iwi celebrate Puanga instead of Matariki.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa’s Jennifer Shields and AUT’s Greg Treadwell, regarding a story on RNZ which many have raised concerns about over the lack of usage of an individual's preferred name and gender identity, due to the individual having passed away and not being able to communicate his wishes.